Great stuff shikaka!
Very nice guide! I do however have one question though it does not pertain to your guide per say...Is there any way to play as the Romans who appear when the Romans from the western empire get defeated on England?
They are an appearing faction, so with simple text modification (like celts) no.
However this should do it (never tried it myself):
http://rtw.heavengames.com/downloads...hp?fileid=4066
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Hmmm thanks! Played it out for an hour or two but was not as fun or exciting as I thought it would be. If they guy who made that had given him a wife right away at least that would of been nice...And maybe a very young son or daughter as well! Also would of been nice if he started it in 410 AD of course. Regardless still kinda neat thanks again!
Its a captain's ability, as long as you make a unit without special ability captain it can rally troops so that's about half the units in the game including peasants that have that "interesting" jedi power according to you
I didn't know that. I guess that's because you hardly ever get a captain from a unit with no special ability because cav seem to take precedence. I still think it's an interesting addition because Thrace is essentially the only faction that will ever be likely to have that special ability at it's command. IIRC Bastarnae will act as captain over the Thracian cav. Can't test this as I don't have RTW with me. Do you know how effective the rally is?
Edit: whoops sorry wrong place
CAn we have a gaul, Egypt, Roman (all three preferably), a seleicid and a parthian please - this would be VERY apreciated thnx
Sorry, I'm all out of time at the moment and hardly get to play any games at all. It's a bit sad really . In a nutshell though, it'd look like this:
Gaul - pump out Warbands and use their warcry to defeat the Romans early on, which would let you produce Chosen Swords which would clean up the Mediterranean. Barbarian Cav are decent too. Spain are really easy in the early days, so that shouldn't take much effort. Britannia and Germania may be harder, so if you've encountering trouble there, focus on Rome and Spain first. Heading towards Dacia should probably come afterwards.
Egypt - send Kiya (IIRC) straight out towards Siwa and the Carthaginian territories along with the two units of Chariot Archers that you start with. This should be enough of an army to wipe out Carthage and Numidia if you play your cards right and recruit along the way in captured settlements. For the north, focus on the Seleucids and then Pontus, taking Rhodes ASAP for the Colossus. You can really recruit just about any unit as Egypt as all their early units are excellent. Particularly strong points are archers (6000 pop. IIRC), Nile Spears (6000 IIRC), Desert Cav (cheapest armour piercing in the game btw) and the chariots. Being in Egypt with the nile growth settlements you'll have no trouble building any of this though. Egypt really are the best faction in the game IMO and I recommend them as the starting point for anyone who wants to start trying to play blitz campaigns.
Roman - tough. You can rely more on your infantry here than many other factions, as long as you micromanage so you don't end up in frontal contact with a phalanx. Their cav is also good. The Hastati->Principe shift isn't huge, so don't bother with it unless you've got a wealth of money. Hastati and Equites should see you through until the reforms, at which point you win. The Romans aren't built well for early conquests tbh, because they peak last out of all the factions.
Seleucia - Militia Cav are your best early weapon, even though they don't compare to the cav of your neighbours. You'll have to be very aware of the relative strengths and weaknesses of you units in comparison to what you're fighting to go well in a Seleucid rush. A few elephants will make things much easier, so aim for 6000 pop. in the settlements that can produce them (Antioch should go straight for them IMO). Levy Pikes are good enough to hold the line.
Parthia - Horse Archer spam. Cantabrian circle will help you to defeat Scythia, but really you should head south first and take out Seleucia and Pontus. Keep some regular archers and Eastern Infantry around for situational use, but most of your fighting should be by HAs.
Hope that helps a little.
A case for the humble slinger..
I note you didn't think much of the Carthaginian missile units, the humble slinger in particular?.
On a visit to the British museum awhile back I saw a few examples of slinger 'bullets' with messages stamped on them, quip's like 'take that, this is yours, some much ruder. And others which were signed with the name or symbol of the owner. I always liked the idea of these lowly warriors imparting a bit of humour into their weapons, such a small detail that showed those men took pride in their role.
In game they can be devastating when used with a bit of cunning, as a cheap accompaniment to a city defence I've crushed many an enemy as they try to sort their ranks inside the gates after running a couple of slinger units around the vacated walls, it's not exactly cricket but it can be very effective if the timing is right. There have even been times my humble slingers have caused such havoc that any force I have waiting in the town square have had little more to do than mop up those who've survived the hail with their moral already in tatters.
In the field they can also upset even the most confident of cavalry if used in sufficient numbers, to then swing them around behind the enemy lines they can amass a huge kill ratio, especially against phalanx units.... Coin for coin archers are a superior unit in most respects (though not available to Carthage), but the humble slinger can more than make up for his short comings with a touch of guile and stealth..
Last edited by Halie Satanus; March 08, 2012 at 08:52 AM.
