Clever programing..they would never bother with such detail for Rome 2

[CatoTheYounger]

How is it that my Roman legions comprised of 1 general, 5 Roman cohorts, 5 allied cohorts, 2 Roman Triarii, 1 allied Triarii, 3 velites and 2 equites always puts the Roman Cohorts on the right front line and most of the allied cohorts on the left? Thats EXACTLY how the Romans would have done it. Yet it never fails. If my army thins out their may be some allied Cohorts on the right but never front line on the right if their are Roman cohorts availabe.

Is this a design by the RS2 team because it is a subtle detail that is on the money but not realy mentioned?

Side note... .I have heard a historian claiming it was Paullus in command during Cannae not Varo. He found a quote from Hannibal saying he fought Paullus at Cannae. And another critic mentioned he thought Livy was biased against Varo because of his "low" upbringing. It is also mentioned that Paullus during Cannae was on the right where the better army usualy was. Would this imply he was actualy the Consol in command that day if true? That would usualy be Romans on the right. Allies on the left. Varo was with the cav during this battle i believe on the left. Almost suggest a subserviant role but i don't want to pass it off as fact. Feel free to present other sources.

Either way a very nice subtle design for the game.

[ur-Lord Tedric]

Firstly, if your 'Army' (Consular, not a 'legion') was representative of a Polybian ideal, then it would consist of:

1 x General
4 x Polybian Cohorts
1 x Roman Triarii
2 x Roman Velites
1 x Equites
4 x Allied Cohorts
1 x Allied Triarii
2 x Allied Velites
3 x Allied Equites
+ 1 other taste - perhaps a unit of Balaeric slingers; Cretan Archers; or an artillery unit

And the 'Romans' would not have them on the right, but would have the Roman (Polybian) Cohorts in the centre (in two lines) and the Allied ones would flank them. The Velites would be in front of their respective sections. The Triarii would be in a thinner line (3 ranks in reality) across the entire rear (and this is tricky to replicate, because the Triarii units are twice the size they should be). Cavalry on the wings.

The reason the formation choice arranges them as you see is actually down to the order you have decide to arrange them in your stack; and a reason I was keen to keep all the infantry correctly designated (as Heavy Infantry). Thus I use the 'two-line' formation exclusively and by arranging my stack 'correctly' can have them ordered exactly as I wish - when you bear in mind the formation is constructed from the rear-left along to the right and then right to left along the front.

Thus, for example, if you wished the two lines to be arranged as I suggest they are above, you would arrange your Cohort & Velite stack with: Allied-Polybian-Polybian-Allied-Allied-Polybian-Polybian-Allied. If you want a 10 cohort 'legion' to be in two lines with the First Cohort on the right (per Vegetius), then you have: Cohort-Cohort-Cohort-Cohort-Cohort-First-Cohort-Cohort-Cohort-Cohort.

Using the same rule you can arrange any such formations you wish.

Finally, I'm sorry to disagree - but it transpires that Rome 2 does it 'better' - as the order you arrange each group can be decided at a whim after entering battle by adding to groups individually before assigning a formation, and has nothing to do with the order in the stack, which is fixed at the campaign level.