Most Ridiculously Lope-sided Autobattles 3500 v 1510

[Intranetusa]

Most Ridiculously Lope-sided Autobattles Me 3500 v 1510 enemy crap units = Crushing Defeat M battle/VH campaign


I had approx 3500 soldiers comprised of a half stack of elite 2hp Nake Gaestarne Infantry (best infantry in the game) along with other half stacks of elite Pedites Extrandanarii Infantry and Mercenary Phalangites
and varying other units (total of 5 stacks). The enemy was a Seleucid army of 1510, with 2 family members (the general had 5 stars) and had mostly levy and standard phalangites.


I totally surrounded the enemy with my 5 stacks and the battle ratio was 10 to 3 in my favor. So how the hell did this happen?:

[Lovejoy]

Next time bring a general. And for the gods sake make sure he brings som cloths to your poor legions.

And wtf is that sweboz army doin there?

[Kepper]

Your army's have saw private parts of naked man. having saw It they fled

[Dyabedes of Aphrodisias]

That happens sometimes.

And I challenge your claim that the gaesatae are the best unit in the game. (BTW, why didn't you combine any of those and why are the Sweboz down there?)

[Intranetusa]

That happens sometimes.

And I challenge your claim that the gaesatae are the best unit in the game. (BTW, why didn't you combine any of those and why are the Sweboz down there?)

I didn't say best in the game - I said they were the best "infantry" unit in the game.
As for the Sweboz, I gave a province in Asia Minor really early on in exchange for an alliance...they've been holding off wave after wave of Seleucid assaults (with a little help from me) for over 10-25 years now.

[Dyabedes of Aphrodisias]

I didn't say best in the game - I said they were the best "infantry" unit in the game.
As for the Sweboz, I gave a province in Asia Minor really early on in exchange for an alliance...they've been holding off wave after wave of Seleucid assaults (with a little help from me) for over 10-25 years now.

I still challenge that claim.

Have the Sweboz been winning very much? Doesn't seem like they'd be able at all to hold off Seleucid stacks...

[Orb]

**** happens, particularly with the autoresolve. Having a decent general helps. Allegedly using the autowin script gives fairer results.

On the best infantry, in earlier builds (currently my EB isn't working), I saw the Swebiz/boz generals crushing even numbers of gaesatae. I'm not sure whether the Galatian nude chappies have the same stats or not. Also, for cost-effectiveness, the Lusotanann Caetranann (especially on hills :)) and some Dacian units are fear-inspiring.

[Intranetusa]

I still challenge that claim.

Have the Sweboz been winning very much? Doesn't seem like they'd be able at all to hold off Seleucid stacks...

What is the best then? I know the Seleucid shock infantry are pretty good (guys in mail with covered faces, round shields, and a spear)

[Gask]

Never use auto resolve unless you do auto_win or if you have a 10 star general or something. Thats what the game seems to focus on to see who wins or not, stars. Thus the constant rebbel garrisons of nothing + an awesome general holding off waves of npc armies .

[Veris]

Use auto_win, always. Unless you are on easy battle difficulty auto resolve is horribly rigged against you. It's pretty common knowledge that it's messed up, so just save time complaining and use auto win if you don't want to manually command it. Auto win will give you generally 10% casualties with relatively equal force which is pretty close to my usual numbers versus a strong foe and saves a ton of time. I use auto win liberally since it's really no fun trying to play along the rules when the rules are really messed up against you and the only reason you're auto resolving is to save time. The only time it's bad is when you have an HA army, but then you get more unit xp than normal battles where you don't lose a man.

And I challenge the Gestastae claim as well. The Thorikitai Argyraspidai are more than match for them: one on one I don't know but in terms of holding the line and forcing a gap, and surviving missile fire, the TA are well above them. Frankly a lot of infantry units are better, examples being veteran/praetorian cohorts, argyraspidai and the other elite phalanxes, and maybe the baktrion and the other successor agema? All of these units don't get totally rocked by skirmishers and are able to force a gap and exploit it much better (at least the non-phalanx).

[Fondor_Yards]

If we are going simply by best stats, Dosidataskeli all the way!
If cost-effectiveness, Drapanai rule.

[Afro Thunder]

That, or you could just command the battles yourself and mop the floor. Great success!

[NeoSpartan]

yeah autoresolve suck B**z!!!

I feel ur pain.

[Intranetusa]

That, or you could just command the battles yourself and mop the floor. Great success!

yup, I just went back and manually fought the battle, killed both the generals, killed 1400 (110 escaped) enemies and lost less than 50 of my men... :)

[Dyabedes of Aphrodisias]

What is the best then? I know the Seleucid shock infantry are pretty good (guys in mail with covered faces, round shields, and a spear)

The Lusotannan Dosidataskeli. They have like 16 attack (I forgot exactly), and they have 32 defense as well as good stamina. They'll pwn a hole in almost any line outside of phalanxes.

