D o w n l o a d P D F V e r s i o n : (not up to date) http://www.filefront.com/15564231/A-Guide-to-Formation-Fighting-by-LJFHutch-v-1.002.pdf/
* * * I'll revise this as we test it and I get suggestions, feel free to add them and try these formations out too * * *
Hastings Syndrome - Tested, it is real, trust me
This is where a formation of spearmen/swordsmen/anythingmen breaks and attempts to engage the enemy out of formation, usually to their disadvantage. Remember the battle of Hastings? Yeah, that. Usually in Mount and Blade though, the enemy doesn't even need to feint a rout for the formation to break though. This is the #1 cause of the death of the formation, well, not death so much as breakage.
An Introduction to Formations
OK, I don't see anywhere near enough formations in Warband, perhaps it's because people don't know you can do it? Or perhaps they've tried and failed? I hope I can address the most common reason why formations might fail, it's a real killer so pay attention One of the key reasons formations in Mount and Blade are so fun, it that it's the player taking the initiative and replicating a real-world tactic. The game isn't telling you to do it, it isn't forcing you to, you're doing the work and getting the rewards.
Weapons: Three immediate sets come to mind:
* Sword and Shield - general purpose infantry
* Spear and Shield - for cavalry
* Spear - general purpose everything anywhere
However, you can get all of these by selecting the following equipment:
Slot 1 - Spear/pike etc
Slot 2 - Sword/mace/1h axe
Slot 3 - Shield
Slot 4 - Thrown weapon of some kind
This lets the formation be much more versatile, you can open up a volley from afar or take on infantry or cavalry if you need to.
How To Do It - Partially tested, has not had a "trial by fire" however, but the base formation and movement works
OK, have a looksee at this little diagram, if you've ever tried a formation this will be all too familiar to you. The frames are as follows:
1. Typical formation vs non-formation beginning (weapons don't need to be as shown, obviously shield and spear vs shield and sword isn't such a great idea). What happens after this is the most crucial part of formation fighting, and is where 99% of the time it goes horribly wrong.
2. The usual outcome - the formation eagerly breaks and charges the enemy, resulting in a break-down of group cohesiveness and results in mob fighting. In the example the broken formation would likely still win, though only just, due to their numbers.
3. The way the situation should be dealt with - the formation should stick close by the formation leader and under no circumstances break (not even to dodge a swing guys, block it).
Remember, staying in formation will be incredibly hard to do if you just expect it to work, you must have a formation leader or you'll never know what's happening, however, if you DO have one, remember do ALWAYS follow him/her and staying in formation to either side, the more people that break formation the higher chance of the whole thing going down, and then you're just some random holding a spear and shield confronted with a few Swad Bastard Sworders. "Don't let this happen to YOU!" lol
Think about this, what would happen if your legs and arms all tried to "run" at the same time? Without working as a cohesive whole your body would fall to the ground in convulsions, the same is very true of formation fighting.
WHAT WAS THAT!?!
You heard, breaking when you get into combat, you know you're meant to fight IN the formation right? It's not just so it looks cool ... although it most certainly does
Why Use It In The First Place? - Untested
Why is the formation more effective than mob fighting? It is simple: because you have everyone in a line, when an enemy closes you can bring more weapons to bear on him than he can on you, anybody can work out that this is a good thing Because the enemy is not in a formation they will most certainly have more "free space" between them, this is wasted space and allows the formation to effectively outnumber them, even if the total numbers are in fact, equal: look at frame three above.
Fighting Individuals - Tested and highly effective
"So what do we do when we're fighting one guy? He's not gonna want to charge the three of us in a formation ..."
No, he's not, but you don't give him a friggin' choice now do you See following diagram, when he tries to flank, just rotate on the formation leader, advance slowly if you must, he'll come ...
The thing that will get the three of you killed easiest here (or put you in a position to be killed more easily) is that all three rush forward and the single enemy backpedals. This ends up with one guy chasing and the other two trailing behind, unable to do anything, the lone soldier can easily pick you off one at a time, stay in formation however ...
You don't even need to be in a strict formation to achieve victory here since you are only fighting a single soldier and so the idea of "free space" (wasted space) is not much of an issue: you're probably all gonna be able to attack at the same time whether you're close together or further apart, so long as you make sure that the middle guy doesn't just rush in and instead lets the flankers catch up, always making sure that all three engage at the same time.
