Formation move in strategy games, or the lack thereof

[lazygecko]

I think the first time I was introduced to the idea of having groups maintain a specified formation in a strategy-esque game was Baldur's Gate 2 in 2000 (might have been in BG1 before that but I couldn't tell you) where you could choose between a number of preset formations. The first time I experienced it in a proper RTS was Command & Conquer 3 in 2007 where you could line units up and have them move at a synchronized speed using the middle mouse wheel, and ever since it's felt like an indispensable QoL feature. Maintaining a good concave and keeping injured/vulnerable units in the back lines is something that's always on my mind and it can be a pivotal difference between a good or miserable engagement. So I always end up puzzled by its absence in newer strategy games because I don't feel it's reasonable to constantly have to babysit individual units to keep them lined up the way you want.

This was probably one of my main disappointments with Starcraft 2. There's been some very rudimentary sense of formation in the AI pathfinding since the first game, but that gets broken the second your group has to make a turn or get through a tighter spot (ie, fairly often) and it frustrates me to no end.

Are formation mechanics something you miss in games overall and are there any other examples of games that handle the feature well or perhaps poorly?

 

[Lork]

My first experience with formations was the Age of Empires series. Those games made a big deal out of them and they worked well from what I remember.

That said, I don't think they would be as good a fit for a game like Starcraft as you might think they would. Formations make sense in a game where the units are scaled pretty small compared to the terrain and the maps have lots of wide open spaces, but Starcraft maps are very scrunched in mazes of hallways and chokepoints where trying to adhere to a rigid formation would only make it harder to take on the already pretty tough challenge of trying to make sure every unit reaches their destination at roughly the same time.

I just can't see anything more elaborate than the absolute basics of trying to make sure your firebats are in front of your marines are in front of your siege tanks... (and I assume the pathfinding AI already tries to do this to some extent) making much sense in most of the situations a group of Starcraft units finds themselves in.

 

[Pheace]

My first memory of formations goes back to Centurion on the Amiga I think. It was fun using different formations against the armies. Gave the impression it made a difference at least.

 

[Jakisthe]

Maintaining formation in something like SC2 is part of the skill involved, and having it be automated would be a)hell on pathfinding and b)inherently suboptimal thanks to unit combinatorics and geography variances.

 

[Brandino]

The only RTS game I've seen them in recently are the Total War series

 

[Nome]

Homeworld had some pretty slick formations systems.
Granted, that was space combat.