Light and Heavy infantry

[Marcus Caelius]

What do the categories of Light and Heavy infantry mean in terms of consequences for the game?

I thought that in real life it refers to the weight of equipment carried, and therefore, speed versus weapons and armour, yet Naked Fanatics are rated Heavy despite being about as lightly burdoned as it is possible to imagine.

I also noticed that Hastati are rated as light, yet weren't they true armoured close-order infantry?

Any answers most appreciated

[Watchman]

I don't think the way the game uses the terms has all that much in common with their normal employement. AFAIK they exist mainly as "earmarks" for the AI and the formation files that need to know what type of unit is roughly what for and where it should be placed.

'Sides, the terms themselves are used with extreme variance. Some folks, or in some contexts, call all chiefly close-combat troops "heavy" and missile troops "light"; others separate the ranged combatants into a third category (usually something like "skirmishers"), and divide the melee troops into "lights" and "heavies" chiefly by their formation - "heavies" being comparatively close-order sluggers, the "lights" more loose and hence faster and as such better in close terrain. For example, most barbarian melee infantry even if buck nekkid would count as "heavy" by these criteria.

For example, in late-Medieval context a layman would have serious difficulties telling "light" and "heavy" cavalry apart - the former mainly just had a few bits less plate armour, and lighter horse barding... Similarly "light" infantry was as a rule armed and armoured to the teeth, and differed from the slower "heavies" like pike- and spearmen mainly in not relying primarily on the formation effect of their weapons.

[Ludens]

I don't think the way the game uses the terms has all that much in common with their normal employement. AFAIK they exist mainly as "earmarks" for the AI and the formation files that need to know what type of unit is roughly what for and where it should be placed.

You are right. A CA developer confirmed this some time ago.

[Marcus Caelius]

Thank you very much for your detailed and prompt responses.

[David]

Aren't the weapon upgrades seperate for light and heavy. Thats pretty important gameplay wise.

[BigTex]

What do the categories of Light and Heavy infantry mean in terms of consequences for the game?

I thought that in real life it refers to the weight of equipment carried, and therefore, speed versus weapons and armour, yet Naked Fanatics are rated Heavy despite being about as lightly burdoned as it is possible to imagine.

I also noticed that Hastati are rated as light, yet weren't they true armoured close-order infantry?

Any answers most appreciated

Generally its a reference to their formations, lighter troops are looser then the heavier. Heavy infantry would be the center of the anvil, while lighter would have been on the sides in a looser formation defending the flanks. As for the actual difference in game, its more a difference in the AI's use, and their charge ratings. I may be completely off here and its just a matter of charge ratings, but I believe that heavy infantry impact in the charge differently and more effectively.

Aren't the weapon upgrades seperate for light and heavy. Thats pretty important gameplay wise.

The lighter weapons are usually faster in the swing rate.

[Ludens]

Aren't the weapon upgrades seperate for light and heavy. Thats pretty important gameplay wise.

That refers to weapon (and not unit) class. IIRC hastati are light infantry but carry heavy weapons.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Light usually means they have spears, or they have small shields and swords, or not much armor. Heavy usually means slow armored soldiers.

[Viking]

I`ve always thought of the heavy infantry as the best infantry.

[Watchman]

Generally its a reference to their formations, lighter troops are looser then the heavier. Heavy infantry would be the center of the anvil, while lighter would have been on the sides in a looser formation defending the flanks. As for the actual difference in game, its more a difference in the AI's use, and their charge ratings. I may be completely off here and its just a matter of charge ratings, but I believe that heavy infantry impact in the charge differently and more effectively.

I'd hazard an educated guess that the effects of charges are dependent upon the actual unit attributes - soldier mass, the actual charge value etc. - and them alone. The Light/Heavy division, as already mentioned, is solely a typology for the benefit of the assorted formation configurations and suchlike, and the poor dumb AI.

'Sides, there's also the unit class "spearmen". Where'd you put that in then in your model ?

The lighter weapons are usually faster in the swing rate.

Swing rate is solely dependent on the "attack delay" value listed after the lethality rating, AFAIK (the animation skeleton's speed only affects the movement rate so far as I know). And on a plain vanilla EDU, every single unit has a 25 there.