Holding the line?

[guido]

Sorry if this is niaive guys, but how do I get my army to dig in and hold the line.? I can delay of course, but I seem to be missing the obvious, but at times I want to pull the enemy down onto my well prepared forces. All I get is the guys rushing off piecemeal and breaking the line!!! Any advice gratefully received.
Guido

[Redpossum]

I'm not aware of any way to do that.

Once enemies come within a certain radius, your units rush to attack them. There is a "Stop" button, the green feet button, but it's not real useful for what you're talking about.

Here's a way to exploit that though.

Say your enemy has a tough archers unit behind his lines, one that's tearing you up, and you can't get around the flanks to attack it.

Send melee units to attack his line to either side of the archers, but not directly in front of it. The melee right in front of the archers will rush to attack your units to one side or the either, opening a gap in the enemy line that you can charge a cavalry unit through to nail the archers.

[guido]

Cheers Possum. Just so enthusiastic these troops - can't hold'em back. Funny how Hannibal managed it at Cannae to great success. So much for that strategy, just have to let the Numidians rip!!!
Guido Publius Maximus

[Redpossum]

Hah, Cannae.

Among Hannibal's many virtues was an amazingly reliable ability to make highly-complicated battle plans actually work.

In warfare, perhaps as in no other field of endeavour, the KISS principle looms large. Complicated plans usually end in disaster. But Hannibal pulled them off, over and over and over.

Lake Trasimene, for an extreme example, that was an even more complex, gimmicky trap than Cannae.

And let us not forget that the extreme success of Cannae required the stupidity of a Varro...

[guido]

I think you are right Possum, but the Roman Army at Cannae was massive and all believed this was the day they'd finish Hannibal. You only have to look at the psychology of the French at Agincourt and the Swedish at Poltava to realize how that can impact upon both leaders and soldiers. You could even look at Barbarossa and see the same psychology coming into play - the belief in overwhelming force and power. In these cases when it goes wrong, the command are not able to cope! Yes Varro should have been a little more sensible in employing reserves etc, but who wants to miss being in at the kill?

Study of history has tuaght me one thing, you need to have been there in the situation to fully understand how things really came about. I am back on the Somme again next week. Now there is a situation that needs to be understood before we blag off the likes of Haig and Rawlinson. The reality was very different to the 'history' so many people understand to be the fact!

I think I am going to have to restart my campaign. I have got to apoint where no matter what I do I cannot complete the battle. I slaughter just about everything the Greeks have then my guys leg it because of the casualty levels!!! I believe my army make up is wrong and could probably do with a few more well trained nobles!

Have a good weekend Possum!
Guido Publius Maximus
Pissed off Praetor!

[Redpossum]

Hmm, well, what battle are you on, and what's your army make-up look like?

As long as you have a good mix of light infantry, heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, and archers, you should be OK...

I assume you're playing the Stock Roman campaign?

[guido]

Yes, the mix is pretty much as you state and at quite high levels. I am with Scipio at Magnesia and finding it tough. Done quite well to this point! Yes, the stock Roman campaign. I might give it one or two more tries at slower speed so I can get a bit more thinking
Guido Publius Maximus

[Redpossum]

Hmm, as I recall, there was a trick to that one...let me go review, and I'll have a suggestion or two for you in the next 24 hours or so

At the moment, however, I need to go to work...

[guido]

Thanks Possum. I shall try and implement the slower game play to see if changes the result. If not I will revert back a hundres years or so and build up on Nobles to see if that will alter matters!! Any advice welcome!
Guido Publius Maximus

[kongming]

You can use the "halt" command to prevent troops from heading off. When keeping the position is critical, say your sitting on scrubby ground and don't want your aux's to run off onto the open ground, I will order them to hold at the opening of the battle. It is pretty cheap order-point wise, so I'll just run down the line and halt any that need it, including the legate.