Really need help in the game!!!

[ReluctantSamurai]

It’s a common misconception that upgrading farmland always leads to squalor and the resulting discontent. There are some areas that need only lvl 1 farms, like Carthage, Alexandria, Syracuse, Tanais, Chersonesos, etc., because they have a built-in grain bonus (marked by a wheat sheaf on the campaign map). There are definitely areas that need max farms to reach 24k….Sparta, Corinth, most cities in Anatolia, and any in barbarian country. And even then, you will need a boost from ancillaries such as “Grain Merchant” or “Overseer” or “Architect” along with a governor that has +farming traits, to reach the top tier of development for these cities. The key to controlling squalor and unrest is to achieve ZPG (Zero Population Growth). If you do that, you have no problems with squalor or unrest for as long as you maintain the ZPG.

Everyone has their own way and pace to develop. I’ll chip in here with mine….

1. I always build roads on the first turn in every province I own (with a few exceptions). They are the arteries for your infrastructure. I raise taxes as high as I can without causing outright rebellion. Early on, you can get away with this because populations are small and you generally have decent governors. I disband what I consider to be useless units to reduce unit upkeep. For me, these are skirmishers, slingers, town watch and peasants (unless they are needed as garrison) and excess militia cavalry (although I do use some of these).

2. Basic farms on turn two for those provinces without it, and/or a port for provinces with port potential. Trade income via port, will come to constitute well over 50% of your income. It will bring in more money than taxes and mining combined, so get started on it as soon as possible. A simple port can handle one trade route and allows the training of biremes (or small boats for barbarian factions). A shipyard can handle two trade routes and allows the training of triremes (or large boats). A dockyard can handle three trade routes and allows the training of quinquiremes.

3. Next comes temple choice. Do not be afraid of growth/fun temples for those settlements with less than 1k population. You can always replace it with another at a later stage when you’ve achieved the desired level of development, and the population is small enough to not need a governor (who might be saddled with undesirable traits such temples often confer). Pick your troop training settlements and use temples that grant bonuses for your units. Use law and order temples for all other areas. Always look to see what the highest level of temple will give you, as some choices are deceptive in what they can do for you. As an example, the Brutii temple of Mercury appears to give you a better choice for increased trade. But the Juno temple will grant the increased trade bonus at the pantheon level in addition to a +2 exp bonus, and is the best law and order temple. So in the long run, the Juno temple is the better choice, in my opinion.

4. Early on, I try to get by on only the barracks types that I feel are essential. This allows me to get my economic infrastructure off and running. But, obviously, some development in that area is necessary and needs vary as to faction and game situation.

5. From there, upgrades are done as need arises, and subject to what funds are available. Make sure to keep your unit upkeep costs and wages to family members at 50-60% of your total net worth. Any higher and you start to lose the capacity to train new units and do continual upgrades or new construction. That’s been my experience, at any rate. You can keep track of all this on your financial screen.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, at the moment. Hope this helps.

[ReluctantSamurai]

As to stopping chariots, there are several ways to do this, and some factions have better units to do it than others. (And btw, chariots for this time period are the game designers cheese. Nearly all chariot use on the battlefield was discontinued almost 100 years before the starting date for RTW).

You can use massed spear/pike to stop the scythed type. Chariot archers will more than likely skirmish to death any slow-moving infantry. If you can cause a chariot unit to use up its charge bonus, they become very vulnerable to destruction as their hit-points get used up. Militia hoplites have to be used in large numbers and packed densely as they are prone to rout. Levy pikes, or phalanx pikes work really well as they have 50% more soldiers than hoplites and you can form them in ten or twelve deep ranks. Two units of these will kill most any scythed chariot unit. Elite phalanx like armored hoplites, spartans, royal pike, silvershields, sacred band, etc., can handle most any chariot charge all by themselves...as long as they don't get flanked.

Archers are also a good way to stop chariots. The Roman Archer Auxillia, Cretan mercs, or any of the elite foot archers like Chosen Archers, Forester Warbands, etc., will shred Chariot Archers...eventually...but they need protection from a chariot melee charge by an infantry or cavalry screen.

And now....for the premier chariot-killer..........the Cataphract Horse Archer! These things will eat chariots for lunch and still have time to join in whatever mayhem is happening on other parts of the battlefield. They have a very high defensive rating and so take few losses compared to what they are dishing out, they have very good missile attack numbers...better than the chariots, and best of all, they shoot while chasing so the chariots are often taking rear or flanking fire which hastens their demise. While not recommended until you whittle down the chariots numbers, that high defensive rating allows Cataphract Archers to close to melee when necessary. My typical Armenian field army to defeat wandering Egyptian stacks is usually 1 general, 9 Heavy Cataphracts (for dealing with the desert axmen) and 10 Cataphract Archers. On h/h, I've destroyed several Egyptian stacks in the same battle (need a top-flight cavalry genius for this, of course) on more than one occasion that were loaded with chariot archers.

Again...just some meanderings off the top of my head that I hope is of some use.

Good luck.

