Rotating troops at the front of battle

[duncan.gill]

Does anyone rotate the units engaging with the enemy on the front line during a battle (as the Romans used to do historically)? Does this actually work in EB (do people do this for the effectiveness of the technique rather than just for historical accuracy)? Doesn't the unit being pulled back take a bundle of kills due to the enemy hacking at their backs?

[sanitarium]

Sometimes I'll rotate units in, assuming I have reserves to spare. The way I do it is bring up the replacement and have them engage the target of the unit they're replacing. Once they've started to push forward into the enemy, I'll withdraw the first unit and send them to the rear. Doing it this way minimizes casualties effectively.

[LorDBulA]

I do it very rarely but when I do it I use this approach:

The way I do it is bring up the replacement and have them engage the target of the unit they're replacing. Once they've started to push forward into the enemy, I'll withdraw the first unit and send them to the rear. Doing it this way minimizes casualties effectively.

Just make sure that you use Alt button for retreating units so they dont wheel around before marching off.

[Legosoldier]

I don't rotate units. It's hard to do and it causes extra casualties. what I do is just keep the formation and engage only to reinforce a unit without withdrawing, unless it I'm reinforcing a skirmisher or missile unit.

[Chris1959]

Thank you LorDBula I'd forgotten Alt retreats facing the enemy!

[Tartaros]

i must use this in wall-fightings and only if needed in battles.
i think its very difficult. sometime, if the units are exhausted or have a low moral they try to rout for real. this manoeuvre also cause a little bit more panik, because the other unit don´t like to see comrades rout. a deal with the fire...

[Tollheit]

Sparingly.
When I do it, first I order the replacement to attack, then I give the formerly engaged unit the "hold formation" and "stop" orders, and instead of actively retreating the unit I simply wait for it to drop out of combat.

[syct23]

Sometimes I'll rotate units in, assuming I have reserves to spare. The way I do it is bring up the replacement and have them engage the target of the unit they're replacing. Once they've started to push forward into the enemy, I'll withdraw the first unit and send them to the rear. Doing it this way minimizes casualties effectively.

.I also do this, I find it faster to double click behind the enemy your engaging to make your men run through the fighting until their bunched up then pressing attack. This saves a good fifteen to twenty seconds of waiting for your group of men to finally come into contact.. Then once your fresh line is fighting have your engaged units fall back but make sure to have them run even if their tiered I find it helps with less casualties.. Sometimes if you’re lucky and the fighting goes on for a bit longer your men that fell back will completely regain their stamina. I play as Rome a lot and do this in almost every engagement that allows me to and have gotten good at it, it just takes some practice and good timing to be real effective. Really the only men I let fight to the death are my mercenaries.

[LorDBulA]

Do you press and hold alt while clicking behind your line?

Yes.

Does pressing alt make them backpeddle or something?

Normally if you order unit to move in the opposite direction it will rotate around center of formation ( assuming unit is aligned North to South soldier in the most south of the formation will march to the most north position ) and march to the spot and stop facing in the opposite direction then in the beginning.

With alt click all soldiers do about face. March to destination and do about face again. They end up facing the same direction as in the beginning.

[TWFanatic]

Shame I didn't know that earlier.

Muchas Gracias, Senior.

[TWFanatic]

I don't get this alt thing. Do you press and hold alt while clicking behind your line? And don't you want your unit to turn around? Does pressing alt make them backpeddle or something?

Sorry for all the questions.