Suggestion: Attack nearest button/toggle

[Piranha]

A lot of the time during the melee grind, fighting units will go idle, requiring new orders even though enemies are extremely close to them (usually when they have been fighting a unit that breaks morale and runs off, but other enemy units might still be basically right next to them). This reduces the effectiveness of your melee troops, unless you constantly keep giving them new attack orders.

An attack nearest toggle button (similar to Skirmish mode) that makes units automatically engage with enemies within x distance (10, 15 idk, something very close), so you can focus on micro-managing other units, without your frontline losing effectiveness. Of course, you'd toggle it off for bracing units etc.

[KeiranG19]

If you group up some units and lock the formation before issuing an attack order then they will attack new targets.

You do need to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get too spread out/ out of position.

[dulany67]

I suspect that button has the potential for giving a worse result than having to reissue orders to a unit.

[MadArtillery]

God if only. Luckily group locking your melee units does that for the most part but the game would be way easier to pick up if that sort of button/behavior was an option. Simple "Attack Move" is probably one of the most common strategy game commands there is.

[Tothmetres]

Here is a mod you might like. It does exactly what you are asking for. It cranks up the aggression levels of your troops keeping them always pressing the attack. Just be careful with it. I found that sometimes they would attack when I /really/ didnt want them too, like when the unit was about to die and I told them to back away from the front lines to preserve the unit. Ordering the unit to withdraw from the combat entirely does help in those situations. I takes a little getting used to, but it works very well, especially for melee focused armies like WoC.

Its called : Just good babysitter

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3082390369&searchtext=babysit

[Piranha]

I did not know that locking unit formations gave this functionality, thank you :)
However, two issues with it: firstly, it is not presented anywhere... I've played this game for a long time, and this is the first time I hear that lock formation does this. Secondly, while it might be useful for the initial burst of the battle, issuing specific orders nonetheless becomes necessary during the battle, which then pulls that unit out of that lock-unit-attack-order.

Yes, the result has the potential to be worse, which is why it should be a toggle. It should essentially be a short-ranged frenzy, with the main difference that you can still issue orders to that unit while it is toggled.

Mods can fix things somewhat, but I would like to see an official function.

Ranged units have "Fire at will", have skirmish-toggle, and can also use locked formations, so why not give melee units something of an equivalent? I would argue that a large reason for the worse performance of melee units, is their lack of any such tactical options.

[Kharn Terrer]

This doesnt wind me up, what winds me up is when you have a 120 man unit and only 4 of them are attacking the unit you've told them to attack the rest are standing around scratching their ass.
So you spam attack and it doesnt help in the slightest... still it makes me feel better.

[Aleera]

You want A moving added?

Sure I guess, but that will only make you perform worse in the end.