Hey guys, so I've been reading a book that goes into great detail about how war was fought during the Bronze Age ("The End of the Bronze Age" by Robert Drews), and he makes a rather convincing argument that chariot archers actually served as the core of the army with four light infantry/skirmishers assigned to protect each chariot. These "runners" would fight the runners of the opposing army and kill any dismounted chariot crewmen. Additionally, runners tended to be foreign mercenaries rather than native levies (Ramses II made extensive use of Shardana as runners). The only other infantry that might be deployed in battle were heavy infantry that could form a square to defend chariots ambushed on the march, as was the case with the Amon division of Ramses II's army at Kadesh. This is not to say a large complement of infantry, both heavier spears/swords and archers, did not accompany the rest of the army on campaign, because they were used extensively in sieges. Infantry warfare also prevailed when Bronze Age civilizations went on the offensive in rougher, more mountainous territory, leaving the conventional style of chariot warfare just highlighted to be fought in the flatter lowland plains. Sorry to say though, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that scythed chariots were used prior to the Bronze Age collapse.

This is something I posted elsewhere and thought you guys might like to see. I know that it's extremely difficult to change the direction the mod is developing, but I was wondering if you might consider making chariot archers more prominent than scythed chariots at least. It would be less janky in chariot vs. chariot engagements, because we all know how finicky Rome II's melee chariots can be. As for the rest of what I mentioned above, that can all just be left to how they player chooses to play, all I'm asking is that chariot archers play a more prominent role, because right now (I don't know how final these rosters are), the only chariots available to certain factions (specifically the Hittites) are super heavy, four-horse scythed chariots, making historical reenactment difficult to say the least.