What is your go-to army composition?

[Bramborough]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Image from the Pontus guide; it's pretty much the standard to which my Pontic army composition had evolved by end of the campaign. I've also been using this same composition and base formation as Egypt.

Pros:
- Open-field. Superb defensive strength. The BAI is sufficiently aggressive that one can set up in a defensive posture in any open-field battle, regardless of relative army strengths or who initiated the battle.
- Minor settlements. Confined approaches but lack of walls create excellent advance lanes (or defensive positions) for pike units, using structures to protect flanks.

Cons:
- Walled city assault. Pike units can certainly be effective in taking provincial capitals. But I usually find myself wishing I had a few more good-quality melee infantry for these battles.
- Not the greatest composition for outright killing power. The strength of this formation is its propensity to rout, rather than destroy, the enemy. And once they do start running, there's not much cavalry to chase them down.
- "One-trick pony". It's an extremely powerful method of beating the AI, who doesn't do very well against intelligently-used phalanxes. But with pikes, my take is that there is definitely a "right" and "wrong" way to use these units, and one cannot stray far from the proven formula. Top-quality melee infantry seem much more versatile...and forgiving.

I do think I've gone a bit overboard with the pikes, using 7x units (including general's guard). I think I'm probably going to drop to a 5-6 unit pike line in favor of increased melee infantry on the flanks. Something a little closer to the @Kamakazi composition above, which strikes me as quite flexible.

[Slaists]

That, or go more heavy on cavalry rather than infantry (Macedon style). For Pontus, I sometimes drop pikes altogether and use roman style setup. After all, Pontus was known for their imitation legionaries.

I am not sure if you have seen it happen, but whenever I try something similar against the AI to what you have in the pic, the AI would respond with something I call "dumbell formation". It would throw all it's melee and cavalry at my flanks (huge blob on the poor hoplites or whatever I have there), while the AI's missiles would focus on the pikes. Essentially this splits the AI's melee forces into 2, leaving my pikes in the middle unoccupied (well, I can reoccupy them, but that means breaking the line and attacking with individual units). That dumbbell formation attack is why I have started to lower the % of pikes in my hellenistic armies. I've experimented also with going with heavy cavalry in the middle, pikes being just a place holder for the cavalry to be able to hit the AI missiles and the two heads of the dumbbell in the rear.

As to those ballistae: I know they're tempting, but I tend to avoid them in my field setup. The ballistae is the reason why you see the "aggressive field AI". Unless, the AI has arty of its own it will charge you if your army has ballistae. I have seen much more tactical battles when I have to attack without any arty in my army. The AI knows how to hold a hill, etc (when it has missile superiority). Then the battle turns into more of a tactical play where you have to create local superiority over the AI, etc rather than managing a huge mush-pit when the AI charges in. Just more interesting for me to try to get some tactical scenarios going.

[Kamakazi]

My setup is the best ive found for flexibility. Even when totally out numbered I can generally win a battle with this. All I have to do it guard my pike flanks. That's where hoplites come in. If they are having trouble I can augment with swords for a buffer. Just enough cavs to throw out and kill enemy ranged units /chase down routers/and go for tactical kills on enemy ballista or general units.

[Bramborough]

I am not sure if you have seen it happen, but whenever I try something similar against the AI to what you have in the pic, the AI would respond with something I call "dumbell formation". It would throw all it's melee and cavalry at my flanks (huge blob on the poor hoplites or whatever I have there), while the AI's missiles would focus on the pikes

It's a mixed bag, sometimes the AI does try frontal assault, such as the Iudaea battle in Egypt AAR (Part 8). But yes, what you describe is also very common, as seen in quite a few other AAR battles. My flank Galatians, Nubian spears, and Thorax swords often get quite a workout. Main reason why I'm thinking of reducing the number of pikes and replacing with more melee infantry for the flanks. Also will probably drop one archer unit as well. I don't really mind the "dumbbell". Splits the enemy army, often leaves those missile troops exposed. Many times I can wheel a couple of phalanxes to the right/left and create a V-shaped vise surrounding the enemy blob. Sure, it breaks the integrity of the overall pike line...but the enemy center is empty as well, except for now-exposed missileers in the second echelon.

Never occurred to me about the ballistae being "aggression bait"...but yeah, I think you're right. This actually strikes me as a plus for a pike-centric army...one wants the AI to charge.

