Barracks vs Walls (in terms of troop production)

[Jambo]

Is there any point in building the barracks line of buildings when almost all the same units are available in sufficient quantity from the basic city walls or castle level?

Must say I've never really bothered with them...

Thoughts?

[Sir_Hawkwood]

I think (looking unsure) that they lower the build cost of the comparable wall built units and give free upkeep cost to those units whilst garrisoned...

Could be wrong though...

Even if there not worth building, they certainly are worth blowing up!

Many thanks
SJH

[katank]

I don't think they lower cost although they increase the recruitment pool. This enables you to crank out say twice as many in a given time period from the castle which has its uses.

[baron_Leo]

BTW baracks also lower unrest if i am right

[Musashi]

Generally you don't get your crossbow militia without the barracks upgrades...

[Handel]

Some buildings in the citadels says "+1 free upkeep unts", but I never ever saw free upkeep units in the citadels.
As for the other purpose - they only increase the recruiting pool. They probably increase the happiness too, but who cares? The happiness in the citadels is in abundance.

[PureFodder]

Some factions, for example the Moors, can only build the best of their infantry from the top teir barracks. No barracks = no dismounted christian guard. Also top teir barracks can make infantry with one rank increase. On the other hand, there's no point in the Moors building any stables as the city walls give you Christian guards and the castle walls can get you lancers and Jinietes. I guess the thing to do is to look at the buildings browser before you begin your campaign and see what's worth making.

[lars573]

Is there any point in building the barracks line of buildings when almost all the same units are available in sufficient quantity from the basic city walls or castle level?

Must say I've never really bothered with them...

Thoughts?
Actually that's not true in the least. Factions that get more than Town milita and 1 or 2 advanced units from walls are the exception not the rule. If you don't build a barracks your not going to get spear militia, ranged militia, halbred or pike militia.

[Quillan]

Then add in up to a 15% public order bonus due to law, and a potentially large increase in the recruitment pool, and they are well worth building. In the castle line of buildings as Byzantium, for example, building stables will increase your potential recruitment of Byzantine Cavalry from a max of 3 units to a max of 9 units, so it's a good idea to build it up if you're using that unit a lot. Other faction/unit combinations, perhaps not so much. For cities, barracks are probably a good idea regardless. You need an army barracks to build arquebusiers, period.

[Spark]

The larger recruitment pool allows you to specialize. Instead of having many castles with just walls to offer a large enough pool, you can have fewer castles that focus on mass producing one unit type. It also makes it easier to build units with upgraded armor, since you don't need lots of blacksmiths / rerouting every new troop to a castle with a blacksmith. Basically you save money.

[lars573]

I never specialize. But I cheat for money so that's no issue. But yeah if you don't build anything beyond castle upgrades or walls your forgoring most of your units. 80% for cities and 60% for castles.

[gkoleoglu]

In cities u get the free upkeep bonus only for units u can build so having a town guard saves u money at the wooden wall stages when u cant build spear millita(is that how u spell it)
hmm also u only get the free upkeep bonus for millita even in citadels...
oh and also u dont getto have gunpowder units if u dont get city barracks


first post :beam:

[Von Nanega]

Barracks are always built in my cities / castle. I find the higher troop production and order is worth ones while. Especially at the later stages when population is higher.

[Oaty]

Some of those units that come from the walls have a much higher upkeep than thier equivalient from the barracks. So I used the walls earlier for defense and trained the more expensive infantry. As my empire got built up I was cranking out the same quality infantry but much cheaper to recruit and cheaper to upkeep