View Full Version : What is your favorite unit?
I just wonder if you have any.
For example I like deceres , spartans ( because they helped me out greatly in my Greek campaign) and amazons.
Somebody Else
05-15-2005, 17:12
Scorpions... They always amuse me, and they're pretty useful too.
*Note, I play RTR, so my scorpion units have 4 machines each... Makes them far more effective in field battles*
SCORPIONS????????
Excuse me if I offend you but I thougth them to be useless , but as for siege machines I ussualy use onagers and heavy onagers ( ussually normal ones ).
Es Arkajae
05-15-2005, 17:25
Scorpions are longer ranged than ballistas and also more accurate which mean sthey're very good at picking defenders off of stone walls which somewhat makes up for their inability to knock out gates. Other than that they're just as useless as other ballista type weapons everywhere else. Unless you've modded the game of course to give each unit more engines.
I like using them just for the hijinks of skewering people and flinging them backwards screaming~D
its allways funny when you snipe an enemy gen with a scorpion. especially when the camera closes in to see him whooshed away lmao. btw my current fave unit is the Armenian Cataphract archers.
Just wanted to add that it would be cool if you explain why do you like unit you mentioned.
amazon77
05-15-2005, 17:43
I've played Julii, Gaul, Macedons and now Pontus. The Foresters are my favorite unit, as they have a starting 15 missile attack which can become 21 after building them in epona and retraining them in abnoba. They have a long range and are also good melee fighters if need be. In every case 4-5 units of these can kick seven shades of hell of a 20 unit army. I've yet to try the pontic chariot archers (just bult 2-3) and i look forward to play as the Brits to test the Head Hurlers. In a custom battle i destroyed an Urban Cohort with a unit of Hurlers, loosing just a man. ~:)
Conqueror
05-15-2005, 18:13
Tanks, aka the armored elephants!
I love to storm cities with them, make them run through streets full of roman legionaries and watch the little men with no where to run, learn how to fly ~D I've had a unit score hundreds of kills that way in one battle ~:cheers:
The Stranger
05-15-2005, 18:18
SPARTANS as inf
Foresters as archers
Cataphracts as cav
professorspatula
05-15-2005, 18:44
War Elephants and Armoured Elephants are the game destroyers, but you have to love them for what they can achieve on the battlefield. They completely destroy anything. And when they do go down dead, they squash whoever is nearby. Hurrah for the big floppy eared giants.
Craterus
05-15-2005, 18:50
Spartans for Spearmen
Legionary First Cohort for Infantry
Cataphracts for Cavalry
Cataphract Archers for Mounted Missiles
Forester Warband for Archers
Armoured Ele's for Elephants (they can have their own category)
Heavy Onagers for Artillery
My favourite unit has to be...
Cataphracts, if only for their cool armour.
The Stranger
05-15-2005, 18:58
wow we have a fanatic boys
Craterus
05-15-2005, 19:03
That would be an unstoppable army but those are by no means my favourite units. Sorry, I was kinda off-topic.
The Stranger
05-15-2005, 19:13
oh oke
Dutch_guy
05-15-2005, 19:14
Cav ; sacred band / legion
Archer ; Cretans
Infantry ; legionarry cohort ( plain and simple ~:) )
:balloon2:
cunctator
05-15-2005, 19:38
Legionary cohorts and
cataphracts
Craterus
05-15-2005, 19:51
Just a point I've been wondering about:
How do Silver Shield Legionaries compare with Roman Legionaries?
The Stranger
05-15-2005, 20:19
silver legionares were the elite of the seleucid empire, the romans were not
its gotta be spartans, they just stand there and poke to death, whilst being poked to death or bring trod on by elephants!
War Dogs... Its fun to see a pack of dogs charge scared peasants.
i chose Cat archers for flexibility, they combine armour, mobility and firepower in one easy to use package :)
Hastati. The only downside is their shade expensive upkeep. Actually, I like the trio of Hastati, Pre-marius Roman Archers and Equites working as a group.
