1.3 RTW Comments

[Red Harvest]

I guess that's the difference. I don't take my best general and steamroller the AI. The best battles are when the generals are closely matched, and the strongest AI generals I've encounted are 6 stars with most in the 2 - 4 star range. All of the Total War games give too much combat boost to the units via the command stars, and when there's a big disparity in power between the two armies there isn't much need for tactics.

I played another campaign today as the Brutii on VH/VH. Not really much challenge in the fights. I fought down a star or two in about half the battles (had some no star guys who I put in action.) I managed to lose two battles in which I had poor odds. The determining factor in both? The AI's flaming arrows caused insta-rout. It is one of the few "exploits" the AI has over the human. Morale differences on VH seem to be behind it, same as it was in previous RTW. It is pretty gamey the way flaming arrows work. I had modded out flaming arrows for a multitude of reasons (historical, gaminess, and performance aspects) and probably will again. Unfortunately, it also makes the AI weaker.

I'm just using normal Roman units and merc spears, mixed forces. The changes to cav/spears are nice, but really only get it to about the point I had modded it to in 1.2.

Haven't had much trouble polishing off the Macedonians and Greeks. The AI might have been trying to keep a line better with its phalanx units, but it was seriously undone by lack of skirmishing. This allowed my merc peltasts and velites (as well as hastati pila) to tear up the incoming phalanx units, mostly routed them at the instant of contact.

It is about time to try this from a non-Roman faction again...

Adding Items:
10. Archers still charge infantry at times without really firing. This became apparent when the AI threw its Cretan archers into my meleeing Hastati. I could see this if the Hastati had been alone on a flank, but my unit was backed by cav, etc. What a waste of a great missile unit.
11. The AI still won't skirmish very often. It can't seem to trade javelin volleys or counduct much of an archery duel.
12. Base archer power is still several times greater than it should be. I had forgotten how much better my mods to velocities, ranges, and missile attack made the game feel/look in 1.2. I'm really missing those changes now. I know CA pared down the elites, but they should have whacked the rest to about the level of base slingers.

Another I forgot:
13. Autocalc is still awful about letting small forces escape. When you pounce on a couple of peltasts or archers with a half stack of cavalry and autocalc, the enemy should be gone, not slinking away to block your path again!