Great updates and impressive victories. Hopefully you can keep it up.
Great updates and impressive victories. Hopefully you can keep it up.
It's... been a while. Ten days, in fact, and this update isn't exactly substantial. However, I can blame exams, so I will. Now that they're over, hopefully I can be quicker.
Just to note: You've probably picked up that I'm really not good at chapter titles...
Chapter VIII: Retaking the South
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Wahey! Updates, and two of them!
The computer's certainly upping the stakes - some higher-grade infantry or a unit of real elephants (not just the 'five-guys-in-a-grey-suit' variant who clearly impersonated the actual elephant you fought before) and that last one could have gone wrong.
I'm playing with the Romans now, and the sheer number of Greeks and Carthaginians I've had to grind through is ridiculous. I think Decius Mus has run down about two thousand Libyan Spearmen himself. Also, maybe it's just the fact that I disabled fatigue (hurr durr), but even enveloping isn't enough to break heavy units - I end up grinding them down nine times out of ten instead of mopping up the remainders. That said, Roman legion troops are so hardcore that I can afford to do that .
Finally, is it just me or does shield wall formation do jackbleep? Sure, my Triarii don't break and can hold off a thousand angry Libyans, but they also die much quicker and seem to do less damage.
Anyawy, keep it up! Good luck against the Macedonians - they're assembling five full stacks (it's only 267 BC, for cryig out loud) and are looking like the juggernauts of Greece this time around. Although the Seleucids are surpisingly successful considering the opposition they're up against in my game, having taken control of Palestine and slapped the Ptolomies like they owed them money.
Yeah, the Empire clearly has better buildings now and that's starting to show on the battlefield. We still have the slight numerical advantage in most fights, but if they start churging out agyraspids and cataphracts...
Ah, yes, the Romans. I always did find that you killed a LOT of anyone there. Decius Mus became Decius Graecus and then Decius Africanus (wish the Senate would make up their bloody mind, or will he become Decius Mus Graecus Africanus Germanicus?) after 5000 men died at Asculum alone. And then his army went on to kill about 6000 Carthaginians outside the walls of Lilybaeum in one battle... crazy. And I find that the enemy isn't THAT hard to break mostly, but I DO play with fatigue on.
As for shield wall, I dunno. I always assumed it was a very defensive formation, and as most of my triarii have always been anti-cavalry or flank holders, I don't use them much.
Bleh, the Macedonians are even worse if you take a provincial Greek faction like Pergamon because the normal GCS in Greece are replaced by rebels, so they can steamroll at their leisure. In the toggle_fow screenshot coming up in the next update (dunno when that is, but hopefully soon) you can see just how far they've come... and as land bridges are on, I HOPE that doesn't mean I share a border with them. My ragtag army wouldn't stand much chance. And despite everything, the Seleucids are successful in my game as well, taking the fight to the Nile and India. Normally they get carved up.
Great updates as always, and I look forward to more difficult battles. +rep.
Liking the light-heartedness and humour, makes for easy reading. You should play on a harder difficulty for battles, though. It means that just because they are the defenders, the enemy won't simply sit there and get minced by missiles.
Funny to see how much your use of Phalanx units varies from mine. Long, very thin lines
And very defensive, too.
+repped for a great AAR
I tried VH for battles. It didn't work, at least not in my experience. In sieges, they did exactly the same thing: Stand around or run around no matter who owned the towers. If it offered actual better combat AI then I'd have VH in a flash, but as it is... I don't want pointless bonuses for enemy soldiers.
And yes, my phalanx is very long: I don't want outflanked. They're mainly there for the purpose of holding the enemy so the hoplites and cavalry can flank them, and I've never needed anything deeper then four deep for that. That said, the opposing armies haven't been of a really high quality... yet.
Anyhow, on with the next update... and one with some length, finally.
