Ptolemies Update

[DimeBagHo]

This is an update on what I am planning for the new Ptolemies. The new roster will consist of four classes of units: (1) African natives (Nubians, Ethiopians, and Bedouins) recruitable through the Auxiliary Barracks; (2) Levy Egyptian natives; (3) Proffesional Egyptian natives (Machimoi); (4) Greeks/Macedonians.

(1) Nubian Spearmen (similar to Heavy Peltasts), Nubian Cavalry (similar to Militia Cavalry), Nubian Archers, Ethiopian Axemen, Armoured Ethiopian Axemen (post Marius), Bedouin Camel Archers.
(2) Levy Spearmen (Town Watch/garrison unit), Levy Phalangites.
(3) Peltasts, Slingers, Machimoi Phalangites, Machimoi Cavalry.
(4) Cleruch Phlanagites, Cleruch Cavalry, Royal Cavalry, Basilikon Guard.

The models and skins are a mix of the ones made by Maraxus a little while back, and some new stuff. This is what the new Basilikon Guard will probably look like. It's based off one of the models from Maraxus. At some later date I'll probably add a post-Marius version that is more copy-legionary-like.

[Kara Kolyo]

Only one question - WHEN?!

[DimeBagHo]

Only one question - WHEN?!

Most of the big stuff is done, but there are still a lot of details to tidy up, like unit descriptions and unit cards. I'll probably have a beta ready by Sunday.

[Kara Kolyo]

Super, thanks Dime! There were suggestions about elite galatian unit for the ptoleis - do you plan them for a later stage or this will be the roster? And one last question - will there be other changes except for the ptoleis?

[Balikedes]

That's one snappy lookin' unit DBH. I like the helmet.

So it sounds like the Ptolemies will have a similar system to the Carthaginians, which makes more sense considering their resources.
The Auxiliary Barracks has brought a lot of nice changes. Can't wait for the Beta.

[TM Is Back]

This looks very good. Thx Dime.

[ServiusTheGreat]

i love you

[Scutarii]

Awesome, I've been waiting for this since Maraxus started that thread. I'll be starting a Ptolemy campaign when this comes out...

[Maraxus]

I love that mask, we should use it more, hint hint!

[DimeBagHo]

I love that mask, we should use it more, hint hint!

Yep, that was nice work Maraxus. I'm thinking about using it for a few more units: (1) An AOR hoplite unit, and maybe a city specific hoplite unit, using the same model as the Basilikon Guard; (2) That noble falx unit that Kara Kolyo has been pining for; (3) Greek Heavy Cavalry and Egyptian Cleruch Cavalry.

[Kara Kolyo]

That noble falx unit that Kara Kolyo has been pining for

Yay my grandma was right that constant nagging can get results! Now what about Armenia?!

[Dom9127]

Great work, maybe you could cobble a preview style thing together, and post it on the front page to show the world about the wonders of XGM

[xAaronx]

Today will be realesd next beta :> ??

[Agathon]

This was a cause of concern for me in the past. Glad to see that it has been approached now. There was a large amount of Greek settlement in Lower Egypt (specifically in the Nile delta) even before the Macedonian and Persian eras, and Greek culture began and continued to dominate there even through Roman Rule until the coming of Islam.

The Ptolemies at the apex of their strength ruled a Western Mediterranean Empire made up of much of the Syrian Corridor, Coastal Regions and ports along the Southern coast of Asia Minor and a large collection of Aegean Islands as well as the "island countries," Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus. Much of this territory had always been settled by Greeks, not the Greek and Macedonian settlers of Lower Egypt, Palestine and Phoenicia, but actual Greeks!

For the Ptolemies, I suggest a line of 3 to 5 GCS styled units that represent their Hellenic allies and vassals - units recruitable wherever the Hellenic hidden resource "hellenic" has been assigned, or perhaps a new hidden resource "ptolomy"?

Then, to be fair, why not make them recruitable to other western-civilized factions who take control of "ptolomy" territories at twice the price and perhaps with longer recruitment periods?

I'd recommend Crete, Rhodes, Ephesus, Halicarnassus, Side, Tarsus, Antioch (to be fair?), Cyprus, Sidon, Palestine and Alexandria and Cyrene (also to be fair?) as logical "ptolomy" hidden effect cities or territories.

It's an idea that I've already tried in my private XGM edition. When I made "Hellenic" Egyptian units more expensive and slightly less effective than their GCS cousins, the AI didn't over-recruit or abuse them. Then the real problem became overkill - there were just too many eccentric Hellenic units to choose from in the recruitment menu. Once the novelty of the new models and skins wore off, they just seemed like so much optional excess(!), and, needless to say, I began to avoid using them. (Who really wants to pay more for units that are less effective than their Macedonian and GCS cousins ,(even when regular vanilla Egyptian units suck))?

[DimeBagHo]

Thrace gets all of the standard GCS units up to level three, from the Auxiliary Barracks in hellenic regions, so it would be pretty easy to give the Ptolemies the same kind of deal (though in the current version the hellenistic AoR doesn't include any of the regions in Africa or the Levant).