Fabled unit types

[Megas Alexandros]

I am only a beginner in RTW though not in STW or MTW, started my first campaign with the Macedonians, and am in 241 BC while I control Italy, Greece, many smaller outlying lands (Illyria for example) and Asia Minor. I also managed to produce Macedonian Cavalry units for the first time.

The game seems very easy, but I am not encountering any of the many special unit types. Almost every enemy army has only basic infantry units like Hoplites and basic archers. The most special unit so far was Ballistae and War Dogs.

My greatest wish would be to crush an army of the East, with Elephants, Cataphracts, Egyptian infantry in it... But I also fear, that I am conquering too quick and too much, so the enemy realms are not able to produce these kinds of special units on time. Does this make any sense? Should I relax a bit and wait for the other factions to develop enough? (I am the wealthiest, most developed, highest, biggest, etc. faction currently, controlling 30 regions and far too many over-developed cities)

Thanks for your answers

[IliaDN]

If you want a challenging end game you should play on VH/M at least and also help the dumb AI in some ways:
1. Choose a faction you wish to support ( Selucids for example )
2. If you have tons of money - you are free to give them some ( 10.000 per turn will do nice )
3. Use your armies to help them with their enemies
4. in the end of the game they will be a hard enemy with good troops.

[Megas Alexandros]

Otherwise, no hope for such epic battles?
In fact, I played a custom battle with 10.000.000.000+ money to see what a Roman enemy would bring against me. Well, the losses were 11:2, and the backbone of my army wasn't even touched.

You know, I like the whole concept, the aura of the game, which is brilliant, but the game itself is too easy. I haven't even been so far assaulted in a siege, which is something, since half of the factions are in war with me. Hm.

As close we are getting to how things really work in PC games, the esier it is for the human mind to outbest the AI.

[IliaDN]

There are more challenging factions on VH/VH:
Numidia for example try it ...

[Productivity]

You know, I like the whole concept, the aura of the game, which is brilliant, but the game itself is too easy.

That's it pretty much.The game is far too easy - it looks great etc. but really it is just not difficult enough.

[antisocialmunky]

After you've conquered greece or something, it's more like a game of Black and White with nations. You have to train the podunk nation into a super state.

And you you can't slap them for pooping on villiagers.

[professorspatula]

If you can keep all (or most) of the AI factions going until about 150BC, then you'll face elite armies all over the place. Until the AI has a massive number of large, well upgraded cities, it'll happily churn out the rubbish militia and bog-standard troops for fun.

One way to slow down your progress is to only train units once per year (either the summer or winter turn). Then in theory, the AI can train its armies twice as fast, which is handy as it always needs replacements for the thousands of men it throws away at you.

[lismore]

Otherwise, no hope for such epic battles?
.

Hi there

if you change the descr_strat and export_descr_units file you can make certain factions much stronger, you can make a super-power that it is fun to take out.

For example Carthage. Give them:

-More starting money
-Change them to a sailor Napoleon
- Give them farms, ports, roads and markets to start with
-Give them a couple of city barracks and hippodromes
-make their units cheaper to recruit and maintain
-make them at peace with spain and numidia
-give them a good starting army
-make the iberian infantry and libyans better
- then play as the Julii

[Dutch_guy]

Well try playing one of the major mods , I've gotten great battles with RTR 6.0. You should try it, it really makes your games so much better imo.

[bubbanator]

If you really want to save the AI factions, there are a few things you can do.

1) play an 'isolationist' campaign where you don't attack anyone unless they attack you first.

2) a more unothodox stratagy is to play as any of the Roman factions (preferably Brutii). If you can quickly move your forces and take Syracuse, Lilybaeum, Segsta, Patavium, and possibly Mediolanium, and a few cities in Greece, then the Julii and Scipii will not do a thing for the entire game. I did it once. It is very difficult because you must spread your troops very thin, but it will save the AI factions from the wrath of the Romans.

3) if you only care about the factions that have 'cool' elite units (macedon, eastern armies, basicaly everyone that isn't barbarian) then play as the Julii and only take the coatal cities in Greece. Apollonia, Salona, and Segstica, will do. Then the Brutii won't advance into Greece. Well, they will eventualy but not until Macedon and/or the Greek Cities are strong enough to defend themselves. Then you can kill off the Gauls and Brits because they have stupid elite units IMO. Then you advance your cities, have some fun, wait around, turn off fog of war and watch everyone slug it out. Then, when the worst is over and everyone has huge armies of elite units, you go in, have your fun battles, and kill everybody.


4) be the Carthaginians and make a rush on Rome. Kill all of the Romans and finish off the Numidians. Then, wait, build up, and watch everyone slug it out until Egypt comes knocking on your door. You give Swia to the Numidians and ally with the Egyptians to keep the peace longer. You could also do this as the Germans but then you are farther away from the 'cool' factions...

[econ21]

I'd second the recommendation of RTR 6.0. One thing it does, I think, is make pretty much all units immediately recruitable from a faction's capital. (It also deletes peasants and town watch). It also pumps up some of the non-Roman factions. As a result, you face more and better AI armies. In my Roman game, the Gauls early on had a smattering of "elite" units as did the Greeks. My later contests with the Ptolemics and Seleucids regularly featured stacks of mainly elite phalanx and shieldbearer (hypasists or some such name) units.

It also helps to get a challenge if you limit your own forces. As Romans, my stacks would be half allies and only one or two slinger/archer units.

Obviously, play on VH campaigns if you want stronger AI armies.