Faction selection! Help!

Hey guys,

I just started playing Rome a month ago and I've been having some problems selecting a primary race. I've been playing RTS for a long time and there's just so many selectable races!

I like the Spartans of the Greeks, but they lack some things that other races offer, I'm not sure how to be offensive with them. The Selecids (Spelling?) seem to be very well rounded, containing everything you'd need, am I missing something, a weakness maybe? The egyptions also intrest me.

Basically what I'm wonder is the basic strategies for the Greeks, Selecids and Egyptions.

Also, one more thing, what are "Hitpoints" mentioned under the unit stats?

Thanks a lot,
- KboT

Umm.. I couldn't find an edit button...

I forgot to mention I'd like to know the main effective units for these races. What units are used and useful when I play multiplayer?

Thanks again!

Can anyone help? :(

Hhmmm, okey,
Seulicids are definatly the most well rounded, but they start out with some very weak and useless troops and it takes a while before you can get good troops, but when you do, it is probally one of the best factions. i've never played with them tho.
best units I reckon are:
-Companion cavalry
-Cataphracts
-silver shield pikemen & legionary
-elephants

greeks can be very powerful, but you have to realise that your armies are rather inflexible. If you want to attack with them, you should just push forward with you entire phalanx line, and use any cavalry or non-phalanx troops you might have to protect you flanks, however, you should realise that you need to keep your line together (never allow it to break up into single pieces!) and that the macadonians (and seleucids) have much longer spears than you do! so frontal assaults on their troops doesn't work!
best units:
-Spartans!
-Armoured hoplites
-Rhodian slingers
-Cretian Archers

I never played with the egyptians (in vanilla anyway), but I reckon you'd need to use them in about the same way.
best units: wouldn't know

other intresting factions you might consider:
Parthia, Armenia and Scythia/Sarmatia, if you like to use cavalry (armenia also has some decent infantry, so you might want to choose them), but don't forget; cavalry dies when they've lost momentum! Don't ever sent them into a melee with infantry unless you are sure they'll brake soon!

Romans, they have some of the most powerful infantry in the game, and don't require quite as much skill to use as phalanx troops, they also own some great late cavalry.

Carthaginians, they have a sensable mix of phalanx and non-phalanx troops, along with some great cavalry, and elephants, but lack some missle troops (balearic slingers are good, but not great imo). Their armies can be very flexable, but generaly, their troops aren't as good as other faction's troops (sacred band infantry and cavalry are some of the best units is game tho, but are only available late game and are rather expensive)

Barbarians, well I don't like them to much, I find their armies to be somewhat limited and I just don't like playing with them. The Iberians (Spanish) are probally the best (I love their Scutarii) and the britons probally the worst, as IIRC they effectifly lack any cavalry and missletroops, I don't know about the Dacians and Thracians tho.

However, you should remember that each factions fights best on their native terrain (the Romans are great all rounders tho)

Parthia, Scythia/Sarmatia, Armenia and the Greeks preform best on the great open planes (grassland preferably)

The succesorstates (Macedonia, Seleucia, Egypt, Pontus) can be used on most terrains, tho open planes are prefferable, the Egyptians also preform better in the desert.

The barbarians (Britons, Germans, Guals, Dacia, Thracia and Iberians) preform best in the woods and the snow, and are somewhat limited in the desert.

The Romans are great allrounders and shouldn't have much trouble being deployed on any terrain, they do prefer open grassland and don't like the snow and desert to much (but can still be deployed there)

The Carthaginians aren't much different from the Romans, but they mostly prefer the desert over the snowcovered grasslands and forests.

Numidia is a small mystery to me, I never really played with them, but they really prefer the desert over anythings else. Rocky terrain is probally wishfull too, as it gives their missletroops some protection against the enemy

Some other things to realise:
-rocky terrain breakes up phalanx formations, so if defending always place you troops behind them, and if attack always place your troops infront of them
-forests protect from misslefire and cavalry charges, go there to be somewhat safe
-hills give the person on top huge advantages! always try to get the hill

And hitpoints aren't anything more than an indications of how many hits a unit can take. 1 hitpoints means they'll die in one hit, while 2 hitpoint units can take 2 hits logicly isn;t it?

I hope this was of some use to you :)

The greeks have rather a defensive unit roster but with Spartans u shouldend have much trouble on the offensive.They have 2 hitpoints so it takes 2 hits for them to actually die and with those stats thats priceless.A big price though cause there upkeep and cost is the only downside and they are only buildable in Sparta.This is not really a problem if u control the seas and as the Greeks u should work on that.Also you should focus mainly on building armoured hoplites, they are cheaper and much easyer to distribute over your empire.

