How to keep units in line?

**firedragom** · 11-16-2008, 21:28

How do you keep your units initial formation when you move them to attack or to move to a spot? Its annoying when you set up your formation pre-battle, then when you start the battle and move several units to attack, they mess up your pretty little line and end up converging into one spot.

Basically, is there any way to move multiple units across a battlefield and make them keep the same formation?

**Monsieur Alphonse** · 11-16-2008, 22:34

Yes. Select them all and right click and drag.

**LadyAnn** · 11-17-2008, 02:24

To move the entire formation while keeping it same, Ctrl-A to select everything and right-mouse-button-hold and draw the new formation at the right location. A "ghost" formation indicates how the formation will look like at the new location. When you release the right-mouse-button, your troop will march toward the new place.

I don't like this much, except for initial march. I like to micro manage a bit to take advantage of the terrain at the new location. So I group my units with similar types, assign a number to the grouping and select the group using numeral key. Then I would use right-mouse-button draw trick above to place the groups at new locations.

I practically never order units one by one for marching or even initial phase of assault. To send units in one by one is to guarantee a disadvantage in morale. Units like to have friends on the flanks. To attack by select each unit and click on enemy unit means your unit will converge to the same point and either (1) arrive one by one and got killed one by one; or (2) arrive at the same time altogether at the same point and march on each other and suffer "overcrowding" penalty.

Am not the greatest tactician and fastest mouse clicker, and I am easy to beat on the battlefield against humans. But the above tricks would be sufficient to defeat AI armies.

Annie

**khaos83_2000** · 11-17-2008, 06:58

or u can group them.
Does the tutorial teach this?

I started since shogun. So I don't know if mtw2 tutorial teaches all this.

**Lord Preston** · 11-17-2008, 14:24

Once in formation I just group all my formation units while moving them (keep missile cav seperate to position them). Then once closer to the actual battle will re-group them into the missiles/melee ect.

**pevergreen** · 11-18-2008, 05:10

Ok, if you set your line up in the deployment phase, then you select all and right click, or even drag, they will go into a single line, or the formations if you group them.

However, if you hold ALT, i believe, then right click, your entire army will simply move forward in the same formation, to that new point. The point clicked will be the centre point of the front line of your force. This is great when you have specific spaces between units. I never move without it.

Edit: Basically, hold alt and right click. Everyone above has either misread or doesnt know about it.

**atheotes** · 11-18-2008, 20:56

Originally Posted by pevergreen

Ok, if you set your line up in the deployment phase, then you select all and right click, or even drag, they will go into a single line, or the formations if you group them.

However, if you hold ALT, i believe, then right click, your entire army will simply move forward in the same formation, to that new point. The point clicked will be the centre point of the front line of your force. This is great when you have specific spaces between units. I never move without it.

Edit: Basically, hold alt and right click. Everyone above has either misread or doesnt know about it.

Holding ALT and right click is the way to go

... it works like a charm... they will just march in the formation u have put them in... some units would even run to maintain the formation... i was so happy when i found this while playing RTW....

**firedragom** · 11-19-2008, 02:18

Thanks guys, that is going to help to much. I lost so many battles because I had to attack, and by the time they got to the enemy the formation was all screwed up.

Thanks again, I shoulda posted somewhere a long time ago :P

**khaos83_2000** · 11-19-2008, 10:21

Originally Posted by atheotes

some units would even run to maintain the formation... i was so happy when i found this while playing RTW....

Note, Your 2 legged units will lost stamina when they are catching up with their friends on ponies.

**LadyAnn** · 11-19-2008, 16:58

Originally Posted by pevergreen

Ok, if you set your line up in the deployment phase, then you select all and right click, or even drag, they will go into a single line, or the formations if you group them.

You need to group them BEFORE you deploy. Afterward, they will keep the same formation, even using dragging.

Hold-alt right-click won't have your units facing correctly. But that could be corrected by rotating your army after every units came to the right position.

Annie