Goblin Squad Member
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You guys are probably going to see me harp on this quite a bit over the next couple of years, so I might as well get started now. =)
The devs have said that they intend to try and include real formations that players can enter. This is an cool idea that can lead to a much more tactical feeling in combat, particularly PvP combat, and can even improve network performance and enable larger scale battles.
Now, I know that you guys are not stupid, but let me point out some things that are probably already obvious to all of you.
Collision detection is when two models interact in a realistic way so that one cannot pass through the other one, for instance a player walking through a wall, or a monster, or another player. MMO's typically use collision detection in a pretty selective way. A player or monster may not be able to walk through a wall, but they might be able to walk through each other and players are usually able to pass through the same space at the same time, though sometimes not while they are in combat with one another.
The rationale for turning off collision detection usually has to do with preventing NPCs from blocking vital areas or crowded areas from becoming annoying, and also to prevent players from griefing one another by blocking or trapping another character in a small space that they cannot leave.
I am not sure I have a strong opinion about out-of-combat collision detection, but I feel that it should always be turned on while in combat, and--more to the point--formations as a whole should have collision detection (i.e. one formation, friendly or not, should not be able to pass through another, and even individual players, friendly or not, should not be able to pass through a formation), there may be exceptions to this--maybe very open formations should not prevent passage as a total unit (though the individual soldiers in it might depending on the circumstances). So, two open formations might pass through each other with some difficulty, but a closed one probably could not pass through an open one.
Note that we could go into a great deal more detail having to do with opposing forces breaking up one another's formations, etc. but this isn't a hardcore wargame, and maybe that's a conversation for another day.
Next post: enfilade, flanking, and what it means for you.