How To Turn Off Javelins?

How do I switch my Hastati (or similar Javelin+Sword unit) to fighting with their swords instead of their javelins?

I switch off the auto-fire button but they still insist on throwing a few javelins when the enemy is engaged in combat with them. I want to order them to switch to their swords but can't figure it out? How do I do it?

PS, its especially annoying when I get charged by cavalry and my units keep throwing their javelins instead of whipping out their swords, it normally results in high unnecessary casualties on my units.

Alt-right click on the enemy unit. It switches to melee weapons.

Hold down the ALT key then right click on the enemy unit to attack, this forces any unit to use its secondary attack instead of its primary. It's very useful in the case of the Roman pila-armed infantry in that it stops them wasting time going through their throwing cycle before attacking which they do even if out of pila!

Thanks.

One other thing, if I want to have my units ready with their swords how does that work? Say I don't want them to engage just yet? If Alt+rightclick on enemy makes them attack and then I press the halt button, will they revert back to normal or keep their swords armed?

Thanks anyhow!

They should have made the sword default and the javelin alt-click for the Roman/scutarii infantry :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Octavius Julius

Thanks.

One other thing, if I want to have my units ready with their swords how does that work? Say I don't want them to engage just yet? If Alt+rightclick on enemy makes them attack and then I press the halt button, will they revert back to normal or keep their swords armed?

Thanks anyhow!

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They are already 'sworded' before combat. You only use the pila if you rightclick on the enemy without the Alt. Meaning they will not use their pila unless you tell them too.
I think your problem is that you think they have Fire at Will on and then try to switch it off, which means it will actually be turned on.