Simple Formations
Those shown are:
I. Line formation with a left-hand leader - all should keep in line with the man on their left.
II. Line formation with center-leader - all should position themselves to either side of the leader.
III. Delta formation - all should position themselves behind the leader, and assume a sharp "arrow" formation.
IV. Half circle formation - From the leader, all should array themselves in such a way as to create the formation shown.
V. Circle/box (enclosed) formation - from a line formation: the two either side of the leader, with the exception of one (to the right as shown) rotate and fall back, aligning themselves with the extremities of the remaining (as shown, two) men, while the two at the far ends converge on the "exposed" section of formation and fill in the gap.
Shield and Sword and Spear Formation Combination - Untested
Ok, to get the most all-round (and admittedly cumbersome/difficult] formation you could put a row of sword/boards at the front, spaced slightly apart, this allows a second row of spearmen to thrust between them, not only giving you more killing power, but also range and the ability to fight a variety of opponents without needing to switch.
Probably quite hard to set up compared to it's effectiveness, probably only good for holding a single location like a doorway or gate, otherwise you'd risk the whole thing breaking up.
Being Flanked - Untested
Well, there really isn't much you can do if the enemy just breaks up and flanks you, it's the only downside of the formation, however, if you were to back up to a wall or put yourself in an alleyway/archway etc, you should be able to avoid this, or the best way have some cavalry who can provide flank support. If they do break up, having a few cavalry around will turn the tide of the battle, since the enemy will be at their weakest when scattered and fighting on two fronts (cavalry all around and a wall of spears on the other side.
* Pro tip []: using "~" lets you look around (free look), this greatly increases your situational awareness and helps you identify threats without turning your character. Remember though, it should always be up to the formation leader to assign these threats to the group, not the individual, otherwise you'll be introduced to "Hastings Syndrome" in a very unpleasant manner.
Forming Speed - Untested
It didn't occur to me before, but the speed in which you can form and disband a formation (the latter seems to come naturally to every player ever born) is crucial, sometimes the situation will call for the leader to disband and take up a loose or "skirmish" formation, however, the soldiers need to be able to find him and return to the formation within a matter of a few seconds if the group is to be successful. For example, in the (almost certain) event of Hastings Syndrome.
The Men
Formation Leader
I said it before, but I'll say it again, you NEED a leader. Follow him blindly and always stay in formation unless he gives the order to break, always return and be in a position TO return if he should give the order also. A formation is only effective if it's a formation. Simple I know, but you'd think it were rocket science
Note the following:
* Formation leader should be distinctive (either bright red hair or different uniform).
* Formation leader should watch out for his soldiers, making sure they can follow and slowing when they are left behind.
* Formation leader must be the element that ties the whole group together and makes them work as a single unit.
* Formation leader must put the group in front of himself, both the health of the group and the "valor", "don't be a hero" comes to mind here.
Formation Soldiers
* Uniforms for the soldiers would be ideal, most can get effective starting armor and this would help them know who they are and who their leader is.
* Uniform equipment, this makes them able to adopt a solid and cohesive formation at a moment's notice, any man can replace the position of another.
* Soldiers must place the group in front of himself, both the health of the group and the "valor", "don't be a hero" comes to mind here also.
* Soldiers must keep formation even if their own lives are at risk, for the lives of all the others are at risk if he does break.
The following is a quick sketch illustrating uniforms and a formation leader who stands out from them (also note the screenshot in "An Introduction to Formations" where you can see this also):
Keep In Mind The Following:
Effectiveness of a formation depends on a number of things:
* Size of groups (a large formation vs large non-formation will certainly be more effective than small ones).
* Cohesiveness of formations - the ability to stick together, the most important and depends on every member to stay in control of themselves, harder than you might think.
* Right weapons for the job - using sword and board in a formation against cavalry is a deathtrap, as are a few other combinations.
* Mobility - depends on cohesiveness for the most part, a stationary formation is easy to flank and destroy, a mobile one is not.
