Alexander: Total War

[Biggus Diccus]

I think they work great behind my line of phalangists. They soften up the enemy so that they often rout on contact with the long spears.

The Agrarian Javelinmen are nice to have with the javelins, of course. But I'd rather bring Hypaspists which are just as good with javelins, and they are good in melee as well.

Update in my campaign: Suza, Rhacotis and Petra are now mine. And Alexander got lucky and hired a unit of mercenary Cretan Archers in Egypt


I'm now teching in Babylon to get Companions, and I'm building Paved Roads everywhere to speed up troop-movement. Looking good so far.

[snorky]

yeah i have sucsesfuly completed my campian though i find it strange that i got a message every 10 turns that is was running out of time will i finished with 43 turns left. i wonder if this was just to keep the game exiting or that is just finished my campian in really fast at the last

[Biggus Diccus]

yeah i have sucsesfuly completed my campian though i find it strange that i got a message every 10 turns that is was running out of time will i finished with 43 turns left. i wonder if this was just to keep the game exiting or that is just finished my campian in really fast at the last

LOL I controlled around 20 territories when the advisor started to nag about me being behind schedule at 80 turns left. Finishing the campaign was just a bore though, with 4-6 rebels popping up every turn... The first 10-15 turns were the most fun.

[Claudius the God]

Guagemela for dummies:

If you can't win this battle in a fair fight, this is what I did after several losses using various different tactics, including the one mentioned earlier in this thread...

As you start, immediately get all of your units to walk (there's no need to run) backwards to the corner of the map behind you. As you get to the corner, you can use the battle map barriers to protect your flanks. Some would consider this cheating, but after repeatedly losing the battle, I would use this tactic to give you some advantage.

Sort the five units of phalanx in a single line guarding position, with space on either side for cavalry units to charge through. Put two units of cavalry (including Alexander) on either side to fill up the space between the phalanx line and the map barriers, but have the cavalry slightly behind the phalanx line for charging room. Place the archers behind the phalanx line, use the archers throughout the battle to rain fire arrows on elephants and generals. the spearmen with the javelins also should go behind the phalanx line, save up the javelins for the elephants if possible (if fire arrows don't make them run amok).

Now the battle should be easy... just let the enemy attack, die on, and run away from the phalanx, and use the four cavalry units to protect the flanks and to run down enemy archers and cavalry archers when necessary. you also have the extra spearmen for support if necessary, but I didn't need them too much...

10-20 minutes later you should get a large green line of dead bodies and a Heroic Victory!

[gardibolt]

Clever tactic! Now all I have to do is figure out how not to be slaughtered at Issus so I can get to Gaugamela....

[Diadochoi]

LOL I controlled around 20 territories when the advisor started to nag about me being behind schedule at 80 turns left. Finishing the campaign was just a bore though, with 4-6 rebels popping up every turn... The first 10-15 turns were the most fun.

Agreed, I just finished the campaign and had similar thoughts. Once you control Asia Minor, you have a) crushed the heart of the persian army and b)you pretty much have enough cash to get rolling, and after that it is more logistics than anything.

Two things bothered me about the end of the campaign: that Persian city in India you can't get to (why even have a city over there if its not playable territory? Minor gribe but irksome after you have been tracking down every green flag you can find for dozens of turns)

Also, the Dahae (sp?) were ridiculously easy to defeat. All my battles with them consisted of watching them crash into my phalanx, rout, then following up with cav to finish them off. I had 3 heroic victories in one turn with one army at one point... not good.

[gardibolt]

Two things bothered me about the end of the campaign: that Persian city in India you can't get to (why even have a city over there if its not playable territory? Minor gribe but irksome after you have been tracking down every green flag you can find for dozens of turns)

Might that be to make sure that the Persians are never eliminated?

[Diadochoi]

Might that be to make sure that the Persians are never eliminated?

I got the "Persians are eliminated" screen after I had captured their last non-Indian city, with the Dahae still remaining. I guess that could just have been a bug though.

[Aleric]

Personally I'd like to mod this game so the maps bigger and make persia playable but make all the factions harder to fight againist. Persia have some cool units.

[gardibolt]

Having just rebuilt my computer, I decided on a whim to reinstall this and try again. It's kind of a hoot. The advisor keeps nagging me that I'm behind schedule, with 12 territories and 58 turns to go. But I've take a different tack this time, building five armies up and I'm now sending them out in many different directions, so I'm expecting to hit 30 without much trouble.

