Originally Posted by
kirroyale
The problem is obviously not with the power of flanking cavalry charges, but with the AI's failure to respond to the threat properly. There's plenty of historical evidence that if an infantry unit gets caught in the open from flank or behind and has not formed square, it should rout pretty much straight away. There seems little logic in when the AI forms square - it should do so as soon as it is in a cavalry unit's threat zone, unless the threat is to its front, has secure flanks and is in a position to deliver fire. And it's response should be to have cavalry in support of the infantry, which perhaps it might if it didn't throw its cav away in rash and self-destructive charges it can't win.
Right now the AI forms square now and again, usually when I have a depleted cavalry unit that isn't even facing it...I'd love to be able to pin infantry with cav by forcing it into square, then, because charging a square should be near-suicidal, bringing up arty (if the arty would ever respond to orders to limber up for movement) or infantry in line to hammer the square.