Quote Originally Posted by Steppe Merc
Sadly, the HAs tend to kill each other when chasing routing troops, as you will evantualy see.
This is so common, I stopped using HA with arrows to melee-chase routers. Arabic mercenary cavalry are relatively cheap, about $110 a turn in upkeep, if memory serves. They are better router chasers anyway. HA who are out of arrows will do, too.

Another thing that seems to work very well is to double-click on the ground right behind the routing unit, and keep doing so until you can see the galloping HA on the bottom edge of the screen in a close up. They're really close then. THEN order the pursuing HA to fire, not to melee.

The HA stop and let loose a volley at point-blank range straight into the backs of the fleeing unit. They can get off several close volleys before you have to repeat the process. If you have to.

To state the obvious, HA do much better at close range. Much of the micro now is ordering them to close in on the flank or rear of a marching unit and pour in that fire. Make every arrow count.

Finally, I have a few friendly fire problems but nothing like the problems that afflict some of the players. I can't account for that, unless it's because I always use formations only two ranks deep, and string all the units out in a very long, thin line. Units that don't get in action right away wrap around the enemy. There's usually plenty of targets for everybody.