Byzantine Unit Balance

[Gray Beard]

It appears to me that the Byzantine heavy cavalry is still too dificult to reach.

I like that this mod makes the Vards harder to get too but it takes a 100 years (200 turns) in an average game to reach Latincon and Kataphraxtoi. Would it be possible to back them down the build tree one spot? perhaps require a level of armourer rather than extremely high stables.

Latinkon both mounted and dismounted should require a Mercenary guild in addition to armour and stables

This comes into play when the Byzantines are invaded by very small high quality armies made up of cavalry. Unarmourer spearmen just get run over.


That said.

Bravo on the improved Byzantine Spearmen. They are now a useful unit

[Condottiere SOG]

Gosh, thanks...been a while since I had a compliment...

[Gray Beard]

Remember that some of this is off the top of my head. Abreviations are on the bottom of the page. I have no idea if a list like this is possible as it would require coding mercenary units into a normal unit pool. I'm not sure if it would free up units or not. It is somewhat a-historical but not necesarrily unreasonable in that if the Byzantines had not been so pressed after the 4th crusade they could have used slightly different forces

Just for conversation, suposse the Byzantine unit pool looked like this:

Delete the Urban Militia
Delete the Pesant Archers
Delete the Dismounted Lancers
Delete the Dismounted Latinkon
Delete the Skythikon (Or however the basic horse archers are spelled)
Delete Latinkon

Have a muster point for peasants only that cost 3000
It only trains peasants
Prerequisit for
Mercenary Guild 1
Barrack level 1
Townhall 1

Make the initial militia barracks cost 4000 gold instead of 3000 but make it available at a lower town level.

Infantry units

Level one barracks (4000 gold)
Militia Spearmen - FM
Byzantine Spearmen
Militia Archers - with Bowyer - FM
Maximun 2 each

Level two barracks (5000 gold)
Militia Spearmen - FM
Byzantine Spearmen
Militia Archers - FM
Maximum 4 each & +1 morale or whatever the +1 in the game is
Trebizond Archers with Bowyer 2
Maximum 2

Level three brarracks (8000 gold)
Militia Spearmen - FM
Byzantine Spearmen
Trebizond Archers
Maximum 4 each & +1 morale or whatever the plus in the game is
Byzantine Infantry
Militia Pike Men - As Scot militia pikemen, perhaps mercenaries - with center of learning
Maximum 2
Mercenary Musketeers - with Mercenary guild 3
Maximum 1

Level 4 barracks (10000 gold)
Militia Spearmen - FM
Byzantine Spearmen
Trebizond Archers
Maximum 6 each
Byzantine Infantry
Mercenarary Musketeers
Militia Pikemen
Maximum 4
Varangian Guard
Guard Archers - with bowyer 3
Maximum 2

Level 5 barracks (12000 gold)
Militia Spearmen - FM
Byzantine Spearmen
Trebizond Archers
Byzantine Infantry
Milita Musketeers
Militia Pikemen
Maximum 6 each
Varangian Guard
Archer Guard
Maximum 4 each

Cavalry Units
Level 1 Stables (3000 gold)
Generic Horse Archers - with Mercenary Guild 1
Maximum 4

Level 2 Stables (5000 gold)
Generic Horse Archers
Maximum 4
Alan Light cavalry - with Mercenary guild 2 possibly only availible in certain locations
Byzantine Cavalry - with bowyer 2 and become Trebizond Archers when dismounted
Maximum 2
General's Body Guard - with town hall
Maximum 1

Level 3 Stables (8000 gold)
Generic Horse Archer
Alan Light Cavalry
Maximum 4
Byzantine Lancers - Become Byzantine spearmen when dismounted
Mailed Knights - with mercenary guild 3 or higher
Maximum 2

Level 4 Stables (10000 gold)
Mailed Knights
Maximun 4
Kataphraxtoi
Maximum 2

Artillery Units
Add a couple of cannon units.

[Condottiere SOG]

I will look into this...


All town squares muster Peasant units...its free at the start of the game.

I am thinking also

Early Handgunners
Naptha Infantry
Naptha Throwers
Arquebusiers
Latin Infantry - similar to Sword-and-Buckler Men.

[Gray Beard]

Oh I forgot.

The Vard's would need to be added one level below the Kataphraxtoi. Unlike the generic Horse Archers they are faction unique unit that is mot really available through the mercenary pool
That would give a Byzantine cavalry pool of:

Generic Horse Archers
Alan Light Cavalry
Merchant Cavalry
Byzantine Cavalry
Byzantine Lancers
Mercenary Mailed Knights
Vardatoi
Kataphraxtoi

But three of those units would be mercenaries and one available through the merchant guild

I would call the "Latin Infantry" the historical term of "Infantry Themes" Indeed you could rename the Spear and Archer Militia "Spear Themes" and "Archer Themes" Although the Byzantine abandoned the name after about the 10th century the provincial armies continued to be organized along those lines with wealthier or more urban areas providing higher quality levies. making the Theme Infantry a militia, i.e. not very good, would allow you to bump the standard Byzantine Infantry up to the Dismounted Lancers stats and upgrades

How could I forget the Naptha Throwers?
I don't think a dedicated gunpowder unit is all that necessary if a mercenary musketeer or Arquebusiers is available. Having access to a cannon besides a bombard is bigger issue

The issue is going to be cost. Perhaps there could be a building added that grants 5% reduction on the upkeep of mercenary units as under this plan the Byzantines will need a lot of them. But, that might be also part of the challenge of playing the faction.

Last item. The Byzantines INVENTED the fire galley they should build them cheaper than the Venetians. Also the top of the line galley (Gun Galley?), as described in the game is actually a "Gallasse" which was an ocean going ship that could be rowed. They should have the ability to sail the open sea like a caravel but were slower and less heavily armed.

Unrelated idea
Split a cathedral into several parts as was historically done. Build the Naive, The transept, the choir and the other part that's name I forget separately. Gain religion points for each part equal to the whole but increase the time to build the whole thing to 60 years which is still a short time for a medieval cathedral.