EB June Preview :: Eastern Kingdoms
Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans
We are still hard at work on v0.8 (tired of hearing that perhaps by now!!) and are making some progress.
The porting over seemed to go nicely and then BANG!!, a new hardcoded limit popped up and made our work a little bit more miserable. As stated before, the recruitment system EB currently has is not compatible with v1.5 and we are reworking on it so no CTDs will be in 0.8.
We know you are eagerly awaiting the 0.8 and so are we, because since the last preview, development has started on some areas not touched for months if not years. You will be pleased when you hear what it is!
But to keep your EB cravings at bay, we have hammered together a little preview for you to see.
As always we there are people that need thanks. Arman, Seydtlitz & Spartan Warrior for modelling and Agart, Arman, Forgus, Kali & Spartan Warrior for skinning them.
Also thanks to Teleklos Archelaou for doing the GUI and loading screens, Aymar de Bois Mauri for providing ingame shots of the units & Angadil, Foot & Steppe Merc for their work on the Eastern factions and helping with this preview.
Nakhararakan Tiknapah - Armenian Royal Guards
The Nakhararakan Tiknapah, the elite foot-soldiers of the Royal Palaces, are usually few in number and serve only as guardsmen to the Hai Arkah (Armenian King) and his princes. But their lengthy training, their fierce loyalty and their superior equipment mean that at times it is prudent and wise for their numbers to be increased and their role to be revised. Their position on the battlefield is to hold the line - their skill and determination spurring their allies on - while they wait for the inevitable charge of their horse-bound cousins - the Nakhararakan Aspet. Their equipment, mostly supplied by themselves, is the finest work that Hayasdan can produce, only bested by the King’s armour itself. They wear the old Assyrian-style helmet, conical in shape and a traditional choice for the men of Hayasdan. Their scale-corset is finely crafted from iron mined in Hayasdan itself and it is forged in the metal-smiths whose craft has an ancient history in this part of the world. They carry a long spear and a large, traditional, circular silver shield with an iron rim, similar in style to the Greek Aspis shield, and a stout defence against the slashing sword of an enemy.
Hye Sparapet - Armenian Royal Bodyguards
The Hye Sparapet, the loyal cadre of Nakhararakan Aspet who exclusively serve the Royal Princes and the Hai Arkah (Armenian King), are among the fiercest warriors known to Hayasdan; unbowing in the face of certain death, unquestioningly loyal to their King. Fully clad in the most well crafted of armours, these men are a fearsome sight on the battlefield, bolstering allies and weakening the resolve of their enemies. Their armour consists of a conical helm, in the Assyrian-style, with an aventail guard to protect the neck; an iron scale corset covered with a decorative leather tabard; and banded arm and leg guards to protect the limbs from harm. The Hye Sparapet, armed with a two-handed lance, can be the decisive force on a battlefield, routing enemies with a single charge. If, however, they get bogged down in combat their maces will crush the enemy beneath them, crumpling all but the hardiest of armours and stoutest of shields. For greatest effect the Hye Sparapet should be used at the defining moment of a battle when all other forces are committed to the fray, charging into the flanks or rear of an enemy in an effort to break them.
Historically, the Armenian lords assembled a strike force of heavily armoured men to comprise their personal guard. Those warriors were fiercely loyal and courageous. However, their limited numbers (they were very expensive to equip) severely constrained their tactical impact.
Hallamtati Thanvare - Elymaean Archers
These infantry archers are recruited from the homeland of the Elamite people from the highland elements of the Zagros mountains. These infantry lack the speed and manoeuvrability of horse archers instead relying on their powerful long composite bow. It seems likely that at least some of these infantry were those from the highlands turning to mercenary service rather than another year of sheepherding. They are willing to give good service but lack any particular attachment to their overlords.
The Elamites are among the oldest of nations and are mentioned in ancient Babylonian and Assyrian documents. Throughout their history the Elamites were known as dangerous warriors skilled in the use of the bow. This tradition continued into the Hellenic period when they are recorded as serving the Seleucid kings and the later Parthian kings in their turn.
