attacking with grouped units

[straykite]

Hi All

I'm having probs with the 'helpful' user interface.

if I've got say, 4 units in a group, how do I make them all attack the same enemy unit, without having to issue instructions to each of them individually.


What currently happens is I send a group of units to go and attack one enemy unit, and they all just run off in random directions, and attack whatever they feel like, generally in the case of cavalry, the nearest spears to commit suicide upon. In general though, they just attack whatever is nearest, and not what I told them to attack.

Now I remember reading about a 'feature' a while back, where you could attack with your line against an enemy line, and it would work out which unit should attack which unit, and I wonder if it's this code that's kicking in inappropriately, and making all my troops act like morons, but ....

it seems really dumb that you can't just tell a group of units to attack a single unit and attack it, it's this kind of organization that helps you win battles, so I'm thinking - why am I fighting the interface all the time to achieve this - there must be a key/mouse combination that lets a group of units attack a single opposing unit......

and if so - what is it?

any help much appreciated by my suicidal cavalry.

[Eastern Spain]

I haven't found any keystroke that lets a group of units attack a single unit. I thought all grouping was for was setting up formations, not attacking other units. To do that you can always pause the battle and send troops after certain enemies like you want.

[straykite]

obviously you can pause the game and do everything individually .... but why would you want to.

I've got 4 cavalry units in a group. I want them all to attack the same unit, so IMO I should be able to select the group, and click on the unit I want to attack, and off they go. IMO, that should be the default behavior. Accepted that it isn't so is there a better way than having to stop the battle and do everything at a micro level every time I want this group to attack something else?

[Eastern Spain]

I agree with you that grouped units should be able to attack everything at once with one click. You can ctrl-click several units together and have them attack. It must be a bug with groups.

[Chad29]

I don't know what it is with units sometimes not doing what you tell them to do. I'll order a unit to go past one enemy unit to attack another (ex: charging cavalry past spearmen to attack archers or artillery), but they'll just veer off and attack the front unit anyway. I can understand if they can be slow to pull away from a unit they're engaged in, but sometimes they'll attack groups I don't want them to. Also some units will stand idly while an enemy unit attacks a nearby allied unit without helping them. Sometimes they'll take initiative, and sometimes not.

There's also the AI who sometimes tells me my units are under attack, and I need to act, yet my forces are on the move as it is. What does it want me to do that I'm not already doing?

[Eastern Spain]

The AI is cheating, he is helping his fellow AI who happens to be your enemy

It is rather annoying that I have to send my cavalry way around opposing units to flank them. If they're within 10 feet of them it seems they attack the closest thing to them. Understandable in large battles where it is realistic for units to get confused with all the enemy units around.

[VersionLangley]

@straykite
there's no special coding in group attack. Select a group and order an attack they will attack whatever nearest to each unit. so if 4 of your unit is parallel with 4 of their unit, each unit will attack the one in front of them.

so if there a red unit protruding out, the group attack pattern will change

in this case the 3rd blue unit is closer to the 4th red unit so it will ignore the red unit in front of it. so..don't think you should group attack in the midst of battle (they will chased a rout unit too if they are closer)
if you lucky, the unit you want to attack will protrude out

There a few ways to bypass it
One is to quickly ungroup them with "g" or other hotkeys, issue the attack and then press "g" to regroup them. two is to select 3 of the unit in the group, attack, then give attack order to the remain 4th unit. three is tabbing: select the first unit, attack, press "tab", attack, "tab" attack...etc.(need minimal UI for ease with tabbing)

@chad29
i think it called snagging ^^;. aka your cav somehow touch the enemies spear as you try to bypass them. as such they'll try to fight them off. you have to reissue the bypass order

[Chad29]

That's informative. thanks.

[straykite]

very helpful and informative response - thanks

Actually I recall reading something very similar in the 'art of war' now you mention it ...... "general who wish to be successful just send all troops to charge full on at whatever closest".

I might be paraphrasing. Again, thanks for the response.

[VersionLangley]

that's strange
cuz i read somewhere that a general charge is for simpleton...being the easiest order to issue. sincerely no offense m8
at least consider massing somewhere

[Hopit]

what? when I have grouped units they ALWAYS attack the unit I click!?!?!

[VersionLangley]

At a long distance (charge distance x 2.5?), the group attack pattern won't be carried out. however, in OP's situation i assumed he's in the midst of battle in which case the group attack will sticks.
if there's an enemy unit close to your group then no matter how far the target unit you click attack on, the group will attack the closer one. the distance check is on an individual unit basis. i.e, if there a unit in your group that too far away from your closest enemies, that unit will attack the clicked far away target while the rest will go after their closer one.

the distance check for range unit is simply their range.