Army formation

[Jxrc]

When you select whihc unit will start in the initial line-up for a battle, I often have the surprise to see that units that were not selected by the computer appear in weird formation (for instance 100 spearmen, two columns of fifty each...).

Is there any way to correct this or can I change the formation to "wedge" ?

[Geoffrey_FiztRogers]

Well I myself just set the formations for my units either by clicking on the menue or dragging the mouse before I actually stqart the battle. I do this as I select which units to use and which to leave as reenforcements

[pdoan8]

When replacing units during the deployment phase, the unit only appear in its default formation if it is the same size as the unit it replacing. You will see a 40-men unit stretched out if use to replace a 100-men unit. You will see a 60-men size unit in 2 columns when it is used to replace a ballista. In other words, the new unit try to fit in the empty spot of the unit it replacing, I mean the width. It's not always the case but it happens often and I don't know how to fix it.

[Lord of the Isles]

It isn't a perfect solution to the problem but what I do is to select the units I want (often cyclling through the available ones a few times so I know what order reinforcements will arrive in) and then reselect a formation from the formation menu (in the bottom left of the battle screen). Reselecting a formation causes all the units to be put back into their default spacing. Then (when defending at least) I can tinker with their positioning.

It can be tedious of course but I can live with it. Perhaps the VI expansion will improve this as part of the promised change that allows you to select the order of reinforcements.