:charge:
Cataphracts all the way. Cataphract archers are really close though.
pezhetairoi
05-16-2005, 02:13
Right now, as Greeks, standard hoplites. They've taken everything the enemy has thrown against them, and not disappointed me once. Woe betide any horse unit that charges them (with the exception of Cataphracts). Woe betide also any infantry unit that charges them. They're cheap but they deliver. Armoureds are better, of course, but how are you going to get them everywhere like you can Hoplites?
Uesugi Kenshin
05-16-2005, 02:33
General's Bodyguard, even in RTR. They always pull battles out of defeat and into victory and factor greatly into the strategy I use to plan every single battle.
Urbans or Legionary first for infantry, they are very powerful and flexible
for cav it has to be katatanks, i wish they were the companions, but they just dont do the job...
and for missile its all about pharaohs bowmen
Berserkers
Persian Cavalry
SS legions
Productivity
05-16-2005, 04:26
Other than that they're just as useless as other ballista type weapons everywhere else.
Even with normal numbers of machines I found them to be quite useful. You just have to fire them at a elite unit. Same with MTW, ballista crews were the best king killers ever.
ballearic slingers.
pretty powerful, good range (equal to some archers), and an immense amount of ammo. i've never seen them run out, so they're with you for a while. they rack up those chevrons quick.
but that's about it, i wish they were available in custom battles. (same for cilician pirates, pretty damn good units, javs + axes-deadly. wish i could use them in custom battles)
but that's about it, it's not so much a favourite unit, as all units (except the "fantasy" and uber units -urbans and such) have their pros in cons in every situation, so it's mostly what is best for a situation.
but berserkers. i dunno, i ALWAYS make my general unit zerks in custom battles, but they're a little cheap, and more of a fantasy unit... so i don't use them very often. so i won't count them. but i love having them as my general, everybody following behind a frenzied bunch of fanatics, charging unceasingly at the enemy...
so, in short, i really really dig ballearic slingers
Es Arkajae
05-16-2005, 05:51
Even with normal numbers of machines I found them to be quite useful. You just have to fire them at a elite unit. Same with MTW, ballista crews were the best king killers ever.
Maybe if you're on drugs or possibly had a stroke and lost all perception of reality.
The things are so inaccurate and so short ranged and slow loading that you would be far better off investing in a unit of archers whch would kill far more of the enemy than a pair of ballistas or scorpions would on a battlefield even on a good day.
Kekvit Irae
05-16-2005, 06:59
Spear Warband.
An army of 16 units of Spear Warbands can march on Rome long before the Greeks can churn out a single Spartan Hoplite.
Titus Livius
05-16-2005, 14:34
Cretan Archers, by far.
These guys are available in Asia Minor and parts of Greece, and have the longest range of any foot archers in the game, to my knowledge. They are worth their weight in gold, and when available I always buy them no matter how my coffers are doing. Get three or four units, and missile-centric factions such as the Ptolemiads will no longer bother you.
I sure do wish there was a way to retrain mercenaries, though.
My favorite unit depends on what faction I play; like berserkers, forester warbands, companions and so on.
I simply love artillery; especially onagers and their heavier version.
But my favorite unit is armoured elephants, man they crush everything! :ears:
Dutch_guy
05-16-2005, 14:39
I sure do wish there was a way to retrain mercenaries, though
well in a way it is possible - not retraining but close enough - you can of course merge 2 units. :bow:
Not as good as retraining but it does the job.
The Stranger
05-16-2005, 14:49
retraining mercenaries should never be an option. cuz they're hired. but hiring an amount of soldiers to refill the ranks should be one
Count Belisarius
05-16-2005, 15:08
When playing vanilla R:TW, I handicap myself by not using elephants anymore, unless I start with them as Carthage or I have that once-in-a-lifetime chance to hire Mercenary War Elephants. So other than that, I would have to say: Cataphracts.
There is something to be said for the regular Greek hoplite (powerful, cheap, and easy to retrain), but I have to go with an 'elite' unit when we're talking about favorites. The Armenian Cataphract Archer is better, of course, but I think they're downright unfair.
