A brief introduction to troop movement
Please be aware, this is a lot of text. Still, it's worth a read.
Forming up
Forming up is typically done by simply being told to form some number of lines in front of the commanding officer. Just find a spot in the line, and if you're in multiple ranks, keep them all the same size.
You may also be given a more ad-hoc order to form up, such as 'form two ranks on my left' in which case you should locate the person giving the command and form ranks. This often happens when there’s a need for rapid reposition.
Stationary drill
This basically boils down to facings. If you are told to face a direction, immediately turn to face that direction. Typical directions you will be given are left, right, and about/right-about. 'About face' and 'right-about face' are interchangeable to anyone who doesn't feel like hardcore role play. There is a concept of facing the 'front' of the unit, but it's highly dependent on spatial awareness in a way that I don't think it will work in videogame land. So don't worry about that one.
You can also be told to kneel, by rank: There are very specific situations in which we are allowed to crouch in a line battle, so don't crouch unless you get an order to do it. An example of this order would be 'front rank, kneel.' The command to stand back up again is 'spring up.'
Marching
Currently, most regiments march at the standard running speed. This might change, but it's unlikely to do so, so let's call the standard run speed 'ordinary.' Thus, if you get told to march 'at the ordinary,' this just means you are going to run. The only other marching speed there is, is the 'walk' speed. We will call using this 'stepping short.' One can use this to rebuild formations while still marching, since you can run to where you need to be in the formation and then start stepping short to hold that position relative to the rest of the unit. This will be useful for any time the regiment starts to get spread out.
The correct preparatory for marching is 'company/section/platoon/squad will advance.' 'Prepare to march' is ok too.
The phrase 'at the ordinary, march' is simply the period version of 'forward, march.' The command to stop marching is simply 'halt.'
Marching by files, or in column
This is the common method of movement you see in line battles, mostly because it is easy to do. It has some severe disadvantages, but it works most of the time.
On the command to march, follow the guy in front of you. Do not pass him unless he really seriously fails to comply, or drops, or something. When in multiple ranks, also avoid getting ahead of the guy next to you. This is typically really basic follow-the-leader type stuff. There is one really important thing to remember, though: when a regiment is in multiple ranks, they can easily get hosed up whenever they make a turn, since they all move at roughly the same speed. The outside person on a turn will fall behind a bit. To compensate for this, the person on the inside of the turn needs to slow down slightly during the turn, and make sure they let the person next to them catch up. When the unit makes a turn, DO NOT cut the corner. follow the PATH of the person in front of you, not the person himself. Cutting corners leads to the formation breaking down, which means they have to spend a lot of time unravelling it at the other end of the manoeuvre.
When you are given the order to halt, keep running until you reach your intended spot in the line. If you were marching in front, you must stop on the halt order and wait for the rest of the unit to catch up. Nobody should change their facing on the halt unless they were otherwise told to, you should remain facing the same direction you were marching.
Marching in line
This is the period-correct method of movement in battle, but it doesn't translate easily to videogame land due to a number of factors, perhaps the largest of which is lag. So, with some slight modifications, we do the best we can.
The commands to start and stop marching are unchanged from file marching. On the word 'march,' the rightmost file of the line will start running straight forward. As soon as you see the person to your right (or if you are in the rear rank, the person in front of you) start moving, that is your cue to start moving too. Do not pass the person on your right, do not pass your file partner if you are in the rear rank. When this is done properly, we move in a slightly diagonal line. Like in file marching, when you are told to halt, move yourself into the correct position in the line.
You may also be given an instruction to move a specific number of paces. In this case, simply watch your character's animation to get a rough count of when you should stop, and dress yourself when you reach that point, or if you see most of the line stopping.
Center Wheels
This is an extremely powerful manoeuvre that allows one to turn the line to face another direction while avoiding much of the clusterfail that ensues when one disperses and has to reform. The general idea is that the entire line rotates around a pivot point in the middle of the line, like a wheel about a hub.
The full command to commence wheeling is 'company, on your centre, right/left wheel, march.' The direction given in the command is the direction the wheel will turn. We will also try and give a heads-up as to how far you will be turning, but if you didn't get one, just start wheeling until you're told to stop.
How it works: Since we're pivoting on the centre of the unit, half of the unit will actually be moving backwards to compensate for the other half moving forwards. Pay attention to where you stand in the unit so that you know which way you have to move before the wheel happens. Like when we turn while marching in file, people closer to the pivot point will need to slow down so that the people on the outside edges don't get left behind. Dressing in a wheel is difficult: use third person view to see the people next to you, and try to stay in line with them. If gaps start forming in the line, move toward the pivot point to fill them. In essence, you are dressing on the center of the unit instead of one of the ends. When the halt command is given, quickly straighten the line out.
On a left center wheel, the left half of the line moves backwards, while the right half moves forwards. On a right center wheel, the right half of the line moves backwards, while the left half moves forwards. Remember to try as hard as you can to keep yourself in the right spot.
Other things we could potentially do
Left/Right/About wheels: like center wheels but the pivot point is the end of the line. This is less useful than center wheels in combat, though.
Shoulders-forward: like wheels, but on the march. These are of dubious value unless we get good at staying cohesive while marching in line.
Marching obliques: This is simply marching on a diagonal. Like shoulders-forward, of dubious value outside of line marching.
