Sqaure Formations

**DarkBloodyFetus** · November 03, 2007, 03:03 PM

Why is it that whenever I select four units and a general and do the follow things: Put them into square formation. Allow SKirmish and Enable Guard Mode. Disable Fire at Will or Enable Fire at Will Rally Troops Command That whenever the enemy calvary charges into my lines, my men always break and run away allowing them to get massacred by the enemy sabers...What's the deal with this? I know that the enemy calvary tends to charge reckless into the formation but please, can we at least have our troops hold their ground and massacre the calvary units as they should?

**Empress Meg** · November 03, 2007, 07:54 PM

Don't put them on skirmish. It's off for a reason.

Skirmish works in NTW2 that same way it does in RTW: men run away when the enemy gets too close to them. So, take them off skirmish mood and they will stay there and fight rather then moving back to another position.

Hold on, you are the same person who insulted us on our forums while we were tying to help you about two months ago. I thought that we were all unsavory to you?

Devoirs The Empress

**DarkBloodyFetus** · November 03, 2007, 09:07 PM

Thanks, I'm afraid I don't know what your talking about though my username on your forums was nonexistent.

**DarkBloodyFetus** · November 03, 2007, 09:22 PM

It still doesn't even work! I don't put them in Skirmish mode. I put them in a square formation with a general in the middle. The general uses his rally command. All four troop units have skirmish disabled, disabled guard mode, and fire at will. Even if I change it to guard or disable guard, or enable fire at will or disable fire at will, one line always ******** runs like cowards allowing the calvary to slice them up with swiss cheese....What the hell am I doing wrong here?

**Empress Meg** · November 04, 2007, 12:10 AM

If the cav charges home and a line breaks, there is nothing you can do. It is fairly common for a cav charge to bust into a square if they are able to withstand the firepower. They aren't supermen and the square is not full-proof it is just slightly better protection for a last stand effort. I cannot tell you more or help to solve this issue unless you give me more details.

I would also appreciate you not cussing or getting uppity with me for something of which I cannot fix due to too many factors being unknown at the present moment.

Thanks, I'm afraid I don't know what your talking about though my username on your forums was nonexistent.

That is because I banned you and removed your profile for insulting my forum members, my moderators, myself and for spamming my forums via PM's and posts.

Devoirs The Empress

**DarkBloodyFetus** · November 04, 2007, 10:26 AM

I wasn't cursing at you, I was cursing at the fact that the square formations always broke regardless of what I did in terms of settings. And that incident on your forums, I couldn't care less what you thought or did. Boohoo, I'm banned, like I give a ****.

**Empress Meg** · November 04, 2007, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by DarkBloodyFetus

I wasn't cursing at you, I was cursing at the fact that the square formations always broke regardless of what I did in terms of settings. And that incident on your forums, I couldn't care less what you thought or did. Boohoo, I'm banned, like I give a ****.

So you do know to what I am referring. When you are able to acknowledge me with some iota of civility then I will aid you further. Cussing on these subforums will not endear you. Frustration is no excuse for being rash.

Devoirs The Empress

**drak10687** · November 04, 2007, 12:45 PM

I'm sorry for intruding into what is maybe none of my business, but the way you are acting is completely unnecessary and out of line, especially towards people who are trying to help you, though that should hardly matter.

As for your question, personally I have never tried using the "square" formation as you described, as it gives you a great disadvantage when facing infantry, which ultimately is the factor which wins and looses battles (usually if your opponent(s) is having to line up in a square looking formation, he doesn't not have many men left to protect his flanks, and its a sing that the battle is almost won). Playing with my clan, the best way I/we have found to counter cavalry is to charge you men (by clicking alt+right click) right before they hit your line. This gives a bonus to your infantry.

Of course, there are many factors involved in defeating cavalry charges. It depends on the units you have. Obviously militia will not fair as well as regular line, which will not fair as well as grenadiers, and so on.

Another tactic, is to put your men in almost square blocks, or ranks of greater than 4 men deep, so the cavalry cannot break through. Of course, if you're playing with standard LOV rules, you have to make sure that your men do not fire (as firing in blocks greater than 4 men deep is against the rules). So something you could do is have most of your infantry in standard 3 men deep ranks, to counter infantry, and shoot down the cavalry as its charging, but have a block of men either between or behind those lines (with fire at will off), ready to counter charge the cav. ... I haven't really tried very often though, as the chance doesn't come up often, and one or two units of cav. (not backed up by infantry) is easy enough to ward off if your infantry is well lined up and ready for the charge.

**DarkBloodyFetus** · November 04, 2007, 01:46 PM

Empress Meg, what on earth was the bizarre reason that you thought I was getting "getting uppity" with you just because I asked a simple question? It wasn't like I was flaming the hell out of the developers of their lack of ability to make a functioning square formation. I was merely getting frustrated about an item that I might have been doing wrong that was causing my square formation to constantly break when I was typing my messages.

Drake, why don't you actually take a good hard look at my posts and see where I was out of line, hmmmmm? What? Just because I said, "What the hell am I doing wrong here?" in my second post line, you automatically thought,
"WOMG, he's insulting her, he's out of line!, he's insulting her!", like, WOMG?". Seriously, you are blowing this way out of portion because there is nowhere in this topic of where I personally flamed Meg.

**drak10687** · November 04, 2007, 03:01 PM

You are right, you have not directly insulted anyone here. However, I still think your language is unnecessarily rude, and whether or not you're calling anyone names, your words are still directed at the people here, the ones you're asking to help you.

Anyways, though I think your question has basically been answered, if you want more help, as Empress Meg has said, you need to provide more information, such as what type and how many units were you using, and what type and how many cavalry were you facing... this will make all the difference in whether or not the square tactic would work or not. You should also consider what terrain you were on, and how tired and demoralized the units on each side were.

In the end, its not that you are/were doing something wrong... but that no tactic is fool-proof, there are many factors involved which must be considered. But as I said, unless you're facing only cavalry, I don't think the square formation is the best/most effective one.