[5.5 Battle]


A. Formations

	It’s pretty much common sense to come up with a good formation for
your army but the basic idea in most situations is to have your infantry
in front, ranged units behind, cavalry protecting the flanks and your general
right behind the infantry.  Having the general next to your infantry boosts
 their morale. If you have larger numbers than the enemy, it’s usually a good
idea to spread your formation so you can surround the enemy. Here are the
basic formations you can use once you group
 your units.


	1.) Cavalry First Line: This sets your troops up in three lines:
	    cavalry first, followed by infantry and then missile. This is 
	    great when facing weak infantry. You can smash them down with
	    your cavalry and finish them with your infantry.

	2.) Column: The column formation places your troops into single-file
	    lines, sorted by unit. This is best for defending narrow spaces
	    such as in a city or on a bridge.

	3.) Single Line: A single line formation stretches your units into a
	    line without strategic positioning. This is good for quickly
	    surrounding the enemy, or getting into a quick defensive position
	    when you are caught off guard. The Sorted Single line is a better
	    formation in most cases.

	4.) Double Line: Similar to the single line formation, a double line
	    simply draws your units into two parallel lines without
	    strategically positioning any of them. This is also good for
	    quickly surrounding the enemy, but the sorted double line does 
	    a better job.

	5.) Foot First 3 Line: Foot first formation places your heavy infantry
	    in the first line, backed up by missile in the second line,
	    and cavalry in the third. This is effective against cavalry
	    charges but is vulnerable to skirmishers and archers.

	6.) Missile First Line: Puts your missile troops at the front of the
	    line, with non-missile infantry in the second line, and cavalry
	    in the third line. This formation is good when the enemy is far 
	    away. When the enemy closes in, pull your missle units behind
	    your infantry to protect them.

	7.) Sorted Single Line: Heavy infantry in the center, with light
	    infantry and missile troops stretching out of the sides and avalry
	    is placed at the ends. This formation is great for surrounding the
	    enemy.

	8.) Sorted Double line: A sorted double line is identical to a sorted
            single line, except your units are two rows deep instead of one.
	    This works well for surrounding the enemy when you have superior
	    numbers.


B. Flanks and Rear

	The flanks and rear of any army are its most vulnerable points.
By placing cavalry on the side you can help protect your flanks. When facing
an enemy, always try to attack its flanks or rear with your army, especially
your cavalry. A cavalry charge to the rear can devastate any unit and lower
its morale. When facing an army unit such as Greek hoplite phalanx, you must
use the slow speed of the enemy to your advantage to flank the opponent. The
Phalanx is particularly vulnerable anywhere except the front. One tactic that 
seems to work is to slowly flank the enemy is to form your troops in a slight
half circle so you can slowly surround your enemy. Never let your infantry
become isolated, try to keep them in formation in a line so they dont feel
like they are being surrounded.


C. Morale

	The morale of your troops is the most important aspect of a battle.
If your troops are surrounded they will lose morale and try to escape in a
rout. Try to prevent this and use this to your advantage by surrounding troops
whenever possible. Showering arrows on the enemy army lowers its morale
Also, launching a surprise attack on an unprotected side has the same 
effect. Having enemy generals near your troops lowers their morale slightly, 
this is also true of your general and enemy troops. Keep in mind that more 
experienced troops have higher morale. New troops will most likely rout if 
your general flees.

	All units on the battlefield know who is winning the battle by
observing their surroundings. If they see any unit or a general fleeing, 
they are more likely to flee. Use this to your advantage; if you have
a unit surrounded and they are routing, let them flee rather than let
them fight their hardest to get out of their situation. Once other enemy 
units have seen them, mow them down with your cavalry to show the other 
army who is the boss.

D. Unit strengths

	Each of the different unit types is vulnerable to another type.
Cavalry is vulnerable to frontal spear attacks. Light Infantry is 
vulnerable to cavalry and Heavy infantry is also vulnerable to side 
attacks from cavalry but is effective in hand to hand combat.  
Artillery is good offensively against almost any unit but is extremely 
weak defensively and dies quickly after a head on attack. 

