javelins too weak?

[Tollheit]

That's what I think, yes (although I have no proof).

[Leão magno]

Javelins seens balanced for me! If Akontistai were phalanx killers generals would have never created Peltastai and Thureophoroi, they would stick to the cheaper unit.

[Slaists]

Javelins seens balanced for me! If Akontistai were phalanx killers generals would have never created Peltastai and Thureophoroi, they would stick to the cheaper unit.

I feel, akondistai and the likes are balanced fine as far as attacking armored/shielded foes from the front is concerned. However, I do not find it realistic that 120 men cannot score more than a couple kills while, at point blank range, throwing javelins into unprotected BACKS of 120 men who are frontally engaged with another unit. In reality, you'd have to try really hard to MISS in such a situation...

[Apázlinemjó]

I feel, akondistai and the likes are balanced fine as far as attacking armored/shielded foes from the front is concerned. However, I do not find it realistic that 120 men cannot score more than a couple kills while, at point blank range, throwing javelins into unprotected BACKS of 120 men who are frontally engaged with another unit. In reality, you'd have to try really hard to MISS in such a situation...

I guess it works like this because of the limitation of the RTW engine.

[WinsingtonIII]

I think part of the problem is that a lot of the damage that a massed volley of javelins would do in real life other than just kill the enemy is not represented well by the RTW engine. Obviously, there should be a big morale drop, which may be represented by the morale drop of being under missile fire in RTW. However, a major effect of javelins was to render shields useless. When a javelin became stuck in a shield, it made it pretty much useless, and the user would usually just discard the shield and go into melee combat without it, which of course, made them much more vulnerable. Of course, this cannot be represented in the RTW engine.

That said, I think the major problem is not the weak nature of javelins, because they will devastate many units, but the overpowered nature of phalanxes when hit by missiles from the front. They should of course be very resistant to missiles from the front, but in RTW they are practically invincible, which is ridiculous.

[seienchin]

I think part of the problem is that a lot of the damage that a massed volley of javelins would do in real life other than just kill the enemy is not represented well by the RTW engine. Obviously, there should be a big morale drop, which may be represented by the morale drop of being under missile fire in RTW. However, a major effect of javelins was to render shields useless. When a javelin became stuck in a shield, it made it pretty much useless, and the user would usually just discard the shield and go into melee combat without it, which of course, made them much more vulnerable. Of course, this cannot be represented in the RTW engine.

That said, I think the major problem is not the weak nature of javelins, because they will devastate many units, but the overpowered nature of phalanxes when hit by missiles from the front. They should of course be very resistant to missiles from the front, but in RTW they are practically invincible, which is ridiculous.

NO! Not in RTW, in Vanilla they die like flies against peltastai.

[WinsingtonIII]

NO! Not in RTW, in Vanilla they die like flies against peltastai.

I guess it's been too long since I've played vanilla, I thought they were pretty resistant to javelins in vanilla as well. Regardless, what I meant was that in EB phalanxes have way too much of a frontal defensive bonus against missiles, and that it is unfortunate that the RTW engine cannot represent one of the major effects of javelins, that is, to unshield some of the enemy.