Cataphracts are on the expensive side and take 2 turns to train, but they are scary-effective. I have had them get chewed up by spiked chariots and of course I keep them away from elephants, but they are functionally invulnerable to arrow fire and come down on enemy infantry like an avalanche. Unless you're foolish enough to charge them head-on into a phalanx from the front, they're practically unstoppable. And they're only 140 denarii to maintain, which is a bargain!
Count Belisarius
05-16-2005, 15:14
retraining mercenaries should never be an option. cuz they're hired. but hiring an amount of soldiers to refill the ranks should be one
I respectfully disagree. What is the rationale for not retraining mercenaries? I mean, as long as your general and the mercenary unit in question are physically located in the correct zone of recruitment, what would be the real-world obstacle to having Agamemnon the Cretan Archer mercenary captain to send off to the home islands for a few of his cousins? Especially if there is another unit of the same type available for hire? I know that it's just the way the game is designed, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense from a realistic standpoint.
itsgottabeworthatry
05-16-2005, 18:28
Cavalry: Companion, Cataphracts and Egyptian Chariots
Infantry: Armoured Hoplite, Phalanx Pikemen, Poeni Infantry, Legionary Cohort, Baestarne and British Swordsmen.
Artillery: Cretan Archers, Archers, Slingers, Pharao's Bowmen and Heavy Onagers.
Legionary Cohorts. Nicely versatile and reliable. And for cavalry Mercenary Barbarian Cavalry. They are available almost everywhere in Western Europe and if you're not a Barbaric faction (preferably Romans) they really add to the realistic mercenary feel, as well as being actually pretty good. For archers virtually any armoured archer (Auxilia, Chosen) or Cretan unit will do. As long as I have lots of them.
Aegisthis The Infantryman
05-16-2005, 19:01
Cataphracts are excelent. They're good at charging in and are not only shock cavalry they also fight very well.
Arrowhead
05-16-2005, 19:36
Foresters.
tibilicus
05-16-2005, 19:58
Good old legions. Almost good for anything.
Alien of Germania
05-16-2005, 20:20
spearwarband no doubt.
The Stranger
05-16-2005, 20:47
Foresters.
we all know you like foresters, but we don't wanna know, so next time keep it for yourself
tibilicus
05-16-2005, 20:56
You two really should stop stabing each other. I dont know whats hapend in the past but what ever it is if your allways going to be at each other then just dont coment on one anothers coments. Im sorry some one had to say this. Now anyway back to the subject. spearwarbards one of my favourites too. Great starting infantry.
Garvanko
05-16-2005, 21:53
Urban Cohorts, Onagers, and any kind of hoplite really.
Titus Livius
05-17-2005, 01:17
You two really should stop stabing each other...
I think they should keep fighting. It's all fun and games until you hear that first bone break.
Diadochoi
05-17-2005, 01:32
Tanks, aka the armored elephants!
I love to storm cities with them, make them run through streets full of roman legionaries and watch the little men with no where to run, learn how to fly ~D I've had a unit score hundreds of kills that way in one battle ~:cheers:
I'm always tempted to do this, and I always lose all my elephants this way. The narrow spaces make them easy targets for missile weapons and dense ranks of spearmen, I guess. Regardless I don't recommend it.
pezhetairoi
05-17-2005, 01:47
Ah, yes, the humble Spear Warband. The best starter unit and possibly the best phalanx unit around, because they have 9 in melee, and they don't have a secondary sword weapon so they won't suddenly lose all their spears and go to melee mode like the Greeks once the first hastati gets through their guard, resulting in casualties. Spear warbands are very very nice. Though someone should reskin them so they get some shirts on. I always feel guilty making them stand in guard mode in square formation to await an enemy in a blizzard. I'm amazed they don't shiver.
Marquis of Roland
05-17-2005, 04:12
Armored Elephants.
Yes, using them is pretty much cheating all the way, but how many late nights playing RTW have you had and just want to wipe out a 20 unit army or assault a city but only have about 5-10 minutes to do it?
