Attacking in an even line formation

[Serben]

How exactly do you make your units stay in their line formation when you order them to charge the enemy? If you form them into a line and then order them to charge by double clicking an enemy unit, they all converge on that unit instead of staying evenly spread in a line, which results in your units forming into a blob where you order them to charge, and the enemy surrounding them. Like this:


The "e's" are the enemy, the "f's" are yours and the asterix represents where you order them to attack.


eeeeee*eeeeee

fffffffffffff



In this situation, they will all charge the center, and form into a blob, and become surrounded, like this:

eeeee
efffffe
efffffe
efffffe


I've tried preventing this by clicking behind the enemy line, instead of on an enemy unit. But this simply causes them to attempt to run through the enemy lines without fighting, causing them to be cut down by the hundreds.


I also don't understand what exactly groups are good for. Units that are grouped behave exactly the same as if you simply select several units at once. The only difference is that a group only has to be clicked once to select all its units, while you have to use ctrl+click or shift+click to select several ungrouped units. So what exactly are groups good for? I don't really understand their use, or for that matter, the different formations they can assume. All the formations that a group can assume can be just as easily formed manually, so i don't see the point.


Can anyone shed any light on these issues?

[Colossus]

I just tell them to attack quickly one by one.

[Kaweh]

I just tell them to attack quickly one by one.

Exactly. I pause, and order each unit to attack an enemy unit, or two units to attack one enemy unit. Once I'm near enough. This way, I have a nice charging line.

K.K

[LeonidasOfSparta]

Well I do what Collosus said, pause and attack or if you have patched ( I don't remember what mod) units automaticly stand in formation when they attack.

Leonidas

[zedestroyer]

Move your line until it gets near the enemy line and then order each unit to attack one enemy unit, if you have more units in the front line than your enemy the extra units to attack the flanks of the enemy.

Closing in:
_EEEEEEEEEEEEEE_

%%%%%%%%%%

attack:
%EEEEEEEEEEEEEE%
_%%%%%%%%%_


E-enemy units
%-Your units

If you are playing with missile infantry (like scutari ou hastati), you can use your general as an decoy. Organize you line, turn fire at will on and send your general near the enemy units, sometimes they will go after your general, send him to the rear of your lines (passing throughout your lines) and when they reach near your front line they will suffer great causalities and morale penalties, in this point just charge the enemy unit by unit.

[Octavium]

I've never found a problem with the run behind the enemy to hit them approach. If the enemy has low moral then the fron line will break, and since your guys aren't fighting but running they will keep on moving, causing what I call a never-ending-charge.

[sumaznguy]

lol. most of the time my units only attack if i try to make them run past the enemy. they just run into the enemy and start stabbing away.

[Gleemonex]

I've thought that it would be nice to have a "general charge" or "engage at will" button for the whole army, as it would be a) simpler, and b) just like what would happen in a real battle when the tide is turning in one's favour.

-Glee

[Prince_of_Macedon]

To keep your army in a straight line, simply aim your army right at the center of the enemy's formation. But do not target the enemy. Instead, target a location near the enemy. When you get close enough, then you can start peeling your units off one at a time (or whatever it is you do) to attack.

[celtic_warlord422]

Just make them advance towards them rather than attacking them.

[spirit_of_rob]

hold shift when you click to move your unit the units stay in formation always works for me anyhow lol

[Samuel Adams]

remember that attack in and of itself is not a stratagem! maneuver, maneuver, maneuver. If there's one thing in RTW that's completely accurate in all cases, its the maneuverability of battle. whether you are going against an equal army, one superior or one inferior, there's always more to it. the "Grouping" command allows for a series of 8 formations that you can only do when a unit's in a grouping. For instance if you're assaulting a city, you will want the column formation, when attacking an inferior enemy with a narrow battle line you may want double line. But that's only the beginning.

The description you put there of your men getting surrounded and cut off should never happen. Support units of either equal or light infantry should be in a well maintained reserve and on the flanks of any attacking units. Here's my usual attack when using roman-hellenistic infantry and cav: ===/--- infantry, ^^ cavalry, T=artillery (if used)


enemy line:
_____________________
===================

my lines ===============\\
=========== \\ ^^^^
---- -----

crude, yes and I'm sorry. However, using this or a similar formation allows you to A.) use individual units in a line to attack an enemy without them being cut off, B.) use reserves to plug holes or thin spots in your line, and C.) flank teh enemy's line and turn their flanks.

Using the stats of one unit against another in this game can still be suicide, for instance I've lost (as a new TRW player 3 years ago) cohorts to the enemy's worst units (barbarian spear infantry, peasants!) by ordering a head on attack.

Tactics are invaluable. Even if you have a thin front line, or even if you are outnumbered, keep together as a unit your various "units," and try to expell the enemy by any means possible.

[Samuel Adams]

Ok, well that didn't work out so well in the illustrations dep't, I'll try to post some screenies later.

[Subrosa Florens]

I never have trouble attacking in an even line when using infantry. I just pause, select all the units, then click where I want them to go, usually a spot behind the enemy units. I press the spacebar to make sure they are going where I want them to, and adjust if necessary. Then unpause and let them go.

The only thing that ever makes them lose their formation is when some units run into an enemy that fights back they stop to fight. The others keep walking forward of course. This opens up gaps in the line that I sometimes use my cavalry to run through. Or I simply let my other infantrymen advance a bit, then swing them around to attack the enemy from the rear.