Are habs really that good? [Archive]

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antisocialmunky

07-26-2005, 03:18

I've been wondering, how good are stock habs? I never liked the stock thing, heavy armour, but crap morale.

I've heard alot of praise of them by Russophiles but never liked them all that much.

Zarax

07-26-2005, 08:44

Place them on a bridge and they'll butcher a lot of cav ignoring most arrow fire, also a good choice for castle assaults but in open field they don't really shine...

Procrustes

07-26-2005, 09:01

I find them to be a little unpredictable - sometimes they cut a unit down, other times they suddenly route. Any moral bonuses you can give them are well worth it. (Play around with some small 1:1 custom battles if you want. While you can repeat most results over and over, when you match something against halbs results will vary more.)

Advo-san

07-26-2005, 09:29

IMHO in Historical campaigns-Jeanne d' Arce- La Loire Valley, the Halbergiers are the only unit that can kill the English Chivalric foot knights. Everything else will be in vain... :whip:

Zarax

07-26-2005, 09:33

IMHO in Historical campaigns-Jeanne d' Arce- La Loire Valley, the Halbergiers are the only unit that can kill the English Chivalric foot knights. Everything else will be in vain... :whip:

I hope you pin them down with something else, as stats speaking CFK vaporizes halbs with their AP attack.

Advo-san

07-26-2005, 09:43

Zarax

07-26-2005, 09:46

@zarax
You may be right.. I should refrase: The 2 units of halbergiers (from the east, if I can recall right) are the only combination of troops that can hold the CFKs long enough for the rest of my army to beat the english and flank the CFKs.

P.S. Where can the stats be found?

Grab Gnome Editor and use it to look and edit the unit stats...

CFK have a base attack of 4 that becomes at least 6 when facing the heavily armoured halbs...

Advo-san

07-26-2005, 09:52

Damn... What do you suggest I do with those CFKs? I mean, I 've finished the senario already but maybe there's a better way.. Should I use Chivalric sergeants for the job?

Zarax

07-26-2005, 11:20

Damn... What do you suggest I do with those CFKs? I mean, I 've finished the senario already but maybe there's a better way.. Should I use Chivalric sergeants for the job?

CS are good for pinning, they have the defence stats to last while having only 3 armour it reduces the bonus CFK gets.

If I was in you I'd spare the halbs for the enemy cavalry where they gets +3 attack and +1 defence.

Advo-san

07-26-2005, 12:38

@Zarax:Thanx mate. It is not going to be easy though... The AI CFKs stay out of action untill they see my cavalry moving in; then they mobilize to encounter it. I 'll let you know how it worked.

P.S. Can you link me to the Gnome Editor please?

Zarax

07-26-2005, 12:45

Advo-san

07-26-2005, 13:04

:rtwyes: U r the man

Kommodus

07-26-2005, 15:19

I've been wondering, how good are stock habs? I never liked the stock thing, heavy armour, but crap morale.

If used correctly, halberdiers are a very solid, well-balanced infantry unit that can take on most enemies and win. The low morale is only a problem if they are flanked, and if they have a few extra valour points, it's much less of an issue. (Consider: halbs have the same base morale as chivalric sergeants.) Their high armour and defense stats mean that when they defeat an enemy unit, their losses will be comparatively low, and they can absorb arrow fire better than most. They murder almost any cavalry unit, especially in trees - stick a single unit of halbs in the woods and watch waves of Mongols melt away; that's probably why Russian players love them so much. They can beat most swordsmen and all spearmen, making them a very solid, well-rounded infantry line.

That said, they do have their weaknesses. Their heavy armor makes them tire more quickly than most, and they are utterly useless in the desert because of this. Their low morale makes them unreliable when the battle-plan goes pear-shaped; for this reason they lose their shine in multiplayer. Also, they move very slowly, and thus aren't suitable for quick attacks. They are vulnerable to some armor-piercing units, especially elite ones, such as CFK, JHI, and huscarles.

My verdict is this: in the single-player campaign, they are one of the best units you can get, unless you play badly and let your army get flanked. They're not so good in multiplayer because of the preponderance of elite units and advanced tactics.

antisocialmunky

07-26-2005, 15:49

+2 Valour Billman are a force to be reckoned with aswell.

Zarax

07-26-2005, 18:22

Swiss Halbs rule them all if there aren't archers around

PittBull260

07-26-2005, 20:07

i've always been amazed by the habs, they can fight against pretty much everything in my opinion, they're just slow, but that's ok
in bridge battles halbs can hold off a LOT of men...

antisocialmunky

07-26-2005, 21:58

Anything except for peasants can hold a bridge decently.

Philippus Flavius Homovallumus

07-26-2005, 23:29

Yeah, but asside from Huscarles and Billmen Halbadiers are the only unit that do it without running down to ten men. I've actually stopped using Habs altogether as the English at the moment but I really should have some around for assaults, how stupid of me!

Productivity

07-27-2005, 03:15

Grab Gnome Editor and use it to look and edit the unit stats...

CFK have a base attack of 4 that becomes at least 6 when facing the heavily armoured halbs...

But wont halberdiers get an armour piercing bonus as well?

Zarax

07-27-2005, 09:22

But wont halberdiers get an armour piercing bonus as well?

Yes, they would get the same bonus CFK gets but since they start at 0 attack it doesn't really do a lot of good...

crpcarrot

07-27-2005, 10:26

@zarax
You may be right.. I should refrase: The 2 units of halbergiers (from the east, if I can recall right) are the only combination of troops that can hold the CFKs long enough for the rest of my army to beat the english and flank the CFKs.

P.S. Where can the stats be found?

there used to be a unit comparison tool cant remember the name of the site where i downloaded. i'm sure someone here knows. anyway can email it to u if u want it

Advo-san

07-27-2005, 12:20

Thanx mate, I ve grabbed the Gnome and it is pretty fine. Thanx anyway! ~:) ~:)

Zarax

07-27-2005, 12:24

Gnome editor is also an excellent tool if you want to start modding the game, it allows to customize most unit and building stats.

Geezer57

07-27-2005, 17:48

there used to be a unit comparison tool cant remember the name of the site where i downloaded. i'm sure someone here knows. anyway can email it to u if u want it

That would probably be the Yas Units Master Tool found here:

http://shogun.cafe24.com/medieval/

yesdachi

07-27-2005, 18:38

That would probably be the Yas Units Master Tool found here:

http://shogun.cafe24.com/medieval/
It’s a fun way to compare units and it really shows just how effective weapons, armor and valor upgrades are.

m52nickerson

07-28-2005, 02:01

I love Habs! They make up the front line of my Polish armys. Four units of Habs up front, with a unit of Chiv men at arms behide each. The Habs can charge forword past my Alabaters to meet any Calvary, or armored unit. Other units get charged by my men at arms. I've never had any problems with the habs running away.