The old debate: line vs column

Is there any reason why one should deploy their infantry in columns rather than lines? In real life, columns move faster than lines, but I notice no such difference in NTW. In real life, columns allegedly confer a morale bonus, but that isn't true for NTW, either. How about melee?

Right now, the only argument in favour of columns that I can think of, is to prevent enfilades. I once accidentally killed 1/4 of a unit with my own cannon by allowing it to pick its own targets.The infantry stood right next to the gun, and a single ball took down half the first row.

yeah CA should add a column button next to the square button

also i use it to march behind my main line and to march but cannons love columns and so do unicorns

Columns limit the amount of casualties regiments would take in real life. In NTW, I think its a gameplay mechanic that makes sure the same rules apply to casualties regardless of what formation they are in.

In other words, its pretty much useless to column.

Yes, as far as i know there is only one value (in theory it increases morale) in the kv_morale tables which affect the column formation, but i am not even sure it affects the column, or it was just for some "column" formation that was never introduced in the full game. I wish there were several bonuses to it: charge, melee, morale and penalties to morale to the enemy unit, so it is more likely to run. A similar thing to the: concerned fighting agaisnt cavalry unit, but for figthing agaisnt infantry in deep formation.

Originally Posted by Bucefalo

Yes, as far as i know there is only one value (in theory it increases morale) in the kv_morale tables which affect the column formation, but i am not even sure it affects the column, or it was just for some "column" formation that was never introduced in the full game. I wish there were several bonuses to it: charge, melee, morale and penalties to morale to the enemy unit, so it is more likely to run. A similar thing to the: concerned fighting agaisnt cavalry unit, but for figthing agaisnt infantry in deep formation.

Holy crap, Bucefalo. You're right. I'd never noticed that one before.

ume_encouraged_column_formation. And it's a pretty sizable bonus, too. I wonder how the engine determines whether you're in column or not. Would it be a simple More Ranks than Files = Column?

Hm. I'm going to have to play around with this, I think.

This is true columns are useful for maneuvering, even in certain close situations, but not fighting. although it is rather a convenient thing turning a column into line.

Having a column also reduces the damage done by calvary from the front. If calvary charges a thin line from the front it will break it in two that the infantry will probably route.

Other then that its only good for moving around quickly since you can set up a firing line faster in a column.

Originally Posted by The Vicar

Holy crap, Bucefalo. You're right. I'd never noticed that one before.

ume_encouraged_column_formation. And it's a pretty sizable bonus, too. I wonder how the engine determines whether you're in column or not. Would it be a simple More Ranks than Files = Column?

Hm. I'm going to have to play around with this, I think.

Oh wow, that's quite a find. What is the bonus exactly? Please keep us informed of any new information you discover!

Instead of spreading your lines as thin as possible, it pays to use columns with militia. There are 3 reasons for this

1- When compact and close together with other units in a small area, the unit get's a morale bonuses of "friendlies nearby"

2- They take up less land space so a general's rally ability would affect more regiments. There's also more men in the general's radius so he effects more of them.

3- Each regiment suffers less casualties per second to musket fire, making them not route due to heavy loses

The way to achieve this is to NOT use the group column formation that's in the game. Instead just manually line up all your soldiers into a line side by side but make them fight about 4-6 ranks deep, this shortens the line however it allows say 4 regiments of militia to fight 2 regiments of line infantry (if the line infantry is spread all the way out). You still have the same amount of men firing in the front lines as you would if you spread 2 units completely out, instead now you have 4 regiments which can have the casualties spread evenly among them while outputting the same firepower. I use this only for militia since they need all the morale bonuses they can get, with line infantry I prefer to spread them out. Also what I just describe get's decimated by artillery so the strategy is only useful against a force not supported by artillery and only with lower quality units.

I have noticed in ETW (I still don't have my NTW copy yet) that columns do have the weight to split a thin line in two, which does at least seem to make a unit more prone to route. I personally haven't done any in game file spelunking to see if there's any mathematical calculation to go along with this, but a mass of men hitting a thin line and then turning in two directions ten abreast killing that like that is now two abreast to the hand to hand fighting...it makes sense to me anyway.

