Battle Map Play - RTW

In Rome Total War and its Expansions you can resolve battles on a 3D real time battle map during campaign play, custom battles and historical battles.

Battles during Campaign Play

Battles during campaign play can be fought either on an open field or in and around a settlement if the settlement is under siege.Also battles can be auto-resolved, which means that AI plays them for you. That is not good way to do battle because of many losses that AI will get.

Siege Battles

Siege battles can happen when a settlement is besieged. When you are besieged you have two options:

• Sally: sally forward and meet the enemy outside the city gates
• Wait until enemy attacks: when enemy attacks he has all his siege equipment he built and you are defending city walls which depend on city level. But if enemy keeps you under siege long enough your city will starve and soldiers will surrender.

Reinforcements

Reinforcements are army that will help you in battle. They are soldiers that stand right next to you in campaign battle when you are attacked. When the battle starts they will enter battlefield from direction depending on their position on campaign map. Reinforcements can be set on AI or you can control them.

Unit Abilities and Formations

Unit Special Abilities

Generals

• Generals ability to rally troops

Rally raises morale to your soldiers and if positioned close by it can also affect routers and make them fight again.

• Kill Elephants command

Used when elephants run amok, to prevent losses if they are heading towards your army.

Missile Troops

• Fire Flaming Missiles

Flaming missiles are useful for scaring animals that can run amok, like elephants and chariots. They also make panic in enemy army, making them easier to rout.

• Fire at Will

Not officially a special ability but a useful setting to toggle on and off for your missile troops, removing the fire at will ability can prevent 'friendly fire' losses, that can occur if your missile troops fire on enemy units when your troops are in the way!

Infantry

• Phalanx

Phalanx is powerful formation that is used by hoplites. It makes all hoplites put their spears in front and await for the unlucky enemy. It can be countered by flanking hoplite by cavalry and attacking from rear.

• Testudo

Formation that makes Legionaries raise their shield above heads and await for enemy missile fire to be wasted on them.

• Warcry

Warcry is unique barbarian soldier ability. It takes 10 seconds to complete and then 30 seconds they have attack bonus. Using warcry for berserker units makes them instantly berserk.

• Chant

Chant is used for raising ally morale by druids.

Cavalry

• Cantabrian Circle

It is formation that is used by missile cavalry to waste enemy missile fire and soften enemy ranks. Available to some cavalry units, allows cavalry to fire a continuous barrage of missiles instead of volley fire. It sacrifices accuracy for not being hit as much by enemy missiles.

• Wedge Formation

Available for most cavalry units,it gives bonus to charge.

Group Formations

All units in an army or just selected units may be formed into a group

Group formations and their possible uses include:

• Line
• Column
• Double Line

Tactics

As in real life historic battles of the time period, the battle can be won or lost depending upon the generals' (player or AI) tactics. Successful tactics tend to include those that break up the enemies formations, for instance flanking manoeuvres or breaking through weak points in his line.