Automatic Formation Change to Column

[klightfoot]

I noticed in going through the tutorial that regardless of formation when a regiment is ordered to move more than a very short distance it changes to road column for the march then back to the original formation. Since this makes it impossible to move a regiment in formation without micro managing it I have a few questions regarding this:

1. Is it intentional behaviour and why?
2. Is this something the AI is doing in the tutorial because of lack of threats?
3. Is there any way to force a regiment to stay in line throughout a long move?

[william1993]

Yes it is intentional, men usually walked in column for better speed to the battle arena.
No, I don't think you can get them to stay in line for long distances, you can TC them for short distances, but they usually stay in line until an enemy comes close so they can deploy.

[klightfoot]

Someone needs to read their history. Combat units never used road column within range of the enemy. They might use Column of Company but still never in rifle range. Judging from the short distance I was able to order a move without the change occurring I see no way this game can simulate basic field operations of the Civil War. Especially if higher formation commands result in the same behavior.

For example, if I am correctly interpreting what I have seen and what you just said, if you ordered Pickett's division to attack Cemtery Hill as it did on the third day. It would change to column and advance accross the open ground. Unless the game doesn't support long range fire by artillery this should result in them being destroyed. Is this correct?

[william1993]

No. You need to read your history. Regiments did not stay in line everywhere they went. Marching in a long line over terrain when no enemy forces are near is time consuming and tiring. They would march (I think in the game it is simulated at about 250 yards) in column until they got within deployment range and then deployed into line. I never said anything about rifle range.

Giving your troops an advance order would be different than giving them a move order. Giving them a move order would have them form column and go somewhere, depending on whether or not an enemy was close they would deploy back into line. But giving them an advance order when already formed in line with an enemy probably within 200 yards, they'd more than likely stay that way.

[Saddletank]

klightfoot is more correct. The way the game puts regts into column of fours (a formation only used on roads) is unrealistic regiments would almost always advance in line or perhaps column of divisions if the ground was very broken.

I don't know why th egame uses road march column as the default formation away from roads.

Also I think this discussion isn't about the approach march to battle, but maneuvers during battle.

[RebBugler]

I noticed in going through the tutorial that regardless of formation when a regiment is ordered to move more than a very short distance it changes to road column for the march then back to the original formation. Since this makes it impossible to move a regiment in formation without micro managing it I have a few questions regarding this:

1. Is it intentional behaviour and why?
2. Is this something the AI is doing in the tutorial because of lack of threats?
3. Is there any way to force a regiment to stay in line throughout a long move?

It's the default behavior of the stock game.

If you want to control this with minimal micromanaging, try the toolbar with the Bugles and Flags v10 mod.

Oops, almost forgot...Welcome Aboard
And, regarding the B&F toolbar, the line formation buttons are split, use the back half for 'Line Hold' formations.

[Saddletank]

The HITS & Couriers mod also uses a courier order to maintain formation to allow your Picketts division to cross the valley in lines.

[NY Cavalry]

Klightfoot,

The stock version has the behavior you mentioned when units move more than 300 yards, but fret not the game is and has been modded to correct this behavior. Use Redbuglers toolbar or gcm or create your own mod or the version Saadletank has mentioned.

[klightfoot]

I am curious as to how the mod's can overcome a designed behavior. Unfortunately I can't test it since my install has problems which I haven't received an answer too.

I am not really new to the game since I bought it when it first came out. Just don't remember if I had a User ID so created a new one. I was hoping that the 1.5 update correct some of the worst of it's simulation problems.

As to historical accuracy route or road column was never used within sight of the enemy. Units deployed to a more appropriate formation as soon as they were aware there were enemy forces near by. One cannonball down the length of a road column could destroy a whole regiment. It was not a compact formation. The Union 3/1 division of some 5,000 men required 1.5 miles to deploy in road column. The correct formation for moving around the battlefield was the column of companies. And, even this formation was only used at considerable distance from the enemy as Barlow found out. Advancing close enough in CoC results in your division getting routed by Early who was in line.

[william1993]

You do realize that you do not have to fight these battles as they were historically...And I answered your installation question, go look at it.

One cannonball wouldn't destroy a whole regiment, road column was thicker than just 1 man behind the other. Whether or not they immediately deployed into line or not depended on where the enemy was and what terrain was there.