Units Of Rome Total War: Romans

Since Alot of the changing of our mod HRTW deals with the units.. i've decided to give the descriptions of each unit in the TW series.. hopefully after ideas, suggestions and discussion we can decide which units to keep and which units to change and or scrap.. the first faction featured will be the Romans.. i might include the units from popular mods as well..

P.S. was not able to add the post-marian reform units.. if anybody knows how I can access them without playing until the reform please let me know!

Peasants
Attachment 1678
Peasants are reluctant warriors, but numbers are useful in all armies. Forcing peasants to fight is one way of getting lots of men in the field quickly and cheaply. They have little tactical sense, and even less willingness to fight - they would rather be defending their own homes than be dragged to a battle they neither care about nor understand. If nothing else, they are useful when there's digging to be done! They are, however, experts at reading the land and hiding whenever there is cover.

Town Watch
Attachment 1679
The town watch are local workers and peasants given enough training to defend their homes and keep order in the streets. They are no substitute for fully trained Roman legionaries, but then they are not expected to be more than a citizen militia with an interest in keeping the peace (and possibly they might have some fire fighting duties). They do not have much equipment, as the most they are expected to do is stand behind their spears and shields, and then hold position when charged. By and large, this they manage to do.

Hastati
Attachment 1680
Hastati are among the younger men in an early Republican Legion, and form the front line in any battle. They are supposed to wear down an enemy and hold him before the next Roman battle line attacks and carries on the fight. They are, as a result, capable troops in their own right.
They are armed with two pila that are thrown at the enemy at close range before they close to fight hand-to-hand. They are equipped with a sword, a bronze helmet, a large shield and a breastplate. The pilum (plural, pila) is a cleverly designed spear with a soft iron shaft behind the point; it bends on impact so that it can’t be thrown back and if it’s stuck in someone or something it is a real hindrance to movement.
Historically, hastati spent their own money on their equipment and often couldn’t afford anything much better. This, along with the age and property requirements, was why they fought as hastati.

Principes
Attachment 1681
Principes are older, more reliable soldiers who have seen some service. It is their task to be the second line of a legion and carry on the fight once the hastati are spent. They are supposed to carry on the 'wearing down' fight and exhaust the enemy. They are, as a result, capable soldiers and unafraid of combat.
They are armed with two pila that are thrown at the enemy at close range before they close to fight hand-to-hand. They are each equipped with a sword, a bronze helmet, a large shield and chain armour. The pilum (plural, pila) is a cleverly designed spear with a soft iron shaft behind the point; it bends on impact so that it can’t be thrown back and if it’s stuck in someone or something it is a real hindrance to movement - always assuming whoever it's stuck in isn't dead!
Historically, principes spent their own money on their equipment and, being older, were in a position to buy better gear than the young hastati. This, along with the age and property requirements, was why they fought as principes.

Triarii
Attachment 1682
Triarii are tough heavy spearmen who make up the third and most senior part of a Roman Legion before the military Reforms of Gaius Marius. They carry a long "hoplite-style" spear (the hasta) which is used to thrust, a long shield and a gladius. They are the oldest veteran soldiers, and well armoured – hardly surprising, given that they are also drawn from the richest section of society.
The triarii are the last available line in early-pattern Republican Legions. "Going to the triarii" is a Roman saying meaning carrying on to the bitter end, and if they are used it’s a sign that the moment of decision in a battle has arrived.
Historically, triarii spent their own money on their equipment and could afford to buy the best of everything.

Velites
Attachment 1683
Velites are light skirmishing troops who screen the main battle line of an early-pattern Legion as it advances.
They are armed with javelins and a stabbing sword, and carry a small round shield but no other protection. It is their task to harass the enemy before the main combat begins.
Velites are recruited from younger citizens, who lack the experience (or the money for their own gear) to fight as hastati or other heavy infantry.
Roman velites become outdated after the Marius Reforms. Historically, Marius put the Roman army on a professional footing, and abandoned all property and age requirements in the process. Roman citizens would no longer go to war as-and-when as a civic duty; they would fight in future as full-time citizen-mercenaries in the Legions.

Roman Archers
Attachment 1684
Roman archers are supporting troops for heavier infantry, very much a secondary role in Roman warfare. They are missile troops almost exclusively, as their lack of armour and poor hand weapons mean that only a heartless or desperate commander would deliberately order them to fight in hand-to-hand combat. Archery is not really a significant part of the Roman way of warfare, but the need for some missile troops is obvious to Roman commanders, and hence these archers are recruited from among the peasant classes.