I tried a bridge defense near Issus using the U-shaped tactic other people have extolled,using three phalangists with javelins behind them. The full stack of Persians crossed the bridge, hit the phalange, immediately routed, and my cavalry mopped them up---final score 1508 kills for me, 0 kills for Persia. Whoa....I've never had that lopsided a victory...I guess it IS a good tactic.

[Severous]

Im playing Alexander when I get the time.



Didnt get any lopsidded victories like the one in the post above


Not yet. But I know the bridge in question.

[gardibolt]

Finally got around to finishing the Alexander campaign (at 4 AM Monday...good thing for holidays), and it was pretty entertaining. Cavalry was more OP than it should be, but that made for amusing moments as Persians were flying everywhere. Even though the Dahae were pretty soft (other than the sickle warriors, who routed more of my men than I could afford to lose) it was still plenty terrifying to see all those stacks after stacks after stacks.....

Apparently the crazy woman harps at you being behind schedule every ten turns, no matter what you do. I had 29 territories, including all the necessary ones with 20 turns to go, and I still got the message that I was no good son of Ares.

[Severous]

Biggest battle of my Alexander campaign:





^gardibolt
Yes. Those Sicklemen of the Dahae were the toughest they had. They were often the last of the enemy units to rout. Also that woman advisor ....she had a go at me 20 turns in and Im storming along. No way im going to run out of time.

[Hasdrubal]

A basic strategy that has served me well:

Solid line of phalangists/hoplites with skirmishers behind. Heavy cavalry on flanks. Advance phalanx line forward to pin enemy battle line. Use cavalry to destroy enemy cavalry then take their main line in the rear.

This will usually give you a quick and easy victory.

^ Phalanx
] Cavalry
+ Skirmishers


]]]]]] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [[[[[[
+++++++++++++++++++

Also, if the enemy attacks, it will be like banging your head against a wall! With pointy sticks in it, no less

[Negator_UK]

Starting the game on VH/VH, I found it difficult, primarily because although I can play RTW on this level I had no idea how fast I needed to develop my empire and I hate long games that only tell you have lost at the end.

This put me off the game. I nearly gave up but I needn't have worried as there was actually plenty of time - for those in a similar dilemma there follows a brief timeline of my first (successful-ish - needed a couple of reloads) game.

My basic tactics - I suck with phalanxes so use wall of Hastati, oops, I mean Hypaspists, and pepper the enemy with thrown spears, then send in the Cav. You can't always do this, but its good when you can.

[Negator_UK]

(SPOILER ALERT - if my last post encouraged you, don't read on, go back and play until you become despondent again !!)

Timeline.

Turns 1-4: Loaded Parmenion and most of the small leaderless stack onto ships and headed him for Tanais. Left 1 ship in Sparta harbour (important). Took Epicurnus with Alexander leading the rest of the troops, then headed them for byzantium. On Turn 1 spent all my money building at my two start towns (making sure Pella has a port) and stacked up training about 5 Hypaspists at Pella. After turn 1 you will be in debt come what may, so spend, spend.

Turn 5. Parmenion takes Tanais, Alexander besieges Byzantium.

Turn 6. Alexander takes Byzantium.

Turn 8. Alexander takes Halicarnassus. Empire debt wiped and now making money overall, just about.

Turn 10. Alexander on Halicarnassus bridge ready to get bashed by some Persian fullstacks - hard without archers !

Turn 12. He bashed one stack , but two more didn't attack, just hung around Lampsacus, so spied-up that town and attacked town in same turn via open gates.Took town from small garrison then defended against the two big stacks - Killed 3400+ in one battle. Most important battle of whole campaign, it was downhill after this. Parmenion arrives near Halicarnassus on the ferry from Pella.

Turn 13. Alexander takes Issus.

Turn 15. Parmenion takes Sinope.

Turn 17. Alexander takes Tyre.

Turn 19. Alexander takes Petra, Parmenion takes Amida.

Turn 20. Parmenion takes Hatra. Antipater of Demetrias boards a ship (actually 4 ships) at Halicarnassus with 3/4 of a stack, bound for Egypt.

Turn 21. Alexander takes Babylon.