An exclusive armored elephant army (the first armored divisions?) is best used to wipe anything off the face of the planet, bar none. The impact when they hit the enemy army will probably send the first couple ranks airborne (I love it when I see hundreds of legionnaires trying to be like Mike). They rest they'll use to play football with till they're all dead. While all this is happening, you got two archers on top of each elephant shooting to death anyone in range. Not like they can fight back while being shot, since they're being stepped on by lots of extremely big feet.
Train these monsters in the right cities to start them off with 2 bronze chevron, gold sword and shield, wind them up and watch them go! So far, I've lost only 4-5 elephants max (in a city assault) playing on H/H.
I disagree with whoever said elephants aren't good in sieges. In my experience, no amount of spears/pikes or anything can stop these guys. They're also pretty much immune to arrows (flaming arrows are more effective but I have yet to see one of mine catch on fire). Sure, they might kill one or two of them (by luck) but if you keep your 400 or so elephants relatively close together, there is nothing, nothing that can touch them.
Best unit for fun and laughs, and saving you a long battle when its time to go to sleep. Oh yeah, they're good for building your general's stats too, since every battle you win will almost always be heroic, since you're almost always outnumbered fighting any large army. Make sure your guy doesn't get in the way and get trampled though (and at the same time getting your gen. involved, you don't want him to get "coward" trait)
pezhetairoi
05-17-2005, 04:24
...what happened to flaming arrows?
and who's Mike?
Marquis of Roland
05-17-2005, 04:43
AI will always select flaming arrows when shooting any elephants (and elephants for the AI are a high priority target: I've never seen them shoot at anything else whenever my elephants are in range, which you could then use your elephants to draw arrow fire away from your main army). If enough flaming arrows hit any particular elephant, they'll catch on fire and die. I don't think regular arrows are effective against elephants.
MIKE is Michael Jordan, he played basketball in America (I'm sorry I forgot I was addressing an international crowd for a moment). Michael Jordan was known for his ability to jump really high (among other things) and there was a shoe commercial I believe in the early 90's that had "Be Like Mike" as the slogan. By referring to Michael Jordan I'm saying the people the elephants send flying into the air can be comparable to Michael Jordan "flying" to the basketball hoop.
pezhetairoi
05-17-2005, 07:47
oooh now that pretty much puts things in perspective. It's impressive alright, except when you're on the receiving end (as I was.) I've never used elephants before, and I've only ever faced one unit, which gave a good accounting of itself at the expense of my troops, and then ran amok after losing only about 5. Hate them.
Spear Warbands are still the best.
The Stranger
05-17-2005, 08:03
I respectfully disagree. What is the rationale for not retraining mercenaries? I mean, as long as your general and the mercenary unit in question are physically located in the correct zone of recruitment, what would be the real-world obstacle to having Agamemnon the Cretan Archer mercenary captain to send off to the home islands for a few of his cousins? Especially if there is another unit of the same type available for hire? I know that it's just the way the game is designed, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense from a realistic standpoint.
ok, but then atleast the stats of the units should go down atleast with famous units. (i'm not talking about chevrons) cuz sarmatians were famed for heavy cav, romans/greeks weren't so when you put romans in a sarmatian merc cavalry unit he probably wouldn't be so good.
also when the greeks hired mercs, they probably didn't filled those ranks with their own soldiers but in fact did go get new ones, just as the romans did with all kinds of mercs, i name a few. numidian allies, sarmatian knights, germanic cavalry
The Stranger
05-17-2005, 08:05
I think they should keep fighting. It's all fun and games until you hear that first bone break.
and here you're wrong my friend, were both from titanium
Count Belisarius
05-17-2005, 13:43
ok, but then atleast the stats of the units should go down atleast with famous units. (i'm not talking about chevrons) cuz sarmatians were famed for heavy cav, romans/greeks weren't so when you put romans in a sarmatian merc cavalry unit he probably wouldn't be so good.
also when the greeks hired mercs, they probably didn't filled those ranks with their own soldiers but in fact did go get new ones, just as the romans did with all kinds of mercs, i name a few. numidian allies, sarmatian knights, germanic cavalry
I agree with you. Ideally, if you were able to retrain mercenaries, their stats should be diluted the same way as if you'd filled out the ranks from another unit of the same type. And you would have to take the merc unit back to a region where the same types of mercs are available: no retraining Sarmatians in Britain for example.
