The Shield Problem(s)

[Musashi]

The reason horse archers generally win isn't that they can smash spears with a frontal charge, it's that greater mobility plus range means the spears have to either endure their entire arrow supply from flanks and rear directions before the engagement, or have to break formation, and end up getting caught out where the HAs can smash them with 3 units to their one, and under flanking attack any unit will beat any other, more or less.

Carl: In my experience the Byz spear are equivalent to spear militia in other factions (Nothing they have really compare to say, armored sergeants... and I'm certain english spear militia don't win without the a zero shield fix, which I'm not willing to apply). Their sword and shield guys, which are actually quite nice, don't come until about the middle period. You need a level 4 barracks, which actually takes quite a while to get out there.

The turks infantry absolutely SUCKS. Muslim spear units are worse than European militia units, imho.

Granted, in the late period you get the various awesome Janissary units. But to get there you basically have jack other than your horse archers.