Hastatis kill my hoplites

**General4Hire** · 02-19-2006, 23:36

Originally Posted by orangat

The problem is that long pike phalanx units in RTW is bugged/broken. Such units have trouble engaging enemies in phalanx mode which is why the BI expansion removed many of such units (instead of fixing the root problem).

I wonder if the supposedly free Alexander campaign fixes the problem.

Sega/CA never implied in any way shape or form that Alexander was going to be free. All that's happened is that tons of members of the community have hoped/speculated whether it will be or not...that's IT.

So no...there is no "supposedly free Alexander Campaign"...total fantasy, no such animal.

**econ21** · 02-20-2006, 01:05

Does anyone think phalanxes are still a little underpowered against heavy cav in 1.5? Frontally, Roman armoured bodyguards seem to chew threw them, as do cats. On medium battles, without great generals or other favoruable factors, they seem to use their mass or whatever to penetrate throw the wall of pikes and then cut down sword-wielding pikemen. And this is not to do with the charge bonus or lack of bracing - it's the post-charge or non-charge melees I'm talking about.

**Kalray** · 02-27-2006, 16:28

I am A noob playing V1.5. Im Playing a roman faction( I havent unlocked the others yet so you might want to take my posts with a pinch of salt) and I Have a lot of respect for Hoplites. It's true that they are slow and clumsy and if you can get behind them with cavalry or good infantry you can go thru them like a knife thru butter. However, when I've faced large numbers of them and/or not been able to flank them they have caused me huge problems. They are a very defensive unit. I have quite a few mercenary hoplite troops lying about. When I combine them with cavalry on the flanks and some fire support theyve been fantastic. I still have strong well used units of hoplites hired in the very first few turns of the game and even now (when I can recruit some really top roman legion units) they are still useful when you can force the enemy to attack them front on. You cant pull sneaky stunts with them but if I was a roman I'd rather take my chances naked against the Lions than charge their front. The hardest part of using Hoplites is keeping them facing the right way when the proverbial hits the fan and all chaos has broke loose but I've seen the computer regroup against me by sacrificing some whilst getting others to come at me from two directions. Keep your general close to make sure your lines hold. They dont fare well when bombarded either but if you group and move them forward( Dont put them right up against the edge of your deployment zone start them further back so that they cant be flanked early in the battle) this will minimise the damage. Didn't some one once say that the invention of missiles ended the art of war? or, to quote Harold 'ARGGHH MY EYE you -'

**orangat** · 02-27-2006, 22:13

Originally Posted by General4Hire

Sega/CA never implied in any way shape or form that Alexander was going to be free. All that's happened is that tons of members of the community have hoped/speculated whether it will be or not...that's IT.

So no...there is no "supposedly free Alexander Campaign"...total fantasy, no such animal.

If CA is not releasing a patch and expect users to pay for a fix for the phalanx bug and tower bug, it will leave a bad taste in my mouth. BI was all about hordes since the phalanx was screwed up, I expect the Alexander campaign to fix the phalanx bug.

**Ludens** · 02-28-2006, 10:58

Originally Posted by orangat

If CA is not releasing a patch and expect users to pay for a fix for the phalanx bug and tower bug, it will leave a bad taste in my mouth. BI was all about hordes since the phalanx was screwed up, I expect the Alexander campaign to fix the phalanx bug.

To be honest, I don't think it will come with a patch. They will just add some new content for people who cannot get enough of the game. Also, this is actually the first time I hear about a phalanx bug. What does do exactly?

**Gealai** · 02-28-2006, 19:22

Use the phalanx as base/fortress for your light and mobile troops - you shouldn't have any problems with that against the AI. As Simon pointed out it is pointless to have long pointy things holding slow guys

without at least one or two cavalry and missile units.

So you always should try to taunt your enemy so that he attacks you with your guys well ordered. In order to get him to do so you need missile units or/and light cavalry - Militia Cavalry in your case. The phalanx should than stop the enemy so that you can threat the rear and flanks. Than, to make the victory complete you need cavalry, so that the phalanx can stay in line.

In short: My lousy poem of the Phalanx

a) The missile units do the gunning so that the enemy must come running
b) The phalanx gets the frontal ramming so that your rest comes from the flanks slamming
c) The cavalry does the all the chasing so that to death the enemy is racing.

Usually all goes fine that way, but yesterday, playing EB I lost my Komatai Thorakitai Stratiotai ~ more or less a armored Hoplite - to two falxwielding Drapanai because my dear double chivron veterans couldn't decide to lower their

spears and kept saying hallo to each other instead of facing the enemy. Needless to say that my girlfriend was looking afterwards at me strangly given that I was shouting: "Tzio prott tua decht v'rdommt amol dei hurn spear oi, wos mochtsn es lai dei gonze Zeit! Losstz deas umertandtln"

BTW it means more or less: "Could you please be kind enough to lower your spears, it is strange what you are doing all the time! I would be thankful if you could stop it"

by Gealai

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 02-28-2006, 21:11

How is the phalanx bugged??????????????

My Macedonian line is inpenatrable, everything dies, then the Heavy Cav mop up anyone who gets remotely near the flanks.

My lines:

CCC------PPPPPPPPPP------CCC
-----------A A A AG

P-: Phalanx
C: Cavalry
A: Archers
G: General

Unstopable, especially against Romans, they have no Phalanx, so they die.

**Avicenna** · 02-28-2006, 22:07

[/quote=Wigferth Ironwall]My Macedonian line is inpenatrable, everything dies, then the Heavy Cav mop up anyone who gets remotely near the flanks.

My lines:

CCC------PPPPPPPPPP------CCC
-----------A A A AG

P-: Phalanx
C: Cavalry
A: Archers
G: General

Unstopable, especially against Romans, they have no Phalanx, so they die.
[/quote]

Some triarii or any cohorts can do the trick: decimating your cavalry, then getting rid of the phalanx while the roman cavalry (or artillery!) deals with your phalanx.

But of course, the AI is too stupid to use the romans properly.

**orangat** · 03-01-2006, 20:51

Originally Posted by Ludens

To be honest, I don't think it will come with a patch. They will just add some new content for people who cannot get enough of the game. Also, this is actually the first time I hear about a phalanx bug. What does do exactly?

Well its not a single bug per se. More a collection of niggly annoyances like drift(fixed), buttspike, failure to attack, horse jumping breaking phalanx mode, problems getting into phalanx mode. Theres one or 2 threads in the Ludus Magna.

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 03-03-2006, 01:08

Look at the gap between Cav and Phalanx. In order to attack the Cavalry with Cohorts you would need about 4 cohorts, as the Companions will give you the run around and as soon as you hit one the others will flanks, not to mention you expose your back to pikes.

Given that all you or most of your cohorts are tied up fighting my Cav My Infantry can just form square with archers in the middle and kill you cav.

My formation forces you to invert yours and leaves you un able to exicute hammer-and-anvil.