On a related subject, I think that it's a little crazy how a half-strength experienced non-merc unit can be retrained to full strength without losing any of its experience. The old Shoggy unit retraining system made for a much more interesting choice: an experienced few vs. a green unit at full strength.
This topic has brought me out of hiding! Well I've been here reading, but not replying.
Also got my new PC, and it runs RTW on maximum settings no lag, wOOt, only a battle of 26,000 troops lagged it a tad, so I'm set!!!! Sorry, just so excited, got it three days ago, & am enjoying RTW, its like a whole new game compared to my old PC.
Anyways, this is what I had to come & reply about:
SPARTANS!
Why my favorite unit? Well if you remember me, you'll know why lol!
Way to go Siris congrats on your new computer. I plan on buying a new computer after the summerand can't wait to play on huge max settings. And you can't deny the Spartans are the bes infantry unit in the game.
pezhetairoi
05-18-2005, 01:36
nownow, no large font sizes here... the last guy who did 'Foresters!' in big black lettering got told off...
Productivity
05-18-2005, 09:55
Maybe if you're on drugs or possibly had a stroke and lost all perception of reality.
The things are so inaccurate and so short ranged and slow loading that you would be far better off investing in a unit of archers whch would kill far more of the enemy than a pair of ballistas or scorpions would on a battlefield even on a good day.
Small unit, so they gain chevrons pretty quickly, and then they do a lot of damage. The archers may kill more units on average. But I'd prefer to have the ballistas shooting at cataphracts than the archers.
But keep on thinking they are useless... I've taken out enough expensive units in multiplayer games with them to know the value of those who think they are useless.
King Arthur
05-18-2005, 13:36
I really like the Rhodian slingers. they never run out of ammo and are very accurate
My slingers never seemed to be capable, of actually killing anything, mabye it was just a bug on my game? But I would try, they'd get like one or two guys in one volley if that, like they were tossing pebbels you know!!!
From all archers I prefer cretans most of all.
Craterus
05-18-2005, 16:16
nownow, no large font sizes here... the last guy who did 'Foresters!' in big black lettering got told off...
That would be because Emperor Umeu 1 argues with Arrowhead a lot (especially when discussing best unit in the game). I don't think it was because of the large font.
Cretans and Rhodians are the ultimate mercenary missile units.
bull warriors and horse archers ( skythian noble archers ) are cool.
Craterus
05-18-2005, 16:38
I like Bull Warriors but I've yet to have the pleasure of fighting a lot of battles with them. They have cool hats though.
King Arthur
05-18-2005, 18:38
My slingers never seemed to be capable, of actually killing anything, mabye it was just a bug on my game? But I would try, they'd get like one or two guys in one volley if that, like they were tossing pebbels you know!!!
did you spread the formation width out .i found that this improved the rhodian slingers performance , although they are usually very good
The Stranger
05-18-2005, 18:57
That would be because Emperor Umeu 1 argues with Arrowhead a lot (especially when discussing best unit in the game). I don't think it was because of the large font.
Cretans and Rhodians are the ultimate mercenary missile units.
yeah, it wasn't because of the letters. it was because i like to piss Arrowhead off. but indeed Cretans are the best merc missile unit ingame
Sad to see nobody mentioned Head Hurlers! They completely decimate even the heaviest enemy with their arrow fire (What arrow? :rolleyes:) And they have cool look, you know cut off heads as a belt :laugh4:
Armoured Hoplites are God-like unit, dont get any casualties from arrow fire, halts cavalry, and able to win most of the time, even get flanked or hit from rear! I believe they are scarier than Spartans.
I agree with Spear Warband too. They are overpowered. Only downside is they drain population which Germans doesn't have.
What else?.. Cretan Archers are also so overpowered, I don't use them. Catapracts are also very very cool.
If I am in the mood to waste time in battle screen, I am a big fan of Scythed Chariots. I like watching them hit the lines, micromanage them to cut through. And hit again from the back.
And I almost forgot Berserkers! They are quite fun on the walls. Especially in Barbarian Invasion.
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