	Elephants are a great unit against infantry and lower the morale 
of enemy troops. They can be supressed by a large number of ranged units 
and scare tactics such as incendiary pigs. Your Elephants may also turn 
and attack your own troops in which case you have the option of using 
the special ability where your rider executes them.

	Archers are very effective against light troops and mounted 
archers are a good way to harass enemy troops. Always keep archers 
them away from the infantry and cavalry. Put them behind your infantry
 when the enemy is close and protect them with your cavalrywhen necessary.
If you have the opportunity to flank the enemy using archers,make sure 
you take off skirmish mode and attack, you will catch the enemy
off guard. When the enemy is far away put the archers in the front to 
shoot arrows as the enemy approaches then bring them behind.



E. Fatigue

	Your units will slowly or quickly get fatigued based on their actions.
Use this to your advantage by forcing attacking armies to march to you and by
running only when necessary.

F. Terrain

	Use the terrain to your advantage. When fighting near or in a forest,
lure the enemy and launch surprise attacks. Place one or two units out in the
open while you hide the rest of your army in the forests. However, remember that
archers perform poorly near trees. Also, remember that generals are not hidden
in forests. When you are fighting on a map with a slope, try to control the 
higher ground and avoid an uphill battle. Units move very slowly when marching
uphill and attack much less effectively; the opposite is true downhill
 	If you have the option to wait out the battle and the weather doesn’t suit 
your army, wait until the weather changes. Some units are better suited to 
certain weather condtions than others. Read unit descriptions to find out 
more details about each units ideal figting conditions.
	Some terrain such as mountains is impassible to your armies. Try to 
find an alternate route. Certain choke points such as bridges are important
strategic locations. Defending a bridge is much easier than defending on an
open plain. You can also hide your whole army on the campaign map in a 
wooded area to launch surprise attacks on an enemy army.


G. After they flee

	When the enemy starts to flee, continue the battle rather than end it
so you can use your cavalry and attack dogs to run over the fleeing enemies.
You can gain more experience for your units this way. Using your general's
cavalry to run over routing units is a quick way to gain experience and 
skills for the general.

H. Attacking with multiple armies

	Whenever possible, try to attack with multiple armies by surrounding
the terrain around the enemy with your forces. When one of your armies is 
adjacent, the AI is in control of the army and helps in the fight. Any 
type of reinforcement usually helps win the battle but be wary of the AI 
poorly managing your valuable Generals and armies.

I. Special Abilities

	These are special skills you can use by selecting the unit and 
pressing F or clicking the special ability icon during a battle.
	

Catabrian Circle- This is a formation used by light, missle cavalry. Units
using this ability gallop in a way that allows archers to reload while 
archers in front fire, attacking in an organized manner rather than using
single volleys. This is great for harassing the enemy and lowering his 
morale.

Flaming Arrows-Archers have this special ability which can light people and
buildings on fire. Not much of a difference from regular arrows when the 
overall kills are taken into account.

Phalanx-Spearmen, hoplites, and pikemen can form a phalanx. A phalanx is a 
strong line of infantry which is based on strength and formation. This 
formation is strong but slow and vulnerable in the flanks and read.

Rally-This is a special ability generals possess which allows them to try 
and recall nearby fleeing troops back into the battle.

Testudo-An intresting formation where Roman legionaries lock shields 
to form an armored shell. The legionaries can then move towards the enemy
without fear of missle fire. This is effective only against missle attacks,
and doesnt fare well against melee attacks.

Warcry-Use this ability to give your units a temporary boost to attack
strength. Activate this when your units are right on top of the enemy.

Wedge-Some types of cavalry can form a wedge which concentrates cavalry
in the center of the formation resulting in a stronger split in the enemy
when the formation charges.

Chant-A barbarian ability which increases their own morale while lowering
the enemies.

Kill Elephant-the rider kills the elephant. Useful when an elephant loses
control and starts attacking your own troops.