Will some units not have access to particular formations - especially the late french army at waterloo?

[Destraex]

Some formations should probably have less access to some of the more complex formations or at least be slower to form them. Elite units should form quickly and orderly while marie louises should be a little more slow at this and vulnerable while doing it as a result. Is this in game?

Also does an order have to be given to fix bayonets in formations other than square where it is assumed and also does this slow the fire rate?

[con20or]

We do have nation-specific differences. We also take into account unit training and experience when researching unit stats. You can easily mod this to your liking as you can specify marching, stationary, attacking formations etc. we do not have a fix bayonet command.

[Destraex]

This sounds good but can I mod individual units to this end? i.e. particular regiments may have been raw recruits and one of the reasons the french formed column at waterloo. So I would want to limit their formation types... or at least slow them in forming complex formations on a dime.

Wait no fix bayonets command? I can live with that. This is one that would be nice but would have negligible effect unless ambushed by cavalry.

[con20or]

yes - all units can have their formations switched in the csv files, there are individual entries for each. I do not know what controls the speed the formation is formed at however, that may be hardcoded and based to their stats.

[Destraex]

Close enough. Certainly above any other wargames I know. Histwar being the next best alternative.

[mitra76]

THe bigger change respect at Gettysburg is that in the previous unitglobal.csv you have only two possibile formation for unit type: marching and fighting. NOw you have

marching
fighting
assault
square
line
skirmish
skirmish alternative
special
column by company

and another I not remember now

AI uses presently

marching
fighting
assault
square
skirmish

but players could link in their modded toolbar all the others and links to them the formation created in drill.csv. If you consider the unit types you can define in unitglobal have not a limit, the possbile combo with the formations are many

[Gunfreak]

I don't think you can call any french unit in 1815 marie louises.

French army in 1815 was the best since 1812.

[Destraex]

Really... I could have sworn I read somewhere that one reason they did massive columns was because of the lack of training for some units.

[Saddletank]

Which point in the battle are you referring to? D'Erlon's 2:00pm attack actually did not use column but lines. Each battalion was in a 3-deep line and every battalion of the brigade was in a line behind the first. A "column of successive lines". This exceptionally dense formation was partly a tactical error, partly an underestimation of how effective the grand battery bombardment had been and partly due to a narrow frontage between the Brussels road and the farms of La Haye and Pappelotte.

My understanding is that the smaller more mobile attacks at Hougoumont and on the west side of La Haye Sainte used columns of divisions as did the attacks at Pappelotte and Frischermont.

In the 1790s the Revolutionary armies used columns due to the poor training of their new recruits but by 1804/1805 the French infantry had grown extremely skilled. Even in 1814 the young boy conscripts fought with determination when Napoleon himself was on the field.

Mitra - this all sounds very good, so much more flexible that SoW:GB. Thanks for answering all these questions.

[Xaver]

One thing i need ask about formations... why the fire is so... caotic??? i expect that at least first shots be more "salvo" and when fight extend break the fire discipline... usually militia has a more relaxed and less effective fire discipline even trained troops can "forgive" shot this is why a fire discipline is needed to prevent problems.

Maybe is a visual effect but in real in numbers units do a more constant fire.

PD: for me D´Erlon error was try do all in a single movement... when arrive to the road he need stop and see what is in the other side and adapt to it but he continue attack in inadecuate formation and finds a flank and frontal charge of cavalry... left and middle divisions suffer cavalry charges from 3 sides... and they offer a lot of flanks to smash.