phalangites= supermen?

**Hooahguy** · 12-20-2007, 02:15

ok, so in my last battle in my AAR, the enemy had 3 routing phalangites, and i sent a unit of hellenic spearmen to intercept them. it was a head-on collision. my 154 spearmen threw all their spears right into the incoming phalangites. only 1 died. i can understand if they are pretty much invincible if they are in phalanx formation, but not when they are routing. it doesnt make sense...... is it possible to only have the invincible_front attribute only when they are in phalanx formation?

**Pharnakes** · 12-20-2007, 02:34

Its cause they have 5 shield.

**Intranetusa** · 12-20-2007, 02:52

I thought the shield bonus only applies to the unit's front and left sides 0 and if it's in "ready: position?

A unit that is running with its shield lowered or routing with its back turned won't have the shield bonus...?

**Pharnakes** · 12-20-2007, 02:58

He said he attacked from the front, so....

Plus, routing units always spread out, so its hardly suprising he didn't do much with missiles.

**Hooahguy** · 12-20-2007, 03:08

well, they werent exactly speread out- it was more like this, the starts representing the enemy phalangites-

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**Intranetusa** · 12-20-2007, 03:13

Originally Posted by Pharnakes

He said he attacked from the front, so....

Plus, routing units always spread out, so its hardly suprising he didn't do much with missiles.

Well routing units have their shields lowered, so I'd think it's the same as a phalanx unit "running" forward in non-phalanx mod...

???

**Hooahguy** · 12-20-2007, 03:20

where would the info be on this? im not using the computer i play EB with.....

**Danest** · 12-20-2007, 03:26

I hadn't heard that running units didn't get a shield bonus. Is this certain?

**Hooahguy** · 12-20-2007, 03:33

no idea- but it would seem as if they would get 1/2 their shield value

**pezhetairoi** · 12-20-2007, 08:17

More importantly, what sort of phalangites were those that were routing?

**marodeur** · 12-20-2007, 11:04

What kind of spearmen were you using against which kind of phalangites?

**Raphia** · 12-20-2007, 15:04

Honestly I wonder why people regard phalangites so highly, they're cumbersome beasts, they need to be together, they cannot act as independent units, just one big blocked mass. I always like to tire them out chasing my lighter infantry, then go for the killing blow.

**Pharnakes** · 12-20-2007, 15:09

Strange you should think that and call yourself Raphia.

**Raphia** · 12-20-2007, 15:15

Originally Posted by Pharnakes

Strange you should think that and call yourself Raphia.

Personally I like the name, it sounds cool

**Long lost Caesar** · 12-20-2007, 17:22

what wrong with calling himself raphia?

**Rodion Romanovich** · 12-20-2007, 17:50

Yes, phalanxes are supermen when in combat front-to-front, but pretty weak when hit to the rear properly. Best idea is to make them split up, flank them, and not hit their front unless you can hit their rear and/or flanks shortly afterwards. Throwing missiles at them from the front is waste of ammo, IMO. Perhaps historically they could take more damage from the front, but the phalanx formation in the hardcoded parts of the engine automatically raises all defense/armor stuff when in phalanx formation IIRC so it's the only way the engine allows them to be.

**Rodion Romanovich** · 12-20-2007, 17:52

Originally Posted by Long lost Caesar

what wrong with calling himself raphia?

A major battle Ptolemies vs Selecuids where well-trained phalanxes proved crucial to the Ptolemaic victory. That's why Pharnakes thought it odd for someone named after the battle to call phalanxes cumbersome beasts.

**Pharnakes** · 12-20-2007, 18:44

Originally Posted by Long lost Caesar

what wrong with calling himself raphia?

Certinately nothing wrong with it, I just thought it odd, as Rodion said.

**Hooahguy** · 12-20-2007, 19:45

Originally Posted by pezhetairoi

More importantly, what sort of phalangites were those that were routing?

it was a one-chevroned klerouchi phalangitai(sp?)

**Decimus Attius Arbiter** · 12-20-2007, 19:53

I think they're sensitive to outside factors. Attacking uphill, they're vulnerable as other units.

**MarcusAureliusAntoninus** · 12-20-2007, 20:25

Yeah, running and routing units loose their shield boni (which is what makes phalangitai so strong). If you have a unit of phalangitai running toward you, have your archers fire at it. You'll only get one volley in before they go into formation, but you will kill a huge amount. (Also, when they do that thing where they run, lower spears, run, lower spears... that counts as them in formation at all times.)