The two most needed commands

[TexRoadkill]

Agreed Catiline, there was a massive argument over this before, but the only example people have of a withdrawing centre is Cannae. Yet even this is flawed when we look at the sheer numbers of Romans who were trying to PUSH through the lines.

The Fighting withdrawl is mainly a tactic that evolved with Gunpowder, where units no longer had to remain in a solid compact formation to be effective....

It makes sense that trying to pull back while engaged would put you at a big disadvantage. I'd at least like the option to be able to do it before engagement. That way you could still have your front line fall back while you flanked but they wouldn't have their backs to the enemy and be in total disarray.

Charging armies should be able to push back a defenders lines. That is probably what is missing from the game that makes the battles so fast. I would assume in real life that even disciplined troops would have a tendency to be pushed back at least 10-20 ft. In the game instead of giving or taking ground and continuing to fight the soldiers just route or die.

There sorta is a "Do not pursue" mode. If you put the units on Guard it's the same as Hold Ground in S/MTW. I set almost all my units to that at the beginning of the battle.

The generals should have some type of Skirmish mode so they could make some effort at evading the 200 spearman that managed to pull a flank.

[Sjakihata]

When legions fought, wasnt it the strategy that the first row should fall back to the second row? then the second row could fall back to the third row, trarii - last line of defense?

just tell your troops to 'guard' and they will not pursue.

[Catiline]

only when they were defeated. The principes moved up to replace the hastati, the hastati didn't fall back on them. If the triarii were involved it ussually mean the proverbial excrement was hitting the fan.

[Red Harvest]

I can accept the lack of fallback if it is historically accurate. I wasn't in on the earlier discussions. You might want to distinguish between backing up slowly in formation (not in melee) vs. falling back while in melee though. I would be willing to bet a large sum that a unit commander could get his troops to fall back slowly a few feet without changing facing (again, not while in melee.) It is hard to imagine not being able to redress your lines like this.

The craziness of watching formations run off chasing routers isn't right. PERIOD. Sure undisciplined units would do that (and yes I would support them not following all commands--something I've felt TW has lacked on the realism side), but I'm not buying it that whole units of Hastati, Principes and Triarii would run off as a matter of course. Their officers would be trying to get them to reform. Individuals might be chasing routers, but the units as a whole would be less inclined to do so. This is a disciplined vs. undisciplined matter.