Please be aware, this is a lot of text. Still, it's worth a read.
Forming up
Forming up is typically done by simply being told to form some number of lines in front of the commanding officer. Just find a spot in the line, and if you're in multiple ranks, keep them all the same size.
You may also be given a more ad-hoc order to form up, such as 'form two ranks on my left' in which case you should locate the person giving the command and form ranks. This often happens when there’s a need for rapid reposition.
Stationary drill
This basically boils down to facings. If you are told to face a direction, immediately turn to face that direction. Typical directions you will be given are left, right, and about/right-about. 'About face' and 'right-about face' are interchangeable to anyone who doesn't feel like hardcore role play. There is a concept of facing the 'front' of the unit, but it's highly dependent on spatial awareness in a way that I don't think it will work in videogame land. So don't worry about that one.
You can also be told to kneel, by rank: There are very specific situations in which we are allowed to crouch in a line battle, so don't crouch unless you get an order to do it. An example of this order would be 'front rank, kneel.' The command to stand back up again is 'spring up.'
Marching
Currently, most regiments march at the standard running speed. This might change, but it's unlikely to do so, so let's call the standard run speed 'ordinary.' Thus, if you get told to march 'at the ordinary,' this just means you are going to run. The only other marching speed there is, is the 'walk' speed. We will call using this 'stepping short.' One can use this to rebuild formations while still marching, since you can run to where you need to be in the formation and then start stepping short to hold that position relative to the rest of the unit. This will be useful for any time the regiment starts to get spread out.
The correct preparatory for marching is 'company/section/platoon/squad will advance.' 'Prepare to march' is ok too.
The phrase 'at the ordinary, march' is simply the period version of 'forward, march.' The command to stop marching is simply 'halt.'
Marching by files, or in column
This is the common method of movement you see in line battles, mostly because it is easy to do. It has some severe disadvantages, but it works most of the time.
On the command to march, follow the guy in front of you. Do not pass him unless he really seriously fails to comply, or drops, or something. When in multiple ranks, also avoid getting ahead of the guy next to you. This is typically really basic follow-the-leader type stuff. There is one really important thing to remember, though: when a regiment is in multiple ranks, they can easily get hosed up whenever they make a turn, since they all move at roughly the same speed. The outside person on a turn will fall behind a bit. To compensate for this, the person on the inside of the turn needs to slow down slightly during the turn, and make sure they let the person next to them catch up. When the unit makes a turn, DO NOT cut the corner. follow the PATH of the person in front of you, not the person himself. Cutting corners leads to the formation breaking down, which means they have to spend a lot of time unravelling it at the other end of the manoeuvre.
When you are given the order to halt, keep running until you reach your intended spot in the line. If you were marching in front, you must stop on the halt order and wait for the rest of the unit to catch up. Nobody should change their facing on the halt unless they were otherwise told to, you should remain facing the same direction you were marching.
Marching in line
This is the period-correct method of movement in battle, but it doesn't translate easily to videogame land due to a number of factors, perhaps the largest of which is lag. So, with some slight modifications, we do the best we can.
The commands to start and stop marching are unchanged from file marching. On the word 'march,' the rightmost file of the line will start running straight forward. As soon as you see the person to your right (or if you are in the rear rank, the person in front of you) start moving, that is your cue to start moving too. Do not pass the person on your right, do not pass your file partner if you are in the rear rank. When this is done properly, we move in a slightly diagonal line. Like in file marching, when you are told to halt, move yourself into the correct position in the line.
You may also be given an instruction to move a specific number of paces. In this case, simply watch your character's animation to get a rough count of when you should stop, and dress yourself when you reach that point, or if you see most of the line stopping.
Center Wheels
This is an extremely powerful manoeuvre that allows one to turn the line to face another direction while avoiding much of the clusterfail that ensues when one disperses and has to reform. The general idea is that the entire line rotates around a pivot point in the middle of the line, like a wheel about a hub.
The full command to commence wheeling is 'company, on your centre, right/left wheel, march.' The direction given in the command is the direction the wheel will turn. We will also try and give a heads-up as to how far you will be turning, but if you didn't get one, just start wheeling until you're told to stop.
How it works: Since we're pivoting on the centre of the unit, half of the unit will actually be moving backwards to compensate for the other half moving forwards. Pay attention to where you stand in the unit so that you know which way you have to move before the wheel happens. Like when we turn while marching in file, people closer to the pivot point will need to slow down so that the people on the outside edges don't get left behind. Dressing in a wheel is difficult: use third person view to see the people next to you, and try to stay in line with them. If gaps start forming in the line, move toward the pivot point to fill them. In essence, you are dressing on the center of the unit instead of one of the ends. When the halt command is given, quickly straighten the line out.
On a left center wheel, the left half of the line moves backwards, while the right half moves forwards. On a right center wheel, the right half of the line moves backwards, while the left half moves forwards. Remember to try as hard as you can to keep yourself in the right spot.
Other things we could potentially do
Left/Right/About wheels: like center wheels but the pivot point is the end of the line. This is less useful than center wheels in combat, though.
Shoulders-forward: like wheels, but on the march. These are of dubious value unless we get good at staying cohesive while marching in line.
Marching obliques: This is simply marching on a diagonal. Like shoulders-forward, of dubious value outside of line marching.