Equites
Attachment 1685
Equites are light cavalrymen armed with spears. In the Roman system of war, they are intended to drive off skirmishers and pursue fleeing enemies. The word equites means 'horsemen', and they are recruited from among the well-off sections of society. They wear little armour and only carry spears and shields. As a result, they can charge enemies, but may be cut to pieces by a prepared defensive line of spearmen if these were attacked head on. Instead, they should be used against the flanks or rear of units, or to keep missile troops and skirmishers away from the main Roman heavy infantry (who are the real killers of a Roman army).
Historically, equites were drawn from the equestrian classes - literally the rich people who could afford to own horses - and they spent their own money on both horse and war gear.

Cavalry Auxilia
Attachment 1686
Cavalry auxilia are javelin-armed mounted skirmishers who strike quickly and retire with equal and prudent haste. They do not wear armour, but do carry shields and swords so that they can fight in their own defence should the need arise. They are, however, best used to harass a mass of enemy units such as heavy infantry. Such targets cannot hope to catch them! They are not ideally suited to fighting other skirmishers, as many of their javelins will be wasted against targets that can dodge, but they can be very useful in harrying fleeing enemies and driving them from the field.

Early Roman General's Bodyguard
Attachment 1687
This general has a bodyguard of loyal spear-armed cavalry to accompany him onto the field. Armed with spears, these men are shock cavalry, able to deliver a devastating charge attack; they are then well trained enough to fight effectively in continued hand-to-hand combat.\n\nLike all general's guards, this unit is best committed to the fight at the point of crisis, when the general's inspirational leadership and the combat power of his men can tip the balance.

Wardogs
Attachment 1688
Wardogs are bred for a savage nature and great size, but then hunting men is only a little more dangerous than hunting wild boar! The beasts are muscular and powerful. Originally bred for hunting large prey, they are now trained to hunt and attack men. Wardogs are usually unleashed on an enemy to break a line and unnerve opponents. Few men are able to stand steadily in the face of a snarling and partially-starved beast. The dogs are trained to bite and hold on, dragging down their human targets, and hamstringing horses.
Their handlers are brave, hardy and not easily intimidated: many have fingers, hands or even chunks of limbs missing!

Incendiary Pigs
Attachment 1689
Incendiary pigs are 'one shot' weapons intended to spread panic and terror amongst enemies, particularly mounted troops.
The pigs are coated in pitch, tar and oil, and herded towards the enemy. At the right moment, the pigs are ignited by their handlers and, not unnaturally, they run away in pain and terror - hopefully towards the enemy. Apart from goring anyone foolish enough to get in their way, the pigs are tremendously disruptive to formations. They are also very frightening for elephants in particular, and this is their main use in warfare.
Pigs can only be fired up once during a battle, and few survive for long.

Arcani
Attachment 1690
They are a shadowy part of the Roman army organised in small groups and competent in camouflage and deception. The arcani exist almost as a secret society whose very name should not be spoken.
The armour they wear is finely crafted so that while it offers great protection, it will not slow or tire the fantastically fit arcani troops. Their face masks mean opposing troops may even flee in terror when surprised by a group of these blood-thirsty killers!

Samnite Gladiators
Attachment 1691
Samnite gladiators are more than just soldiers. They are superb individual fighters, unmatched by any ordinary warriors. They fight wearing little armour - their lot in life isn't necessarily to live, but to die in an entertaining manner. Samnites would normally fight as one half of a matched pair, but on a battlefield they form a unit all of their own.
They are a specialised elite, one that cares little for personal safety as the only way to attain any reward is through victory! Gladiators, after all, are part of the damnati: the disgraced, the condemned, the untouchables in society. There is nowhere else for them to go in the search for freedom.

Velite Gladiators
Attachment 1692
Velite gladiators are more than mere light infantrymen - they are superb individual fighters, unmatched by any ordinary warriors. They fight wearing little armour - their lot in life isn't always to live through a fight, but to die in an entertaining manner. The style of the velite is one that uses only a spear and shield combination, relying on natural agility to avoid injury and death.
Gladiators are used in battle as a specialised elite, one that cares little for personal safety - the only way to attain freedom is through victory! Gladiators, after all, are part of the damnati: the disgraced, the condemned, and the untouchables in society. There is nowhere else for them to go.

