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[RiotHouse]

Hey guys,

I have a suggestion for additional content, Formations!
Not only would formations add strategy in battle, but also it could lead to further skills and training for our dwarves.

Short and sweet, i will let you guys comment further and brainstorm.

[Rowanas]

A quick search for military formations turns up the dev page, where Toady has mentioned formations many times.

[nenjin]

He started into it in the last major build, but decided it was too complicated to sort out just then. Then he moved on to other stuff.

But with the Army Arc coming up in the next year probably, I don't doubt he'll be looking at formations again soon.

[Zrk2]

That would be great. Think of what you could do with a line of speardwarves... Think pike formations like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_square

[Rowanas]

I'm more looking forward to getting my marksdwarves to properly barrage an enemy. Three rows, with swordsdwarves behind them, axes to the side and spears mixed into the marksdwarves. My enemy charges, their lines sent into disarray by a rapid hail of bolts. Then the marksdwarves retire, and my foes run into a line of set spears, the axedwarves swinging in to flank. Once the initial charge has been utterly broken, the swordsdwarves step in to slog it out with the survivors, the axedwarves wheel again, this time closing off any retreat. Marksdwarves reload and fire along the edges of the skirmish, catching any who try to flee.

[Zrk2]

Good luck, that is much to complex. Also, every battle plan is perfect until the second the armies meet. These types of complex plans would fall apart the second someone took an injury or one section got bogged down in heavier fighting slaughtering.

[Rowanas]

Of course, but good military tactics are a keystone of success.

[Di]

I believe keystone of success is not leaving your squadmates in the middle of battle to have a drink   
And guess fighting in the formation requires even more discipline.

[RiotHouse]

Formations wouldn't take much coding.  The whole idea I have about formations is that the better drilled/trained dwarves would tend to stay in formation more successfully instead of running off into melee.  It could be as simple as adding a "Sergeant" job class dwarf that all other dwarfs would line up to the right and left of.

As mentioned by some of you the fact that a dwarf would leave combat to "Grab a drink" is no good.

[blizzerd]

drill training could increase the tendency making dwarfs to stay in formation when they see and undergo bad stuff

[AngleWyrm]

Supreme Commander did a really good job with formations. And Space Empires IV also did formations. And both of those were done by small teams. It's not "too hard" to do. It might however be too hard for the average Jon Q Forumgoer to understand.

[MrWiggles]

Yea, I notice that formations were not on the current dev page. When asked, Toady replied that they were on the back burner until better sieges come.


I bet it plays havic with the current path finding system. I think Toady, has alluded that the new sieges would require a new path finding system to handle it.

[Zrk2]

Yes, until goblins have a basic idea how to fight as well before formations would make sense.