Overhand vs. Underhand Spears

[Steven the Victor]

ok, so i'm getting kinda tired of the not working... please help me... or how to threads. i figured i should do something about it, and i think this should help. i've seen the soldier hold their overhand and underhand, on pictures of pottery and ceramics. so i noticed that in SPQR, there are both. the old vanilla phalanx, and the new SPQR underhand spears. i like the underhand, cuz then my soldiers can run faster, without having to disable phalanx, and click on run. but it does look kinda weird all those greek soldiers running around with spears colliding with other soldier's faces. the old phalanx looks great, pretty effective, but slow. but then again, that is just the nature of the phalanx, slow. any thoughts??

[lt1956]

two different styles of fighting. Overhand was before macedon came one the scene. Since I felt the Phalanx has problems I figure why not give the greeks overhand. I think it works nice as Overhand uses a different strategy that the Phalanx underhand ones do.

The guy who made the animations NEVER made one for overhand phalanx which is a shame, as I probably would have used that one if it was there.

[Steven the Victor]

what problems did u feel the old phalanx had?

[lt1956]

They are easy to beat because they get surounded easily. Also since they are in GUARD mode which is bugged it makes them cause LESS damage than they should.

[Steven the Victor]

ahh, i get you. that is true.
so why is it then that the greek have no underhand phalanx in the game?
i'm sure most of Greece used the style, and the Macedonians perfected it, but
i'd just like to know why Greece does not have the underhand phalanx while everyone from Pontus to Thrace have them.

[El Muerte]

Overhand is inpractible and never proven...also people without facts used it as excuse for othimos "pushing match" as final solution.! But the thing is....shield VS shield pushing match and clash is impossible......
Also...there are couple competent presons here (my huble experience with spear included also) :

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=123930&page=4

Besides there is NON of written evidence or facts that overhand is used...unlike underhand in Xenophon and Herodotus writings.

[Father Jack]

Hmmmm i believe this arguement will go on for ever and every mod that uses over hand spears has this kind of descussion.

From what i have read i believe that both overhand an underhand positions were used depending on he general. Personally, the overhand allows you to overlap your shields providing a better defence. While having the spear underarm provides greater thrusting power so attacking may be more effective like that.

The problem with the vanilla phalanx was that u could just line you hoplites into a box formation and enemies will just die on you spear points so i think that the overhand is better for SPQR.

Certainly from a historical context the overhand phalanx was not used so much in this time period as many of the hellenic armies had moved towards the phalangite style fighting of the Macedonians.

[Dominus Latronis of Troy]

I think LT's way is best

[The God of War]

Historian argue that both techniques are possible however, the greeks used overhand techniques where as the Macedonians who used longer spears (5 meter sarissas) used the underhand technique

Underhand technique allows more maneuverability but less power where as the overhand technique is just the opposite !!!! However, greeks experts argue that used the hoplite spears (i.e. not sarissas) underhand would be fatal to ranks line behind as tis position would pose a threat to the groin area !!!! and so it is commendable that the overhand technique was more famous for Greeks !!!! in the movie 300 the Greeks were portrayed in a wrong manner confusing the entire world !!! the formed a phalanx invented by King Phillip of Macedonia who was born only a hundred years later these idols of Thermopylae !!!!