Your own formations

[Astaroth]

Let's keep this thread civil and friendly please.

[HanatielHawk]

Well i usually try to use this kind of formation with my Julii campaign all the time:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A1 A2 A3
I I I I I
S I M I M I S
LC HC G HC LC

A = Archers
I = Infantry
S = Spearinfantry
G = General
HC = Heavy Cavalery
LC = Light cavalery
M = Artillery (in case of presence)

I don't alway's use this formation, it can vary because lack of troops or in case the Artillery isn't present i'll stick the infantry of the second line together. I mostly use this formation when facing other romans, or when facing an army which is compact and is not in one single line, so i won't get surrounded.
This is what i do, if the spearbatallion is a phalanx-capable unit, i'll switch the phalanx off to gain mobility and speed. I'll move the whole formation up to the enemy lines until they are close to me (what i find close is that archers do only 5 big steps to reach the enemy when going out of formation). Disable guard mode for all units and enable fire at will for the second line of cohorts.
2- A1 will fire fire-arrows on the left side of the enemy line, A3 on the right side and A2 will turn of their fire-ammo to attack the general. I will mostly inflict the most damage on the enemy cavalery. Also no fire at will mode is activated. Also make sure the archers are in loose formation, so they won't take many casualties.
2b- Let the artillery fire with normal ammo, not fire at will but aim in the middle of the formation, to do maximum damage if they miss. Only when artillery is present.
3- Most of the time the enemy will come charging at me, when they do they will mostly try to outflank me, thats why i set up the spearbatalions at the flanks. When phalanxbatalions they will swiftly come to their place, phalanx and drive the cavalery away from the field. Also when the enemy mobilises pull your archers back and disable skirmish mode when doing. Put them behind the second infantry line.
4- The second line cohort can't fire pila anymore, so it's time to charge the enemy down. When charging switch the fire-at-will mode for the first-infantry line on.
5- Now use the LC to chase down the missile-firering batalions because they are the most annoying of all, when a batalion starts to rout attack another non-routing batalion. Finishing them will come later on.
6- While busy routing those archers and peltasts, charge your cavalery into critical points where the enemy is at point of routing, if they rout use the cavalery again to charge into another point. When there is a point where you think you'll lose charge the general into the back of the critical situation and before impact use the rally option. Also use those heavy cavalery and infantry of points where the enemy is routing to back-up.
7- Hammer the light cavalery into the remaining units and chase them with your cavalery. Use the cohorts to fire missiles at the routing units and the archers not-fire-ammo and enable fire-at-will.
This is what i use the most another formation is this one. Roman again:

A A A A
S I I I I I I S
LC HC M G M HC LC

Same principe, other formation. Very wide formation and very basic. The only backup is the heavy cavalery and it's main usage is balanced position, can be used as defensive but also attacking. I use this formation mostly when facing a widely spreaded army.
Fire in the middle (which i mean spreaded out over the batallions. Fire on the 25% of the formation width) of the enemy formation with fire ammo to do maximum damage. (When they miss there can be a chance they will hit another unit.)
Again artillery = M and only when present and the same tactic as the previous formation. Infantry all on fire-at-will and the Light Cavalery a bit to the back, as if they are out of the battle. When in the heat they serve again as chaser of the missile-troops and routing units, but also as backup to hammer in the back of the enemy's infantry line.
Spearinfantry to prevent enemy cavalery from flanking and the heavy cavalery as powerfull back-up.

Still i think this formation is good, tough i want to hear if there're some tips or tricks that can improve my skills on the battlefield. So what i need to change on my formation Any help would be very helpfull.
EDIT: remind that this is mostly used on SP, i've not used it so much at MP since i don't play MP very much (slooooow computer)

[Delta21]

You could spread out the cavalry a little bit and slightly move them up front. I think your second formation example is better than the first one.

[HanatielHawk]

You could spread out the cavalry a little bit and slightly move them up front. I think your second formation example is better than the first one.

Are you sure that would do well? Because i most of the time use the whole army to fight the enemy, and that causes also a bit of distraction so i'd put my cavalery most of the time more away from the army like this

Army

LC________LC

To prevent the LC to get involved in the battle, and when the heat of the battle is active i'll swirl my LC around the army to chase the enemy peltasts and archers like this.
Black = Archers and Peltasts
Red = Enemy army
Blue = Own army
Green = Light Cavalery
Purple = Heavy Cavalery

[Delta21]

Are you sure that would do well? Because i most of the time use the whole army to fight the enemy, and that causes also a bit of distraction so i'd put my cavalery most of the time more away from the army like this

Army

LC________LC

To prevent the LC to get involved in the battle, and when the heat of the battle is active i'll swirl my LC around the army to chase the enemy peltasts and archers like this.
Black = Archers and Peltasts
Red = Enemy army
Blue = Own army
Green = Light Cavalery
Purple = Heavy Cavalery

Well yeah, my idea was that the closer the LC is to the enemy, the sooner you will attack him from the back. They're just well protected if they stay in the back but there's not that much to it. That's why I liked your second formation more than the first one. In the first one you had the LC all the way in the back, even though LC isn't all that vulnerable because of their high speed. I suggest keeping HC protected until critical moments and LC on the sides, close to the main line. It is a bigger loss if you lose 1 soldier out of a HC unit than if you lose one out of a LC unit.

