Its the most common MP players mistake. It's the most boring type of gameplay you can get in this game. All control will be taken out from your hands and you left at RNG Gods mercy.
Here's couple of self-quotes form YT video that might help you:
About oblique order vs wide line. It isn't about deployment. We use oblique order as widely known term. In reality considering FoG 2 systems we focus on amassing superior number of mobile troops on one of the flanks. For every available tactic to work you need many fast support units.
You never deny one flank right away, still cover about 70% of the frontage, advance full speed ahead and keep mobile reserves 1 square back extended further right or left compared to your main line.
In crucial moment it's important to extend that wing for envelopment while using fallback or turn around and full speed run away for the denied wing and center. This tactic doesn't look anything like Oblique Order at first and you can punish players that opt for boxing up in terrain too by not being obvious right away. Line can turn way more than 90 degrees and you never keep straight line while rotating since there is no point if you don't want to engage with most of your troops anyway. Again, when your opp wants to box up you can have as much set up time as you want. If they don't that right away they will have hard time to escape pursuing cavalry from extended flank. We don't have advantage of hiding information behind front ranks, so there are no reason to go for classical oblique order which doesn't work in this game.
Check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7C05cWtT6A
I must admit that he didn't pull of a single complex tactic and his micro was very obvious to anyone who was watching and you even found one square block that he could've used but missed he still won at the end. I want to point out that his cavalry was in the wrong place, he also didnt retreat fast and efficiently enough. So, just by using some if these ideas in very basic way he was able to get 21-0 first and then many mistakes later win the game even with help of luck.
The fact that such achievement is possible proves that this strategy work. And he was very obvious to what he was doing since he did his thing right from the get go and it still worked.
That's video on the general strategy principles you can apply in strategy I described above (watch all 3 parts):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HquKfV0 ... s&index=12
This video describes all possible refused flank strategies. It doesn't really matter since the only effective formations from there are either flank+center refusal and wedge formation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tl9_X6 ... ts&index=1
Another video showcasing real game with above strategies implemented. It's not the way you want to play, cause its classical oblique order, but you still can get many ideas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2YWLAv54M
My suggested strategy is a combination of single envelopment, force concentration, oblique order and feigned retreat. Wedge is classical example of Penetration of the Center that works against numerous low quality troops deployed in wide line. You can take those principles to extreme due to the fact that you have unprecedented control over your forces. SO if you want to delay engagement you can do that as much as you wish and then simply turn around when time suits you. You should always crush enemy very fast in part where you have forces superiority if you use all advanced tactics I provided. As a general tip look for taking away enemy ZoCs with your light horses first since it opens up the most opportunities.
Another thing I want to mention is how yo block enemy fallback without blocking retreat square since you can't always reach that in one turn. If you cast your ZoC from 90 degrees angle or more enemy can't fallback. Basically what you want is to get them with your primary ZoC while your secondary ZoC blocks their fallback square.
