Noob Question about retraining soldiers

[Livius Andronicus]

Hello everyone,

I am perplexed at the retraining of soldiers. I have been playing EB/RTW for quite awhile now and have always combined stacks of units recently used in combat. Browsing through the forums I've noticed people talking about retraining units, so I thought I would give it a try in my new Romani campaign.

I really do not understand what it does. I am in a very new campaign, year 270 I think and I just finished taking Taras. After the battle I sent my units that had been depleted to Capua to retrain. I had a cavalry unit of 5 and a triarii unit of 10. The next turn nothing was different with them. Is the reason because I do not have the right level barracks in Capua? If that is the case why does the game let me retrain them there?

I know this is a noob question and I have searched the forums. It seems most threads simply debate whether one should retrain units or combine partial stacks and retrain new troops.

Any help is much appreciated.

[Kromulan]

2 things happen in retraining. . .
1) Re-building unit strength (replenishing)
2) Adding armory (blacksmith, etc) bonuses.

You can only replenish if you can recruit the troops in that town.
Adding blacksmith & experience bonuses can be done to any troops that don't already have that bonus (even mercs).

[overweightninja]

That would be correct, it sounds like Taras didn't have the correct MIC/Barracks to retrain the actual unit itself, but there were facilities there (for instance blacksmiths, temples) that could retrain the remaining soldiers. They probably have an extra armour or experience point or something. You will need to take them back to the proper Roman provinces to retrain fully.

EDIT
Kromulan too fast for me :(

[Pode]

It's been long enough that I've forgotten (if I ever really knew) how the experience level of replenishment troops is determined. I remember that the number of chevrons for a unit reflects the average of the chevrons for each individual man, but I thought there was much controversy over whether 1) the replenishment troops started out with 0 experience and thus drug the unit average down, 2) they got a bonus based on the experience of the unit they were going into and thus didn't drag down the average as much, or 3) their experience was set to the average of the guys they were joining. I know it's not 3, at least not all the time, but am unsure how it actually works. Can anyone beat me about the head and shoulders with the clue stick?

[Maksimus]

Well, AI in ALX.exe retrains unit's for you anyway's even If you don't give the order

[Senatus Populusque Romanus]

Retraining troops can
1. add armor+weapon effects from the blacksmith in the settlement
2. preserve experience points that units have

[Pode]

With respect to your point 2, I've often had silver chevroned half or quarter units go in for retraining and gotten bronze chevroned ones out, so it's not as simple as it first seems.

[Reno Melitensis]

Retraining troops can
1. add armor+weapon effects from the blacksmith in the settlement
2. preserve experience points that units have

If a unit is heavily under strength it will lose chevrons, as it is logical, green legionnaries are added to the maniple. For ex, as the hastati suffer heavy casualties, one silver chevron unit of approx. 80 soldiers if retrained will lose one experience to 3 bronze chevrons, so losing a bit.

And Maksimus, I thing it is a feature of BI to automatically retrained units, as this happens to me in Invasio Barbarorum.

Cheers

The 100 post.

[bovi]

Actually, they retain their experience, which makes it more or less an exploit since the AI doesn't do it. I always merge troops unless they're at more than 2/3 strength.

[O'ETAIPOS]

Actually, they retain their experience, which makes it more or less an exploit since the AI doesn't do it. I always merge troops unless they're at more than 2/3 strength.

AI do retrain, although some very strange algoryth is used, so it do not do it always when it can. but even in rtw1.5 (not onlt BI or alex) AI retrains in some situations.
Seen this, and also seen full silver chevron AI troops many times.

Livius, if you are in a city that can train given unit you can also retrain. to do this you need to add this unit to "retrain" list, as it will not been done automaticaly

[Pharnakes]

Actually, they retain their experience, which makes it more or less an exploit since the AI doesn't do it. I always merge troops unless they're at more than 2/3 strength.

Some times it does, sometimes it doesn't, without any sort of pattern that I can see. So far as I know nobody knows exactly how it works, though I've seen plenty of theiories.

[Senatus Populusque Romanus]

hmm..i guess it is not as simple as it seems :(

[CirdanDharix]

Some times it does, sometimes it doesn't, without any sort of pattern that I can see. So far as I know nobody knows exactly how it works, though I've seen plenty of theiories.

The reinforcements do get an exp. bonus if a fresh unit trained in the province would get one. I also think that when reinforcing very experienced units, you don't lose as much experience as if you merged them.