Effective use of chariots? (and a few other unit tips needed)

[vartan]

Why do you play on huge? not enough pop.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Why do you play on huge? not enough pop.

Playing on huge is fine, as long as you're careful with recruiting. Recruit from only the largest towns under your control, or those with very high population growth. Also, don't recruit too many units. Finally, if you've got lots of money, recruit mercenaries to supplement your armies, since mercenaries don't reduce your population.

[Macilrille]

I play on huge as well, by far the best setting if you keep your wits about you with recruiting. Only in rare instances do the AI depopulate its cities badly (if they are only province left).

[Silence Hunter]

I play on Huge as it's aesthetically the most appealing seeting if your PC can handle it. It also makes battle "clumsier" so you don't have absolutely perfect control and often random crashes between units occur and that for me adds to the fun. Recruitment just adds a bit of spice to the challenge, as you need to micromanage recruitment + supply lines.

As for AI depleting it's population - it's very unlikely to happen, as script gives AI 200 population back for every unit recruited. So by recruiting say a peltast unit they actually gain 40 population from nowhere. They do lose 40 when recruiting phalangites, but that seems to average itself out. So no problems for the AI.

[athanaric]

Why do you play on huge? not enough pop.

Were you referring to my post? If so, I have only one answer: Because it is the most realistic setting.

Depopulation is not really a problem for a good player. I guess most people don't play on huge settings only because they want to prevent a performance lag.

[Bluefinger]

Were you referring to my post? If so, I have only one answer: Because it is the most realistic setting.

Depopulation is not really a problem for a good player. I guess most people don't play on huge settings only because they want to prevent a performance lag.

I've only encountered the problem with depopulation once in Vanilla Rome. Since then, I readjusted myself and was able to take into account recruiting population effects, and simply spread my recruiting area over a larger area. Simply put, the smaller regions became my money-making regions, and the larger ones became more recruiting hubs, but I had to keep a good balance between them all. One just has to do the recruiting more thoughtfully and plan things out more carefully. Also, it helps not to lose whole massive armies to ambushes.

[seienchin]

I already posted my opinion to the use of the units, but I read other advises and have something to ad.


SKIRMISHER CAVALLERY:
They arent the best cavallery in melee. That is a misinterpretation of unit stats. Heavy lancers are just as good. Their unit cards just show their atack value with their lances, but not their second melee weapons. All of Ebs cavallery have them.
On the other hand lances are often AP, which makes them also quite usefull in melee.
Or in other words:
Skirmisher cavallery has no advantages over other cavallery. They are just mediocre

[Zradha Pahlavan]

Chariots: go for the flank (frontal attacks often get them stuck in enemy formations), keep the enemy cavalry away from them, and whatever you do, don't give anyone on the opposing side time to throw javelins at the chariots, since they'll drop like flies. Also, find a way to get rid of other enemy missile troops before you deploy the chariots.

Heavy peltasts are among the best and most versatile troops there are.

Skirmisher Cavalry: great against Gauls and Celts, and against most low level eastern infantry. They are also great cheap cavalry that you may find yourself needing if you ever fight against steppe horsemen.

EDIT: Scythed chariots saved my butt in my Pontic Campaign. They're the only real defense I had against the huge numbers of Successor infantry.

[Mr Frost]

I
Skirmisher cavallery has no advantages over other cavallery. They are just mediocre

Hetairoi Aspidophoroi {602 Mnai} are cheaper than lancer Hetaroi {1153 Mnai} , Lonchophoroi Hippeis {784 Mnai} , and the Thessalikoi based chargers , can park on the arse of engaged elite infantry and fill them with 600 javlins or put those javlins into elephants before they hit your line whilst still being able to beat most cavalry that can catch them .

The only real question then becomes : can you make better use of Hetairoi Aspidophoroi {with their javlins} or Prodromoi whom are only slightly cheaper ?

When you only have 2 spots left in a stack and muct choose between Hetairoi Aspidophoroi and Prodromoi , against Successor armies it makes sense to take the Aspidophoroi as pike units usually "magically" turn all their pikes to the rear when charged from behind killing your charger cavalry and can take a long time to rout {especially the elites} thus killing more so javlins to their backs {cavalry can flank much quicker and more effectivly than infantry} from a cav unit that can still quickly fight their way through most enemy cavalry and skirmishers {that get in the way of a charge} are a good companion to sarrissa armed Hetairoi .

[Brennus]

In response to the chariot tactis, i take it these tactics are also applicable to Casse chariots even though there are less heavily armed?

[WinsingtonIII]

In response to the chariot tactis, i take it these tactics are also applicable to Casse chariots even though there are less heavily armed?

Generally, yes. Your biggest goal with any chariot unit is to simply keep them moving and do not let them get bogged down at any cost. Casse chariots will not kill as many enemies as Scythed chariots do when they run through enemy units, however they will still greatly disrupt enemy formations when they knock down soldiers and they still kill cavalry quite well if you keep them running through them. I actually find Casse chariots to be more useful than Scythed chariots because they have 16 morale instead of the abysmal 6 morale of the Scythed chariots, they do not run amok, and they inspire nearby friendly troops while frightening nearby enemy infantry (even the non-bodyguard versions do this).