Mirmillo Gladiators
Attachment 1693
Mirmillo gladiators are superb individual fighters, unmatched by any ordinary soldiers. They wear apparently impractical armour, but then it is designed to stop a quick kill in the arena, not necessarily keep them alive in a battle. They would normally fight singly as half of a matched pair, against another style of fighter, but on a battlefield they form a unit all of their own.
They care little for personal safety as they are part of the damnati: the disgraced, the condemned, the untouchables in society. They fight; they win; they may gain freedom... eventually.

Ballistas
Attachment 1694
A Ballista is a sinew-powered weapon that looks like an enormous crossbow. It has tremendous range and can skewer files of men with a single bolt!
While a Ballista might look like a huge crossbow, its working principles are rather different. The two arms are pushed through ropes made of tough animal sinew. This naturally elastic material is then twisted, and becomes a hugely powerful spring, pulling each arm forwards. The arms are pulled back, creating even more tension, the Ballista is loaded with a missile, and then this is shot at the enemy with considerable force.
Providing care is taken to make sure that the two sinew bundles are under the same tension, the Ballista is a very accurate weapon, but because sinew is sensitive to damp a Ballista does not work well in wet weather.

Repeating Ballistas
Attachment 1695
The repeating ballista is a semi-automatic artillery weapon. As long as it is loaded with bolts and cranked it will keep firing. The basic design is similar to a ballista: twisted animal sinew ropes provide the power. There is an ingenious winding mechanism that draws back the arms, drops a bolt into place and then releases a catch - and all this happens repeatedly as long as a windlass is turned.
This makes it a perfect weapon for creating a 'beaten zone' or targeting large enemy formations, when speed of fire is more important than pinpoint accuracy.

Scorpions
Attachment 1696
A Roman scorpion is a sinew-powered weapon that looks like a large bow laid sideways on a frame. It has a tremendous range and can skewer a man with a single shot!
While a scorpion might look like a huge bow, its working principles are rather different. The two arms are pushed through ropes made of tough animal sinew which is then twisted, becoming a hugely powerful spring, pulling each arm forwards. The arms are pulled back, creating even more tension, the scorpion is loaded with a missile, and then this is shot at the enemy with considerable force and accuracy.
Providing care is taken to make sure that the two sinew bundles are under the same tension, the scorpion is a very accurate weapon, but because sinew is sensitive to damp a scorpion may not work properly in wet weather.

Onagers
Attachment 1697
The onager is a catapult jokingly named for the tremendous kick it has when fired at the enemy (an "onager" is a wild ass). This war machine is powered by a twisted spring of animal sinew ropes, the most elastic substance available.
The throwing arm is held in tension by the sinews. When pulled back and held by a catch it can fling a boulder with considerable speed and range. This version can be used for reducing stone fortifications, but it can also be used on the battlefield for destroying enemy artillery and harassing troops (although admittedly by killing some of them outright).
The onager can also be used to launch incendiary missiles such as firepots, making it a versatile piece of artillery to any commander.

Heavy Onagers
Attachment 1698
The heavy onager is an enormous catapult built using the same basic design as its sibling and capable of smashing down stone fortifications. It is powered by a twisted bundle of animal sinew ropes, and is slow to wind back and reload. Its missiles are devastating, and it can also fire incendiary firepots.
Range is no more than the smaller onager and this makes the heavy onager susceptible to counter fire. Often, it is best employed alongside smaller artillery to deal with enemy fire.


I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and feel welcome to give your ideas/thoughts on these units for HRTW.. Up Next:The Greeks

Uhm... Ahowl. Those are not reskinned yet.. Delete the images, and ask OceanPhoenix for his reskins.
BTW: You must delete all arcani and gladiators, and the onagers

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Originally Posted by Valkar

BTW: You must delete all arcani and gladiators, and the onagers

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Why onagers???:stare:

Onagers are not historical. Every hellenic and roman culture used three maniple stone projectors for siege. There's no such thing as a onager.

notice how the thread is called units of rome total war? they are all vanilla.. arcani are dumb and i dont like onagers either.. what about the other siege weapons?

also i figured we would give the gladiators to the rebels for the gladiator uprising.. as well as peasants

Peasents should be unrecruitable, only avaible in Revolts :)

yes i totally agree.. also i believe town watch should lose the cape and be labeled as Rorarii

And get a more white skin, for historical purposes.

well actually i was thinking.. the skins that rebels have? why not use those for AOR units? they would be AOR and for rebels:)

The most historical correct skin of vanilla is the rebel one, for its soft color and not bright paint :D NIce guess :d

it was educated:) but that way the player can tell the difference between faction units and AOR units

