Battle problems

[TruePraetorian]

This has happened to me numerous times, but im finally so fed up with it I will decide to ask for help :sweatdrop:

When I start up a battle, be it campaign or custom, or multipleyer (worst), I get all my units, set them up in the groups and formation that I want them in (for example, in custom battle the manipular formation lately for tests.)

All is well until I move the army; The army moves into a single, strait line...as if all the groups didnt matter.

Its really frustrating when you are trying to advance and your entire Legion lines up wrong..causing you to lose the fight.

Anyone?

[El Diablo]

Yes this can be very frustrating.

I find the best way is one everything is in order to "group all" barring your horses that you usually micro manage. Think of it as a solid infantry block with free running horses on the side. It does not lend well to velites/peltasts etc but I usually have them behind my phalanx anyway.

The problem can be if something gets in the way of the formation (a building or a rock outcrop) then all hell can break loose with your pretty lines.

In that case it is only fair to use the pause button and sort it out.

Frustrating yes - cause you to lose the battle in SP - no (as long as you allow yourself to pause. That and after every move push the space button to see where all the troops are going. This can be a bonus as it will show up immediatly if the formations are disintergrating to an ugly mass.

ED

[Korlon]

I find this formation problem always happens if you have your units in groups. Generally I simply just don't do it. I group a bunch of units and then ungroup. They're be together and I simply need to remember which groups are which, which is fairly easy. Then alt+right clicking retains the formation you had at the beginning.

[Quirinus]

I think your problem can be solved by arranging your army in the formation you like, and then group them all ('G' button). Then when you select the group, right-click on a location, hold it and then move your cursor slightly. You should be able to see your formation. It doesn't work if you try this with two or more groups, or unless you select all the units in a group.

EDIT: Okay, not sure if that makes a whole lot of sense, but hopefully someone else can get my meaning and explain it more clearly. :sweatdrop:

[salemty]

i would like to know if i have
3 hastati
3 principes
3 velites
2 equites
1 general
and im versing gaul with
2 barbarian cavalry
5 swordsmen
1 warlord
what formation should i put my men in
REMEMBER IM THE ROMANS NOT THE GAUL

[Brave]

Try using alt when you move your troops. That should keep them in formation.

salemty, place your velites at the front, your hastati behind them, then your princeps on either side of them with your general behind your infantry. And your cav on a flank. Scirmish with your velites then retreat them behind your infantry, hold the swords men with your hastati and flank with your princeps. Charge their general with your cav from two sides killing their family member then use your cav to hit the swordsmen in their rear.

[Korlon]

i would like to know if i have
3 hastati
3 principes
3 velites
2 equites
1 general
and im versing gaul with
2 barbarian cavalry
5 swordsmen
1 warlord
what formation should i put my men in
REMEMBER IM THE ROMANS NOT THE GAUL

You can always try the regular historical three lines formation, though in this case it's more like two lines since you don't have the triarii with you.

Stick the velites in front. Stick hastati behind. Stick principes behind them. Equites on flanks. General either behind the entire formation or also on the flank. All units on fire at will. Hastati at guard mode. Velites you can either set on skirmish mode or you can retreat them yourself. Enemy comes, they clash with hastati. Wait till enemy tires. Send your principes in. Hastati still on guard mode. Because the hastati are on guard mode, they'll move backwards due to the mass of the enemy and the principes push forward, effectively getting the hastati out of the fight eventually. Cavalry charges while in the middle of all that.

This doesn't work with the enemy you're facing though. Just stick your principes and hastati in an arbitrary order in one line. Cavalry on flanks. Velites either front of the formation or backwards. In vanilla RTW, units run too fast so I usually stick velites in the back of the formation. Charge cavalry as needed into backs/flanks of enemy, but they should be taking out the enemy cavalry.

[TruePraetorian]

After testing your suggestions, the problem lies in the cavalry. If i group all of my units except the cavalry, then it works fine. The only problem I have is when I have multiple different groups...when I ctrl-a to select everyone and then move the computer lines them up.

So, anyone having this problem, simply group your units and leave the cavalry alone..annoying bug though if anyone knows how to fix it.

[shlin28]

Why not form a group just of cavalry? That's what I always do.

[TruePraetorian]

Havent tried it, but what if you only have one cavalry?

That sounds like it will make sense..if I group the cavalry then they cant form a straight line. Thanks shlin!