Formations

[Celtic_Punk]

Fielding a mainly Hellenic force I tend to go for a Phalangite centre, with its flanks held by hoplites, and around them i prefer to have swords. The best I've found have been Galatians or Gauls(the very best swordsmen I've used were Goillic nobles though). My ancient Cousins make a good show of themselves in battle.

I tend to have my flank guards held back about 20 feet and 10 feet to the side. 100 feet behind them and 20 feet to the side i will have my cavalry wings. Inside the V shape this creates are my missiles, Javelins the closest to the line, with archers behind and slingers infront of the phalanx. Heavy Peltasts stay behind with other skirmishers close to the flanks and will form up with the Galatian mercs to flank. I never really use Artillery, but if i do I will have a cavalry unit held back behind the arty piece to guard it, or use as a last resort if the enemy gets behind the phalanx somehow and threatens my soft belly. My general (being a hoplite unit) is either a flanker if other troops are available to hold the line, or on the line himself.

with Celts (yes i know this is not historically accurate) i put my men in the roman checkerboard formation. works exceptionally well with mobile troops.

what sort of formations do you guys prefer?

[Ezephkiel]

Im playing KH, but don't tend to use phalangites. Instead i have a main battle line usually containing copious amounts of thorakitai and hoplites (keltoi,epliktoi etc), Depending where the army is i'll then have light hoplites/peltast/theorophorouoeioie or some other flanking type regional on the flanks, set back a bit. I usually place my missle units behind my line, but i don't tend to use alot of them, then cavalry furthur away on the flank. Sometimes simple works best I find.

I prefer the battles with irregular ground though, forcing you to develope some strange formations, makes it more intereting.

[Celtic_Punk]

you actually like irregular ground? i cannot stand it! i I'm generally good at creating irregular formations to adapt, but the AI is too stupid to make logical manoeuvres that they end up making some crazy illogical way of closing the gap(like marching inside eachother's formation, or with their phalanx guarding the flank!), rendering my ingenious formation useless or dangerous. reforming causes further casualties from either their archers or skirmishers. im not usually that bad. but when there's fucking trees in the way im done for!

of course when playing as Casse i have no problem with trees... its just a nuisance that i cannot see the battle. playing as an "uncivilized" faction has its ups certainly.

Ezephkiel, i suggest you try this out, hire one mercenary phalangite, and put them in the centre of your battle line. you now have a rock hard core to your line, and the AI will try to avoid it like the plague, giving you the ability to wrap around and destroy their soft belly troops and hammer the rear of their infantry line. It also gives you the ability to better combat Phalangites without as many casualties. The computer will send his phalanx against yours 90% of the time, so the rest of your army can focus on troops that have no chance against them instead of a unit that should be able to outright destroy them.

Kev,

[Maion Maroneios]

I used to make use of Misthophoroi Phalangitai when I payed with the Koinon Hellenon. My tactics where more or less the same as yours, meaning I used 4-6 as a solid battle line. The only drawback is that you can't replenish your numbers easily, as they are mercenaries. At that time the Koinon Phalangitai wheren't even included, so I was stuck with those guys. Not that they are bad, on the contrary they are excellent line-holders.

Another thing I greatly enjoyed playing as the Koinon, is that you could experiment with many types of armies. For example, I even created a pseudolegion, consisted of Thorakitai, Thureophoroi and some other troops. Yes, those where good times indeed *nostalgia*

Maion

[satalexton]

I go for a classic makedonike formation, 7 units of phalangites (5 if ur facing romans) 1 unit of hyaspists on the right, 2 (3 if against romans) allied heavy inf on the right flank, 2/3 thureophoroi(or sth similar) on the left flank, 2 units of psiloi (toxotai kretikoi or spendonetai) behind the left flank, 2 elite heavies (peltastai mekedonikoi + allies) on the centre right. For cavalry i use thrakioi prodromoi + hippies thessalikoi on the left, general + lonchophoroi hippeis/hetairoi for the right depending on the situation. I tend to have a full stack of replacements/reinforcements/baggage train to replaces losses or change troop composition depending on the type of enemy i face.

[Ezephkiel]

you actually like irregular ground? i cannot stand it! i I'm generally good at creating irregular formations to adapt, but the AI is too stupid to make logical manoeuvres that they end up making some crazy illogical way of closing the gap(like marching inside eachother's formation, or with their phalanx guarding the flank!), rendering my ingenious formation useless or dangerous. reforming causes further casualties from either their archers or skirmishers. im not usually that bad. but when there's fucking trees in the way im done for!

of course when playing as Casse i have no problem with trees... its just a nuisance that i cannot see the battle. playing as an "uncivilized" faction has its ups certainly.

Ezephkiel, i suggest you try this out, hire one mercenary phalangite, and put them in the centre of your battle line. you now have a rock hard core to your line, and the AI will try to avoid it like the plague, giving you the ability to wrap around and destroy their soft belly troops and hammer the rear of their infantry line. It also gives you the ability to better combat Phalangites without as many casualties. The computer will send his phalanx against yours 90% of the time, so the rest of your army can focus on troops that have no chance against them instead of a unit that should be able to outright destroy them.

Kev,

Usually i've had bad experiences with phalangties, they just tend to lark about and not actually get down to some hardcore action.

I've got one army with 5 in, which i use on the left of my line. But like you say the AI is terrible really, even my long nicely formed battle lines they attack all wrong, at an angle or just one flank. Usually i try and make my armies smaller, which is why i like hoplites aswell because of their tight formations. Then they smack into the front of your army and you can wrap around the flanks.

I prefer the dodgy ground as it makes it a little more challenging and i can use small hills and hold them with a few units, its mostly down to the AI again, not being able to use big armies very well.

[Celtic_Punk]

take guard mode off when surrounded or fighting two sides or another phalangite.

[Maion Maroneios]

Yeah, especially another phalangite unit. Many players tend to forget that turning off guard mode makes hem very impassive against other infantry. So when attacked by another phalangite unit, they get ripped to pieces and wonder what they did wrong!

Maion