Do spear and pike units still get the old MTW rank bonus? I have formed up units of both plain spearmen and phalanx using pike units and put them on guard, then let them receive a charge and fight it out in very good formation. I noticed that only phalanx units have more than the first rank fighting, they get the first two stabbing away. Unless there is a hidden bonus with no animation bulk and good formation no longer provides much of a bonus to spear and pike types. That means the only times more than three ranks will be useful is when taking a damaging charge, such as a cavalry charge. Well, ok four ranks is handy if you anticipate a lot of casualties and don't want to lose unit frontage too quickly.

The results were rather disappointing; I was expecting the first two ranks of spear units and the first three of pike phalanx units to fight. Still, the phalanx is a real meat grinder when in good order and attacked from the front. The piles of dead testing victims were quite large, and in a neat line too