Chalkaspidai - Bronze Shields
The Makedonian conquests never included Pontos, but their influence in military matters found a home on the shores of the Pontos Euxine. The phalanx is the natural tactical formation of a part-time citizen levy. Their training cannot be extended or in depth as they have their own lives and role to play in society. These men are part-time conscripts able to serve during the summer campaigns, but they must be released at harvest or famine will follow. The Bronze Shields or brazen shields are the elite phalangitai of the Pontic state. The chalkaspidai can be a powerful and dangerous weapon in the hands of a competent general, and a slaughterhouse in the hands of a fool. The phalanx, known already in ancient Sumeria, is at its simplest, a compact body of spearmen, formed up in depth to present a hedge of spears to any attacker. The weak point of the phalanx is the flanks and if the enemy is able to engage the flanks then the formation will quickly fall into disorder. The sarissa is a clumsy weapon, not well suited to close quarters combat, but such is not its purpose. It is meant to be an impenetrable wall of pikes, creating a moving fortress which cavalry can use to launch their attacks. Vital to the success of the pikemen are hoplites, or hypaspistai, whose purpose is to ward the vulnerable flanks of the phalanx.
Historically, the latter day Hellenic states forgot the nature and vulnerabilities of these pikemen. Trying to use these infantry as an offensive arm, these pikemen failed to achieve for their masters what they had never been intended to do. The Makedonian conquests never included Pontos, but their influence in military matters found a home on the shores of the Pontos Euxine and the phalanx was adopted in that area too.
Artish Pada - Eastern Javelinmen
Pontos :: Pahlava
Armed with nothing but a small shield and a handful of javelins these men risk their lives in closing with the enemy with only the lightest of equipment. These men deploy in a cloud before the heavy infantry dashing back and forth to release their deadly missiles. These infantry skirmishers fought in open formations so as to maximize the number of men able to get a throw and minimize the effect of enemy missiles. Lacking armour, training and heavy weapons these light infantry stand no chance if committed to melee.
Historically, most armies of the classical period found use for poorly equipped levies as skirmishers, very often as javelinmen, as these troops required relatively little training and financial investment, relying mostly on widespread natural skills and scant gear, while still providing some useful service.
Grivpanvar
The Grivpanvar are nobles from the highest level of cataphracts that the Pahlava have to draw on. The elite of the clan host form this armoured fist that represents one of the most powerful armoured cavalry the world has ever seen. They deploy in the heaviest armour available and use the kontos as their primary shock weapon. Armoured in iron lamellar corselets, covered by a leather tabard, laminated leg and arm guards and with iron shining from the scale horse barding, these are truly men of iron, in bright armour for horse and man. The horse bearing such loads must be both large and strong, and both the Parthians and Achaemenid Persians bred just such horses, the Nisaean breed of Persia.
Historical evidence suggests that the Parthian, heavily-armoured Grivpanvar were, at least partially, a product of military influence from the Central Asian steppes which had inherited the armoured cavalry traditions of the Massagetae and the late Achaemenid Persians. Their name derives from the Pahlavi griwban "neck-guard", a helmet armour guard, from whence 'Grivpan' warrior. In the 3rd century AD, the Romans would begin to deploy such cavalry calling them clibanarii, the name thought to derive from griwbanwar or griva-pana-bara.
And some reskins:
Pantodapoi - Hayasdan
Akontistai - Pontos
And as a bonus:
Late Pahlavan Kings loading screen you will see in 0.8:
And here are some Eastern GUI shots:
And as a dessert:
Now what could this be?
We hope you have enjoyed this preview of some of the Eastern units.
Please note that unless stated otherwise, ALL pictures, names, and descriptions shown in our previews are works in progress. We continue to improve on all parts of EB, and we will continue to do so long after our initial release.
Since some areas where these news items are posted cannot handle wide images, we appreciate your restraint from quoting full-size images.
As always, if you have questions or comments, the best place to post them is here, where the EB team is most active:
Europa Barbarorum ORG forum
Europa Barbarorum TWC forum
We give special thanks to Imageshack that provides us with a simple, foolproof, and free way to show you all these pictures each week.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
The Europa Barbarorum team.
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