Fixing Phalanx Behaviour

**Red Harvest** · 02-22-2005, 17:47

Yes, the mass applies to them no matter what the formation. Even without knowing the details of the engine we can see that it would make sense to have a mass multiplier when *in phalanx* rather than all the time. However, we work with the tools we are given.

Rank bonuses are absent so we simulate rank effects with mass. This has the drawback mentioned, it applies all the time. That is why I stopped at 1.8. In the vanilla game peasants are often 0.7, and skirmishers/archers 0.8. The intent is clearly to make the loose units easy to push around and that is logical.

This isn't going to fix everything either. Even with these changes, my faction leader's bodyguard still did a number on greek hoplites in a frontal attack in city streets, on med/med. He lost 5 men and killed 80. He did have a couple of stars (test campaign 2nd or 3rd turn, no previous combat) but he was up against 1 experience hoplites (not militia hops, not armoured hops.)

Something I have not yet confirmed but am beginning to suspect: I think one of the problems is that there *might* be only a single hit box in front of the front ranks spear tips. I've noticed that kills happen at the end of the spear wall, but not closer in where 2nd and 3rd ranks would be at work. The kills closer in come from swords. Seeing several spears sticking all the way through a horse for 30 seconds looks a bit odd.... The 1st row of spears would be useless here, but the 2nd and 3rd ranks should each have a capacity (though progressively diminished) to prevent the 1st ranks from switching to swords, and either kill or generate some push back. In this interval, the intruder would get in some licks as well.