Land Combat

The game seems like any other RTS on the surface, but its actually really detailed and there are many factors to consider in battles.

Merging Generals
A general can merge with any combat unit to add his attributes to the combat unit’s skills. Merging is the only way to take advantage of a general’s skills. Only one general may be in charge of a unit at a time.

Attacking
With one or more combat units selected, right click on an enemy unit to attack it. How a unit attacks depends on their stance. Units in a battleline will attempt to hold their formation while engaging the enemy, while units in a skirmish stance will simply head towards the closest target. Units in a ranged stance will advance to within missile range and then begin firing on the enemy. See stances for more information on how stances affect combat.

Combat Lock
When units are sufficiently engaged in melee combat, they will become locked in combat and neither unit will be able to retreat until one or the other has been defeated.

Defeat
A unit is defeated when all of its members are killed, or its morale is reduced to zero and the remaining members rout. Defeated units return to their home city to recruit new members.

Routing
A unit will rout when its morale drops to zero. If the unit is not in combat when its morale reaches zero, it will rout as soon as it is attacked. As soon as a unit has routed its brigade will begin to reform at its home city. Additionally, the surviving soldiers will attempt to run to their home city. If they succeed, they will rejoin the reformed brigade, allowing it to recover faster. If the unit is surrounded and unable to run, or is caught in pursuit, it will surrender and may be executed or captured as slaves. If surrendered units are left unguarded, they may eventually escape, returning once more to their home city. If the unit’s home city is in enemy hands (i.e. it is homeless), the brigade will be destroyed when the unit routs and any experience it may have earned will be permanently lost.

Charging
When units run into combat they build up a charging bonus that may inflict extra damage at the moment of impact. The amount of the bonus is based on the unit's charging strength and speed as well as the blocking strength of the enemy.

Flanking
Units that are being attacked from opposite sides receive a flanking penalty that continually drains morale as long as the unit is surrounded. The unit’s morale decreases faster if it is flanked on more sides by more units. Additionally, flanking provides a bonus to the attackers as all attacking units receive a morale boost when someone in the enemy unit dies regardless of who killed them.

To capture units when they rout, try to position a unit in their flanks. You will have a better chance of getting them to surrender if they haven't engaged the enemy when they rout.

Skirmishing
Skirmish is a flexible fighting style used by fast, lightly armed troops that is designed to disrupt and soften enemy formations prior to battleline melee. Skirmishers freely engage the enemy and withdraw when threatened.

Ambushing
Using a ranged or melee ambush stance, units can remain undetected while within the enemy's normal view range. Units receive a significant ambush bonus if they attack an enemy without being sighted first. Ambush units are much harder to detect when they aren't moving, but once discovered they must move beyond the enemy's regular view range before they can ambush again.

Pursuing
When an enemy unit routs it will attempt to return to its home city. If it succeeds, it will add some of its survivors back to the pool of recruits that are needed for the brigade to recover. Whenever possible, hold some light units in reserve, so that they can pursue fleeing enemies to capture them as slaves or to execute them, thereby maximizing the damage inflicted on the enemy. Cavalry squadrons are the perfect choice for pursuit, as they are the fastest unit available.

Raiding
A raid is an offensive move by a faction designed to disrupt and weaken your empire. Raiders generally prefer easy targets where they can inflict the most damage. This includes farms, active mines and unwalled or underfed cities.

Raiders are generally cautious and will avoid areas that have large garrisons nearby. To deter raiders garrison units near valuable targets such as farms and active mines. Raiders generally prefer to avoid open combat and will often retreat if faced with equal or superior forces.

The likelihood of a faction launching a raid against you is also determined by that faction’s hostility. Factions with relatively low hostility might only send raiding parties into areas with multiple valuable targets such as full mines or undefended cities. Very hostile factions will be more aggressive and might launch a raid just to burn a single farm.

Strategy

 * If you are losing battles then maybe you are going up against a faction with a strong combat bonus. For example, the Sabines have a pretty hefty +30% melee damage bonus so they would be a bit tougher than normal. Assuming your troops aren't out of food, are being paid, and aren't being outflanked, (each of which decimates your troops' morale) then other factors to consider could be the upgrades (officers bought with the xp of the brigade) on the brigades, or if the enemy factions and yours unlocked certain skills in the military skill tree that offer slight stat boosts.


 * Also the stance the brigade is in affects its stats. It's especially noticeable with hoplites that get really good defensive bonuses in phalanx stance, but phalanx stance comes with the caveat that the formation may break (I don't remember exactly what causes it and can't check atm, but you should see a text appear over the brigade when this happens) and then they'll lose the bonuses and suddenly be a lot weaker. This might be why you get some varying impressions of hoplite strength. Also note the equivalent brigades of the different faction groups (Etruscans, Latins, Sabellics etc) may have slightly different stats even if they have the same name. You can check a brigade's current stats by hovering over it with the mouse and pressing.


 * You need to use battle tactics. Have cavalry flank from the rear, or even a group of spearmen. Set ranged units behind your melee charge and watch as they wipe out the morale of the charging force before you even lose a unit. Most importantly, make sure your hoplites are in phalanx formation when fighting a group of soldiers in the field if they are on the front lines. It's the hoplites job to stand ground and engage the enemy while another unit takes it out. Hoplites are very slow at dmg, and heavies are only slightly better.


 * Use numbers and positioning to your advantage, and lure the AI into areas where they loose their benefits; engaging hoplites in a narrow environment is suicide, but luring them out into an open field where your Skirmishers can attack from multiple sides to break their formation is almost a constant win.


 * Most importantly, never delete units unless you absolutely have to. Experienced warriors are a godsend in this game, and can take on enemies that would crush them in any other situation. Cheaper than having an army twice the size in the late game to compensate for the greenness of your warriors.