State of the Game

**Myth** · 08-06-2014, 08:58

I have a positive experience too. I daresay i'm getting creamed by the AI if I do even a signle missplay as Macedon. I'm restrating yet again. It's hard to get a steamroll-y stack with only major settlements. I hate upgrading the barracks in a major city when I have to tear it down later, but it just might be necessary. The Thracians have good units. In fact, their skirmishers are so beastly they shred companion cav so long as they can send a volley or two. Charge and retreat with one unit of cav won't work versus 4 units of thracian spearchuckers.

Even when I take out Tylis and occupy Anthea, unless I did so with overwhelming odds (meaning, i take out t heir navy separately AND bait out some armies outside the city) then the Odryssians will just come down and ram me hard.

If I go by way of peace with Tylis and agresson with Epirus (which makes much more sense strategically) I get down to untrustworthy rep. Life is hard, so restoring Alexander's empire will be that much sweeter.

**Slaists** · 08-06-2014, 14:38

Have you tried letting Odryssians go to war with Triballi (they tend to do that on turn 2-3) and then grab Odryssian capital as soon as their armies leave? Also, I'd try getting everyone and their mothers in law to join my wars with Tylis and later Odryssia. Helps to secure borders later (as you get green all around you).

Molossian dogs work nicely to take care of spear-chuckers; then again, as early Macedon, you hardly have cash to maintain mercenaries.

But yes, Odryssians (and even Tylis) seem to be bad news for any Greek-type armies. I'm playing as Junia now, allied with Sparta and Athens. Odryssians and Tylis managed to take out Macedon and are putting pressure on Athens and Sparta now.

**Myth** · 08-06-2014, 18:20

Originally Posted by Slaists

Have you tried letting Odryssians go to war with Triballi (they tend to do that on turn 2-3) and then grab Odryssian capital as soon as their armies leave? Also, I'd try getting everyone and their mothers in law to join my wars with Tylis and later Odryssia. Helps to secure borders later (as you get green all around you).

Molossian dogs work nicely to take care of spear-chuckers; then again, as early Macedon, you hardly have cash to maintain mercenaries.

But yes, Odryssians (and even Tylis) seem to be bad news for any Greek-type armies. I'm playing as Junia now, allied with Sparta and Athens. Odryssians and Tylis managed to take out Macedon and are putting pressure on Athens and Sparta now.

I did that on my first playthrough. They went and took Appolonia and then the almighty Adriaei came down and crushed them for their insolence. While facing their second stack rebels spawned Tylis again and I conceded. Rebel stacks are very high chevroned units now, can't be shrugged off by garrisons.

**Slaists** · 08-06-2014, 20:57

Originally Posted by Myth

I did that on my first playthrough. They went and took Appolonia and then the almighty Adriaei came down and crushed them for their insolence. While facing their second stack rebels spawned Tylis again and I conceded. Rebel stacks are very high chevroned units now, can't be shrugged off by garrisons.

The rebels usually spawn with 3-4 units and then recruit more as the turns go by. If you get rid of them at the start, not too much of a problem even with high xp chevrons.

As to rebellions in general, could it be that you're favoring the military side of the research tree? With a few extra points in cultural conversion, public order and pop growth (the latter for temple slots), rebellions dont seem much of an issue even on legendary; unless, pesky AI spies cause unrest, of course.

Originally Posted by Sp4

Good sword infantry not so much. It's the throwing spears they throw on their charge. Pike infantry, no matter the quality, are really really vulnerable to anything that flies around.

Will have to pay closer attention to that. I just know whenever I have a stationary line of pikes facing strong AI sword infantry, those buggers somehow manage to get between the pikes causing the pike unit to switch to swords.

**Myth** · 08-06-2014, 21:52

I always get tier 3 barracks before anything else. We're talking early game here, the first 10 turns.

I'm experimenting with a heavy focus on slingers to outrange the Thracians.

Also, this line made me lol "Your worthless goods do not interest Pharaoh, from whom all wealth flows. Sell them to fools elsewhere!"

**Sp4** · 08-06-2014, 23:25

Originally Posted by Slaists

Will have to pay closer attention to that. I just know whenever I have a stationary line of pikes facing strong AI sword infantry, those buggers somehow manage to get between the pikes causing the pike unit to switch to swords.

Yeah that is what they do with the throwing spears. They don't kill 5 or 6 people like in most cases but they'll take out the first line and some people in the second even, so by the time the phalanx has reshuffled and put new pikes up in the first line, the infantry is already fighting sword fights with the second (now first) line.

**ReluctantSamurai** · 08-07-2014, 06:05

Pike infantry, no matter the quality, are really really vulnerable to anything that flies around.

Obviously, the devs never watched 300

**Sp4** · 08-07-2014, 14:11

Originally Posted by ReluctantSamurai

Obviously, the devs never watched 300

The guys in 300 are hoplites. They are sufficiently invulnerable to arrows and such in the game, especially the heavy armoured, high morale (Spartan) kind although any hoplites are a bad thing to shoot missiles at. As the Scythians, you'll have a lot of fun fighting mainly Greeks because you'll need to research the more ammo tech for your horse archers before you can even hope to do anything against a half decent stack of hoplites + ranged infantry.