Turn 22. After a harrowing voyage (Persian fleet still 2x Macedonian) Antipater arrives in Egypt. Cleans underwear, hires mercs. Then spy opens gate and Antipater takes Rhacotis.

Turn 23. Antipater takes Memphis from Rebels that had taken over from Persians.

Turn 24. Alexander takes Suza. Parmenion besieges Azara.

Turn 25. Alexander takes Persepolis. Parmenion dies OF OLD AGE at 51, owww ! His faithful army takes Azara.

Turn 26. Alexander takes Carmana.

Turn 30. Alexander takes Tabae.

Turn 33. Alexander takes Multan and Quetta.

Turn 35. Alexander takes Pura. Carpus of Piraeus commences seige of Ecbatana.

Turn 41. Alexander takes the ferry to Nisa, but the spies don't open the gates. He spends a nervous turn building rams within strike range of 2+ Dahae fullstacks.

Turn 42. Carpus takes Ectabana, Alexander doesn't get whacked by the Dahaens (don't know why) and takes Nisa. He doesn't execute the spies because the game won't let him.

Turn 43. Menidas of Enna takes Balkh.

Turn 44. Instead of fighting, all the Dahaens start retreating... Alexander sets off Northeast from Nisa.

Turn 50. After a dash across the desert and a battle with a Dahean stack, Alexander beseiges Kucha.

Turn 51. Alexander takes Kucha - 6+ stacks of Dahaens on the road from Bactria to Kucha become rebels - phew !

Turn 52 - Menidas takes Bactria with about 5 stacks of his buddies. One of them, Aischylos of Dyrrachium then goes south with 3 of those stacks and a load of spies (open gates 114%) and takes Bannu.

Game Over. Now I'm off to play something that lets me use Archers !!

Cheers.

[namcod]

Hi, My Name Is Namcod And I Molest Cats In My Spare Time. Oh, And By The Way, Please Ban Me.

[SkyElf]

Sorry, namcod but this is not the place to ask such a question!!

I believe that all of the members of the Guild own a legal copy of the game Alexander: Total War! If you like the Total War game system you need to support it buying a legal copy of the games or all that you might illegally own.

Sincerely,
SkyElf

[Severous]

I got Alexander in the 'Eras boxed set'.

I would not recommend paying much for Alexander. Only one faction and a linear campaign play means its lacks replayability.

Try ebay.

I completed my one play of Alexander in June. A write up with pictures is here:
http://rtw.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/f...f=10,5930,,all

[TosaInu]

TEST POST.

[Quintus.JC]

Want to get that game!

[The New Che Guevara]

Alexander is available as a download or as part of the Total War Eras collection.

I got it as part of Rome: Total War anthology. £14.00 from Game

[The New Che Guevara]

How about the campaign battles? I got to the second one and keep getting slaughtered

[Spartan198]

Does anyone know if it's at all possible to conquer the Indian province? In my first campaign,it was rebel,but in the second it was Persian-controlled.

[mrdun]

Looks like you found the relevant thread Vladimir

[Ludens]

Does anyone know if it's at all possible to conquer the Indian province? In my first campaign,it was rebel,but in the second it was Persian-controlled.

It's not possible unless you mod the game. Sadly, the Indian faction is not present in the campaign, only the historical and custom battles.

[Good Ship Chuckle]

I'm thinking about getting this game, but from what I've read, it's just a big race to conquer the world before Alexander dies. :( However, Brian Blessed is the narrator. That's cool. :)

Raise your hands up if you like I Claudius!!!!

[Roman_Man#3]

Not to mention a couple of big mods are for it or can be played on it.

EB, XGM, LOTR - TW v.2.

[bonzeben23]

hm, sounds like the phlanax warriors are easy to move if you set them on "loose" then put them in a run and when your about 20-30 meters away from the enimie to stop them and then set them to tight formation.

[The New Che Guevara]

Might that be to make sure that the Persians are never eliminated?

Nope, the persians can be eliminated.

by the time I got to India, it had rebelled leaving the persians with only a few cities left, which were rapidly decreasing thanks to my armies. But it is possible to destroy the persians. I ended up not killing the Dahae, but just stealing a weakened city (which was part of a persian rebellion) leaving the Dahae with 1 last settlement in that top right corner.

oh, and India. If you could get a subterfuge over there, you might be able to bribe them, but what are the chances of that?