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  1. #1
    Unpatched Member hrvojej's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Erm... My previous post was actually my attempt at some dry humor. I guess it didn't really work without the smilies. In any case, it's hard for me to imagine someone willingly impaling himself on a pike so forcefully as to injure the guy holding the spear. It's like the Kamikaze squads from "Life of Brian". Sorry for the confusion.
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  2. #2
    Alienated Senior Member Member Red Harvest's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Quote Originally Posted by hrvojej
    Erm... My previous post was actually my attempt at some dry humor. I guess it didn't really work without the smilies. In any case, it's hard for me to imagine someone willingly impaling himself on a pike so forcefully as to injure the guy holding the spear. It's like the Kamikaze squads from "Life of Brian". Sorry for the confusion.
    Please go edit it and put some smilies in! I was a bit surprised in that comment coming from you... You sure had me going.
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  3. #3
    Ming the Merciless is my idol Senior Member Watchman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Actually, by what I've read, phalanxes did suffer casualties from troopers getting accidentally hit by the butt-spikes of the men in front of them. Those formations are awfully tichtly packed, after all, and the pike is actively stabbed with.

    Apparently, depending on what the phalanx was up against, where, and how, such "friendly fire" casualties could well exceed the butcher's bill from enemy action...

    But I very much doubt if they're trying to simulate that in the game. It's possible, but more likely some part of the code got faulty when they fixed the previous phalanx problems.
    "Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."

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  4. #4
    Magister Vitae Senior Member Kraxis's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Yes, people did get injured and even died from those injuries, but it wasn't the guys in the first ranks. They died of enemy action normally.

    It is silly when pikemen get killed by a unit charging them and that unit is never anywhere near the pikemen themselves.
    You may not care about war, but war cares about you!


  5. #5

    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Sometimes it did happen that soldiers could push all the way through the pikes in their momentum and so kill the person at the other end of the spear. Also, the butt end of the spear WAS sharp enough to be used as a secondary weapon if the pike/spear was snapped, and to top it all off the soil on the end of the tip would make it fatal for anyone stabbed with it (usually more soldiers died from the wounds themselves than being killed on the battlefield because of the prevalence of blood poisoning).

    As for the flanks, isn't it plausable that since any soldier in phalanx mode is only facing the front, a sword swipe from the side could easily destroy the pike/spear and the hoplites on the side would be virtually defenseless against this - thus increasing the amount of casualties on the side.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Just forget that it is happenning in the first rank and pretend this is due to:
    - "friendly stabbing" described before
    - breaking legs due to stomping into a mole's hole
    - turtle falling suddenly from the sky
    ...
    "Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefitting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free. Trust the people."
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  7. #7
    Ming the Merciless is my idol Senior Member Watchman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Until someone comes up with a way to fix it (and I'm not holding my breath), let's just pretend it simulates the "friendly fire" issue. It's not like it's going to go away on its own, anyway, and there are more worthwhile issues to be irked about.
    "Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."

    -Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

  8. #8
    Magister Vitae Senior Member Kraxis's Avatar
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    Default Re: Odd behavior for phalanx...

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadar
    Sometimes it did happen that soldiers could push all the way through the pikes in their momentum and so kill the person at the other end of the spear. Also, the butt end of the spear WAS sharp enough to be used as a secondary weapon if the pike/spear was snapped, and to top it all off the soil on the end of the tip would make it fatal for anyone stabbed with it (usually more soldiers died from the wounds themselves than being killed on the battlefield because of the prevalence of blood poisoning).

    As for the flanks, isn't it plausable that since any soldier in phalanx mode is only facing the front, a sword swipe from the side could easily destroy the pike/spear and the hoplites on the side would be virtually defenseless against this - thus increasing the amount of casualties on the side.
    Should it happen that just one single man got in among the pikemen, the pikemen would be in great trouble. Not because this man was dangerous, but because all those around him would have to drop their pikes to defend themselves. That would make a very serious opening and more men could swarm in, forcing yet more pikemen to drop their pikes and so undo the entire formation.

    The entire idea about the phalanx in this game is that they keep the enemy out of reach while they kill them. That has been nullified by this 'feature/bug'. I'm offto test this against a unit of more powerful charge but not cavalry. If they drop the entire first line of pikemen then it is seriously a bad thing.
    You may not care about war, but war cares about you!


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