--------------------
To do auto_win, do you do it when the battle screen comes up and then autoresolve?

[Thaatu]

Yesterday I used auto_win for the first time when, as Aedui, a small Roman force took Medilanum fair and square. They put the town under siege for, uh.. 0 turns and immediately assaulted with a mystical battering ram that spawned out of nowhere. Then I used auto_win, because there's a limit to how much crap I can take. I don't even feel guilty.

[O'ETAIPOS]

Generals always have edge against capitains. And if Enemy has 5 star general, and you only capitain, they wil most probably win in autocalc battle. Stars do just that - give huge bonuses in autocalc

[Geoffrey S]

That should teach you to create that kind of an army.

[Intranetusa]

That should teach you to create that kind of an army.

Yup, apparently a half stack of elite 2hp heavy gastarne + 4 other stacks of support infantry are worthless against the mighty levy phalangites and levy spearmen. :(

[Empty]

They put the town under siege for, uh.. 0 turns and immediately assaulted with a mystical battering ram that spawned out of nowhere.

Yes, I've encountered such a situation a month ago in Iberia TW and now You say it occurs in EB. So what is this? A bug of vanilla or what?

[LordCurlyton]

Heh you should always chack the experience level of the generals/troops before autocalcing. The stars mean crap, I've one plenty of captain vs 5-10 star general autocalc battles in my campaigns, as long as the guy doesn't have many chevrons. Once they get to Silver or higher I usually fight because they can and will rack up obscene kills, especially gold chevroned generals *shudder*. Also, phalangite units get massive autocalc benefits so unless I'm fielding my own pikes I fight them and get the satisfying joy of phalangite-munching.

[Kugutsu]

Yup, apparently a half stack of elite 2hp heavy gastarne + 4 other stacks of support infantry are worthless against the mighty levy phalangites and levy spearmen. :(

Ever played 'paper, scissor, stone'?

Thats why balanced armies are important. Every unit can be countered with the right opponents and tactics. If you have a whole stack of just one type of unit, you risk losing the lot if they come up against the units they are weak against (think of the romans at carrhae).

Balanced armies means that weaknesses are supported by other units who are strong against them.

And its more fun to play with balanced armies...

[Intranetusa]

Ever played 'paper, scissor, stone'?

Thats why balanced armies are important. Every unit can be countered with the right opponents and tactics. If you have a whole stack of just one type of unit, you risk losing the lot if they come up against the units they are weak against (think of the romans at carrhae).

Balanced armies means that weaknesses are supported by other units who are strong against them.

And its more fun to play with balanced armies...

Well, I did have a balanced army. In my other stacks, I had 8-10 mercenary phalangites, Cretan archers, Northern Gallic Merc Swordsmen, Classical hoplites, Pontic spearmen, etc

[Thaatu]

Yes, I've encountered such a situation a month ago in Iberia TW and now You say it occurs in EB. So what is this? A bug of vanilla or what?

Just some random AI meltdown. I figure it doesn't even know how to build siege engines. There's just some built-in script that gives sieging AI armies some siege crafts. That's why AI sometimes "builds" things like ladders against large stone walls, which really can't be built.

[Dyabedes of Aphrodisias]

Just some random AI meltdown. I figure it doesn't even know how to build siege engines. There's just some built-in script that gives sieging AI armies some siege crafts. That's why AI sometimes "builds" things like ladders against large stone walls, which really can't be built.

I've never encountered something like that. What happens; do they try to use them, or do they just drop them?

I have noticed that the AI is quite random with its siege equipment. I've been sieged with a single tower before by the Arverni. Qarthadast sieged me once with just elephants, who marched up one by one, taking their turn at the boiling oil. Somebody else once sieged me with 7 rams. Then there was a siege with just two ladders.

[Geoffrey S]

But what's the point creating an army like that when playing as the Romans?

[antisocialmunky]

Because you can.

I've always wanted to make a 20 stack unit of Gaestae and see how far they can go without reinforcements... and pants.

[Megas Pyrrhos]

i dont have a pic of it, but i had a mak campaign where i had 4 full-stack armies sieging Rome....all in all, my total forces numbered 12,554 i think, and about 3400 or so for the two Roman armies....and i took horrible losses, so i then proceeded to auto_win that battle in round #2 due to makedonian superiority :)

[Intranetusa]

But what's the point creating an army like that when playing as the Romans?

Actually, 75% of my army is merc units. It takes waaayyy too long to ship my Polybian-reforms troops from the Italian pennisula, so I mainly rely on regional auxillary with heavy merc recruitment. (for some reason, the AI is super rich but almost never recuirts mercs)

I think I only have 30 units total in my entire army of Polybian units, about 15 units of left over Camillian units, and everything else as regional/mercs.
(btw, I kept my max upgraded Cammilan army barracks in Rome because I LOVE the phalanx triari)

[Thaatu]

I've never encountered something like that. What happens; do they try to use them, or do they just drop them?

They don't appear in the battle.