Pulling units out of combat, rotating units in and out of combat

[MajorFreak]

well, historically the romans would fight in a checkered formation. The historians would say that once the hastati were exhausted they'd pull back...but the reference i read didn't exactly point to the "how" as much as implied the checkered formation is the reason for the how. personally, having played the vanilla version of most of the series (just singleplayer) i fail to see the use of a checkered formation...i've tried it, and yes it's nice for pila/javelin equipped troops...but i've never successfully disengaged echelons this way once they became "tired"
fatigue in RTW is something i only count on if i'm desperately outnumbered and need to get all the morale edge i can muster (AI tends to rout quicker if exhausted)

retreating? i don't really consider retreating any infantry unit - or even cavalry - from enemy contact since if i'm doing my job right my weakest link is SUPPOSED to rout and draw the enemy into a box where they'll rout themselves in turn. I find the best way to do the "charge, rinse, repeat" tactic is to charge them THROUGH the enemy unit, otherwise the act of turning around to go back is liable to cause more fatalities than simply continuing on through.

hmmmm...as for stuff like getting units like velite gladiators back from combat is simply relying upon a general's charge to hopefully break said enemy unit...personally, anything you really need to retreat out of melee is something you need to preposition and micromanage (personally i find it easier to put stuff like that on 'guard' mode)
yeah...after thinking for a bit, i remember the times i retreat units is when whatever they're attacking has routed.
so, i guess Gollum is correct...in hindsight fatigue (resting units) takes much lesser priority than morale. Checkered formations looks cool (and fun if you use pila equipped units alot) but really, i tend to prefer situations where i have hoplites protecting elite archers. Best place to buy hoplite mercs is sparta province (lvl3 veterans. 950 gp)

i dunno...honestly, i'm really lazy when it comes to checkered...it works really well for alot of things - it's just way easier to formation drag similar units in a long line. =)
As for how to do checkered i have found this to be easiest: use 'loose formation' to get a line, while setting up, then click 'tight' to contract...leaving space between. i then do the same for the next echelon, except displace the center arrow to align over on of the middle units of the 1st echelon. voila you've created the checkered formation seen used by the AI alot.
*frowns* I don't play alot with the traditional skirmishers...i'm a real whore when it comes to elite archers chewing things up from a hill behind rows of hoplites...oh, and elephants on the flanks. haha.

*hmmmm* i think the only unit i'm really concerned about are velite gladiators and keeping them around to engage chariot charges (they ABSOLUTELY ROCK) but tend to fall during attrition battles with melee units.
So any tips on how to utilize velites without getting them bogged down in combat (i hate retreating when engaged), other than sending in my 'hale and hearty' general to rescue them, would be welcome.

[Dagonet]

The practicability of retreating units is obviously contextual, but Guard mode will help you out. IIRC, [it's been years since I played much, too poor, can't even run rtw on this pc ;)] the shortcut for guard mode is 'D'

Guard mode compels sprites within a formation to keep formation as much as possible and for the unit as a whole to follow user-given or 'active' orders rather than use the tactical ai responses.

So, it offers an aid to clean withdrawals, very useful for cycling cavalry for charges and pulling back units to reduce the effect of enemy units being positioned to catch the engaged units in a rear charge.

Bear in mind ofcourse that the enemy unit engaged with the unit you're trying to withdraw is very unlikely to be using guard mode and will seek to chase.

This brings up some other factors. Firstly, that withdrawing from combat with a unit that has nothing else to keep it occupied is generally a bad idea. To counteract this in the given scenario of retreating gladiators one can line up in the initial melee engagement such that atleast one friendly unit is covering part of the front of the unit the gladiators are planned to engage with, such that upon the withdrawal of the gladiators, chasing opponents will be distracted by the pre-engaged unit. Testing this will show you that the sprites from the chasing unit wrap, they chase for a bit then return to melee, normally on the flank of the pre-engaged unit, but not, often against preengaged sprites. This offers the option of immediately recharging the gladiators into the same melee, but now against a disorganised and partially flank engaged unit.


Another example of this is to imagine lines of...principe lined up against.. say some barb swordsmen.. both faction's cav behind it's infantry. Nobody yet engaged, except perhaps some archers. Your principe set to fire at will and guard mode, your cav set to guard mode. Run your cavalry through [*don't charge cav through] your own units in a line spread across the enemy front line, using a drag move+R, as the cav make contact drag move them back to their original positions, keeping ready to 'R'(Ctrl+R = run?) them or repeat the order to any that get too engaged and decide to refuse the order. The enemy infantry & possibly cavalry has targetted your cav and charges, chasing into your waiting infantry, but your cav, who've lost 1 or 2 men are now free and able to hit the enemy wherever you like. (remember to take guard mode off once infantry pila are used, and on the cav once the original maneuver is completed.)

The use of drag move is important to stop the units moving laterally during the attack

Actually, come to think of it, somebody said their units were arriving piecemeal so may not know about formation/drag moves, select unit(s) and click and drag at destination. Tbh my memory is so foggy, you may need to use shift or control or something aswell.