Ok, yes I AM a formation nut, and yes these ARE completely untested in Warband, I've never got a formation to last up until a fight unless in controlled circumstances because everyone just breaks off. Feel free to try it though, if you can manage to keep everyone in formation throughout a fight it just might work
D o w n l o a d P D F V e r s i o n : (not up to date) http://www.filefront.com/15564231/A-Guide-to-Formation-Fighting-by-LJFHutch-v-1.002.pdf/
* * * I'll revise this as we test it and I get suggestions, feel free to add them and try these formations out too * * *
Hastings Syndrome - Tested, it is real, trust me
This is where a formation of spearmen/swordsmen/anythingmen breaks and attempts to engage the enemy out of formation, usually to their disadvantage. Remember the battle of Hastings? Yeah, that. Usually in Mount and Blade though, the enemy doesn't even need to feint a rout for the formation to break though. This is the #1 cause of the death of the formation, well, not death so much as breakage.
An Introduction to Formations
OK, I don't see anywhere near enough formations in Warband, perhaps it's because people don't know you can do it? Or perhaps they've tried and failed? I hope I can address the most common reason why formations might fail, it's a real killer so pay attention One of the key reasons formations in Mount and Blade are so fun, it that it's the player taking the initiative and replicating a real-world tactic. The game isn't telling you to do it, it isn't forcing you to, you're doing the work and getting the rewards.
Weapons: Three immediate sets come to mind:
* Sword and Shield - general purpose infantry
* Spear and Shield - for cavalry
* Spear - general purpose everything anywhere
However, you can get all of these by selecting the following equipment:
Slot 1 - Spear/pike etc
Slot 2 - Sword/mace/1h axe
Slot 3 - Shield
Slot 4 - Thrown weapon of some kind
This lets the formation be much more versatile, you can open up a volley from afar or take on infantry or cavalry if you need to.
How To Do It - Partially tested, has not had a "trial by fire" however, but the base formation and movement works
OK, have a looksee at this little diagram, if you've ever tried a formation this will be all too familiar to you. The frames are as follows:
1. Typical formation vs non-formation beginning (weapons don't need to be as shown, obviously shield and spear vs shield and sword isn't such a great idea). What happens after this is the most crucial part of formation fighting, and is where 99% of the time it goes horribly wrong.
2. The usual outcome - the formation eagerly breaks and charges the enemy, resulting in a break-down of group cohesiveness and results in mob fighting. In the example the broken formation would likely still win, though only just, due to their numbers.
3. The way the situation should be dealt with - the formation should stick close by the formation leader and under no circumstances break (not even to dodge a swing guys, block it).
Remember, staying in formation will be incredibly hard to do if you just expect it to work, you must have a formation leader or you'll never know what's happening, however, if you DO have one, remember do ALWAYS follow him/her and staying in formation to either side, the more people that break formation the higher chance of the whole thing going down, and then you're just some random holding a spear and shield confronted with a few Swad Bastard Sworders. "Don't let this happen to YOU!" lol
Think about this, what would happen if your legs and arms all tried to "run" at the same time? Without working as a cohesive whole your body would fall to the ground in convulsions, the same is very true of formation fighting.
WHAT WAS THAT!?!
You heard, breaking when you get into combat, you know you're meant to fight IN the formation right? It's not just so it looks cool ... although it most certainly does
Why Use It In The First Place? - Untested
Why is the formation more effective than mob fighting? It is simple: because you have everyone in a line, when an enemy closes you can bring more weapons to bear on him than he can on you, anybody can work out that this is a good thing Because the enemy is not in a formation they will most certainly have more "free space" between them, this is wasted space and allows the formation to effectively outnumber them, even if the total numbers are in fact, equal: look at frame three above.
Fighting Individuals - Tested and highly effective
"So what do we do when we're fighting one guy? He's not gonna want to charge the three of us in a formation ..."
No, he's not, but you don't give him a friggin' choice now do you See following diagram, when he tries to flank, just rotate on the formation leader, advance slowly if you must, he'll come ...
The thing that will get the three of you killed easiest here (or put you in a position to be killed more easily) is that all three rush forward and the single enemy backpedals. This ends up with one guy chasing and the other two trailing behind, unable to do anything, the lone soldier can easily pick you off one at a time, stay in formation however ...
You don't even need to be in a strict formation to achieve victory here since you are only fighting a single soldier and so the idea of "free space" (wasted space) is not much of an issue: you're probably all gonna be able to attack at the same time whether you're close together or further apart, so long as you make sure that the middle guy doesn't just rush in and instead lets the flankers catch up, always making sure that all three engage at the same time.
