Why is withdraw disabled?

[FenrirsWrath]

How come the withdraw button is disabled and the <w> hotkey doesn't work in battles? Is there another way to retreat units in battle? Any help would be appreciative.

[Dayve]

It isn't. If you are attacked by an enemy and you retreat on the campaign map, then you have used up all your movement points. If the enemy pursues and attacks once more right afterwards while you have no movement points left, the option to withdraw both on the campaign map and in battle is disabled.

This represents your army having run out of all options but to fight where they stand. Kind of like when Caesar pursued Pompei to Greece, but then Pompei got reinforcements and his army grew tenfold and the pursuer became the pursued. They retreated for a while until there came a point where they had no option left except to fight.

Navies have never been able to withdraw, and you can't withdraw when you are defending a city under any circumstance whatsoever.

[desert]

It's kind of silly that you can withdraw only once, and a very short distance at that.

[Megas Methuselah]

It's kind of silly that you can withdraw only once, and a very short distance at that.

It's kind of silly if you're actually cowardly enough to consider withdrawing...

[Mulceber]

Kind of like when Caesar pursued Pompei to Greece, but then Pompei got reinforcements and his army grew tenfold and the pursuer became the pursued. They retreated for a while until there came a point where they had no option left except to fight.

Actually, IIRC, this wasn't so much because Caesar couldn't run as because he decided not to. While he knew Pompey outnumbered him, he'd also managed to get Pompey away from the sea and his navy, which meant that Pompey's greatest strength was now useless. Not only that, but Caesar had just resupplied his troops in the Thessaly region, so from his perspective, that was as good a time as any to fight. -M

[Dayve]

Or perhaps he decided it was best to fight now with a 10-1 disadvantage than wait another 6 months and fight a 20-1 disadvantage.

Pompei was snowballing fast.

[Mulceber]

I think it was a 2-1 disadvantage at Pharsallus, but you're probably right - the longer Caesar waited, the more likely more Pompeiian troops would show up. -M

[Megalos Danielos Psychopatos]

Other question about withdraw: why comp can withdraw and dont suffer any losess, but when I withdraw I always suffer heavy casualties; this fact prevent possibilty of using skirmisher armies-ambush, attack with javelins and ( using their speed) withdraw; at this moment If U will do this , U will suffer heavy casualties or Ur army will be destroyed if in enemy territory. Second case is withdraw on campaign map; cavalry armies or skirmisher armies should be faster-be able to withdraw further. And why always withdrawin army on enemy territory is destroyed?

[Ca Putt]

they are only destroyed when they are deep in enemy territory- you don'T border the region youre fighting in(or have a ship within grasp).
in this case they simply don't know where to run and give up :(

[desert]

Looks like you haven't learned your EB lessons, eh Meth?

"And by prudent flight and cunning save a life, which valor could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain; but who can get another life again?"

--Someone wiser than Methuselah

[Ibrahim]

Looks like you haven't learned your EB lessons, eh Meth?

the guy you quoted is called Archilichos IIRC.

[artaxerxes]

It's kind of silly that you can withdraw only once, and a very short distance at that.

if your army's out of movement points, that reflects that it has already been marching that quarter of the year, so obviously it can't "magically" cover a great new distance AFTER moving that quarter of the year, just because some enemy turns up :P ... it can only do that in the next quarter of the year = the next turn, but unfortunately, it's being attacked BEFORE that, so it's actually very realistic that it doesn't suddenly flee an entire province ;)

[desert]

The problem is that it flees the exact same distance every time, even if you haven't moved.

Also, if the army is defeated, then suddenly it flees a hundred miles back to a friendly province. Is that so accurate?

And yes, I know that it was Archilocus...

[Antinous]

If defeated that army really should only go a few miles to safety. After a big defeat your army is not going to retreat miles and miles away.