First time with Rajput...incredibly weak generals and no skirmishing by horses or elephants!

[crystallinesheen]

So I just started playing BC for the first time, I must say it is enjoyable, but I'm really getting aggravated at the incredibly vulnerable generals on elephants. I've lost at least five good generals in stupid attacks....like charging a small group of archers and getting killed on the first charge???

WTF?????

I don't expect my general to be immortal, but losing so many in situations where they should have lived is beyond frustrating.

Also, none of my javelin horses or mounted war elephants want to skirmish at all, causing some hideous casualties in battle. Even when I micromanage each individual unit, there always seems to be a slaughter. I've fully patched the program, so that's not the issue. Anyone out there have any suggestions? These two things are really getting in the way of me fully enjoying this game.

[Ahiga]

Generals have been something we needed to really fix with the 1.5 release. We need to balance those that are too strong and those that are too weka.

What I can recommend you do in the mean time is this, open the EDU, find "bodyguard rajputs", up the stat health, stat pri armor, and the first/second values of stat secondary.

stat_sec         7, 17, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, sword, 25, 1

Your numbers will be different. But the first number there in bodyguard rajput's stat_sec is the attack rage. The second is the charge rate.

Increase the charge rate by 5-10, or the attack rate by however much. Rest assured we are fixing it, and the time it will take to get 1.5 out the door is just to deliver more content. We have dealt with the issue of javelins being too lethal to elephants.

[crystallinesheen]

Thanks a lot, ashiga, for replying! Good to hear from one of the BC crew about this. I'll go try what you suggested and will get back to you.

Like I said, I am finding it neat to play a Indian faction in a Total War game, I just want to do a little damage with my general without him getting killed by a bunch of pansies!!!

[crystallinesheen]

Hey, just went and fiddled with the edu for the first time, and raised the charge rate to ten. Being a newbie, though, I'm not sure how much to raise the other values you mentioned.

Here's what I got:

stat health 1,4

stat pri 7,1

stat sec 7,10

So what values on these numbers do you recommend for an average-toughness Rajput bodyguard? Thanks again for your help.

[MAurelius11]

That's interesting. I haven't played as the Rajputs, but speaking as someone who was fighting against them, the elephants would routinely decimate my far superior in numbers and in skill armies. I finally just had full stacks of flame arrow capable archers and javelin guys - it became a waster to pay for elite spearmen and heavy cavalry that would just be smashed around the battlefield. In fact, I feel elephants are so good I keep a few family members running around india to recruit the mercs and have them march all the way across Persia to fight the Kwarezms, and those are the unarmored javelin throwing ones.

[anaztazioch]

Lets say that regular elephants have 6 health not 4.

[Maelkoch]

Coolness. I and my brother have both experienced the extreme vulnerability of the Rajput generals.

[Bull]

I think javelin units in general needs increase in range and rate of fire, not just the rajput ones.

Javelin units generally have a range of 35-50 and that's just too short for good skirmishing. Stay too far away and your javelins are just so out of range. Get too close then invariably one of your skirmishers make contact with enemy spearmen and the WHOLE units would just fall into melee combat and that usually kills the skirmisher cavalry.

Javelin infantry are even worse (unless they are defending walls). By the time they are ready to fire, enemy infantry (but usually cavalry) is already upon them.

[Ahiga]

Javelins seem to be generally screwed up in MTWII. I looked at old EB and RTR ranges and theirs are the same as most mod's have them in MTWII, but for whatever reason they take infinitely longer here. I think you could usually get off 1-2 shots with a peltast or the equivalent in EB before they were on you, while in MTWII you're lucky to even get 1 shot before they've engaged you.

We're working on trying to improve the usefulness of javelins.

[anaztazioch]

Same for archers, crossbows and gunpowder units in mtwII. All take too long to aim and shot, or regroup/rearrange formation.
attack delay doesnt halp, its the annimation.

