Quote Originally Posted by WhiskeyGhost
It all depends on what point of view really. Saracen Militia/Urban Militia are perhaps the best infantry militia-wise in the game (yeah yeah, i know italians, but even so....)
But it takes the Muslims a while to produce good heavy infantry, and that's the exception, not the rule.

Sure, France has horse archers. Did you know that? But it takes so long for you to get them, that it is not that relevant to the strategy part of the game.

France will rely on heavy cavalry and good armored infantry, and that's the way it goes.

Generally speaking, the general strategies for the east and west are different because of their limited troop options. While it is possible for them to get the kind of unit they lack (such as horse archers for the west, or heavy infantry for the east) it won't affect the overall game. In order to get that far, you will most likely rely on HA for the east and HC for the west.