[Dave Strider]

What was it used for then? Because whenever i try to wedge my cavalery into the enemy lines it won't have any effect at all
If the wedge would work perfectly then it would be handy when facing infantry. Still i'd prefer some horse-archers behind the wedging cavalery or a back-up line behind the cavalery "in case of."

Did he mention what did he use it for? I use wedge formation because.... it must have some kind of purpose right?(I am not sure what that is though) I use it on all possible cavalry units except one that contains my captain .

He used it to be a Meat grinder to the enemy Cavalry. I guess the General being in the formation was to keep up the troop's Morale.

[Delta21]

He used it to be a Meat grinder to the enemy Cavalry. I guess the General being in the formation was to keep up the troop's Morale.

Hm...nobody would give him credit for thinking of it and giving it such an ugly name, anyone could of that of that (which I'm sure a lot of people did think of...when they first saw Scythia that is)

[Delta21]

Relocated

[HanatielHawk]

Delta21 you should make a guide

[Delta21]

Delta21 you should make a guide

Where should I post it?

[caesar100]

CARTHAGE- When i was facing two massive SPQR armies outside Rome-
__P____S____S____S___P___P
P SC SL MP SL SC P
IB LS G LS IB

AE AE AE AE

KEY-
P-poeni infantry
S-sacred band
SC-sacred band cavelry
MP-mercenary peltasts
G-general
IB-iberian infantry
SL-slingers
LS-libyan spearmen

[Delta21]

You missed the most important part...telling us how it worked out

[vauxala]

combination of camel cataphract and persian cavalry is deadly to every nation, if enyone doesn't agree please reply.

[{GrailKnight}]

combination of camel cataphract and persian cavalry is deadly to every nation, if enyone doesn't agree please reply.

Against the A.I., sure.

[Arcterius Victor]

#error

[Arcterius Victor]

My deployment conists of using a speartip tactic which involves lunging at the heart and splitting an army in 2 with my forces still concentrated as one

Can be applied to any faction

HI- heavy infantry
SM- spearmen
A- archers
HC- heavy cavalry
! - Points of engagement from HI

HC (G)
HC A A A A A HC
a typical enemy line -->HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI

My Speartip --> HC SM HI HI HI HI SM HC
A A A A HI HI HI A A A A
HC (G)
Now the concentrated block of HI in the centre is use to use extre weight of numbers to force through the enemies centre towards the enemy (G)General) ( i cant show this very well by the image below but keep the you spearmen and HC away from line and advance 50-70% of your HI to breach the enemy line. your archers can shoot at the enemy groupings of other archers.
HC (G)
HC A A ! A A A HC
Typical enemy line --> HI HI HI ! HI ! HI ! HI HI HI
My Speartip --> HC SM HI HI HI HI SM HC
A A A A HI HI HI A A A A
HC (G)
The breach in the line will cause them to supplement the breach with eaither the cavalry, HI or both. this is when you use your HC and spearmen. SM to attack and pin both the cavalry and HI and the cavalry can either be used go round the shruken line and cahse of archers, overwelm the general or charge the enemy line (Whatever will cause the most damage). eitherway by this point the enemy will start to waver as the army as been split and both split halves of the army are between your HI in the middle and your SM and HC on the outside.

heavy losses will cause a rout very soon after the spearmen and cavalry press there flanks and the HC (G) can then move and chase down with other HC the routing army or charge onmasse any remaining Stalwart enemy soldiers.

This Tactic is excellent when it comes to attack an army larger than you as it splits the army into 2 manageable masses. 100% concentration is required as timing is essential. Allowing the enemy to close on your speartip of HI will cause casualites and if the spearman and HC are not prompt on arrival you will suffer uneccesasry casuailites. If you have any questions regarding this deployment etc please dont hesititate to ask

[Arcterius Victor]

My deployment conists of using a speartip tactic which involves lunging at the heart and splitting an army in 2 with my forces still concentrated as one

Can be applied to any faction

HI- heavy infantry
SM- spearmen
A- archers
HC- heavy cavalry
! - Points of engagement from HI

HC (G)
HC A A A A A HC
a typical enemy line -->HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI

My Speartip --> HC SM HI HI HI HI SM HC
A A A A HI HI HI A A A A
HC (G)
Now the concentrated block of HI in the centre is use to use extre weight of numbers to force through the enemies centre towards the enemy (G)General) ( i cant show this very well by the image below but keep the you spearmen and HC away from line and advance 50-70% of your HI to breach the enemy line. your archers can shoot at the enemy groupings of other archers.
HC (G)
HC A A ! A A A HC
Typical enemy line --> HI HI HI ! HI ! HI ! HI HI HI
My Speartip --> HC SM HI HI HI HI SM HC
A A A A HI HI HI A A A A
HC (G)
The breach in the line will cause them to supplement the breach with eaither the cavalry, HI or both. this is when you use your HC and spearmen. SM to attack and pin both the cavalry and HI and the cavalry can either be used go round the shruken line and cahse of archers, overwelm the general or charge the enemy line (Whatever will cause the most damage). eitherway by this point the enemy will start to waver as the army as been split and both split halves of the army are between your HI in the middle and your SM and HC on the outside.

heavy losses will cause a rout very soon after the spearmen and cavalry press there flanks and the HC (G) can then move and chase down with other HC the routing army or charge onmasse any remaining Stalwart enemy soldiers.

