Iphikrates

[Caveira]

"In theory", meaning you have only looked at their stats. They will lose to Pezhetairoi in straight 1 on 1 frontal battle for obvious reasons, but will beat other hoplites thanks to the phalanx formation. Have you even used or fought against them? Don't say they are unrealistic if you don't know anything about them, and saying they are ridiculous is just one's opinion.

Edit: KH reforms... *drool*

I do not mean by looking at the stats, i mean by looking at their equipment! With light armour they are not stronger than Pezheteroi and definitly inferior to Hoplitai (who have bigger shields). Their smaller (relative to sarissa) spears (used one handed) would be no match for the sarissa and, being used underhanded and not too long, more heavily armoured hoplites would charge, go trough the spears, and win on melee against the Iphricates. In theory that is.

That's why I say they don't make any sense.

If you switched their shield to pelte, strapped to the forearm, made them use a two-handed animation and gave them the "pseudo-phalanx" of BI so that they can run and charge (if possible with slighty longer spears), THEN, they would make much more sense, theoriticly speaking, and they would also look more like in the text provided by Vorian. In my opinion of corse.

[Thaatu]

I do not mean by looking at the stats, i mean by looking at their equipment! With light armour they are not stronger than Pezheteroi and definitly inferior to Hoplitai (who have bigger shields). Their smaller (relative to sarissa) spears (used one handed) would be no match for the sarissa and, being used underhanded and not too long, more heavily armoured hoplites would charge, go trough the spears, and win on melee against the Iphricates. In theory that is.

That's why I say they don't make any sense.

If you switched their shield to pelte, strapped to the forearm, made them use a two-handed animation and gave them the "pseudo-phalanx" of BI so that they can run and charge (if possible with slighty longer spears), THEN, they would make much more sense, theoriticly speaking, and they would also look more like in the text provided by Vorian. In my opinion of corse.

Bear in mind they were the precursor for Macedonian phalanx, so the sarissa was one step forward from the Iphicratean style. Lighter armour and shield meant you could outrun the heavier hoplites and you would basically have "better stamina". I don't know if those are reflected in the game statwise. You don't have to keep them in phalanx, so they can run and charge. But of course "in theory" is in theory, so you might be correct. I'm all for the two-handed animation, though not for the BI running circus.

Damn I'm fast...

[JeffBag]

Actually, aren't both the Iphikratean Hoplitai and the Pezhetairoi both represented in game with the Linothorax? Thus both of them have the same light armour! Also, bigger shields might not be necessary better; if they were, why didn't everybody just carry around a pavise? The shield that the Iphikratean Hoplitai uses in the game is longer, although not as wide, so it isn't that much worse in terms of coverage. More importantly, it is much lighter, allowing one to use it in a more active manner, manuevering the shield to deflect and block, rather than just locking arms into a rigid position and forming an unmoving wall of shields. This allowed the hoplite greater mobility and effectiveness while outside the phalanx. Although I still think that the Iphikratean Hoplitai should use a 2-handed animation. I mean, the Greeks have always been strapping their shields to their arms, so why should they suddenly switch to a buckler-style shield?

[russia almighty]

^There can be various levels of lino thorax . Some can have more levels of linen and leather or metal plates on the abdomen area.

[Tellos Athenaios]

^ In EB you'll find that the Mak/AS elite phalanxes wear such an "heavy" lineothorax.