What happens to beaten armies?

[Proletariat]

I used a spy to take Thapsus as the Seleucid. It had stone walls.

The friggin spy opens the gates so I attack on the first turn. I forgot about the bug where the spy opens the gates but leaves the boiling oil operating.

I try and use some SS Pikemen and Lib Mercs to take the gatehouse and just suffer the oil. Well, they route so I decide not to waste the rest of my fullstack with my ten star faction leader and withdraw.

Yep, I was left with about two units afterwards. Pure idiocy.

[th3freakie]

What about when a AI armie orderly retreats? I'm guessing they get the same treatment...

[Darius]

If they do I haven't noticed it yet. Then again the more decisive battles that I do tend to remember tend to take place outside of a city. So when they retreat, they all end up in the city. Out in the open I'd guess they might get the same bizarre attrition treatment.

[Leodegar]

I'm not sure about it, but I have the impression it depends on how long you stay in battle, or perhaps on losses you take, before withdrawing.
If you withdraw rightaway at the start of battle, you don't have losses at all.

[MoROmeTe]

The computer never losses units to this. On the other hand if I begin a battle, I don't enage and simply retreat everyone, I don't seem to loose any men. So, I think it is a question of engaging the enemy. Once you've fought the computer thinks you should get casualties because the enemy pursues and harasses your rearguard. My guess, at least...