mlc82
05-30-2010, 01:17
Spent most of my day playing EB and figured my fellow EB fans might enjoy this, it's a quick excerpt from my Roman campaign with two major characters, and goes over how you can use in-game "cheats" to help the otherwise hopeless AI out, and make the game more challenging and fun. I'll expand on this later and continue with "Cotta's" story.
Italy, 240BC:
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/War.jpg
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gallicraid.jpg
An invasion of the Gallic tribes in the north has given an up and coming young Roman the chance to prove himself in battle, and set the stage for what will hopefully be a long and illustrious career. Young Gnaeus Papirius Cotta (not sure how he got the Cursor title) is leading his first campaign with a legion of his own, to repel the gallic raids and press on to the town of Patavium to burn it to the ground in response.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gnaeus.jpg
Along the way, gallic refugees, terrified of the fate their families will face from Roman retribution, agree to accompany the Romans to battle in exchange for safe passage and settlement of their families in nearby Segesta. Such is agreed, on the condition that the Gallic warriors will be first through the gate, to prevent any possible treachery on their part!
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gaulcharge.jpg
Young Cotta's campaign is a success, the town of Patavium lights the night sky, it's men dead, and women and children carried off in chains to the slave markets. True to his word, Cotta allows his Gallic defectors to loot the town and take as much as they can carry, then settle in Segesta with their families, a great deal richer than before. Such ways of creating loyalty in men were learned by Cotta from the great Lucius Cornelius Scipio, who is about to embark on his greatest (and possibly final) conquest to date, at 60 years old.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/scipio.jpg
Much to Scipio's benefit, information has surfaced that the city of Syracuse was likely behind the gallic attack on the Republic. The plan, according to Scipio's agents, who conveniently discovered documents confirming everything, was for the Gauls to form a much larger force than they actually cared to do, then raid and plunder their way through the northern cities of the Republic, inevitably attracting the attention of the legions and drawing them up to the north. At this time, with the island of Sicily lightly defended, an invasion force from Carthage would land at the west end of Sicily, retake Lilibeo and Messana, then converge with the quietly built up Syracusan army and press north into Italy.
That the Carthaginian diplomat being interrogated only confessed to the above as his eyes were being put out didn't seem to raise any questions to Scipio's own agents, nor to his fiercely loyal legions. In fact, when the call for the legions went out through the republic, many of Scipio's old veterans, equipped with their now out of service phalanx-style Triarii kits, came out of retirement and pressed upon their general to take them along. This he did. Some were nearly ancient, but they hadn't forgotten the skills of battle begun in their youth and perfected through middle-age, and for many, marching in their accompanying lines of Hastati and Principes was a beloved son, son in law, or nephew. These men would fight like beasts, one last battle before those who came back would return to retirement for good, and a great deal richer. (note them as the left over Camillan era Triarii unit next to Scipio's portrait in the army stack!)
Moving in to besiege Syracuse with Scipio's legions and the horde of allied troops he's conscripted along the way, we see one of the biggest disappointments in the TW games since the 3D map of Rome... Anticlimactic city battles (and this one is actually very well defended for the AI). According to the scroll shown, Syracuse has 14,200 people within it. Apparently only about 1,500 of those folks are concerned that an an enemy army has arrived, bent on looting their city, raping their wives, and enslaving their children... One would think that everyone of age enough to grab rocks, sticks, and rooftiles would be out in desperation, fighting to the death to prevent their cities' capture
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/syracusebefore.jpg
We can't exactly bring out the rooftile-slinging citizens (Pyrrhus would be relieved), but we CAN do this:
Using the "create_unit" cheat, I'm going to fill Syracuse to the brim with soldiers. A nice assortment of more syracusan hoplites, peltasts, and a whole bunch of skirmishers to represent non-military folks throwing every heavy object they can find on the heads of their attackers.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/syracuseafter1.jpg
and scrolled down to see the peltasts...
