Most Cost Effective Infantry?

[The General]

Actually, when examining detailed settlement information, is there not a proportion of revenues distributed to pay for the generals and their retinue, or am I completely off zee trakk heer?

[ARCHIPPOS]

BG's are cost effective in more ways than "not-paying-their-recruitment-cost"

1.They autoreplenish casualties...
2.Once upgraded (usually at the very insignificant cost of around 100 mnai) the BG unit stays upgraded all throughout (no matter of the numbers of fresh recruits admitted in the outfit)...
3.In contrast to other elite troops, BG are accessible from turn 1... spending 30000 mnai(and countless turns) in building MICs consists a cost... In my view BG's are low-tech elites..."low-tech" in the sense of immediate avalaibility... in fact all throughout the game they remain a sort of "poor's elite" ...

the most important aspect of BG "cost-effectiveness" is not seer cost reduction but improved logistics (which admittedly is a pain-in-the-ass-issue)...

another aspect of cost effectiveness is experience...
missile units tend to gain experience waaaaaay faster than melee troops ... thus augmenting their battle effectiveness-so in pure economic terms i find it very "cost-effective" to invest in large numbers of shooters ... (not very realistic i know) but certainly very compensating

[The General]

BG's are cost effective in more ways than "not-paying-their-recruitment-cost"

1.They autoreplenish casualties...
2.Once upgraded (usually at the very insignificant cost of around 100 mnai) the BG unit stays upgraded all throughout (no matter of the numbers of fresh recruits admitted in the outfit)...
3.In contrast to other elite troops, BG are accessible from turn 1... spending 30000 mnai(and countless turns) in building MICs consists a cost... In my view BG's are low-tech elites..."low-tech" in the sense of immediate avalaibility... in fact all throughout the game they remain a sort of "poor's elite" ...

the most important aspect of BG "cost-effectiveness" is not seer cost reduction but improved logistics (which admittedly is a pain-in-the-ass-issue)...

another aspect of cost effectiveness is experience...
missile units tend to gain experience waaaaaay faster than melee troops ... thus augmenting their battle effectiveness-so in pure economic terms i find it very "cost-effective" to invest in large numbers of shooters ... (not very realistic i know) but certainly very compensating

The BG units are of course the most cost-effective, there's nobody who would deny it, but that's because they're not units, per se, but bodyguards. With a few nomad generals and their bodyguard retinues it's possible to slaughter enemies by the (tens/hundreds of) thousands.

Thus, I do not think they should be considered here, due to their special mechanics.

In EB they're free. Check your EDU.txt if you don't believe me.

The BG units have no upkeep, because they're not like the other units, they're bodyguards, tied to the fate of their master. If the general dies, the bogyguard unit is disbanded, no? Which leads us to...

You are completely off zee trakk heer.

What you're thinking about is likely a family member's salary.

Yes, which I'd imagine include the payments the general makes to his bodyguards (or in the case they for some reason are ready to die for him for free, their equipment, food, horses, housing...)

Also, I'mma quote:

Because the bodyguards are robots who never eat and rest, also they don't need money, because they are programmed to serve you.

[Cute Wolf]

Bodyguards are privately paid by their masters (your FM) except recruitable merc generals, and in EB timeframe, every noble men (your FM) often has several farms, industries, and lands at their exspense.....

But I said they are not most cost effective.... all you need to do to lost them is a simple cavalry charge on their left side (who often result in death of their masters), but that's true that they are "low-tech" elites.......

[Vilkku92]

Akontistai and Jugundiz are very cost effective. Of course, they will die if facing lots of missiles or heavier troops, but they're cheap and brutally effective if used properly.

Alltough for the most cost effective units I would say Principes or Swebos bodyguard.

[Moros]

Actually, when examining detailed settlement information, is there not a proportion of revenues distributed to pay for the generals and their retinue, or am I completely off zee trakk heer?

In EB they're free. Check your EDU.txt if you don't believe me.

[Apázlinemjó]

In EB they're free. Check your EDU.txt if you don't believe me.

Because the bodyguards are robots who never eat and rest, also they don't need money, because they are programmed to serve you.

[DaciaJC]

Actually, when examining detailed settlement information, is there not a proportion of revenues distributed to pay for the generals and their retinue, or am I completely off zee trakk heer?

You are completely off zee trakk heer.

What you're thinking about is likely a family member's salary.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

I'd say Iberi Milites. Large numbers, good javelins, really solid in melee and yet a levy.

[Geticus]

I play Eurobarbs, never played Romans but the units that impress me the most are

-Roman Polybian principes, for the reasons above mentioned, i.e. low cost, solid morale, armor, pila.

-Thraikian peltasts- 370 or so mnai per turn, levy at level three with a L4 temple of Ares, superb all around infantry can ambush, skirmish, shoot down elephants and AP rhompaia cuts through heavily armored enemies, dangerous in any battle including step battles as long as there is cover.

-Sweboz Jugunthiz skirmisher- very cheap, they can easily be mass levied with 4 chevrons. They are fast, tire slowly, put down most cavalry in melee with their spears and numbers, shoot down skirmishers, and are decent vs. infantry especially on the flank. Both Jugunthiz skirmishers and Chatti youth are great for filling out the flanks and reserves of a cheap Sweboz horde.

[Ludens]

Actually, when examining detailed settlement information, is there not a proportion of revenues distributed to pay for the generals and their retinue, or am I completely off zee trakk heer?

Yes, but is under "wages" and not "upkeep". It's 200 per family member and mercenary general, regardless of the size of their bodyguard or retinue.

[Apázlinemjó]

Yes, but is under "wages" and not "upkeep". It's 200 per family member and mercenary general, regardless of the size of their bodyguard or retinue.

The mercenary generals have their own upkeeps, which is listed on their stat page, nope? For example a Celtic mercenary general has around 500 mnai upkeep, or not?

[The General]

Yes, but is under "wages" and not "upkeep". It's 200 per family member and mercenary general, regardless of the size of their bodyguard or retinue.

I didn't say they had an upkeep (which is set to zeero as can be seen in EDU), I claimed they were not 'free'.

[DaciaJC]

I didn't say they had an upkeep (which is set to zeero as can be seen in EDU), I claimed they were not 'free'.

Well... regardless if the size of the BG is 1 or 100, the FM's wages are still 200 mnai, meaning that no money is going to the BG. They are effectively free.

[The General]

Well... regardless if the size of the BG is 1 or 100, the FM's wages are still 200 mnai, meaning that no money is going to the BG. They are effectively free.

If a generals' BG unit is reduced to 1 (or none-but-him), he might spend money to equip a new unit to replace the one decimated. The more influential the general, the more likely that nobility would be ready to serve him, by gaining favour from the faction leader and thus influence and wealth themselves.

Also, you'd have to take into account the prices of vanilla R:TW. Parthian Cataphracts cost 190/turn in R:TW - Zradha Pahlavans (Parthian Cataphracts) cost 1178/turn, Azad Asavaran (Parthian Noble Cataphracts) 1196/turn and Grivpanvar (Parthian Late Armored Elite Cataphracts) 1279/turn... Thus a general in vanilla R:TW might've been able to hire a retinue with an income of 200/turn, with promises of loot, influence and favour, et cetera.

Aaand I might be thinking too much what reality might've been. It's a CA game, after all.

[Hax]

Well...the Agrianikoi Pelukephoroi are pretty good. Decent armour, AP axes and missiles.

[The General]

Well...the Agrianikoi Pelukephoroi are pretty good. Decent armour, AP axes and missiles.

15 morale ain't bad either.