EB Stats

**QwertyMIDX** · 12-30-2005, 22:56

I am, among many other things, one of the EB stats balancers. I would like some input on what you think needs changing for a more balanced game.

**Dooz** · 12-31-2005, 02:32

One thing I noticed right off the bat is unit speeds. Aren't they still a little too fast? It's not distractingly fast, but just seems a bit much. I'm going to try the unit speed modifier which takes down all speeds evenly by way of terrain and see if that helps.

**bean_22** · 12-31-2005, 03:02

Hmm don't really know about that. Feels like it has a pretty good balance. Effecting the speed could change that (at least according to the RTR forums unit speed affects charge and thus their balance). I don't think things move too fast. Elephants seem to die a LITTLE too easily one or two barrages from peltasts will leave about half the indian elephants dead. Although they appear to do plenty of damage.

**Mad Guitar Murphy** · 12-31-2005, 03:15

Playing as Parthia I have major problems facing Seleucid and Bactrian General's Bodyguards. They are basically immune to arrows (one time I had 8 units of horse archers discharge all of their arrows on a unit of 120 Seleucid bodyguards and managed to kill only half of them) and also they cannot really be countered by any other unit the Parthians have. Cataphracts and the javelin armed persian cavalry units are all killed in no time and parthian infantry (including the pikemen) don't do the job either. Right now the only way to beat them is by surrounding them and hoping they rout.

Mad guitar Murphy

**Iskandr** · 12-31-2005, 09:15

Here are a few quick observations:

1. Theurophorai/Peltasti- these two are all fairly close in stats. The only major difference I can see between the first two is that the Peltasti are better (!) charging, and theTheus are better against cavalry. Are the theus supposed to have identical armor and defense? Also, a charge of 1 and using spears makes them more or less worthless when flanking other infantry, which is both what I understand their role was and the description states.

2. Not really stats, but Macedon seems to be completely without the ability to recruit cavalry, except via mercenaries. There is a thread with a fix for the Companions, but it would seem that there is nothing else- no hippokontasai, hippeis, Thessalians, anything. Admittedly, I have only built the highest level barracks in Pella, and no sign of Hypaspistai or Agema or any other elite units at all, but I assume I am missing some other required building for them.

3. Akontisai and other skirmisher units (slingers, archers, etc.) seem to last an awful long time if they actually face a cavalry charge or turn on the cav after it hits. I've had peltastai decimate a Thessalian heavy cavalry after it charged them from behind. Cavalry as a whole seems vastly weaker against some units. The computer also seems to know this, as they regularly charge any non-phalanx unit with whatever skirmisher they have laying around.

4. Related to 3, somewhat- phalanx units are now just silly. I had a group of Pezhataroi fighting my hoplitai. My Companions hit him from the rear, killed 3 (large unit size) then lost a quick dozen men when the Pez swung their sarrisa around before they finished disengaging. The Pezhataroi then swung BACK around to punish the hoplitai a little more before a wave of Galatian swordsman hit them from behind- they turned, saw them off with NO losses, then went back to chewing up the hoplitai, who didn't get any kills this whole time the while pezhataroi kept turning to ignore them and fight off the more dangerous threat. While I assume this is probably a CA "feature", the lower kill rates make this a problem I never saw in vanilla or RTR. Basically, is there a way to stop a phalanx from changing facing while engaged? Otherwise, I think their armor or defense needs to be cut down somewhat to make them actually take losses when hit away from the pikes before they can respond.

5. Pirate ships- the stats for the "Great Pirate Fleet" ships are more than 2x the best ship I was able to build with the 2nd level naval yard- while I certainly would agree that pirates were a major threat during the era, I haven't ever read of them destroying a major power's navy in pitched battle before either- also, one huge unsinkable pirate fleet doesn't seem to simulate the way pirates actually operate- profit is the only motive usually, and sinking warships is a lot less lucrative than raiding merchants and villages.

6. Speaking of ships- how about a virtually unprotected transport- something a little less pricey and faster to build than the warships. The computer seems to be pretty aggresive when fighting at sea, so using one anywhere but the safest spots or for an emergency wouldn't be very useful. Of course, as long as one ship carries as many as a fleet this isn't a major concern (certainly not worth cutting a real unit anyway).

More next time I get a chance to play

Iskandr

**Simmons** · 12-31-2005, 09:34

I know this is a very sensitive subject but I think that cavalry charges are weak should the Akontisai mentioned above even stand and fight after being hit in the rear by a companion cavalry charge for example.

**Sartaq** · 12-31-2005, 10:57

Originally Posted by Mad Guitar Murphy

Playing as Parthia I have major problems facing Seleucid and Bactrian General's Bodyguards.

I've had two "jedi general" encounters with the Bactrian guards. Each time I had them completely outnumbered and surrounded with powerful units. The general must have absorbed 100+ hits.