If you say it's the same animation for native polearm,i have to massively disagree with you.Look at these pictures i took ingame on the server...
1.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/2011070500026.jpg/
2.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/2011070500027.jpg/
3.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/814/2011070500028.jpg/
4.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/2011070500025.jpg/
This new animation looks WAY to better than the native one's.And suits this time period (268.B.C.) and phalangites.
As for formation,i say it can be added by those formation scripts.But i suggest that you shall use this animation for phalangites.
Some of my friends on steam who also patiently follow this development are satisfied with the new animation and also suggest for it's using for phalangites,and say that it suits the Macedonian phalangites(tenerife_boy).I agree!
So look at the video and at my pictures,and notice the difference.
Imagine the shields tied on the left hand and around the neck,if you know what i mean.