Unit numbers question

[blacksnail]

So basically, when we play RTW/EB, we are getting nowhere near the size of the units reported in history?

Is that correct? And if so, is that because of technological limitations (i.e. pc''s can't render that effectively yet) or because the game is hardcoded with certain limits?

Partially hardcoded, partially for gameplay reasons. Computers at the time of RTW's release could not handle the amount of men required to represent accurate numbers, and beyond that there is no way the player could control 20,000 men at once without severe micromanagement.

Incidentally, the hardcoding is why you only get the "reinforcements delayed?" message if your computer can't handled all those additional units appearing on screen at once. Internally the game refers to that message as "computer_too_weak" or something like that.

[Tellos Athenaios]

That and when you would have more than 20 units in the commanded army. (If you choose your re-inforcements to be drip-fed, on a unit by unit basis.)

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

We've just been doing internal work on this for the Polybian era.

A Consular army can be represented thus:

4 Velites

4 Hastati

4 Princepes

2 Triarii

1 Pedites Extraordinarii

3 Equites

1 Equites Extraordinarii

1 General.

That's proportianally correct, more or less.

[Centurion Crastinus]

To accurately represent each one of my polybian legions, I use the following structure:

3 Velites
5 Hastati
5 Principes
3 Triarii
2 Pedites Extroidinarii
1 Equites
1 Itallic Cavalry


I only use three units of Velites because since they are in 200 man units, it gives a total of 600 men which is fairly close to the abount of Hastati and Principes fielded (810 Hastati/Principes versus 600 Velites)

For me, it seems the best way to represent a polybian legion while dealing with the constraints of the TW engine.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

There were the same number of velites in a legion as Hastati or Princepes.

[Centurion Crastinus]

There were the same number of velites in a legion as Hastati or Princepes.

I simply use three units of Velites because it just works a little better for me. Considering the 20 unit slot limitations, I decided to get rid of one unit of Velites instead of my allied cavalry. I know I could use 4 units of Velites, Hastati, and Principes, but I find my battle line to be too short. How would you recomend overcoming this problem? Maybe Allied infantry?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I use a narrow battle line and strike hard at the enemy right flank while my velites and cavalry guard the left flank. You can also attack with a shallower 3-rank line because the second line is going in shortly after the first, which will give you mass.