The Perfect Trap
Here's one for when you're fighting in the woods:
E= Enemy
HI= Heavy Infantry
HC= Heavy Cavlary
LC= Light Cavalry
MU= Missle Units
G= General
P= Peasants
-------------------------E------------------------
---------------------EEEEEEE---------------------
-------------------EEEEEEEEEEE-------------------
LC-HC-HI---------------PPP-------------HI-HC-LC
--------HI-----------------------------HI--------
---------HI---------------------------HI---------
----------HI-------------------------HI----------
-----------HI-----------------------HI-----------
---MU--------------------------------------MU--
-------------------------G-----------------------
First off, let's get the obvious stuff out of the way:
1. It's no secret that the only unit (in this setup) that cannot hide in a forest is your General/Captain.
2. Missile units are almost completely worthless in a densely forested area. So it's best to just turn off the "Fire at Will" command and keep them in a safe distance before your start the slaughter... I mean show.
Since you placed your General/Captain at a distance, the enemy might start to advance towards your general (depending on how the strength ratio is before the battle). Wait for the enemy to get almost in line with your HC's and your first set of HI's in the "V" formation. Then send out your peasants off to die by charging the enemy lines:
-------------------------E------------------------
---------------------EEEEEEE---------------------
-------------------EEEEEEEEEEE-------------------
LC-HC-HI---------------PPP-------------HI-HC-LC
--------HI-----------------------------HI--------
---------HI---------------------------HI---------
----------HI-------------------------HI----------
-----------HI-----------------------HI-----------
---MU--------------------------------------MU--
-------------------------G-----------------------
The peasants won't take long to route, and when they do, the enemy start running down the "Funnel of Death" right after them:
LC-HC-HI---------------E---------------HI-HC-LC
--------HI-----------EEEEEE-----------HI--------
---------HI-------EEEEEEEEEEE-------HI---------
----------HI-------------------------HI----------
-----------HI----------PPP----------HI-----------
---MU-------------------------------------MU--
------------------------G-----------------------
Let loose your HI's and smash your opponet like a sandwich, and then place your HC and LC units in their rear:
--------------------LC-LC---------------------
----------------------------------------------
------------------HC----HC-------------------
------------------HI--E--HI----------------------
---------------HI--EEEEEE--HI-------------------
------------HI--EEEEEEEEEEE--HI----------------
----------------HI-HI----HI-HI-------------------
----------------------G-------------------------
--MU-------------------------------------MU---
------------------------------------------------
---------------------ppp-----------------------
Charge your cavalry units if you want to, but it's pointless. The enemy will realize that they're completely enveloped and will route in no time. Since your cavalry is already in place... round up as much prisoners as you can and savor the day when it's all said and done!
If the enemy doesn't bite, then this setup will allow you to use any of the preset formations without wasting a lot of time getting into position.