BI issues answered... Got it

**jerby** · 10-01-2005, 22:43

kraxis how is the phalanx behavior? is there a shieldwall? tell me all about phalanx units, behavior, AI-behavior with it..the box-forming..anything!

**Kraxis** · 10-02-2005, 02:48

Originally Posted by jerby

kraxis how is the phalanx behavior? is there a shieldwall? tell me all about phalanx units, behavior, AI-behavior with it..the box-forming..anything!

Sorry... I haven't played much with the old game. I did some tests to see if the AI could handle phalanxes better now, and it seems so, but that was only a single test once.
Puzz3D made some comparative tests to RTW and found the phalanxes are now superb against cavalry, even the top of the line such as Cataphracts.

**Kraxis** · 10-02-2005, 03:07

From now on I will use this thread to put in all my interesting observations about the game. I hope others will add their own observations, especially if they include the old game.

Anyway, I found to my great pleasure that the AI does like to try to envelop you are the Huns (perhaps when it just has lots of cavalry?). I had a poor Hippo-toxotai get caught by a Hunnic army on its way back for retraining after a bloody campaign. This was the resulting Hunnic setup for the battle. Take note of the minimap. The light Horsemen (horse archers in large units) cover the flanks while the heavier forces push me towards the edge of the map.

They even began to close with me whenever I tried to break out, forcing me to stay in front of the central force. I felt like some poor animal being herded to the slaughter, and the result was thereafter, Huns: 19, Kraxis: 2

Later they tried the same thing with me and a force of reinforcements, but as it happened their two wings ended up in front of our armies, effectively elimininating their chances of concentrating their force on one army. But at least they had tried, and they damn nearly broke the reinforcements, killing my governor of the nearby settlement.

Another good improvement (some would argue against it) is that the AI now seems to use rearguards.
This shot is taken right after the Sassanid army has yelled a collective "Head for the hills!!!" But note that a single unit of spearmen are indeed advancing on me. Well it is perhaps not so obvious, but the nearest unit is actually advancing while the rest are fleeing head over heels.

After having given the others some head start they also turned and fled (and of course died trying).

I noticed similar behaviour in other battles that were clearly going in my favour, especially when I have lots of archers or horse archers, but this was the first time they fled before anyone routed, so it became very obvious.

**Cesare diBorja** · 10-02-2005, 07:03

AI used rear-guard in Darthmod6.0/Darthformations8.0. BI is great. I have won seven battles and lost three. In one-on-one battles, a german(Allemani) chosen archer unit defeated a limiti unit, and then a comiti unit. It inflicted 50-80% casualties on both units. I am currently seeking to engage it again one-on-one with my better units. It is raiding my frontier(I am WRE). Battles are much better and much cleaner. Followed advice offered to defrag and then load up the game. I also dumped six other games and have plenty of back-up memory. Need a better video card(128mb egva 5200 model, slow, but optimised 160%). 1024mb RAM. Awesome, but, need more. But I have seen little in the way of the upsets experienced by Kraxis and others. Battles rolls on just fine. Still the beginning though. I am sure I will find something.........

Cheers

diBorgia

**Kraxis** · 10-05-2005, 00:50

A small update to the campaign...

It is now well past 400, the Roman Empire is strong and stable. The Hunnic Horde has settled Campus Iazyges and doesn't seem to want to bother us again. The war with the WRE consists of a single of my fleets blockading Ravenna.

Intensity was settling down it seemed. And in the east the break came when I managed to defeat the Sassanid fieldarmy and not get ripped to pieces at the same time. The resulting siege of Ctesiphon was easily won (the only enemy force was a unit of Peasants). That seems to have broken the spine of the Sassanid Empire. They have tried again and again to besiege Kotais (that rebelled to me some 10 years earlier), but now it is winding down.
The very last battle saw me fighting for dear life, and the same for the Sassanid general, as in the end only his unit of Clibanarii Immortals were fighting. But they were fighting on the plaza, where they destroyed my last infantry (Lanciarii), melee cavalry and devastated my general (I had three men left he had 30). My horse archers had run out of ammo (those Clibanarii can withstand a hail of arrows).
I was desperate, those Clibanarii were ripping my remaining troops apart with their bows. I finally gave up and charged in my mercenary sarmatian archers... The fight was bloody but the result was satisfactory, I won.

The very same turn I had sent my most prominent general, governor of Hatra, to deal with a bunch of rebels. That he did well, but he couldn't return the same turn. The next turn he was gone, and so was the entire superb army I had sent with him, horse archers, eastern archers, plumbatarii and various cavalry... All highly experienced. The damn bugger had defected to the rebels!!! My most prominent general, victor of two heroic victories (on the map), now he was reduced to a simple rebelrouser. I was furois and about to send out the remaining units of Hatra's garrison but then I noticed the loyalty there, not good.

The next turn I was assembling an army to send west, finally settling the matter with the WRE. But I needed at least a few more turns to get the new general in place and collect troops from Dacia, Salona and Sirmium. But as fate would have it, the Huns were kicked out of Campus Iazyges by a revolt. I knew that was trouble, but to compound the matter the Burgundii, with their developing empire finally gave the Franks the big boot (which happened to be quite far east), and their four stacks entered the very same province as the Huns were leaving. They are now besieging Campus Iazyges and the massive raider force there. And finally the Burgundii also ripped the poor Lombardii a new one sending them packing too. Their six stacks are now diverting, some going for the Sarmatian city (I fear another horde is on its way there), while therest are on their way down towards Campus Iazyges, though some distance off still. The Huns are heading west, hopefully takign advantage of the WRE's weakness in terms of troops.

I think I will have to wait with my invasion of the WRE, those hordes are simply not good news on my western front. I don't think I have the troops to deal with them. GAH! At least I have begun training a few Comitatenses First Cohorts.

**Ldvs** · 10-05-2005, 20:08

That's great. It seems, the hordes definitely are a crucial element for the challenge in BTW, by being both unpredictable and powerful.
By the way, your reports persuaded me to buy the game, Kraxis, and I guess I'm not alone in this case