Chapter IX: Security
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Yeah, the AI always fails in Sieges, which is why I try to avoid them by enticing them out into a field battle. (besiege with a small force, enemy sallies, retreat past your large force). But in set battles the AI will more readily attack, rather than picking their noses whilst being turned into human pincushions, and concentrate it's force more on VH. I too hate the ridiculous morale bonuses (makes no sense) but I prefer the better AI. I dunno if XC might work differently, since I play RSII and Vanilla mostly. I think I'll get XC too because of the size of the world map - truly epic.
Hmm, I'll do a few custom battles, see what difference it makes in different scenarios. If the AI bonus really is noticeable, then I'll be up for it, though those bonuses ARE senseless. XGM is the only mod I've played, so I'm not sure what affect it'd have on other mods... that said, if ever wanted a true challenge, I'd immediately hop on multiplayer. Humans>AI.
I'm getting some nice tips for taking on the Seleucids by reading this, mate - keep it up! It's going damn well, man.
And now I've started another new game (as the Macedonians, now), this time with fatigue enabled. And... it's going okay, actually. Managed to grab enough land to finance my forces for now, and double-stacked phalanxes + fatigue is making mincemeat of anything the Seleucids can siege me with.
I don't think things have processed along far enough for me to be able to say whether the Seleucids are going to win or anything, but it's looking promising for them if they can spare 7000 men to hurl onto my spearpoints.
My Roman game is still proceeding, but now they've abandoned all pretense of variety and started just plonking massive swarms of Libyan Spearmen in my way. I'm going to stop now, hole up, and wait for my siege workshops to come online and start churning out onagers.
Anyway, yay! We're entering unknown territory!
Happy to help. And yes, double-stack phalanxes WOULD be devastatingly effective against anything stupid enough to charge them. Like the AI.
Hmm, my Roman game never progressed far, and I don't really know why... I probably just prefer the Greeks. Still, from what I know of the Carthaginians, that sounds exactly like what they do. I still remember those 6000 men they sent to me outside Lilybaeum...
Unknown territory indeed. There might be an army of agyraspids and armoured elephants lurking in that fog of war... well, we'll soon find out. Either way, a mere four days after my last one, another update. Don't expect them this quickly all the time:
Chapter X: Attacking a Leviathan
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Captain Leodemion – now appointed to Aristarchos's bodyguard – suggests scaring them off by sending his lord's nanny at the enemy armed with a rolling pin. This idea is vetoed by Aristarchos, who describes it as 'too cruel on the Persians'.
And yes, double-stack phalanxes WOULD be devastatingly effective against anything stupid enough to charge them. Like the AI.
I know what you mean - the Macedonians roster in XGM is leagues beyond vanilla's. I'm afraid of going back to it now...
Weren't there Agyraspids in that army that loomed up around the time of the first shown protectorate offer? Anyway, with fatigue enabled, it shouldn't be too hard. Maybe try bringing an onager unit or two to the next battle - all the blingtastic gear in the world is of little use when you're being scraped off the bottom of a burning boulder.
Yes, there were Agyraspids, I believe, but they were destroyed in some battle somewhere. There's been so many I lose track. In any case, there weren't many of them. As for more, my spy has detected a few isolated units. They can do to my standard phalangites what their standards can do to my militias... but they're AI.
As for onagers, I tried them a few times in other campaigns. There's no doubt they can be effective, but I binned them for two reasons: It slowed the army too much on the campaign map, and... well, there was a certain incident involving my seven-star general and a ball of flaming rock and pitch. Incidents like that tend to skew your bias somewhat. Besides, these Cretans of mine are shaping up to be nearly as good.
Stupid AI. Mind you, if you'd had to contend with those guys at the start of the campaign in force, you wouldn't have had the same rate of expansion, that's for sure.
I usually keep mine on the boats if I'm near a coast and if not, I grin and bear it. Sometimes I just need that extra bit of punch to smash units. In any case, going slower can be an advantage for doing assaults on thickly-populated areas such as Greece or Italy, where you get plenty of enemies swarming out to fight you and can lure them into fighting on the field. But I know how you feel - in vanilla, I used a sort of variation of the noob box with my phalanxes and hid my archers behind them, and the onagers behind them. Worked like a dream.
