Are Omani Nobles and Naffatun actually useful?

[Kiki52]

I am wondering if you actually thought of them as useful.

For Omani Nobles, particularly the mounted kind, they don't seem very useful as javcav. They have so few ammo, and they throw their javelins and it kills like 3 people in a formation then if the Omani Nobles charge they aren't so strong and die. It seems a waste of money, when Arabian light lancers are like 200 gold cheaper and get the same job done. The javelins themselves don't seem to be so useful and are not worth their weight in gold.

Some javelin units like Daylami Heavy Inf actually seem worth their money, when they throw their javelins they can kill like 15-20 Dismounted Knights of Jerusalem or Khurasani Heavy Spearmen then do a charge which is enough to kill the unit.

Naffatun, I was hoping to be more useful in that I could throw and cause massive damage to a tightly packed spearmen unit then run away for another melee unit to deal with the rest of them but the Naffatun are quite expensive and in the melee they melt away. Why do they have to charge after throwing? That makes them so vulnerable, then they get caught up in a melee then die.

Do you think the Naffatun and Omani Nobles should be altered somehow to make them useful? I understand its more realistic to make the people who throw javelins over have like 3 shots before their all done but the Omani Nobles, especially the ones on horses but also the ones on foot cost so much for not enough bang for their buck especially in relation to the other units in their party (Arabian light lancers and Noble Arabian lancers). I was hoping Naffatun could be thrown a bit further but I don't know if that is realistic, then given skirmish so I could throw Naffatun then have them run behind my lines while Tabardariyya charges forward through the Naffatun onto the weakened enemy.

[boerekovic]

I use naffatun, its Useful when the AI has its brainless moments and they throw the pots on em.
Also useful to decimate incoming elites to match your normal soldiers.
But their best thing, is, as i said, killing a group of otherwise Imba Byzantine Bodyguard while they are waiting on the plaza.

[Marcus Septim IV]

as for myself i never use them but dont kno for others im not the greatest around but i have been doing great so far without these units

[The Cobra]

They are but to decorate the game.

[Heinz Guderian]

Put some naffatun behind some expendable unit and make sure you tell them to keep firing as when the enemy engage those in front they stop throwing pots. They can decimate elite peeps. And cause fear.

[Erwin Rommel]

Naffatun could have been useful in the Afrika Korps

provided there explosives are corrosive enough to penetrate those british tanks

[boerekovic]

Naffatun could have been useful in the Afrika Korps

provided there explosives are corrosive enough to penetrate those british tanks

Oh stop reminding me of that bloody unpenetrable Matildas and valentines

[St Naffatun]

Naffatun are awesome!

*shakes fist*

[Aurion]

I agree with St. Naffatun.

Naffatun pwn.

Omani Nobles, on the other hand, I don't know. Haven't played enough as the Omani Imamate, but I think they have a lack of javelin-armed skrimishers...

In BC, though, seems that javs are much better against cavalry in general than against infantry, although that could just be my imagination. Try using their javelin volley on some light cavalry at close range, then come back.

Why you?

I'm too lazy to do it myself.

[Lupu]

Naffatun are SAINTS!

[Kip]

Make sure you set the Naffatun to "fire at will", and then they shouldn't charge when the enemy comes in range.

[Strelac]

Naffatun was accidentally set up as prec unit. This is fixed for 1.5, and they will behave as missile units.

Omani nobles are not missile units, they need to be used as cav. Throwing javes before charge is still effective way to reduce opponents even though it only may be few men each time.

[Faris ad Din]

Naffatun, at least in vanilla, are absolutely devastating. Yes, put them into GUARD MODE, and fire at will. It helps if you have them flanking to the side of your battle lines so they have a clearer shot at the enemy - the fire pots do area damage and are pretty much one-shot kills. If possible, try to fight on a hill with your melee (EXPENDIBLE MELEE) in front of them. Nothing kills as fast as naffatun. They're like a toned-down version of Greek flamethrowers.

Just look at the siege of Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven! That's what they're supposed to do. At the VERY least they are devastating in siege/bridge/river crossing defense.

[Erwin Rommel]

Matlidas are penetrable........reminds me of that awesome trick of using those 88s to kill em back in France at 1940

[Tail End Charlie]

Tommycookers