Simple Formations
Those shown are:
I. Line formation with a left-hand leader - all should keep in line with the man on their left.
II. Line formation with center-leader - all should position themselves to either side of the leader.
III. Delta formation - all should position themselves behind the leader, and assume a sharp "arrow" formation.
IV. Half circle formation - From the leader, all should array themselves in such a way as to create the formation shown.
V. Circle/box (enclosed) formation - from a line formation: the two either side of the leader, with the exception of one (to the right as shown) rotate and fall back, aligning themselves with the extremities of the remaining (as shown, two) men, while the two at the far ends converge on the "exposed" section of formation and fill in the gap.
Shield and Sword and Spear Formation Combination - Untested
Ok, to get the most all-round (and admittedly cumbersome/difficult] formation you could put a row of sword/boards at the front, spaced slightly apart, this allows a second row of spearmen to thrust between them, not only giving you more killing power, but also range and the ability to fight a variety of opponents without needing to switch.
Probably quite hard to set up compared to it's effectiveness, probably only good for holding a single location like a doorway or gate, otherwise you'd risk the whole thing breaking up.
Being Flanked - Untested
Well, there really isn't much you can do if the enemy just breaks up and flanks you, it's the only downside of the formation, however, if you were to back up to a wall or put yourself in an alleyway/archway etc, you should be able to avoid this, or the best way have some cavalry who can provide flank support. If they do break up, having a few cavalry around will turn the tide of the battle, since the enemy will be at their weakest when scattered and fighting on two fronts (cavalry all around and a wall of spears on the other side.
* Pro tip []: using "~" lets you look around (free look), this greatly increases your situational awareness and helps you identify threats without turning your character. Remember though, it should always be up to the formation leader to assign these threats to the group, not the individual, otherwise you'll be introduced to "Hastings Syndrome" in a very unpleasant manner.
Forming Speed - Untested
It didn't occur to me before, but the speed in which you can form and disband a formation (the latter seems to come naturally to every player ever born) is crucial, sometimes the situation will call for the leader to disband and take up a loose or "skirmish" formation, however, the soldiers need to be able to find him and return to the formation within a matter of a few seconds if the group is to be successful. For example, in the (almost certain) event of Hastings Syndrome.
The Men
Formation Leader
I said it before, but I'll say it again, you NEED a leader. Follow him blindly and always stay in formation unless he gives the order to break, always return and be in a position TO return if he should give the order also. A formation is only effective if it's a formation. Simple I know, but you'd think it were rocket science
Note the following:
* Formation leader should be distinctive (either bright red hair or different uniform).
* Formation leader should watch out for his soldiers, making sure they can follow and slowing when they are left behind.
* Formation leader must be the element that ties the whole group together and makes them work as a single unit.
* Formation leader must put the group in front of himself, both the health of the group and the "valor", "don't be a hero" comes to mind here.
Formation Soldiers
* Uniforms for the soldiers would be ideal, most can get effective starting armor and this would help them know who they are and who their leader is.
* Uniform equipment, this makes them able to adopt a solid and cohesive formation at a moment's notice, any man can replace the position of another.
* Soldiers must place the group in front of himself, both the health of the group and the "valor", "don't be a hero" comes to mind here also.
* Soldiers must keep formation even if their own lives are at risk, for the lives of all the others are at risk if he does break.
The following is a quick sketch illustrating uniforms and a formation leader who stands out from them (also note the screenshot in "An Introduction to Formations" where you can see this also):
Keep In Mind The Following:
Effectiveness of a formation depends on a number of things:
* Size of groups (a large formation vs large non-formation will certainly be more effective than small ones).
* Cohesiveness of formations - the ability to stick together, the most important and depends on every member to stay in control of themselves, harder than you might think.
* Right weapons for the job - using sword and board in a formation against cavalry is a deathtrap, as are a few other combinations.
* Mobility - depends on cohesiveness for the most part, a stationary formation is easy to flank and destroy, a mobile one is not.
Ok, yes I AM a formation nut, and yes these ARE completely untested in Warband, I've never got a formation to last up until a fight unless in controlled circumstances because everyone just breaks off. Feel free to try it though, if you can manage to keep everyone in formation throughout a fight it just might work
D o w n l o a d P D F V e r s i o n : (not up to date) http://www.filefront.com/15564231/A-Guide-to-Formation-Fighting-by-LJFHutch-v-1.002.pdf/