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Syracuseafter2.jpg
This looks much more exciting now doesn't it? Needless to say, this one is going to be bloody...
Part 2- Battle of Syracuse coming soon!
Italy, 240BC:
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/War.jpg
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gallicraid.jpg
An invasion of the Gallic tribes in the north has given an up and coming young Roman the chance to prove himself in battle, and set the stage for what will hopefully be a long and illustrious career. Young Gnaeus Papirius Cotta (not sure how he got the Cursor title) is leading his first campaign with a legion of his own, to repel the gallic raids and press on to the town of Patavium to burn it to the ground in response.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gnaeus.jpg
Along the way, gallic refugees, terrified of the fate their families will face from Roman retribution, agree to accompany the Romans to battle in exchange for safe passage and settlement of their families in nearby Segesta. Such is agreed, on the condition that the Gallic warriors will be first through the gate, to prevent any possible treachery on their part!
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Gaulcharge.jpg
Young Cotta's campaign is a success, the town of Patavium lights the night sky, it's men dead, and women and children carried off in chains to the slave markets. True to his word, Cotta allows his Gallic defectors to loot the town and take as much as they can carry, then settle in Segesta with their families, a great deal richer than before. Such ways of creating loyalty in men were learned by Cotta from the great Lucius Cornelius Scipio, who is about to embark on his greatest (and possibly final) conquest to date, at 60 years old.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/scipio.jpg
Much to Scipio's benefit, information has surfaced that the city of Syracuse was likely behind the gallic attack on the Republic. The plan, according to Scipio's agents, who conveniently discovered documents confirming everything, was for the Gauls to form a much larger force than they actually cared to do, then raid and plunder their way through the northern cities of the Republic, inevitably attracting the attention of the legions and drawing them up to the north. At this time, with the island of Sicily lightly defended, an invasion force from Carthage would land at the west end of Sicily, retake Lilibeo and Messana, then converge with the quietly built up Syracusan army and press north into Italy.
That the Carthaginian diplomat being interrogated only confessed to the above as his eyes were being put out didn't seem to raise any questions to Scipio's own agents, nor to his fiercely loyal legions. In fact, when the call for the legions went out through the republic, many of Scipio's old veterans, equipped with their now out of service phalanx-style Triarii kits, came out of retirement and pressed upon their general to take them along. This he did. Some were nearly ancient, but they hadn't forgotten the skills of battle begun in their youth and perfected through middle-age, and for many, marching in their accompanying lines of Hastati and Principes was a beloved son, son in law, or nephew. These men would fight like beasts, one last battle before those who came back would return to retirement for good, and a great deal richer. (note them as the left over Camillan era Triarii unit next to Scipio's portrait in the army stack!)
Moving in to besiege Syracuse with Scipio's legions and the horde of allied troops he's conscripted along the way, we see one of the biggest disappointments in the TW games since the 3D map of Rome... Anticlimactic city battles (and this one is actually very well defended for the AI). According to the scroll shown, Syracuse has 14,200 people within it. Apparently only about 1,500 of those folks are concerned that an an enemy army has arrived, bent on looting their city, raping their wives, and enslaving their children... One would think that everyone of age enough to grab rocks, sticks, and rooftiles would be out in desperation, fighting to the death to prevent their cities' capture
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/syracusebefore.jpg
We can't exactly bring out the rooftile-slinging citizens (Pyrrhus would be relieved), but we CAN do this:
Using the "create_unit" cheat, I'm going to fill Syracuse to the brim with soldiers. A nice assortment of more syracusan hoplites, peltasts, and a whole bunch of skirmishers to represent non-military folks throwing every heavy object they can find on the heads of their attackers.
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/syracuseafter1.jpg
and scrolled down to see the peltasts...
https://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/mikul82/Syracuseafter2.jpg
This looks much more exciting now doesn't it? Needless to say, this one is going to be bloody...
Part 2- Battle of Syracuse coming soon!