[saturday lizard]

From my experience of the Rajputs , i concur that the cavalry seem to have a skirmish bug mine constantly get jumped by even infantry. Also they are either throwing their javalins very quick or have next to no ammo. As for elephants not sure if the should be hardened up to much. They are weaker than vanilla elephants but thats a good thing , they were to hard. Elephants work more on scaring things and smashing formations and eating cavalry. Use them for flanking and they work a treat. Even the high morale Gahzids break more often than not. I would say though perhaps make the General harder as they do seem fragile compared to others. That all said they do fall to javalins like dominos and spears seem far to effective , i bonuced from a rear charge!.

Javalins wise. I have noticed that timings seem 'off' I thought they fixed it in MTW II most javalins had 'effective against armour' and they increase the ammo rating for many units . I made good use of Jinettes , desert cavalry, Polish nobles and Almugharrs (i think thats right) could be hideous. Also check out lithuainian calvary militia (javalins) in kingdoms they eat Rutterbruder

[Sanatyr]

Elephants as bodyguards is a mixed bag. For whatever reason, your Family Member's elephant is usually the very first to go down in a fight, meaning you'll lose your general every time, right away. Best to sit back behind a wall of infantry and use their AP arrows.

[anaztazioch]

Elephants as bodyguards is a mixed bag. For whatever reason, your Family Member's elephant is usually the very first to go down in a fight, meaning you'll lose your general every time, right away. Best to sit back behind a wall of infantry and use their AP arrows.

Since there are 40 bodyguards of a faction leader, the chance to hit him are 1/40.
The elephant bodyguards have 8 or 12 elephants i think so its 1/8 or 1/12.

Now think. 6 javlelins hit, whos leader has higher change to be hit by all 6 of them ?

[kepper]

From my experience of the Rajputs , i concur that the cavalry seem to have a skirmish bug mine constantly get jumped by even infantry. Also they are either throwing their javalins very quick or have next to no ammo. As for elephants not sure if the should be hardened up to much. They are weaker than vanilla elephants but thats a good thing , they were to hard. Elephants work more on scaring things and smashing formations and eating cavalry. Use them for flanking and they work a treat. Even the high morale Gahzids break more often than not. I would say though perhaps make the General harder as they do seem fragile compared to others. That all said they do fall to javalins like dominos and spears seem far to effective , i bonuced from a rear charge!.

Javalins wise. I have noticed that timings seem 'off' I thought they fixed it in MTW II most javalins had 'effective against armour' and they increase the ammo rating for many units . I made good use of Jinettes , desert cavalry, Polish nobles and Almugharrs (i think thats right) could be hideous. Also check out lithuainian calvary militia (javalins) in kingdoms they eat Rutterbruder

The last time i cheek Elephants don´t eat any animal, they are herbivores

[anaztazioch]

The last time i cheek Elephants don´t eat any animal, they are herbivores

Dont pretend to be funny.
Humans dont eat bullets, but you still feed them led.

[christof139]

I lost some of my Generals due to missiles mainly but also in melee when there weren't many eles. left. So, maybe I can tweak the stats to make the eles. carnivorous and more ferocious types, bad breath, terrible flatuations and or diarhea, or whatever.

Have to try tweaking the stats on something simple first as I haven't tweaked anything in MTW2 files yet. I see Post #5 has some instructions for stat tweaking.

Chris

[Tail End Charlie]

I always thought that the Rajput bodyguard was one of the most dangerous, since even that amount of elephants are deadly. Yeah and their early cavalry is probably the worst in the game, although their one Heavy Cavalry unit is very good better than the Ghorid elite cavalry. At an early stage I found just swamping the enemy with elephants oftens (this is on VH/VH by the way).

What would you do if a hundred plus elephants charged at you?

[Thema'zandaar]

What would you do if a hundred plus elephants charged at you?

Learn to fly. Fear will give wings. Then poop on them from above.

[roy34543]

What would you do if a hundred plus elephants charged at you?

Bury myself underground as fast as possible!