This Tactic is excellent when it comes to attack an army larger than you as it splits the army into 2 manageable masses. 100% concentration is required as timing is essential. Allowing the enemy to close on your speartip of HI will cause casualites and if the spearman and HC are not prompt on arrival you will suffer uneccesasry casuailites. If you have any questions regarding this deployment etc please dont hesititate to ask

Sorry youll have to picture the formations as they lined up one behind each other so the HI is directly infront of the Archers etc etc i may draw a proper plan up if you dont understand. It didnt lay instelf out how i wanted it to

[Shadow Dragon]

Basically, I create a long line of infranty, with a second row of it at the flanks and my calvary at the flanks. A couple archers and my General behind the center of my line. Then I pretty much use Alexander's hammer and anvil strategy. Hold the enemy with my heavy infantry, and smash the rear with my calvary.

[Erdaron]

I've been trying to use this tactic, let's call it The Three Column Formation. My troop handling is not very good yet, but I find it more satisfying than simply a line of infantry with cavalry on the wings.

There are three column - Left, Right, and Center.

Left and Right columns are identical. There are three rows to each. The first row is ranged units (I'm currently playing Carthage, so they're slingers - I don't like skirmishers because their range and ammo supply are terrible). Second row is main infantry (something heavy and phalanx-like), and the last row is secondary infantry (I've been using Iberian infantry or even town militia). The last row is slightly offset, set wider than the first two rows in the overall formation.

The Center column varies depending on what I have. Elephants are the perfect ingredient (but I feel a bit like cheating using them). It can also be other infantry, but doesn't have to be your best stuff.

Cavalry is generally behind the lines. Either directly behind the Left and Right columns, or further out on the wings.

The battle proceeds like this.

The ranged units engage enemy first. As the enemy begins to close, range units shift sideways. The outermost units move further to the sides, beginning to encircle the enemy. The units on the inside retreat behind the cover of the Center column, then move sideways behind their original columns, and then begin to circle the enemy.

The whole formation advances quickly, to minimize the number of volleys the opposing ranged units can get.

The Center column charges first - if it's the elephants, the enemy line will be instantly cut in half.

Ranged units continue to move around the enemy formations, feinting retreats and covering each other as possible. I like using staggered retreat-and-fire tactic, though it's kind of awkward. Maybe I can get better at it. Skirmish mode should definitely be turned off, because on their own they'll frequently retreat into tactically undesirable spots.

Right and Left column charge with a small delay. The second row (main infantry) charges straight at the enemy, aiming at the outside units. The third row (secondary infantry), circles around. Their value is not so much the kills they can inflict, but to surround the edges of the enemy line and make them rout faster.

Once the elephants make contact, turn them sideways, along the line of enemy units. They won't cause a lot of kills, but they will disrupt formations right before your assault arrives. I sometimes use the general to charge in behind the elephants, so he can do a heavy cavalry charge into a mass of disorganized soldiers.

If you don't have elephants (they make this tactic easier, but they are not essential), the Center column simply prevents either wing from getting flanked from the middle. I like using barbarian mercenaries, since they take up a lot of space. I've even omitted the Center column entirely.

During all this, cavalry shadows near the ranged units to give them cover should enemy cavalry come after them. Once enemy units begin to rout, re-target infantry on the still standing enemy formations, and use cavalry to pursue those running away to make sure they don't return.

Hopefully, at the cost of a solid center, you have a way of flanking and collapsing the enemy formation.

As Carthage, I've been using this against Rome, Gaul, and Spain (I don't consider Numidia to be really a threat). It probably won't work as well against phalanx-using factions. I almost feel bad charging a mass of elephants against a line of principes. If you got enough of those things (and a way to keep archers away from them), you don't even need tactics.

[Tomahawk]

I use lots of different formations, but what I mostly use for defensive is the following:

The first defensive line
- Wide.
- Over stretched.
- Has most spearmen.
Second defensive line
- Has small gaps.
- Thick swordman formations.
Third defensive line
- Has large gaps.
- Is more like a reserve than a solid line.
- Has atleast one spearman formation for countering any cavalry that are breaking through.
- Has all leftover formations (if any) for deployment in areas that require more men.
- Has all skirmishers (I rarely use archers).
- Has the general (not captain).
Flanks
- Have all cavalry formations...
- ...Which deploy against enemy's flanks and rear once either or both sides are wearing down.

On a sidenote I also like to slightly change the formation when the enemy is getting close to distrupt their plans.
Edit: and the lines are very close to each other