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

notice how the thread is called units of rome total war? they are all vanilla.. arcani are dumb and i dont like onagers either.. what about the other siege weapons?

also i figured we would give the gladiators to the rebels for the gladiator uprising.. as well as peasants

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We can make Spartacus appear with a script...

thats an idea.. but if we have spartacus we need hannibal, caesar, and co. it is a good idea though

Awsome Idea!
Not many mods have that.:yes:

it is awesome.. but it would take alot of work

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

it is awesome.. but it would take alot of work

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Not that much work...
We coud get a scripter somewhere...
:yes:

know of any? we have one on the team.. his name is Primo at TWC.. however he will be gone for a week or so

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

know of any? we have one on the team.. his name is Primo at TWC.. however he will be gone for a week or so

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Nope.
Hmmm...maybe relese these features in Beta?

ya it will be for beta

Here is a tutorial on making that kind of scripts... no need of an experienced scripter...

good find! would you wanna give it a shot?

Sure...

I made Spartacus !

Attachment 1758Attachment 1759Attachment 1760

Thats pretty awesome!

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Originally Posted by Macedon1an

I made Spartacus !

Attachment 1758Attachment 1759Attachment 1760

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OH MY GOD:cheesy:
Just give him a better army{like making the general gold-gold and some uints silver/gold}:viking:

Macedon1an!!!!!! Thats great dude:)

just give him some command stars and influence.. also if there was a way for him to attract more rebels.. plus a way to make him romp around

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Originally Posted by Skull

OH MY GOD:cheesy:
Just give him a better army{like making the general gold-gold and some uints silver/gold}:viking:

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This was just a test so that's why the army is not so good... I will make him a better army next time...

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

Macedon1an!!!!!! Thats great dude:)

just give him some command stars and influence.. also if there was a way for him to attract more rebels.. plus a way to make him romp around

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The spawn army scripts ignore command stars, influence and management... They must be added with the give_trait cheat manually in the game...

what?? theres gotta be another way

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

what?? theres gotta be another way

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That's what learned from the tutorials... The script doesn't work the same way as descr_strat entries about characters.

hmmm thats weird

Yup, I know its stupid but its true...

stupid hard codes haha.. oh well we will figure somethin out

You can script those console commands, too. It is easy to implent a historic character like this. I´ll make one with spartacus now.

ok upload a screen here to show your work

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

ok upload a screen here to show your work

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Won´t be today. Maybe yours, but not mine.

well upload it whenever you finish.. is it possible that you can go here and omit these units entirely from the game?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...ted&highlight=

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

well upload it whenever you finish.. is it possible that you can go here and omit these units entirely from the game?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...ted&highlight=

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Yes, I can do that. But first the other changes should be made. In my edu those factions can´t recruit them and can´t have them in custom battle, but they are still there. But I don´t think you are anywhere near the hardcoded limit.

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

well upload it whenever you finish.. is it possible that you can go here and omit these units entirely from the game?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...ted&highlight=

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Yes, I can do that. But first the other changes should be made. In my edu those factions can´t recruit them and can´t have them in custom battle, but they are still there. But I don´t think you are anywhere near the hardcoded limit.

what are you implying?

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

what are you implying?

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With what. The other changes are those of the edu, I mean, adding Units first. Removing Units completely requieres more files and you have also to edit descr_strat, or the campaign will crash. The Solution I made is cleaner for the start: Units are there, but can´t be used. If they are in descr_strat, they will be in for a while, but when they are dead there aren´t new ones.
Btw: Start working on the script now.

Done. Spartacus appears with traits. Trying to upload a screenie.

Attachment 1860
Here it is. Spartacus appeared, and got per script those traits automatically assigned.
Attachment 1861Attachment 1862Attachment 1863
He uses the roman early generals bodyguard in battle atm. Maybe i can make a gladiator to the generals unit. The traits were random traits, which I thought would be logical. I´ll add now a few ancillarys.

Attachment 1864Attachment 1865
Now, I´ve succeded in making a gladiator unit Spartacus´ bodyguard, and gave him a few ancillarys.

But there are 2 problems: 1. Spartacus stands there, and makes nothing at all. He would stand there till he´d die of age. You can per script take manualy control over him. This is used in the prologue. But it is quite heavy to script.
2. If there is already an Army standing there, Spartacus would be spawned over it - its like this army is under a trapdoor, Spartacus standing upon it: You have to beat him, so that he goes away, to regain the army. Maybe I can add something which would
automatically replace an army standing there.

