Withdrawing from combat...

[Rollon]

It seems to me that units tend to withdraw to the side from they they came to the battlefield. At least that's what worked when I used hit&run against Mongols. Also it's better to not withdraw all your units simultaniously — leave some on the battlefield to cover the retreat and divert the enemy.

[HKDDJulker]

memnoch i noticed the VERY same thing today. while assaulting a Venice with HUGE city walls and ballista towers (with just a catapult) I decided disgression was the better part of valour, and tried to withdraw. ie my units attacked from the west, where i deployed them, where they had to come from to attack Venice anyway, as there is only one approach on the campaign map.
When i clicked the withdraw button my entire army charged straight towards the city, and had i not shrieked in panic and furiously pounded halt, they would have run to the city, up, around the walls to northwest tower, and then proceeded to flee north. (i know this because i allowed the catapult crew to try withdrawing)
like so
^
|
----->
^ O-------------------------------O
| | .|
| | Venice and its HUGE walls |
-------> { |


On another battle, a with a river and bridge in the middle, i had a unit of knights from a reinforcing army withdraw successfully and in the correct direction (ie where they had entered the battlefield from) but other units from the same reinforcing army tried to withdraw THROUGH the enemy. The knights then re-entered the battlefield and "routed" to the river and back off the map, repeatedly, for the duration of the battle.

This is extremely frustrating and I would like an explanation as well.

thanks to memnoch for posting about this.

[sapi]

Same issues here - siege battles in particular are very bad in this respect.