using hypaspists

[caratacus2008]

I'm playing as Greece at the moment and I'm just trying to work out what when i should be using the hypaspists. I thought they were going to be an upgrade to the thorokitai but their stats are only slightly better but you get half the number of troops in a unit and they cost more. I usually use them on the flanks of phalangites or in front of the sacred band but they get wiped out and rout very quicky.
Am i using them in the wrong way or are they just a pointless unit?

[C-Rob]

They're shock troops. They crash into flanks, backs, and have a chance at piercing the line.

I haven't played XGM for a while, but that's how I used them. The frontal assault should be relegated to your phalangites while the hypapists attack from the rear or sit and defend your back and flanks. Yes, they pretty much are thorakitai, but with swords so you should keep thorakitai around for cavalry protection.

[Balikedes]

They're shock troops. They crash into flanks, backs, and have a chance at piercing the line.

I haven't played XGM for a while, but that's how I used them. The frontal assault should be relegated to your phalangites while the hypapists attack from the rear or sit and defend your back and flanks. Yes, they pretty much are thorakitai, but with swords so you should keep thorakitai around for cavalry protection.

Very true. You want to have supporting troops and cavlary...and save them for that time in the battle where they turn the tide.

[CaesarVincens]

I believe they have an extra hitpoint as well.

[The Hedge Knight]

I love hypaspists, they have got to be the best units v the ai...

Expect them to die though.

I Always deploy two or three units in a group really far out on the flank and put them behind the enemy to take out their gereral, sacrifice a unit to hold up the main body of their troops if you have too but their 2 hp armour and javelins along with good sword skill, low fatigue rates and small sneaky unit size will carry them through to a heroic rear charge after that generals dead...

They are also fantastic at defending against seige towers (not laddeds though, they get lapped round because you cant spread em out enough)...

[Grimbold]

I dont get why some of you are saying that get destroyed fast . I love those units. They can hold the flanks during an entire battle and still have quite some soldiers in the uni, they're awesome and destroying the flanks of ur enemy, perfect for siege battles , etc etc. If they had more soldies they'd be the perfect unit, something like the scale of an hastati unit

[Lord Fred]

What they are good at is getting troops up onto walls, sure hopolites are better once on the walls but the extra hit points lets the establish a bridgehead.

[Spartan198]

Whatever happen to the idea of removing them from the GCS/IGCS roster? If I recall correctly, it was suggested and discussed somewhere.

[Diomede]

I forget, would that leave them for just Macedonia or are they available to the Seleucids also?

[The Hedge Knight]

The selucids have asparygid legionares which are about the same.