Formation questions

[Dorkus]

1. When I start a battle as the defense, I can choose a formation OR a location, but not both. How the heck do I move my army around AND keep them in formation?

Using ctrl A then clicking somewhere defaults my army into lameo Napoleonic columns, when I'd like to have them in 3-4 rank deep units.

2. Once the battle starts, why is it that whenever I use ctrl-a, then hold alt while turning my mouse (to get my army's formation to face the direction I want it to), my army again defaults into a long line of columns???

Even when I choose group formations such as 'infantry attack' or '3-deep', my army ALWAYS ends up in a long line of columns -- quite possibly the worst possible formation, since only 3 or 4 men in each unit can engage. Yet it's no good to have a formation that's not facing the right direction. Alt-right click simply turns my units in the direction; it does NOT wheel my formation around the way I want it to.

3. Why are the formations at the start of a battle not available after the battle begins? Or am I just missing them?

4. Is there any way to swap units in the formation at the start of a battle? The default positioning of infantry is often suboptimal.

For example, when you're using infantry attack formations, you generally want weak defensive units at the flanks. Yet I often get units like vikings and ghazi infantry smack dab in the middle. And it's cumbersome (not to mention imprecise) to manually swap units in 16 unit armies.

Help anyone?? http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[TheLastEuropean]

1. Group them all together first before clicking to move them - the whole army formation will be kept intact.

2. When turning/wheeling your units use the right mouse button. Using the preset formations like "Foot first 3 line" arrays them in the formation they are already in. For instance, it puts archers in the first line etc. but using the current shape (rank and column) of the unit.

3. I Don't know why those preset formations aren't available once the battle starts either - be nice if they were. Was the same in STW too.

4. Nope have to do it manually and I agree with you. I always end up with my 2 spear units at 1 end only. Hardly preferable. ALthough I could see how it would be hard to do since people's preferences are different. However, trying to use a symmetrical pattern would probably be a step closer.

Which reminds me of something I've always thought about in STW - saveable custom user formations. Although in reality it's a little unpractical since it would (more or less) require having the same units in order to use - unless it just saved a generic formation layout (e.g. where you have your Chiv. Sargeants it simply puts spear units, no matter the type, rather than specifically Chiv.Sargeants).


[This message has been edited by TheLastEuropean (edited 10-05-2002).]

[This message has been edited by TheLastEuropean (edited 10-05-2002).]

[This message has been edited by TheLastEuropean (edited 10-05-2002).]

[TheLastEuropean]

oops double post

[This message has been edited by TheLastEuropean (edited 10-05-2002).]