Many players hated the changes, many adored them. Whether it was a step in the right direction for that game depends on who you are asking. Tactics and Formations S hadowbane's Group PvP balance is deepened with the tactical formations that can coincide with a battle strategy of defense, or offense, and possibly even more complex maneuvers. Unfortunately, due to the fact that there is very little collision detection between players and monsters, those casters have no real way of being protected by the melee types. With the formations available in Shadowbane, they can now be protected as they should be.
Defensive formations protect the healers, mages, and archers behind a wall of warriors.
That wall blocks anyone and everyone from getting through to the support members. But on the flip side, offensive formations from opponents can help break that wall. You troops not only need to be a good mix of combined arms, but they need to be disciplined enough to stay in formation and listen to the unit commander. How complex the machinations, and how useful these formations are in regular combat remains to be seen, but the groundwork is there. Judging by the number of times I see the formation icons on a screenshot of a battle, I'd guess that the current beta testers find them very useful.