Phalanxe's losing out to cavalry

[Renco]

Playing as Selucia in vannilla, I don't want to expand into Sycthia. So they're free to just build armies and attack my cities. Which is fine. I've got 2 levy pikemen in the town they always attack and they never build more than one battering ram. So, using a V formation, I always get heroic victories.

Lately, however, the plan goes according to itself for awhile. When the last of the soldiers have routed and it's only the general left, disaster strikes! One group of the V formation inexplicably decide to follow the routers. That's when the general charges. So they've got about 10 seconds to reform into the V formation. Which they don't. And after that it's the usual very hard AI general owning 240 men without batting an eyelid. And it's getting kind of annoying now.

Just to clarify, I never take off the "guard this area, don't move" button and I never accidentally click on some of the routers. I'm at a loss.

[O X I R]

Ye, some units do chase routers.

Factions like Briton/Gaul/Dacia/German do it all..
Depends on the units you have.

Some units aren't disciplined enough to stand their ground and fight.
To listen to orders.

So I think you need better units.
I'm not 100% sure about this, but this is what I think.

[Amaranth]

It seems a bit like "Charges without orders" situation to me. Could it be something like that as OXIR said I wonder ? Is there a discipline order between units ?

[Kátz]

no, levy pikemen even if with poor morale would still never do the charge without orders. For further information, see the EDU.txt and check the levy pikemen part and see whether it got the impetuous in the stat_mental. hope that helps

[Renco]

Says they are normal and highly trained. Guess I just got unlucky.

[NobleNick]

Don't know the cause. But this type of thing happens to me (usually it is infantry on infantry). One possible solution is to watch your formation closely at that phase of the battle. If your guys start breaking formation, hit 'PAUSE' quickly (within 1 second) and give them orders to re-form. Repeat as necessary.

Another possible solution is to have a throwaway unit, which plugs the hole while the pikes re-form.

[aznflea]

or another plan is to have another pair of levy pikemen at the back forming a second V in case your first phalanx dies.

phalanxes are terribly unreliable this way. reforming is such a whore

[HeroSK]

Good lesson about "always have reinforcements"

Also, dont use your phalanxes without supporting units.

[Elite Peasant]

Sometimes units just do silly things in RTW. There's not much that can be done about it, except having some backup units.

[aznflea]

yeah good lesson about not having support units

phalanx+phalanx = dead phalanx.
phalanx+cavalry = win

[Lord Thesaurian]

I agree with "OXIR." sometimes an undisciplined, inexperienced unit, especially militia or levy units, just do stupid stuff. They deserve to suffer the consequences of their incredibly stupid actions. As they say, "s--t happens."