I've also noticed that close range musket volleys against columns in ETW are usually very very ugly.

The only time to deploy columns of march would be if there were no chance that the enemy could attack, particularly in consideration of artillery. The whole point of forming lines of battle is that you are aware of an immanent threat and are preparing to fight.

Originally Posted by TheUnionArmy

The only time to deploy columns of march would be if there were no chance that the enemy could attack, particularly in consideration of artillery. The whole point of forming lines of battle is that you are aware of an immanent threat and are preparing to fight.

I've used it to ensure one unit doesn't overlap into another's field of fire when moving reserves around behind the line to prevent the extreme edge of a line getting blasted by friendly fire (and, incidentally, if you're under fire from roundshot a column is better than a line when you turn 90 degrees to the guns shooting at you).

Also, the column seems to work marvals for smashing into the flank of an opposing line. Otherwise, the ends of your line keep running and silliness ensues.

I use 'em at any rate. I usually don't march 'em towards the enemy in columns though, I admit.

Napoleon like a formation he called L'Order Mixted, two to three units in two to three firing ranks, flanked by two units in columns on each side. This was an attack formation. The columns lended weight and shock when they closed on the enemy line, the units in firing ranks provided more firepower. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it might work as it did historically provided you are not attacking directly into artillery.

On a real battlefield, once a few volleys are fired, it was hard to see beyond 20 yards. This is where the column comes into play, smashing through a line before they can really see them coming. It doesn't work so well in TW. You can see far too much of the battlefield.

I find them useful when you are marching across to a better spot on the battlefield. This assumes you can utilize some sort of cover though. Usually there are hills or other obsticles you can keep between you and the enemy artillery. It's especially easy now that with a higher rank general you can see where the AI deploys first. Why use a column when marching? Well it's more manageable when you need to get through narrow safe zones where as a full line might expose itself to artillery fire. It also seems like they turn faster and run less so they won't tire as easily.

I've done this in mp battles in ntw and a mp campaign battle in etw
put simply-it works

the columns run faster across the battle field, and they have more cohesiveness, and can break a line
The etw was very interesting-I was the Khanate defending Crimea from the Russians. I had a general, one of the melee units, and 2 armed citizenry vs 3 militia and 2 line infanty

this was a really good opponent I was facing (IMO, and in the earliest time periods so...) I used the melee unit in column throughout the entire game, and though I lost half its strength getting shot from flanking manovers and being exhausted, I was able to fend off the Russians but using the column's strength to break the militia units quickly, and then close with the line units (after they stopped running) and tie one up so my armed citizenry only faced one line unit

so wait. i thought the column formation bonus was for the unit formation in the game? but are you guys saying you can get this bonus without using the formation, and just making thick blocks of your units instead of forming a line?

Originally Posted by Icewolf

so wait. i thought the column formation bonus was for the unit formation in the game? but are you guys saying you can get this bonus without using the formation, and just making thick blocks of your units instead of forming a line?

Here's some bad MS paint to help describe what I was saying.

Don't do it like this (blue is enemy line, red is your militia)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Instead do it like this

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Just drag the right mouse button to line them up all nice and fat as they approach the enemy. Using this you can use as many militia as you want assaulting a single regiment, the casualties are spread out even among 4 regiments instead of 1 taking all the force, they would also fit in a generals radius (up to 6 to 8 blocks vs 3 line infantry). The morale bonuses + general's bonuses of inspire and rally keep this line together. However it isn't perfect and is easy picking for cannon, however you can keep readjusting the line as you send individual units to charge into the enemy if you think they are going to break since the thick blocks can thin out into 2 lines while the other 2 regiments engage in melee to pursue.

Hmm, interesting, so the exact bonus stats for employing columns is...?

Also, what is the exact definition? I notice when you get a group in the vanguard formation it creates types of columns like squares etc or does this apply to all of them?