Formations? Perhaps solve the friendly fire problem...

[Optimus Prime]

Formations? Perhaps solve the friendly fire problem in a more realistic way.

The reason why so much friendly fire happens is, that if you move your hundred units towards the enemy, they all come in a row (ok mostly a big row) and its hard to let them attack in a front line with tank near tank. So the units behind their own units arent able to shoot, or they damage their own units.
But if you would be able to put units in a formation (block, frontline, doubleline and so on), this problem would be solved i think. Sure you have to use your skill for the best formation for every unit, but i m sure, that this would help and it would be more realistic than to make units shoot through their own.

Just my thought on that...

[AF]

Ah good, the source code for the simple formation groupAI is in the svn, it's setup already to put units in grid formations, all you need todo is change it to whatever formation you want.

[Cyberwal]

An additional button to select group formations easily and (or? maybe just make a 'reasonable' formation standard at first) a standard formation would be really nice, although it

a) would change the way the game was played (for any mod, really) and would most likely require balancing changes and

b) of course someone would have to program it

[IMSabbel]

Well, using formations is already easy enough (just drag the right buttom while issuing a move order)...

But currently, as soon as an attack order follows, the formation breaks apart, and they will wedge themself together...

Maybe an "attack formation" setting would be nice (line attack, form circle around target, form 1/2 circle) for each groupe.

[Caydr]

Would need a way to make the engine put ballistic weapons in the rear and line of sight weapons in the front if this was to be any more useful than just holding down the right mouse button when giving a movement order.

[SJ]

Hold alt when giving a move order and they will form in an approximate square with longest range units toward the back.

[FrantzX]

That should be the default.

[Forboding Angel]

Hold alt when giving a move order and they will form in an approximate square with longest range units toward the back.

I love you.

[SwiftSpear]

This is why SJ is so good at XTA spring, because he added all these things to help your playing and then just never told anyone else about them

[Kixxe]

It's in the "Things you may not know" thread...

[SinbadEV]

Just to join in on the fun... wiki

[Optimus Prime]

ok i tested it and it works.
But one point should be improved:
if you send your units out of no formation into a formation and at the same time you send them to the enemy, the units should FIRST go into formation and then they should move towards the enemy. Right now, it is so, that the units first move to the enemy (they try to go in formation while they move, but cause all units have the same speed, they never reach their correct position in relation to the other units) and then if they reached their target, they go into their formation position. Thats not the way like formations should work, cause a formation for me means the formation when moving AND standing.
I dont know, if that happens only with fighters, but i tested it with them. I can imagine, that its harder with fighters to implement, cause they never stand still and fly around.