Help with formations?

[brollysan]

Hi guys I need some help with something I can't figure out, soon done with my greek cities campaign (saving rome for last, want the whole wold =D ) and took a break to watch some youtube videos and maybe learn a trick or two. I saw players moving their entire formation without breaking it from spot A to spot B, usually on plain terrain but how do they do that? Even if I group my units and attack an enemy they all center to that unit or if I click behind them the formation breaks as they near that point and they all get jumbled. The videos I saw were really sweet, phalanxes are much more powerful when they can hold a straight line and engage the enemy.

[Final Frontier]

Target an area behind the enemy, and they'll march without breaking... also, do you keep defensive stance enabled? This helps them hold formation, more or less. (I think, anyway)

[HanatielHawk]

Target an area behind the enemy, and they'll march without breaking... also, do you keep defensive stance enabled? This helps them hold formation, more or less. (I think, anyway)

Defensive stance doesn't make any sense, you can also have guard mode off and move your units without losing their formation.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Just make sure you sellect the right units, when playing as the Julii the Scipii attacked my fortification, and i set up a deployment outside the fort, the ballista's ofcourse couldn't go with me so i set them appart. When the troops were in formation i accidentally pressed Crtl + A which chose all units including the ballista's and the formation was broken. So sellect the right units.

[Artemis458]

like they said already select all the units and right click to the point behind the enemy line, but also then you must press the space bar too see the markers where your units are headed to, then you can see if they will walk in a straight line or end up at a funny angle (in which case reclick in a more central spot).

Also only single click so your troops start of walking, and you can hit the H key on or off to make them run/charge.

[brollysan]

Do they have to be grouped to do that? As in entire army in one group? I like to group my units in categories, phalanax in one so I can disable phalanax and reform lines in battles with more than 1 stack

Thanks

[Final Frontier]

No, in fact, they don't have to be grouped at all, just do CTRL+A and right-click somewhere without obstructions, and all units will move up in formation. It can angle a bit towards one direction, though, if you don't click too close to the front of the center. I don't use group formation much myself, but I'm not sure if doing that will force all of your units into a straight line.

[Chicken]

use ctrl+attack to use phalanxes to their true potential

[Delta21]

use ctrl+attack to use phalanxes to their true potential

I tried it, the soldiers won't even move....I think you are misleading people.

[HanatielHawk]

use ctrl+attack to use phalanxes to their true potential

What effect does this give then?

[Delta21]

What effect does this give then?

absolutely nothing, you aren't issuing an actual order when you do this.

[HanatielHawk]

absolutely nothing, you aren't issuing an actual order when you do this.

Nah indeed that's why i asked it, maybe i didn't knew of a new move.

[Lord Thesaurian]

use ctrl+attack to use phalanxes to their true potential

Does it really not work? Wat did u think it'd do?

[Finch]

i think that triggers the secondary attack if you press ctrl + attack

[Final Frontier]

Nah, that's alt.

[Sunbird Alkibijad]

The best you can do is click on pause button and give individual orders to units - whom to attack, and where to go. The advice to set them to move by clicking behind the enemy line is not a bad one actually, all you need to do is watch the phalanx and prevent it from falling apart as they try to get there while being engaged frontally. And yes, keep guard mode on for phalanx.

Also a small advice, if you want the phalanx units to be much more realistic, increase the unit size, you can change that in file called "preferences.txt" . The bigger the number of soldiers in single phalanx unit, the better the effect and cohesion of them.

[Dave Strider]

Damn I wanted to use Ctrl+attack.

[|Sith| Max]

Try moving your noob box by holding down ALT while giving a movement order as well. keeps em facing the original direction.

[Lord Thesaurian]

ive never really had major probs with formations. i mean sometimes the AI does something stupid, but unless you dont know what your doing the formations seem to stay intact. if you do have problems, you can almost always right-click and drag to specify the exact formation you want