[Sp4]

It's a mixed bag, sometimes the AI does try frontal assault, such as the Iudaea battle in Egypt AAR (Part 8). But yes, what you describe is also very common, as seen in quite a few other AAR battles. My flank Galatians, Nubian spears, and Thorax swords often get quite a workout. Main reason why I'm thinking of reducing the number of pikes and replacing with more melee infantry for the flanks. Also will probably drop one archer unit as well. I don't really mind the "dumbbell". Splits the enemy army, often leaves those missile troops exposed. Many times I can wheel a couple of phalanxes to the right/left and create a V-shaped vise surrounding the enemy blob. Sure, it breaks the integrity of the overall pike line...but the enemy center is empty as well, except for now-exposed missileers in the second echelon.

Never occurred to me about the ballistae being "aggression bait"...but yeah, I think you're right. This actually strikes me as a plus for a pike-centric army...one wants the AI to charge.

I have never seen the AI do anything that didn't seem to amount to control A, right click behind enemy units.

[Slaists]

I have never seen the AI do anything that didn't seem to amount to control A, right click behind enemy units.

Try this Macedon move. Turn one, move your starting general from Pella towards border with Larissa. Train hoplites. On turn two: hire mercs to fill your army (not optional; this seems to trigger the city assault to be a field battle in this case and that's what we want) and ambush Pyrrhus' elephants next to Larissa. On the same turn, attack Larissa, which will have a garrison + the other Epirus starting army. Any time I try this, the AI sallies to the field. At this point, the AI will have missile superiority not you.

What will ensue will be a field battle against a defending AI. The AI won't rush you. It will defend a hill-top.

As to ballista: arty is definitely an aggression trigger. Any arty. The only time it is not a trigger in field battles is if the AI has similar arty to match.

Open Field Battle

Let them come. Usually I have 3 peltast units but in this I happened to have 2 ballista. Hid my cavs in the right flank trees and happened to split off half of the enemy force to try and stop those 3 units... Usually the Ai tries to find a weakness to the back and happens to just hit the sides. Then u pull the back ranks forward if the pikes get in trouble

Yup, I know we can win against the AI this way. But is it the fun way to win an attacking battle (where you are supposed to be attacking)? Surrounding your own ballista, with pikes and taking a walk to the bathroom. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this: just questioning if it is interesting.

For one, it would never work if a human was controlling the defending AI (in an MP campaign). A human would just let the timer run out and you'd lose your attack.

[Kamakazi]

This is a defense actually. I had an Egyptian city sieged and they attacked with an outer army. Just throwing out a strength of the composition of my army....

[Sp4]

As to ballista: arty is definitely an aggression trigger. Any arty. The only time it is not a trigger in field battles is if the AI has similar arty to match.

No.

[Myth]

Try this Macedon move. Turn one, move your starting general from Pella towards border with Larissa. Train hoplites. On turn two: hire mercs to fill your army (not optional; this seems to trigger the city assault to be a field battle in this case and that's what we want) and ambush Pyrrhus' elephants next to Larissa. On the same turn, attack Larissa, which will have a garrison + the other Epirus starting army. Any time I try this, the AI sallies to the field. At this point, the AI will have missile superiority not you.



What will ensue will be a field battle against a defending AI. The AI won't rush you. It will defend a hill-top.

As to ballista: arty is definitely an aggression trigger. Any arty. The only time it is not a trigger in field battles is if the AI has similar arty to match.



Yup, I know we can win against the AI this way. But is it the fun way to win an attacking battle (where you are supposed to be attacking)? Surrounding your own ballista, with pikes and taking a walk to the bathroom. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this: just questioning if it is interesting.

For one, it would never work if a human was controlling the defending AI (in an MP campaign). A human would just let the timer run out and you'd lose your attack.

This is called a Noob Box in Rome 1 MP

[Slaists]

@Myth, LOL, why did you grab that post with my text? The original newb box came from Kamakazi ;)

Unrelated

Temporary garrison army

I have started using temporary garrison armies. These armies get spawned right where I am doing conquest and disbanded when the area is pacified. They use cheap local militia exclusively (supplemented by mercs if some real danger appears), but, at times get decent fighting going for themselves (catching remainder stacks, etc.). For Seleucids, for example, such an army might consist exclusively of the cheapest spears + slingers (available anywhere). Once disbanded, the army's legacy can be reestablished later at some other point so such armies rack up traditions even.

[Kamakazi]

Open Field Battle

Let them come. Usually I have 3 peltast units but in this I happened to have 2 ballista. Hid my cavs in the right flank trees and happened to split off half of the enemy force to try and stop those 3 units... Usually the Ai tries to find a weakness to the back and happens to just hit the sides. Then u pull the back ranks forward if the pikes get in trouble