Lastly: is it worth it spending the time and money to build up Cyrene to recruit Cretan Archers there, or stick to the standard ones?
Damn right; if they'd had Agyraspids back then, right now you'd just be reading about endless sieges of Pergamon. Right now, I just have to hope I can get a half-decent army together on the Eastern Front before they can. If Agyraspids tear through my militia phalangites, there's not much I can do to close a 720-man gap.
I get paranoid about leaving troops on boats despite enemy navies almost always being weaker than mine. And in any case, I'd rather have cavalry in place of those onagers; more troops to use as hammer to my phalanx's anvil. And it's not much, but building siege workshops DOES lower your income in that city, so it's not really in my interest. It could be an option later, though...
As for Cretan archers, I'm assuming you meant Kydonia there; if you can recruit them in Cyrene, I'm off to start a Cyrenacian provincial campaign...
Well, Cretan archers are VERY good, for sure; I WOULD go to considerable lengths to secure them in my armies rather than the normal archers. Longer range, and they can actually act as light infantry in a pinch. Great, great units. Probably the best archers in XGM.
Clearly I was referring to Cydonia in the first place. Because I'm not stupid enough to confuse the two admittedly similar names. *whistles*
Well, good luck against the Agyraspids, anyway. Pinning them into place and then plowing your Cretan Archers' shots into their flank might be the most effective way. If these guys come wth high-end cavalry on their side, however...
...Eh, you'll manage. Have you tried getting the Ptolemies to help out? What with all the high-grade troops they're not having to face, they owe you big-time.
I'll get some Cretan Achers, then. Not going to go against the word of someone who's done this before. At least they'll help if/when the Scythians start rolling into town...
Yes, of course... *cannot help wondering if you CAN recruit Cretans in Cyrene* It IS close to Crete... sort of. Probably not. *plots to invade Crete*
Yeah, I remember using those Rhodians to great effect, sending stones into ribcages. It'd work just as well against Agyraspids. Particularly if it's Cretans AND Rhodians. If they come with cataphracts... well, Iobates's bodyguard is both suicidal and experienced. We'll manage. Also, my prodromoi can act like skirmisher cavalry against those cats.
The Ptolemites? I'm pretty sure they'd love to help, if they can retake Memphis. I haven't looked at Egypt with toggle_fow off, but I'm pretty sure their situation is dire. And that the cream of the Seleucid army is there. Or in India.
Urgh. Scythians *shudders* I don't plan to advance much past the Pontics as far as northward expansion is concerned. I HATE Scythians. The Macedonians can keep them off my back, and the Armenians can act as a buffer state. Means I can focus on grabbing the Levant and Mesopotamia. Or maybe I'm being too ambitious...
It'd be like using the phalanx + slingers combo earlier in the capaign. Only, you know, with more of your guys dying.
I kinda think there might be the slightest possibility that can recruit Cretan Archers on Crete. Just a little hint. A smidgen of confidence, even.
While they're busy pounding your loyal friends into a bloody mess they're not doing the same to you, eh? They'll manage.
I, o the other hand, am looking forward to fighting them, what with heavily-armed archers, hoplites, and fatigue turned on. I'm a masochist, what can I say?
Oh yeah, are there any significant rebel forces you may be able to defeat and get an adoption for? Another family member to lead the secondary army and clear up northern Anatolia seems like a good idea to me.
Great updates as always, and good progress. Hopefully soon enough you'll be able to use the mountains at the edges of Anatolia to make defending your lands easier.
One of my house rules is that there would be no adoptions. I don't know why, but I've had an aversion to them for a while now... maybe I just prefer pure-bloods. Ah, well, in any case, as we see in the next update, generals won't be a problem.
Anyhow, generally, it's been too long since my last update. My impending week-long holiday forced me to kick myself in the arse to jump-start this new update, so here it is. Better late than never...?
Chapter XI: The New Generation
Spoiler Alert, click show to read: