Beginner's Guide to RTW - Question Collection

**frogbeastegg** · 12-18-2004, 12:10

A very quick assortment of answers:

The only way to move a group of units forward (or indeed in any direction) without losing formation is to re-drag the formation at the location you want them to move to. Yes, this is annoying.

Watchtowers and forts can only be built by generals. Move the general to a suitable site then click on the upper of the two big circles just to the right of the centre of the main interface. That should bring up a sheet offering the build choices.

I can add a bit about the technical bits to the next version, which will appear to cover the 1.2 patch.

I haven't used onagers in a siege with high walls yet. Try placing them a bit further back; if they are too close the projectile presumably won't gain the height to make it over the wall.

Can I request all future questions are posted in the guide thread please? I am having a hard time keeping up with all the work this guide is generating, and needing to check just one location less will make my life that little bit easier. It also makes it more likely you'll get an answer in a timely manner. I'm currently working with something like a 2 day lag between receiving a message or post and actually answering it.

**PickledGecko** · 12-18-2004, 21:34

Hello. I was reading the Beginner's Guide and thought I would share this. Incase noone has mentioned it before.

Originally Posted by A Beginner's Guide to Rome: Total War

Remember how you used to set your army up in a nice, pretty formation, then select them all with ctrl+a then hold alt and click to move them, and they kept that nice, pretty formation and facing? Well, not any more. Tragically the ‘move but retain facing’ command is gone and there is no substitute. Moving your army even a few paces forward invites them to slant the line and present a nice vulnerable flank to the enemy. When dragging out a collection of units into a new formation you will only get a single line if you put them in the single line group formation (default shortcut is shift+1), whereas before this was not necessary.

There is a way to keep your custom formation, unit proportions and positions and have them all facing the same way when moving them. If you organise them in the custom formation you want, then select all (this also works with small groups of units), then put them in a group, they will keep their exact formantions. If you try and right drag the group to a new position you will notice that the units keep their formations and unit width.

Note: If you want to change the formation in any way or change any units width you must first remove that particular unit from the group, make the changes then put them back into the group.

I hope this helps and saves some frustration. I know it annoyed me when all the units would try and run to the exact same spot or be streached in 1 long line after all my hard work getting them how I like them

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**jullii caesar** · 02-14-2005, 01:28

how do i get better units?is there a tustedo formation?

**frogbeastegg** · 02-14-2005, 11:31

I'd forgotten this thread :embarrassed:

PickledGecko, thank you. That is not quite the feature I was speaking of, perhaps quite similar but not so user friendly. Fortunately the 1.2 patch has restored the old system where you simply hold down 'alt' while giving a movement order. This works with all units, including single ungrouped ones.

jullii caesar, the testudo formation in in the game. It is useable by all types of Roman legionaries, i.e. the units Rome gets after the Marian reforms. I think some of the factions with imitation legionaries, such as the Seleucids, can also use testudo with their copycat legionaries.

New units are gained in two ways:
1. Building a better barracks/stables/archery range. As each city grows you have access to better buildings in that city; when you upgrade one of the three troop producing buildings you gain access to better units and well as the original ones you had before.
2. The Marian reforms. This only affects the four Roman factions. It is based on a historical event and person, and 1.2 has altered the trigger quite a bit. Suffice it to say when the Romans have at least one very advanced city and it is past a certain date (220BC I think it it supposed to be now) then the Romans will get a whole new army system. Their old units, like the hastati and triarii, will become obsolete and you can't build or train them any more. Instead you have access to the new Roman legionary and their supporting units.