Welcome to the second Stele.
Today we will talk about unit recruitment and free upkeep units.
M2TW has a nice unit recruitment feature in that you can recruit 1-3 units at a go depending on settlement size and military infrastructure present. EB2 will definitely take advantage of that. There are however three issues regarding unit recruitment the EB team will have to look into which are vital.
1) How will this affect the AI, as many players are already complaining about stacks upon stacks of enemy troops, most notably the Grey Death (Arche Seleukeia)?
2) Can we return to the EB 0.7x versions recruitment (RTW v1.2) where we could with ease dictate a units recruitment zone based on MIC level and government and not the current system with factional & regional MICs that we were forced to use due to engine limits.
3) Can we impose a worldwide limit on certain units for certain factions, such as Sacred Band Infantry & Cavalry for Qarthadastim. An idea that has been floating around is to restrict certain elite units to so and so many (either a set number or depending on number of settlements conquered or MICs built).
We are also looking into the replenishment rate each settlement has and how many units are available for recruitment. While not debated too much, a consensus so far is that elite units will have a low replenishment rate and few units available for recruitment, so if you lose those units or they get badly mauled you might have to resort to mercenaries which will drain treasury or hope your worse quality troops might fight well enough. There will also be a difference between factions when it comes to unit availability and replenishment rates. Baktria for example might have a slightly higher replenishment rate on cavalry units over Seleukids (although probably not by much), due to that Baktrians seemed to field more cavalry than their western kinsmen. Replenishment and available units in a settlement will also be a considerable factor when we set recruitment zones for Hellenic units in Asia & Africa, as we would want to represent that there are not that many Hellenes there and that squandering your Hellenic troops will force you to rely on native units more.
The free upkeep unit mechanic that is in M2TW is a welcome feature among the EB team, as we can now represent city militia much better.
For us who has a thing for the Successors (check my sig. If nothing shows up Imageshack is on the fritz again), this has given us a nice opportunity to represent the reserve kleruchoi/katoikiai soldiers. In EB1 you have both Pezhetairoi & Klerouchikoi Phalangitai which are basically the same troop type, with Pezhetairoi being slightly better.
In EB2 we are planning on using the Pezhetairoi as the backbone infantry for the Seleukids & Ptolemaioi, representing them as the pikemen on field duty. The Klerouchikoi Phalangitai will still be around and probably almost identical in stats, just slightly worse. The Klerouchikoi Phalangitai will be used to represent reserve pikemen, who unless in time of emergency are back home on their farms tilling their lands. In game terms this means that they will cost about as much as Pezhetairoi to recruit and will be free upkeep as long as they are in cities. This again to represent that they are tilling their land allotments, but should an enemy approach they will quickly arm themselves. But, wouldnt the Seleukid & Ptolemaic players have an advantage then as they can have pretty decent line infantry garrisoned for free in almost any city? Yes, if it hadnt been for the drawback the Klerouchikoi Phalangitai has. If the soldiers arent tilling their lands, they arent producing anything for the authorities to tax. This means the Klerouchikoi Phalangitai will have a much higher upkeep than a unit like this should have, which means if you use them in battles outside your settlements they will put a drain on your treasury. This is to represent that taxable produce isn't made and also because soldiers called into duty would receive a salary. But this unit is meant to be good garrison troops and also to join your armies in times of emergencies, like if the enemy invades and you quickly need to scramble an army or if you see your neighbour has left a settlement virtually unguarded and just need a few units quickly to bolster your numbers.
Thats it for this weekend.