Beat Cataphracts

[-Alexander The Great-]

Hello!
I just want to know how to beat these annoying units Cataphracts with Macedon!
They always kill my cavalry and I can't find another way to beat them!
I use infantry, missle and cavalry everytime I fight.
Please Help!
Thanks!

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Erm... Phalanx? Although an equally skilled player will beat you most of the time with catafactions.

[debux]

Hello!
I just want to know how to beat these annoying units Cataphracts with Macedon!
They always kill my cavalry and I can't find another way to beat them!
I use infantry, missle and cavalry everytime I fight.
Please Help!
Thanks!

Is this MP or SP? because in the case it's SP, the solution is to put missile troops in front of your phalanx and you're done for the day, thanks to the incredible AI RTW counts with the AI will undoubtedly charge them. Remember to put your units in skirmish though, so they retreat to the phalanx.

If it's in MP, take into account their morale is terrible. Hammer and Anvils with a more nu8merous cav will help you, or supporting spear units in the whereabouts.

[Vice]

Is this MP or SP? because in the case it's SP, the solution is to put missile troops in front of your phalanx and you're done for the day, thanks to the incredible AI RTW counts with the AI will undoubtedly charge them. Remember to put your units in skirmish though, so they retreat to the phalanx.

If it's in MP, take into account their morale is terrible. Hammer and Anvils with a more nu8merous cav will help you, or supporting spear units in the whereabouts.

Not too go off topic here...but I just had to say your profile pic looks like humpey dumpdee on crack ! Very funny and awesome

Errr anyways...Like the last guy said either zerge with what you got on MP...and if SP hit em with missle weapons engage with phalanx pikemen then hit em from the rear with macedon cavalry and if your far enough companion as well

[-Alexander The Great-]

Well they attack my cav, my cav dies, and then i can easily be surrounded.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Support your cav with infantry. But the best of all - don't play as macedon against Armenia, TSE or Parthia. If you meet a player not inferior you will lose. That's called a faction advantage.

[|Sith| Max]

Is this MP or SP? because in the case it's SP, the solution is to put missile troops in front of your phalanx and you're done for the day, thanks to the incredible AI RTW counts with the AI will undoubtedly charge them. Remember to put your units in skirmish though, so they retreat to the phalanx.

If it's in MP, take into account their morale is terrible. Hammer and Anvils with a more nu8merous cav will help you, or supporting spear units in the whereabouts.

their morale is not that terrible that theyre going to rout before their men drop under 50 %. they will still you up very badly. thats what theyre designed for. Also players do not send their cata into combat unsupported. your plan to deal with them stinks.

Not too go off topic here...but I just had to say your profile pic looks like humpey dumpdee on crack ! Very funny and awesome

Errr anyways...Like the last guy said either zerge with what you got on MP...and if SP hit em with missle weapons engage with phalanx pikemen then hit em from the rear with macedon cavalry and if your far enough companion as well

zerg rushing implies that you are attacking the enemy before he can make enough marines to protect his SCV's. How the do you want to do that in MP? kill him before he ends deployment? lol. if you throw troops at catas directly you are just feeding them kills. just go join any decent clan and ask their top players to teach you how to counter them properly.

Support your cav with infantry. But the best of all - don't play as macedon against Armenia, TSE or Parthia. If you meet a player not inferior you will lose. That's called a faction advantage.

as a lover of mobile factions i second that.

[Entropy Judge]

zerg rushing implies that you are attacking the enemy before he can make enough marines to protect his SCV's. How the do you want to do that in MP? kill him before he ends deployment?

While that was the original meaning of the term, it has expanded somewhat to include any strategy wherein hordes of light units are used to overwhelm another force. That said, there really isn't any way to properly zerg rush in vanilla Rome anyway ....

[-Alexander The Great-]

Thanks a lot!

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

You are welcome.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Thank god, my answer has been approved by officials.

[StealthEvo]

Gaul pwns Cata's. You just need to outnumber then 100 to 1 with plenty of druids...

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I agree. Their peasants are overpowered.

[debux]

Nah... give me iberian infantry and I'll take those weakling catas on. They freaking rule on vanilla

Not too go off topic here...but I just had to say your profile pic looks like humpey dumpdee on crack ! Very funny and awesome

BTW, you can find it in youtube... the video is even awesome...-er
look under "adventure time water"... too bad I haven't been able to find the context

[KittySN]

In my experience, I don't think Armenia, Parthia, Pontus or Seleucids has any distinct advantage over Macedon if Macedon brings the right army. I dare say it's near even even though it clearly has the stamp of a cavalry and missile disadvantage. Royal Pikemen with aid of Levy Pikemen obliterate cataphracts with a well micromanaged spam. You barely have to upgrade weapon (maybe bronze/silver though)--just go all gold armor, some experience, normal archer spam and a couple light cavalry. Skirmish if you want while advancing, rush the archer line, turn the battlefield into chaos, chase down archers while skewering cataphracts. Not that difficult... maybe it's just me.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Have you tried these tactics on someone of your skill level? I don't really like macedon, but with micro they can be good. It depends more on the player anyway.


I still like catafactions better.

[Titus Maximius Thongus]

The only thing Macedon has going for it are its cretan archers, royal pikes(strongest pike-unit in the game, not counting hoplites fyi) and light lancers. Their companions are on par with SB cav and are outmatched by pretty much any other heavy cav. All in all, Macedon is a fairly well balanced faction but will be outmuscled by other factions if they choose to specialise.

But against a catafaction with Macedon, I'd use my companions in a defensive manner and keep them close to my royal pikes and try to use my light lancers to outmanuever the catas. Just the way I'd do it, probably will get massacred but what can you do?

[KittySN]

I don't even bother with anything but light cavalry against eastern factions. I'd rather direct my focus on enemy infantry and archers, and with those units being swarmed, it forces the enemy cavalry to directly attack my infantry to save the battle. If they neglect this, it will become a direct pike vs cavalry fight in the end anyways, and that's how I usually come out on top. Of course you want to engage archers until they're heavily depleted (if possible) to further increase Macedon's advantage, else just set them to skirmish, concentrate on shooting light cavalry and let cataphracts try to chase them down (haha). You can see cataphracts running/charging forever since they're so slow. While they're wasting time trying to get good angles on you, I'm rushing and zipping about sniping everything I can, buying time for my light cavalry. I've fought a few good players with this strategy, and while cataphracts in the right hands are monsters, I still don't prize their odds too highly in taking out a well-managed mass of Macedonian pikes, especially if they neglect an infantry line.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I agree - there is no point in bringing western heavy cav against catas is pointless really. Maybe when you have g/g praets vs -/- catas you stand a real chance of winning the cav fight without excess inf.

[Chris Death]

I agree - there is no point in bringing western heavy cav against catas is pointless really. Maybe when you have g/g praets vs -/- catas you stand a real chance of winning the cav fight without excess inf.

In other words you mean when facing a noob you can stand a real chance of winning the cav fight ....

Why would an advanced player bring -/- catas against rome - would that make sense?

What kind of army would he then expect and if he expect that army to bring -/- catas - wouldn't there
be a better choice of units than -/- catas?

btw - no experience in mp at all so forgive me if i'm now totally wrong but it's just my thinking in theory
about that.

~S~CD