I could also add that Spartacus gains per Turn new men and replenished bodyguards, which would only stop if you kill him (beating him to retreat doesn´t suffice). Thats not quite hard. But I´ll do something about 1) and 2) first.

good work man, im interested to see where this goes.. also give him samnite gladiators and velite gladiators with some peasants as well.. is it possible to make him look greek?

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

good work man, im interested to see where this goes.. also give him samnite gladiators and velite gladiators with some peasants as well.. is it possible to make him look greek?

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I already gave him the other gladiators.
To your second question: You can change Generals Models just factionwide, so every Rebel General would look Greek ... And I somehow doubt that you want that. But I´ll post a pick of his face - It could pass as greek, if I remember it correctly.

Also, some of the hardcoded stuff came in my way, again: It seems like Rebel AI is completely deactivated for Rebels without sub-faction, as Spartacus and Friends are. It just isn´t possible to implent subfactions in the script. In 1 Tutorial they are mentioned as working, but if I include it the way he describes it, the whole script runs amok -(having 1 Spartacus per Turn with always a new full stack of shyni gladiators gets annoying, honestly). So, since every1 knows campaign ai is hardcoded, I searched for a scripting solution. In the prologue Script the whole Battle movements are scripted, and In Battle you can make the AI theoretically better with scripting, but that would be tons of scripting with a high danger of punching even greater holes in the ai - But now I´m off topic. Since the Prologue script controlled the battle that completly, I figured that it would be possible to edit the ai per script in the campaign, too. After experiencing a while, I found that the only thing you can really make, is the ai a lot more stupid - Only this comands can be used, because they were implented for the prologue:

-Walk somewhere.
-Stay somewhere.
-A Named General can engage another named General (for example, Gaius Julius attacks Orgetorix). This is next to useless, as Names are randomly generated.

So, the solution I´m settling for Spartacus is that he will stay on 1 Place (as Historically), and if he still lives after a few turns (that would need tweaking) towns in Italy revolt.
If he is attacked and survives, his bodyguards will be restored.

It is somehow sad, that always hardcoded things are coming in my way if I do something for this Mod.

Attachment 1867Attachment 1868Attachment 1869
Here are the screenies. Interestingly enough, Spartacus always stays in the middle or in back of the unit, and is good protected.

good work man, im sorry about the hardcoding limits as well.. we need to include him as part of the gladiator uprising

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

good work man, im sorry about the hardcoding limits as well.. we need to include him as part of the gladiator uprising

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Well, after thinking it over is that Spartacus doesn´t make a move historically. And I think I can at least make him attack Rome if it is ungarrisoned - Together with the revolting cities the gladiator uprising will be quite a danger for the romans.

It just isn´t possible to use them to simulate the tribal system of the barbs.
The script is ready now, just the triggers need to be implented - I´ll do that for the beta.

ok.. can you please do the edu edb and dmb now?

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

ok.. can you please do the edu edb and dmb now?

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I sent toshiden my files - he is implenting his changes. Nothing to do for me at the moment. Oh, and: In my file 7/8 of the Units are already removed.
I just didn´t do the recent changes, the 1 toshiden makes atm.

ok well email them to me as soon as you are finished.. should i send those ui's and other units to you or him?

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Originally Posted by ahowl11

ok well email them to me as soon as you are finished.. should i send those ui's and other units to you or him?

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Both. :)

Nice work with the script !

Just fantastic :D

But it's a bit stupid that you made all the army just gladiators...
Remeber,Spartacus also freed a lot of slaves on his way,armed them the best way he coud,wich mainly ment javelins,bows,spears,daggers,and as he went thro Italy and defeated roman armyes,he started to arm slaves with roman wepons,so maybe giving him some hastati is the idea...
Also,most of his "army" where from Gaul and Germania...so giving him some swordsmen and spear warband.:yes:

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Originally Posted by Skull

Just fantastic :D

But it's a bit stupid that you made all the army just gladiators...
Remeber,Spartacus also freed a lot of slaves on his way,armed them the best way he coud,wich mainly ment javelins,bows,spears,daggers,ad as he went thro Italy and defeated roman armyes,he started to arm slaves with roman wepons,so maybe giving him some hastati is the idea...
Also,most of his "army" where from Gaul and Germania...so giving him some swordsmen and spear warband.:yes:

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I´ll go over this script again when alpha is released.

yes we will wait for beta to worry about this