All the problems with phalanxes...

[Kraxis]

The odd thing about phalanx units is that they are so extreme in the game. On hard levels they are extremely brittle even from the front. The smaller unit size ones suffer tremendously from *any* casualties. However, when you get to use the larger sized units, they can be quite effective. The German spear warband is a pleasure to use for example. When I've modded other smaller phalanx units up to the same size they became much too powerful! I've had to start reducing attack ratings for these phalanx units when increasing size.

Well, I have noticed that Hoplites and Armoured Hoplites tend to stay together a lot better than most phalangites, so I guess those are the ones you are talking about. I find that while the Hoplites can't at times behave very oddly, they never aproach that of the phalangites, and Armoured Hoplites are in fact almost perfect. That the AH doesn't seem to have all he problems I take to be because they actually defeat those that breach the wall of points, and then they go back to the pure killing.
The Spear Warband are so good because they never change their weapon, so they never really lose their good attack, and add to that that they have have a nice attack of 9 and we get a quite serious killer.

So despite brittleness at other times they are too hardy! There are times when engaging units are slaughtered much too rapidly at the end of the hoplite spears/phalanx pikes. I guess I imagine the kills coming more slowly with a few folks penetrating the pike wall gradually to strike direct blows. Contrast with the demo where I was miffed by the fact that there was no effective spear wall. In the demo contact with swords against the shield's of the Poeni was being made almost instantly and the Poeni infantry were falling as rapidly as hastati. It looks like it was overcorrected to some degree in the full version. It would be interesting to see high quality sword infantry slowly work into and disorder a moderate level phalanx, slowly disordering its frontage while taking casualties (on the sword side) while inflicting few to the hoplites/phalangites. Then suddenly a schism would open and the phalanx would break so that the swords would have a clear upper hand.

It would be lovely to see Principes slowly creep into a unit of Levy Pikemen, or even Legionaries with Phalanx Pikemen. That way either sid would be satisfied. The pikemen would hold for a serious time so that other troops could flank, and the swordsmen would eventually win fairly comfortably.

The square issue is a very substantial one for phalangites. It afflicts cav and others as well. It appears that the coding of the plaza results in some sort of "funnel" path through the geometric center whenever you try to cross it (sort of like the lane at the gates.) Why we can't march across in order with any unit is beyond my understanding, but I do understand that it is fatal to a phalanx. "All roads lead to Rome" and all paths across the plaza go through the flagpole at the center. It really does resemble a blackhole since there is a sort of "tidal" stretch as units get sucked in.

Aha... Never knew it affected everyone, but I guess I should have guessed it, I guess.
But since this is a set thing it disheartens me a bit. I had hoped I was doing something wrong so that I could correct it, but now it seems I would have to suffer huge losses to any unit that holds the square if I'm the Seleucids or Macedonians.

The pause to lower spears/pikes just before contact is maddening!!! It reminds me of the 'pila pause' and the javelin cav/horse archer/chariot archer pause when charging. Other infantry does it at times too about 30 yards from my line. It's like they are charging and at the last minute the officer yells, "Charge!" in a screechy voice and they all stop in their tracks to look at him to see what is wrong...then resume the charge.

You took the words out of my mouth. It just looks plainly wrong that a unit comes running and then we hear "charge", they stop, then resume. What was that?
But I have found that pressing halt for the Phalanx helps, just too bad that this limits the speed of the already quite slow phalanx.

With the spear warband I find the "march through" with guard off works pretty well in open field battles. I rarely order attacks because of the problem you mention, but I do issue short range march throughs around the field. As a tactic doesn't suffer as much from the "phalanx shuffle." That's why the phalanx shuffle doesn't bother me much. When the shuffle does happen it is overdone. So my big complaint with it is that it is overdone. If it was tied to experience or attack level (lower level = more shuffle) then it might be more logical.

No, I would rather see it tied to level of the troops. Militia Hoplites and Levy Pikemen would drift as we see now, Phalanx Pikemen and Hoplites would do it slightly, Silver Shields, Armoured Hoplites, Spartans and Bronze Shields would NOT. But then again, for some reason the pikemen are not considered even Superior, so their actual level is the same as that of Militia Hoplites.
That too should change, MH and LP = normal, PP and H = Superior and SSP and BSP = Elite.

Heavy cav and jumping horses...you know how I feel about that already. Cav should find it very difficult to break up close order spears/pike frontally. (Of course, cav seems to get bonuses when charging elephants and infantry too...again this flies in the face of reason. It's not too hard to visualize a fix--simply dropping the charge bonus when engaging counter units this way.) The jumping animation could easily be dropped by CA when horsies charge a spearwall--even if they keep it elsewhere.

Ah yes... If only they could keep it somehow. I find the animation rather cool and quite pleasing to watch, unless of course it is ripping a Phalanx apart.
I hope that this is fixed in the patch, but you know, there are so many problems with te phalanx that they can't all be fixed, I don't think so.