Some queries regarding EB's units...

[vartan]

I can't imagine the secondary units being removed from pike units, unless perhaps the most basic of levies are left with no more than a knife for a secondary. The main argument against this being that they did actually have secondary weapons. While I agree they're too strong from the front vs missiles and too resistant to rear charges due to the mass bonus of the phalanx formation, most of this is hardcoded and a result of the engine, not the EB team. They've hinted though, and I'm looking forward to, very different phalanxes in EBII.

Phalanx-mode units need secondary weapons unless you want 180 degree pike-turning. How would you fight melee?

[Rolling Thunder]

@Vartan: With their pikes. Sure, they would have had their knives and falcattas, but consider this: If you remove these, they can't switch to them. If they always keep fighting with the pikes, you get a much more realistic situation with the metacombat as a whole.

[vartan]

@Vartan: With their pikes. Sure, they would have had their knives and falcattas, but consider this: If you remove these, they can't switch to them. If they always keep fighting with the pikes, you get a much more realistic situation with the metacombat as a whole.

For what reason? Metacombat? What metacombat? The No Secondary Weapon system is useful for the duration that the pikes are fighting frontal enemies. Once surrounded, the pikes have no way of fighting back. They can't even pull out the swords that they had with them historically. They simply stand there without pikes and wait to be slaughtered.

[Rahwana]

maybe you can experiment with lowering the lethality of their secondary weapons, instead of removing them, but then... the pike roll.....