Ordering army to engage in formation?

[Axotl]

I know I've done it some times, where I can get a red arrow to show up as they move to a specific area, instead of all just attacking the one unit I click on. Does anyone know how that works?

[Sandman]

Why does it matter what color the arrow is?

Your men will engage when they make contact with the enemy. And additionally why would you want an entire formation engaged from the front at the same time? You want to have 1 unit tie up about 4 of theirs and then have yours go to the flanks and roll them up.

Are you just face slamming units in the front?

[Snakebearer]

It does matter. It creates automatic attack orders so that the units will charge and not just walk into the enemy lines.
You do it like this: Hard group at least 2 units. (Ctrl+g or click the lock icon on their group number)
Now if you move them, they stay in formation. If you click attack, they will not all attack that single unit - they will move in formation and charge any enemy if they get within range of it.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Snakebearer:

It does matter. It creates automatic attack orders so that the units will charge and not just walk into the enemy lines.
You do it like this: Hard group at least 2 units. (Ctrl+g or click the lock icon on their group number)
Now if you move them, they stay in formation. If you click attack, they will not all attack that single unit - they will move in formation and charge any enemy if they get within range of it.

Which is a very dumb way of fighting a battle. You don't want your entire formation to engage at the front.

[Snakebearer]

Don't be obstinate. It's how you create a perfect screening force of 3-4 units. Been the proper way of doing it since Rome 2.
You don't do it with the whole army of course. You do it with the units you Want to lock the enemy down with. I mean, it's simply just a slightly better way of telling them one by one to attack different targets right before they clash. You ensure they get a charge order, meanwhile you're free to micro any forces you want to flank with.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Snakebearer:

Don't be obstinate. It's how you create a perfect screening force of 3-4 units. Been the proper way of doing it since Rome 2.
You don't do it with the whole army of course. You do it with the units you Want to lock the enemy down with. I mean, it's simply just a slightly better way of telling them one by one to attack different targets right before they clash. You ensure they get a charge order, meanwhile you're free to micro any forces you want to flank with.

Can't you still do the ALT right click? Or is it CTRL I don't remember. I'm not at my computer but it's a key press to get units to pick targets without assigning them a numbered group and all that crap.

[Snakebearer]

Dude. No. It's is not the same thing at all. You can MOVE them in formation with the alt key. Yes. But they will simply walk straight into the enemy line if you tell them to move through them. If you tell them to run instead of walk, they will simply run into the enemy lines, but they will not Charge. No charge bonus applied at all. Equals waste.
It is not the same thing.
Using this way they will actually get charge orders if they get close enough to the enemy. Just try it and you will understand that this is a very much intended special function. :P

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Snakebearer:

Dude. No. It's is not the same thing at all. You can MOVE them in formation with the alt key. Yes. But they will simply walk straight into the enemy line if you tell them to move through them. If you tell them to run instead of walk, they will simply run into the enemy lines, but they will not Charge. No charge bonus applied at all. Equals waste.
It is not the same thing.
Using this way they will actually get charge orders if they get close enough to the enemy. Just try it and you will understand that this is a very much intended special function. :P

I always micro my units when they're fighting because the results are usually a lot better. I've never had the need to do a simultaneous attack with multiple units on different units that I couldn't or didn't want to micro.

[Snakebearer]

Whatever dude. It doesn't make you better or worse than anyone using the intended function.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Snakebearer:

Whatever dude. It doesn't make you better or worse than anyone using the intended function.

No, but it means that the function doesn't work as well as doing it yourself.

[Bawlerr]

Originally posted by Snakebearer:

It does matter. It creates automatic attack orders so that the units will charge and not just walk into the enemy lines.
You do it like this: Hard group at least 2 units. (Ctrl+g or click the lock icon on their group number)
Now if you move them, they stay in formation. If you click attack, they will not all attack that single unit - they will move in formation and charge any enemy if they get within range of it.

Can you please elaborate? I would find this very useful, When you say "if you click attack" What do you mean? I hard locked an army, right clicked the enemy, and they all just started walking towards the one unit, not stay in formation? What am I doing wrong?

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Arec Balrin:

Sandman, just admit you don't like it when people play the game differently to you.

I really don't care. Just offering up my experience.

[Snakebearer]

I would have given you some screenshots, but steam is silly. :(
What you describe means that the group isn't locked. Click the lock icon next to the group number.
Just give an attack order on an enemy and you should see red arrows showing you their marching directions next to each other showing you that they will retain their formation.

Here we go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkxDZKrTITQ

[Leslian Lexter]

Someone just got schooled!

[FlankSinatra]

Originally posted by Harry Gun:

Someone just got schooled!

[interior gator]

this came up in my search when I was trying to figure the same thing out, so I figured I'd post the answer for anyone else who stumbles along Sandman's cringe factory.

Step 1) set a locked group formation (ctrl+g when selecting multiple units)
Step 2) press the number of the locked group and then send an attack order on a group of enemies

now you'll never lose all your cav to slow micro again