Countdown to Open Beta - Animations and Battle Formations

[The_Mark]

The AI will use their faction's historical formations in-game? That's possibly the best news I've heared about EB since the start (and that's saying something). I was getting really tired of the AI forming up in exactly the same line regardless of culture and terrain.

Well, due to the limitations with code every faction can access every formation in theory, if they only have the right troops for it, though it will be hard, for example, for the Sauromatae to get the required troops to get a manipular form. In practice, the factions supposed to use a formation will mostly use it.

1) will the cpu break it's phalanx line prior to engaging in combat?

That is, unfortunately, a persistent (read: hard-coded) problem.

2) Trying to fight in the proper roman style is almost impossible since many of the first and second lines flee never to return or return much to late.

That is not a problem. Remember that morale and kill rates have been tweaked extensively, so it will take a while for the first line to rout, actually wearing the enemy out before the principes can move in and finish the job.