Does anyone use these preset formations?

**Slaists** · 07-30-2014, 14:51

Originally Posted by hoom

The trick is to do the locked group, they keep their positions relative to each other.

yes, but while you're dragging them out in a line you cannot use locked group. you have to lock it after the dragging out part. the auto-reshuffling for me happens during the dragging out part.

in other words if H stands for hastati and P for principes and you make a selection of

H-P-H-P-H-P

and then drag this out to get a smooth line, it would get auto-reshuffled into

H-H-H-P-P-P

Anyway, the point is moot for RTW 2. Here we can use the double/triple axis presets.

**hoom** · 08-03-2014, 10:25

Select, drag, group.
They keep order for me

**al Roumi** · 08-06-2014, 17:31

I've used the auto formations alot sicne the game's release. Surprised you didn't notice them... I use them to set up and then usually some pre-mosh manuevering, unless it's a fiddly set up like in a city or on a hill crest. I try to RP a bit too so I tend to use the culture's formations, as well as a balanced force composition.

Am I right in recalling that the sorting of strongest similar units to the right is consistent with the make up of phalanxes in hstory? The hardest unit went on the right where they were least protected by comrades shields, hoping that they could hold out whil ehte weaker troops enjoyed the better protection to the left of the line. I always wondered how phalanx lines didn't just wheel round anti-clockwise if all the strongest units were on each others' right end of the line...

**Sp4** · 08-12-2014, 15:12

I did read something about that at some point but I don't remember.

I've found out something pretty amazing today though. If you put units into a default formation (any of them, not just the three 'native' ones) and then tell the whole group to attack an enemy unit in the center of the enemy army, the group will hold formation and attempt to engage whatever is in their path instead of trying to go for the same enemy unit. That way, you can make your whole army engage an enemy formation, in formation and you don't have to do anything, leaving you free to do stuff with cavalry or microing light/shock infantry. I am surprised it didn't mention any of this at any point in the tutorial, because it is pretty genius.

**Slaists** · 08-12-2014, 15:48

Originally Posted by Sp4

I did read something about that at some point but I don't remember.

I've found out something pretty amazing today though. If you put units into a default formation (any of them, not just the three 'native' ones) and then tell the whole group to attack an enemy unit in the center of the enemy army, the group will hold formation and attempt to engage whatever is in their path instead of trying to go for the same enemy unit. That way, you can make your whole army engage an enemy formation, in formation and you don't have to do anything, leaving you free to do stuff with cavalry or microing light/shock infantry. I am surprised it didn't mention any of this at any point in the tutorial, because it is pretty genius.

It has to be a "locked" formation (preset formations do worked as "locked") and you have to hold CTRL while issuing the attack command.

This was mentioned in the tutorial, at least when I played it (last September). At that point though, the CTRL + attack did not work for "soft lock" (which applies to presets) only for "hard lock" groups. At some point, with patches, the CTRL + attack started working for "soft lock" formations as well.

This type of attack does not perform well if one wants to maintain any form of line though.

Reserves should be kept separate from the attacking group too otherwise they'll get mingled in.

p.s. Another useful feature is to leave your main attacking line under AI control in "defend this location" group stance if you can get to deploy close to the enemy in an ambush battle. Your whole line will engage enemy units right in front of them and do it simultaneously. Otherwise, you lose time hectically issuing attack commands individually and the ambushee gets to reorganize. Similarly, AI control "attack this target" is nice when attacking blobs blocking wall breaches. The AI will push forward and select fresh targets as the initial ones get defeated; this is a tad difficult to do manually in blob situations. Unfortunately, the AI can go crazy at times with special abilities (and exhaust your units as a result).

I don't recommend using any "AI control" with Roman infantry. Roman AI is programmed to go into testudo whenever there are any enemy missile units nearby...

**Sp4** · 08-12-2014, 16:40

Lol. I've not seen them do a testudo in that case yet. I'll have to play around with the AI control a bit though.

**Slaists** · 08-12-2014, 17:02

Originally Posted by Sp4

Lol. I've not seen them do a testudo in that case yet. I'll have to play around with the AI control a bit though.

I tend to use an AI controlled attack group (3-4 units bundled in group) to storm breaches. Breaches are likely to be under heavy missile fire from the defenders (+ the towers if any are nearby). This triggers the Roman AI go into testudo formation (useless in this case).