I've been playing a lot with the Seleukids/Makedonians/Ptolemaioi lately and so obviously using a lot of phalanxes, but it seems kind of pointless. I know how they're supposed to be used, 16 ranks deep with plenty of non-phalanx support on their flanks (although I never use them 16 ranks deep, makes the frontline too short), and that is how I use them. They look good and everything and are beautifully implemented by the EB team, but they're so pointless. The AI never attacks them. I know the AI is dumb as a bag of hammers, but when faced with phalanxes they seem to be able to do what many nations in history couldn't. Not attack them.

Lets say I have the "Core" of my army. Usually 3 units of levy phalanx, 2 kleruchoi(sp?) and 1 Pezhetairoi (I try to be realistic/histaccurate), and then I have the support for the phalanxes, lets say 3 units of Thureophoroi on the left flank and a couple of units of mercenaries or Peltastai on the right flank, some slingers in front and some cheap nasty Pantopadoi behind as an emergency reserve. No matter what enemy I fight or what composition army he has, at the end of the battle every unit will have taken casualties and done combat EXCEPT the phalanxes. The AI won't attack them from the front, from the side or from behind. They won't attack them with infantry and they won't attack them with cavalry. They will split their army in two and attack the supporting units on the flanks, completely ignoring the phalanxes at the center of the line.

Every single battle this happens, and if I just put a long line of Phalanxes with the support in lines directly behind them rather than on the flanks, the AI will split its units up all over the map and march around the side of my army to attack the second and third lines, again ignoring the phalanxes completely. It's kind of like they don't even know they're there. Invisible phalanxes. This happens on the default EB formations, Sinhuet formations and Darth formations too. It kind of makes playing as phalanx factions feel completely pointless, as I always end up using phalanxes without phalanx mode enabled since the AI won't attack them, I use them like assault infantry.

Does anybody else get this? I hope it isn't just me.