Calling all INFANTRY commanders!!

[Henry707]

Morning All,

I've been reading with interest the post on cavalry - everyone loves the nice horsies...but...there must be those out there like me who prefer the gritty determination of the humble infantrymen.

I do use cavalry in my games but my real love is the foot soldier - infantry or archer. There's nothing like see a line of your troops hold a skilful enemy whilst your archers rip them) out of them!!

Playing Egypt at the moment, the sacaren milita have become my first love - what an amazing unit - can last the whole game & really can hold the line against the horsies. I only wish pikemen were better to give the cavalry a poking with those sharp sticks!

Be interested to see, is infantry the boring alternative, anyone a master of infantry - even artillery?

Henri

[marrow]

I know where you're coming from, but in my opinion infantry in M2TW has been portrayed in an underwhelming fashion!
First off - I understand that hardware requirements have gone up significantly, as has number of polygons per unit and it's beneficial for us to play with smaller unit sizes, but it has robbed the game of its cinematic feel.
It would take me a loooong time to inspect my, say, macedonian army on the field. 10 - 12 huge units of phalangites really made ground tremble and gave off a sense of serious clout when sprawled across half the map (esp with darth formations in XGM). Infantry armies in Rome were enormous!
Somehow, 8 units of Italian Militia, with the feeble patter of their tiny feet, doesn't really cut it for me.
Secondly - cavalry is particularly nasty in M2TW and will gut pretty much any infantry unit, usually head-on, occasionally even in thick woods. It is perhaps a fair illustration of improvents in armament and gear (stirrups!) which elevated cavalry to the top of the food chain on most medieval battlefields.
There are other reasons too - commanding infantry is generally easier to grasp and has fewer snags than commanding cavalry in M2TW, and as such i find it less tactically challenging and ultimately rewarding. This is just my personal take on the game so do not feel offended!
I actually know exactly what you mean and I second that in a way, infantry-biased battles in modded RTW were immense in scale and generally excellent fun (XGM, EB, RTR), but in some TW incarnations (STW and M2TW) commanding cavalry is just more fun for people like me.
As Empire TW is coming out you should keep banging on CA doors to give infantry justice this time round.

[pevergreen]

Infantry

Give me a Single unit of heavy armoured sword and broad wielding men anyday over your lousy horses.

Thats why i have the Hastati in my Avatar.

at least, i hope its a Hastati, it might be a Principle

[Henry707]

You're right Pever, I also love the way those sneeky naffatuns creep up next to heavily armed horsemen & start taking out some real vengence!!!!

Henri

[TinCow]

I'm a fellow infantry-lover. I love to see row upon row of steel-clad men lined up before a charge. Everything else in my armies exists to aid the infantry line. Missiles and artillery are there to kill off enemy missiles and to soften up the enemy line. Cavalry are there to help break the enemy line once engaged. All of them are merely filling supporting roles. The hordes with the swords do most of my dirty-work.

[spud_u_like]

Amen!

Who can be bothered with the horsies!

Cavalry: Woohoo I've charged and killed lots of enemy! Now pay me constant attention!

Me: Sorry busy with archers.

Cavalry: Wah Wah! Help melee! And they have pointy sticks! What do i do, what do you mean retreat and charge again?! Sod that I'm going to stay here bogged down and die before you scroll back!

Me: whatever, you cost too much anyway.

Give me retinue longbows any day of the week :)

[Charge]

Thats why i have the Hastati in my Avatar.

at least, i hope its a Hastati, it might be a Principle

Actually it's a Triarius

There is nothing better for me than strong heavy infantry with swords or axes!

[RemusAvenged]

IMO the only good cavalry are defensive cavalry-killers.

It feels like your cheating by using anything that actually charges, the AI certainly doesn't ever try it... Except for the standard General's Suicide Charge.

[econ21]

For me, one of the greatest thrills is the "thin red line". A small, elite infantry force - preferably on top of a hill (Shinano ) - holding off a massive AI army.

Of course, you need the missiles to demoralise and thin out the enemy. And you need the cavalry to flank them and pursue. But it is the poor bloody infantry who have to hold the hill and bear the brunt of the fighting.