do camels have any disadvantages over horses, besides slower speed?

**piranha45** · January 05, 2008, 07:47 PM

when comparing equivalent camel and horse units (ex: camel cataphracts, horse cataphracts), the camels have the obvious advantage on paper. but camels do move slower than horses. are there any other disadvantages that camels have over horses? camels have a looser formation than horses, although im not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

**Prince_of_Macedon** · January 05, 2008, 09:47 PM

Camels get a combat bonus fighting in the desert.

**piranha45** · January 05, 2008, 10:11 PM

yeah i know, and they also get a bonus vs horse cavalry. I want to know if its fairly pointless to build horses if equivalent camel units are available.

**Prince_of_Macedon** · January 06, 2008, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by piranha45

yeah i know, and they also get a bonus vs horse cavalry. I want to know if its fairly pointless to build horses if equivalent camel units are available.

Let me just clarify: it's really up to you. If you think you'll be fighting in the desert, then build camels. If you're not fighting in the desert, then I personally would stick with horses. I don't put too much stock in a camel's ability to "frighten horses."

**~~Miraj~~** · January 05, 2008, 10:14 PM

I think speed is pretty much the factor. And perhaps unit spacing.

**whhyy** · January 05, 2008, 10:19 PM

Well I don't have RTW but they probably have better stamina.. don't they??

**Selifator** · January 06, 2008, 07:39 AM

I don't know, but camels have a number of disadvantages.
1. Speed, light camels are a bit faster than heavy or medium cavalry but not as fast as light horses.
2. Weight, there are a number of heavy camels but most factions have more heavy or heavier horses so that makes choosing them difficult.
3. Availability, not all factions can choose them and they are only recruitable in the east as mercs for those factions.

**Pontifex Maximus** · January 06, 2008, 10:19 AM

Camels frighten horses i think

**Primvs Sextvs Loverlord** · January 06, 2008, 10:22 AM

It's the stench.

**Paul d** · January 07, 2008, 01:52 AM

heh.they do a good job too. on a multiplayer match some time ago i won as numidia vs carthage; the camel riders routed the sacred band cavalry...

**Pontifex Maximus** · January 07, 2008, 07:40 PM

your general might become a hunchback

**piranha45** · January 07, 2008, 09:57 PM

does that decrease Influence?

**Pontifex Maximus** · January 08, 2008, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by piranha45

does that decrease Influence?

It takes away hit points, as he is now a hunchback, obviously he cant fight very well....

you know im joking right..?

**Wanted** · January 08, 2008, 12:42 PM

or a camel lover ;P

**Hader** · January 08, 2008, 08:28 PM

Moved to Battle Planning.

**QuintusJulius-Cicero** · January 09, 2008, 10:40 AM

camel cavalry could only be trained any retrained in provinces with camels as a resource. so if you're egypt and you are fighting in Italy, all of your camel units that has taken causulties won't be able to retrain itself even if the structure is avilable.

**piranha45** · January 09, 2008, 10:12 PM

ahhhh, thanks! good to know.

**Barry** · January 10, 2008, 01:00 PM

:gah: Camels yuck

**Aristarchus** · March 10, 2008, 08:49 PM

In my Egyptian campaign I continued to hire camel mercenaries to send off to the European wars for the supposed fear effect, but only used them in combination with horse cavalries. I only hired melee camels, though, and gave up building or hiring camel archers, because they continually got wiped out by faster and stronger enemy horses.