Thank you guys very much!

This is defintally going to help me select a race.

A big thing to factor in is that many of the best factions regarding units, also start off in rather dangerous and vunerable positions. The Selucids are a perfect example. They have an amazing and flexible selection of units, but at the same time they start the game surrounded by enemies. Someone suggested Armenia... they start off in an even worse position with just two starting provinces!

Hi kbot, you wouldn't happened to have played Total Annihilation would you ?:P

Anyway, Egypt is probably the easiest out of the 3 you meantioned to play as, due to their good starting positon to the west there is only the weak and seperated Numidians, to the east there is first a few rebel city then the Selucids who will be banged by multiple factions. while ur army line up is very well rounded and strong.

The Selucide have the best army, but their early position is horrible and will be very difficult if you make a few mistakes.

The Greek probably have the most limited army out of the 3, though they can build up their economy the fastest, their starting position is also quiet difficult but at least they can afford a few mistake unlike the Selucids. as long as they can hold on to Rhodes and the Balkans they will do fine.

haha, everyone ask me that but in all honesty, I got this nick name even before TA came out! They must have stolen it from me :P

But anyways, yeah, some great stuff here. The Spartan Phalanx's are great. I've been using them in custom battles and they really are amazing.

The Selecid's 'disversity' is also great. I love how they have troops for every situation.

I like the Egyptions Archers a lot, they're the best in the game if I recall correctly. There Phalanxs also seem cheap, but very powerful. I like the idea of Chariots but I feel it kind of hard to use them, I guess I need some practice on them.

Could someone help me out with Multiplayer unit selection? I've heard Elephants are good, then I heard they're bad. I heard Chariots are good, then some people say Selecid Chairots are no good (Same goes for Egypt). I've seen people use Hoplites over Spartans even though it was a 50000 Danrii game! Got me kind of confused, I can't seem to get a solid awnser on what units are good and which are bad.

You guys are awesome helpful :P

Thanks again!

Not much experience with multiplayer, but it seems to me that Armenia would be quite competitive (no need to worry about the p-poor starting position and lack of pop growth in homelands). Cat archers are my favourites. In a 1.1 Armenia game I found that I needed nothing else to beat all comers. They didn't kill elephants, but routed them easily enough. Cat archers are kind of a counter-everything unit ~:)
Armenia also have decent phalanx and mock legion units.

Having the best archers combined with getting a height advantage is likely to be a game winner. The Egyptians are lethal... they had 9 archers on a hill - I sent a full unit of javelin cav after them (my choices were limited and I needed to sally) - my guys routed before they got to the archers - only half of them returned. Cretin arsers ~;) are really really good. Rodeo singers are really good.
Egyptian Metal Skin Mutant Axemen are also too good, but I think someone said they're slightly nerfed in 1.2

Well some people dont like elephant because if they run amok ur screwed in most situation, and they could run amok quiet easily in the right situation (for example if multiple fire arrow and javilin blast it) the main problem with chariot is that it get stuck in ur own units if ur not careful.

Both of these are hard to use but extremely good when done right units...

What's good and whats not is really hard to say, really depend on what they have. there are some obvious things, you will need some calvary, usually try to get a decent mix so ur tactic is not totally limited.

'Cretin arsers are really really good. Rodeo singers are really good.
Egyptian Metal Skin Mutant Axemen are also too good'

They're all very good. Cretin Arsers are the best for archery, except for maybe some egyptians and the barbarian archer warband, Rodeo Singers rock when it comes to killing, because they can kill most people with one hit. As for the egyptian axemen with their transparent aluminium armour, well....i don't like using them. The armour is far too good even though they're not using , so it would be considered an uber cheat, and i don't like that.

Alright, so I've narrowed it down to Egypt or Greece.

Greece I'll just have to get used to being offensive with Phalanxs.

With Egypt I'm not sure what units to use. I've seen the Phalanx used and of course their Archers. But what calvery and infantry are used? Desert Calvery or Nile Calvery? Are Desert Axemen any good? And what Chariots are worth using?

For MP selection, I'd recommand you post in MP forum ~:)

To be honest; try to play with a little of everything! I don't think there is a need in specialization when playing RTW online.

Louis,

True true. I guess it's all going to depend on my selection and what I feel comfortable with.

Now to decide on a race, campagin with them, then move on to Multiplayer!

Thanks guys

No matter what you play (MP, Campaign, Custom Battles) I would suggest learning most of the factions, so that you know how to counter everyone, even if you decide to specialize.