Phalanx Formations and Phalanx fighting

[Arman616]

Hello. I need some help. I absolutely suck fighting with phalanxes. Given the current build's limitations, and 1.2 what is the best way to get my phalanxes to deal out the maximum amount of damage and act in an efficient manner.

For example, when to click attack, or to have them walk past enemy formations and then stop. Etc.

The thing is, my phalanxes are always stuck doing weird things and it's really hurting the gameplay for me. I know we are working with an open beta here and 1.2, but what is the best course of action that i can take? Thanks.

[LorDBulA]

I never order unit in phalanx mode at attack. I always order my line to go past the enemy (i click behind the enemy to make sure my units will angage them).
Just look at your units when they engage. Sometimes unit wont stop and continue to walk strait. If you wont stop them manually they can take heavy casualty.
If you see oportunity to brake enemy line in one point take phalanx unit that are there out of defense mode. This will make them more agresive and they will kill more, but if unit not in defence mode is fighting against the ods it will sufer casualties faster.
So where you want to hold the line use defence mode, when you want to break enemy line turn off defence mode.

I hope this helps.

[Kralizec]

I simply send my entire Phalanx (usually 4-6 phalangites, deployed in a single thick line) forward by ordering them to move behind the enemy army. When one or more walks into the enemy I select the whole group and order them to halt. If you don't some of them will continue walking forward and this will open gaps in your battleline, exposing the flanks of the individual blocks. Also your phalanx units must all be in guard or they'll screw up and break the line as well.

This Phalanx will hold out for a very long time, its front is basicly undestructable and only the left and right wings are vulnerable to enemies wrapping around the flanks.

That's where my peltasts and thureophoroi come in, counterattacking any unit that attacks the flanks of the Phalanx. Put some skirmishers (slingers are perfect) far away from either wing just in case the AI decides to do some fancy maneavering and go far around the Phalanx.

When all your infantry is engaged, simply circle your cavalry around the Phalanx and do the well known hammer-and-anvil drill. Then clean up the rest.

[Arman616]

I simply send my entire Phalanx (usually 4-6 phalangites, deployed in a single thick line) forward by ordering them to move behind the enemy army. When one or more walks into the enemy I select the whole group and order them to halt. If you don't some of them will continue walking forward and this will open gaps in your battleline, exposing the flanks of the individual blocks. Also your phalanx units must all be in guard or they'll screw up and break the line as well.

This Phalanx will hold out for a very long time, its front is basicly undestructable and only the left and right wings are vulnerable to enemies wrapping around the flanks.

That's where my peltasts and thureophoroi come in, counterattacking any unit that attacks the flanks of the Phalanx. Put some skirmishers (slingers are perfect) far away from either wing just in case the AI decides to do some fancy maneavering and go far around the Phalanx.

When all your infantry is engaged, simply circle your cavalry around the Phalanx and do the well known hammer-and-anvil drill. Then clean up the rest.

Is there a way to have them slowly push forward, as what they did in real life?

[Sahran]

Is there a way to have them slowly push forward, as what they did in real life?

Yes, but only that single unit*. If a phalanx unit clicks on the enemy, and has defense off, they will slowly but rather hectically push and move into that opponent, I think.


* - That's one of the biggest gripes with the game I've had. Theres no way to have a large-scale, 'big picture' action, like have the entire shield wall of BI advance, or have the phalanx of Vanilla push foward in a cohesive order.

[Megalos]

Another good tactic to use if you are limited with very few troop types, is to move your grouped phalanx into the enemy line (as described above) and hit the delete key when engaged.(this will stop the whole group)

This will put the phalanx back into guard mode, so your phalanxes will wait in that formation unitil ordered otherwise. Your phalanxes won't be killing enemies all that quickly, but they will certainly be sapping their strength, and once you notice the enemy flagging you can open up your phalanxes (by turning off both guard mode and phalanx mode) and have them take on a now tired enemy with their swords.

Obviously this won't work if you are fighting other enemy phalanxes.


As a side note, if you are getting annoyed with your phalanx "popping" up and down after they have moved position, just hit the delete key to stop it.

[jebes]

Another option that takes a little less micromangment is to give marching orders where the front line will end up about a foot less than spears length away from the enemy. Your guys will walk up to the enemy and stop just as one or two of your guys start stabbing. This usually gives enough time for a good line to be formed before the enemy starts running into the spears.

I like this because you don't have to watch your guys and can already begin to flank or concetrate on something else.

[paullus]

I kinda like to march phalanxes into an enemy formation by telling them to go somewhere behind them. It makes a bloody mess, but more often than not the phalanx units win, and it looks bee-yoo-tee-full (except the times it doesn't work, at which point it becomes rather, well, bad).

Had a great Carthage v Rome battle like that earlier today, lost about 10-15% of my phalanx but crushed the Roman lines, and now Sicily and Bruttium are ripe for taking.

Only problem is this: sometimes a unit will make contact and stop itself, while the unit next to it plows into the enemy, which opens a nasty gap. Not sure why it happens.