[Morgoth101]

Thanks a lot for the help! I usually build up to Communal Farming for roman, greek, carthiginian and egyptian factions while I build Crop Rotation or Latifunda for barbarian settlements to get a population boost. For temples, I usually build the ones with experience and weapon bonuses in my frontline cities and cities which are frequently attacked (The Egyptians only attack Thaspus and Sparta, and ignore the other cities. I don’t know why they do this, but I don’t complain as this usually gives me time to get reinforcements). The temples with economic bonuses I build in my more peaceful cities. I think the special units temples can train like the Arcani, Decere or Corvus Quinquiremes are kind of useless. Same for the gladiators.
As for the chariots, I went to custom battles and fought against all types of chariots for all factions with spearmen from all factions. It went really well! I think Macedon’s Royal and Phalanx Pikemen and Seleucid Pikemen were the best against the chariots. The only thing is that the Romans can’t train spearmen until later in the game. So, I either have to capture a fully developed city (like Carthage, because I see that when I’m ready to invade the Carthaginians, they usually develop Carthage to its full extent, with Army Barracks), or I have to wait for the Marius Reforms for Auxillia troops, which take FOREVER. For the Julii, in the beginning I really depend on the Triarii and Archer units that I start out with.
Another thing in battles is that when I have special units (chariots or elephants) in my army, I can’t control the whole army, i.e., my army tends to break up and have mini-battles all over the entire battlefield, since I’m paying attention to my chariots and elephants. In this way, my infantry and archers take many losses. If I turn to pay attention to my infantry and missiles, the enemy DESTROY my elephants and chariots. It really gets annoying. I never got the hang of flank attacks using cavalry, so I sometimes lose battles which I could easily win with a heroic victory with a single flank attack by my available cavalry.

[ReluctantSamurai]

For the Romans pre-Marius, the answer to the chariot archer is...mercenary Cretan Archers! Long-range, and high missile attack rating. These guys will shred chariots as long as they are screened from melee attack.

After the Marius reforms, use Archer Auxilia...no need to mess around with spears. The Auxilia spear unit doesn't get any bonus fighting chariots, but should be used to screen your Roman cavalry out on the flanks. Roman line infantry set to fire-at-will make an excellent screen for your archers. Historically, the javelin is what made the chariot extinct on the battlefield, and in RTW, "spear-chuckers" do a pretty good job of it too. Ellies are not all that great at fighting chariots, either. The best thing they can do once you get the armored kind is shoot them from a distance.

I never train a single Triarii unit, when playing a Roman campaign. I find their shallow formation unable to withstand a cavalry charge, and so I get tired of arranging them in deeper ranks. If I need spears as a Roman faction, I hire merc hoplites...much better to get a unit designed to fight with spears in phalanx....

Any of the elite spear units will shred chariots as long as they don't get flanked. Scythed chariots attack in a wide double line and get much of their effectiveness at 'wrapping around' a unit that is less wide, thereby getting flank and rear attacks on individual soldiers in your unit (which negates any shield bonus). If you face them equally as wide, and with deep enough ranks, their initial attack will bog down and then they are dead meat.

If you are having trouble keeping track of units on the battlefield, try zooming out to get a wider view, and use the pause button (space-bar on default) often to assess the situation.

[Morgoth101]

I've tried the fire at will before against chariots, and it worked. But I don't train velites or light auxillia, I leave this for the spear throwing infantry. Scythed chariots used to give me a pain in battles against Seleucids- but I solved this by getting an archer unit to fire flaming arrows at them- it makes them run amok. Cretan archers rule! Them, along with mercenary elephants and hoplites are the only mercenaries I use. The zooming out thing helps- thanks. There was one battle against Macedon where I fought on a hill-not only was there a problem of getting slaughtered by the Macedonians who can kill me easily as they're facing downhill, but there was another problem-I was at the base of the hill,and they were on the top. The hill was so steep I couldn't see them! Luckily, the Brutii were there as reinforcements(I was the julii) and they started behind the Macedons, so they pretty much took care of them.

[ReluctantSamurai]

I make use of mercs quite a bit. As the Brutii, I will use hoplites, Cretan's, Samnites (excellent for screening your Equite from Light Lancers), and Bastarnae (these guys can traverse a battlefield from one side to another and be only in a 'winded' condition, where other infantry would be 'tired'...plus they seem to have a knack for killing enemy generals...must be the rhomphia decapitation thing, or something ).

If you're in the desert, don't overlook Arab cavalry. Besides having a cool look and wielding scimitars!, they get hefty bonuses for fighting in the desert and can chase down routing enemy cavalry or generals where your own cavalry cannot. They shouldn't be used in heavy melee as their defensive stats are a bit weak, but they're one of my favorites.

The Sarmation cavalry in Anatolia are useful before you get your own heavy cavalry, but they have a hefty pricetag. I use them when I play Armenia to help me break Pontus.

In any case, many areas have decent mercs that can sometimes be the difference between victory or defeat...use them as you can afford and you won't regret it.

[Morgoth101]

I only use mercs if I need numbers when I march or when I need a special unit (for example, archers or elephants). Otherwise, I don't usually use them as I can't retrain them to full size. Not only does that REALLY annoy me, but it gives a weak garrison as I tend to leave them in cities while my other men are sent capturing cities.