First impression/ suggestions

[fallen851]

Wait a minute, you're telling me that history is wrong? The Companions didn't charge and break through the Greek phalanx that Darius hired at those two battles?

This would suggest that Alexander the Great never conquered Persia?

Those are some big claims.

I'm rather disappointed with some of your comments, such as this one from the TWC "If you're looking for quick battles that can be won almost soley by using heavy cavalry than you're playing the wrong mod."

How many battles were won quickly by heavy cavarly back then? I don't know, but just about every battle Alexander the Great pulled off seems to have been...

Worse is "Go for it, just know that you're making them (Gaesatae) less realistic."

I don't quite understand how you can say that someone reducing the armor rating of Gaesatae is making them realistic. It isn't like back then there was a book that said: "Gaesatae have an armor rating of 5". That isn't realistic, nor is it historical, or even in the spirit of historical study to propose than arbitary system based on "defence rating" and "charge bonus" and such could actually represent the battlefield. I don't know how anyone can do that, it certainly doesn't explain the myriad of battles that would have turned out differently if real life was based on the arbitary system used in RTW or any of its mods... this is a game, just like mathematics. Now mathematics for the most part happens to represent what goes on in the world, but as I said, the system used has many problems when applied to reality.

As for you stating we shouldn't rely on what "feels right", as a horseback rider, you and I should do a test (actually I've already done this). I'll get on my horse, and hold broomstick in onehand, and charge you directly and you can hold a long stick in one hand and try to dismount me.

The fact is you won't have enough power onehanded with a very long spear to be able to muscle the spear deep enough into the horse to dismount me, the spear will just get pushed backward out of your hands, and leave a relatively small wound in the horse, or just a mark on the riders shield. Many historians claims that the phalanxes actually hung their shields from their necks, and used the spears two handed, because their would simply be no way to control them effectively otherwise. Still, even with the stick in two hands the horse and rider will tear the spear out of your hands. A horse that was armoured would be even harder to stop.

You can test this at home actually using basic physics and a car. Suppose the horse (lets assume its a Friesian, possiby the closest thing to what knights rode: 1350 lbs) plus the rider rider (160 lbs) plus the equiptment (60 lbs), total in at 1570 pounds (712 kilograms), and lets say he is charging you (member of the phalanx) at 30mph, which is a reasonable speed I'd say.

Now compare the horses weight to a car, and then subtract the proper amount of acceleration from your car (assuming the car is heavier) to recreate the force created by a 1570 pound horse traveling at 30mph.

So go outside and have someone drive toward you at the speed necessary to recreate the force that the horse generates. Mount a protective pad on the bumper of said car (protect the paint) and target this area with a long pole. Now as someone drives toward you with the car equipped with a protective pad on the bumper at 15mph or whatever "Stand your ground" and stop the charge! I guarentee the car will tear the pole out of your hand. Now you can even arm a friend with a pole also and have to the two of you try to stop the car together.

Now explain to me how a phalanx stops heavily armoured calvary... (repeat the above procedure as many times as necessary to realize this question is rhetorical)

Anyone doing this does so at their own risk, and I am not liable for any injuries or damage to broomsticks or cars, but I'd like it very much to see a video tape of this.