question: cavalry on wedge

**Decimus Attius Arbiter** · 04-16-2008, 06:45

I guess it was all in my head then. But I thought wedged worked great. I'm sad it's gone. It looks cooler too.

**Watchman** · 04-16-2008, 12:18

I actually purposely tested the thing. With cataphracts and other high-end assault cav, against various lame-ass levy troops.

It sucked. Bad. Which only reinforced the impression I'd gotten from the AI's attempts to use it in campaign game.

**Jolt** · 04-16-2008, 13:15

Originally Posted by Watchman

I actually purposely tested the thing. With cataphracts and other high-end assault cav, against various lame-ass levy troops.

It sucked. Bad. Which only reinforced the impression I'd gotten from the AI's attempts to use it in campaign game.

Really? In my vanilla game, wedge actually fulfilled the function of splitting the ranks of an enemy army (Me: Scipii vs AI Brutii), of course that wedge was quickly reinforced by other cavalry charges which split the army in two, ultimately ending in my victory. I RULZ!1

**Olaf The Great** · 12-28-2009, 11:17

Originally Posted by Jolt

Really? In my vanilla game, wedge actually fulfilled the function of splitting the ranks of an enemy army (Me: Scipii vs AI Brutii), of course that wedge was quickly reinforced by other cavalry charges which split the army in two, ultimately ending in my victory. I RULZ!1

I think this is because in Vanilla Cavalry had a jumping animation, in EB they do not.

**Grade_A_Beef** · 12-28-2009, 11:58

Oh? Any reason why the jumping animation was taken out? Come to think of it, I've been playing nothing but EB for the past few months and have forgotten that cavalry had that animation.

**Ludens** · 12-28-2009, 12:05

Originally Posted by Grade_A_Beef

Oh? Any reason why the jumping animation was taken out? Come to think of it, I've been playing nothing but EB for the past few months and have forgotten that cavalry had that animation.

For one it was unrealistic, for another it somehow made charging cavalry overpowered.

**antisocialmunky** · 12-28-2009, 15:53

It would jump over the first rank of a phalanx and horribly rape it.

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 04-16-2008, 13:16

The only advantage to the Wedge is when manauvering on the battlefield, which really gives the human an advantage if he uses it properly. In reality that was the real benefit of the wedge in reality as well.

**Watchman** · 04-16-2008, 14:17

You can get more or less the same result with a deep column formation (IRL too, far as I know). IRL one major point of the wedge was that it made it easy for the squadron commander to "aim" the charge into any weak spot there might appear in the enemy frontage, potentially driving the attack home deep into the ranks and virtually cleaving the unit in two.

In RTW, the usual result is the whole wedge more or less stopping cold and getting enveloped once it reaches the enemy...

I'd really rather not think of all the enemy cavalry general units I've killed with ease due to that, often enough with rather lighter horse to boot.

**konny** · 04-17-2008, 00:53

Basically the wedge was a formation to approach the enemy not to charge home with. That is, it is easyer to keep formation following the guy in front of you than alligning with someone left or right of you. Short before contact with the enemy the men in the rear rank of the wedge started running, and so, if everything went right, a proper line (or assault column) was formed on the point of choke.