Slingers just aren't very good. Historically, yes they were equal to (if not better than, in many cases) archers, but that's not represented in-game. Even the best Slingers (Rhodian and Balearic mercenaries) are only slightly better than regular Archers. With Carthage in particular (at least from what I'm gathering from this thread, it's been a long time since I've played vanilla), its early lineup isn't well-suited for much of anything at all, and the later lineup is powerful enough that slingers just aren't worth the cost for how little they affect the outcome.
Combined with how powerful Cavalry is, there's really just not much reason to recruit slingers.
While the examples you listed were Roman, some groups (Rhodians and the Balearic islanders in particular) were highly-sought after mercenaries, not 'lowly warriors.' A good slinger is at least as accurate as an archer at longer ranges, and the sling bullets (often as not made of lead) were at least as dangerous as arrows.I always liked the idea of these lowly warriors imparting a bit of humour into their weapons, such a small detail that showed those men took pride in their role.
I beat back their first attack with ease. Properly employed, E's can be very deadly, deadlier even than P's and Z's, though they're not as lethal as Paula Abdul or Right Said Fred.
~ Miaowara Tomokato, Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies
We'll just have to agree to differ, because as I pointed out, I have used slingers with a lot of success. Providing you upgrade their weapons get some experience under their belts and use them where there strengths can be exploited they can be very useful, try not to pay to much attention to stats, they don't tell the whole story..
I didn't say those in the BM weren't Roman, though I think they were Greek, nor that some slingers weren't very good. In fact in game I'd take Rhodian slingers over most archer units. However, a small number of highly sought after mercenaries does not equate to the average slinger in most armies.While the examples you listed were Roman, some groups (Rhodians and the Balearic islanders in particular) were highly-sought after mercenaries, not 'lowly warriors.' A good slinger is at least as accurate as an archer at longer ranges, and the sling bullets (often as not made of lead) were at least as dangerous as arrows.
The same holds true for Peasants. I didn't say that Slingers were useless or that they couldn't be dangerous - I said they aren't very good and that they aren't really that efficient.
The sayings you mentioned are some that are specifically referenced to Roman bullets.I didn't say those in the BM weren't Roman, though I think they were Greek, nor that some slingers weren't very good.
I'd probably take them over basic Archer units as well, due to their slightly higher Attack and better Ammo capacity. Compared to pretty much any of the second-tier Archers, though, they're not very good - they're outranged, for one, and nearly all Archer units can be retrained, so you don't need to horde them or go to efforts to ensure they remain out of harm's way.In fact in game I'd take Rhodian slingers over most archer units.
Although your very lack of description works against you here - you equated all slingers to 'lowly warriors' based on the bullet messages. What if the messages had been ascribed to specific elite units (Rhodians, for example, since you think they were Greek)? Then it would be the elites who have humour/pride, not the 'lowly warriors.'However, a small number of highly sought after mercenaries does not equate to the average slinger in most armies.
I beat back their first attack with ease. Properly employed, E's can be very deadly, deadlier even than P's and Z's, though they're not as lethal as Paula Abdul or Right Said Fred.
~ Miaowara Tomokato, Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies
stats do not matter in the game that much thats why you can kill with thrace and kill as spain and gaul
Crème tangerine and Montelimar,A ginger sling with a pineapple heart,A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news,But you have to have them all pulled out,After the Savoy truffle,Cool cherry cream, nice apple tart,I feel your taste all the time we're apart,Coconut fudge really blows down those blues,But you'll have to have them all pulled out,After the Savoy truffle,You might not feel it now,When the pain cuts through,You're going to know and how,The sweat is going to fill your head,When it becomes too muchYou'll shout aloud,You'll have to have them all pulled out,After the Savoy truffle,You know that what you eat you are,But what is sweet now turns so sour,We all know Ob-la-di-bla-da,But can you show me where you are?Crème tangerine and Montelimar,A ginger sling with a pineapple heart,A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news,But you'll have to have them all pulled out,After the Savoy truffleYes, you'll have to have them all pulled out,After the Savoy truffle. Savoy Truffle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a9TMpAwwBw
I honestly think I am going to try a blitz campaign later, with eygpt or one of them.
Well, they're better than nothing at all, but I'd rather have other types of units. Slingers are unique in that they have a flat firing trajectory. This gives mixed results on the battlefield. In their favour, they are better at attacking chariots, but against this, they shouldn't be placed behind your units because they'll hit them. Their missile attack is very low and they have a reduced range compared to archers which is why archers are much better at just about everything. Flaming arrows for archers also means that the Scythed Chariots of TSE and Pontus aren't a threat either, so slingers only have the advantage against the chariots of Egypt and Britannia. I might recruit slingers if I really wanted some missile units and had no other option, but they're not a good unit in a speed run because their speciality will almost never be used, and they aren't efficient for what they do otherwise. The Rhodian and Balearic mercenary varieties are good though and I'd recruit them whenever I had the chance.