Are the Romans too Powerful?

[caravel]

edit (Caravel posted while I was typing):

So, Roman infintry, archers and cav is over powered, as are all phalanx and HA units.......What does that leave that ISN't over powered in your opinion?

Roman Cavalry are ridiculously overpowered, most of their infantry are also overpowered, especially the post Marian units. Archers are also overpowered and available early on despite the Romans not being noted for archers in that period. This has been covered before too many times to go into it again.

The phalanx units are quite blatant. My ageing grandmother could probably win a campaign as the Greek Cities using nothing but phalanx. Also the AI neither knows how to utilise nor how to counter phalanxes, often throwing it's cavalry and especially chariots straight at them. There is no challenge there. IIRC RTR removed the phalanx formation from most if not all units for this reason. Also the player can always beat the AI phalanxes with ease, due to them constantly breaking formation and being easily flanked when they're in formation. The whole mechanics of the phalanx in RTW is fatally flawed.

Horse Archers are pretty much self explanatory. Besides arrows having nothing even resembling true physics in RTW and their being grossly overpowered, horse archers simply transfer what is in essence a mass killing machine to a highly mobile platform. I have often fought battles with horse archers where they surprised me in just how quickly they could despatch the enemy units with minimal intervention by the player. I could concentrate on other parts of the field and leave the horse archers to it.

So in fact I mentioned two other types of units besides the Roman units that are overpowered, namely Horse Archers and Phalanx units. I did not mention sword infantry units, peltasts, non phalanx spears or the rest of the cavalry units. I could also include Archers, for very good reason, though at least there is a chance that they can be chased down and routed.