About gendarmes

**Catilina** · September 29, 2006, 01:07 PM

Last days i noticed a lot off discussing about the power off cavalry.
I read these topics , and the general rule was that France and his Gendarmes would be invincible....
Till i found this http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/hisp_gendar.jpg

Is this normal ( i didnt play MTW 1) or is it a good sign ... all european factions using gendarmes would mean a breaking of the french cavalry domination??

**Kanfoosh** · September 29, 2006, 01:14 PM

It's clearly an alpha or beta version can't you see the DO NOT TRANSLATE - THIS UNIT IS NOT MEANT FOR THIS CULTURE thingie?

**.Sun-Tzu.** · September 29, 2006, 01:20 PM

True, but it also has Terico Pikemen, which iam pretty sure are Spanish only. It might just be the structure isnt meant for the spanish culture (as in their buildings will look diffrent, and that one is just a place holder.) Also, the Gendarmes in the picture have Spainish colors, why would they skin a French only unit in spanish colors?

**Darsh** · September 29, 2006, 01:27 PM

there was an alpha version, gendarmes is only avaible for French like we see in the faction menu.

**.Sun-Tzu.** · September 29, 2006, 01:37 PM

Where does it say its there Unique unit, and no one else has them? It just shows a picture, a in the first MTW the Spanish could recruit Gendarme as well as the French.

EDIT: Also, you didnt answer my questions in my post, there is no real fact that the Gendarmes are french only. But the fact that there were recruited by the spanish in the first MTW, the picture says Terico Pikemen which are a spanish unit, and the unit has spanish colors, leads me to belive there are atleast French and Spainish unit.

**Darsh** · September 29, 2006, 01:46 PM

first have you see that?:"DO NOT TRANSLATE - THIS UNIT IS NOT MEANT FOR THIS CULTURE"
second the picture on faction menu SHOW the unique unit for all factions: Longbowmen for England, Gothic Knights for HRE, Hightlanders for Scotland, Conquistadores for Spanish...and Gendarmes for French.

remember this screenshots are based on the alpha version of MTW2.

**.Sun-Tzu.** · September 29, 2006, 01:52 PM

It says nothing about "THIS UNIT" It is refering to the discription of the building, not the units. And just becuse its in the Alpha doesnt mean they took it out, I will restate it again, in the first MTW spain could recruit them, they are listed with a Spainsh unit (the Terico Pikemen), it is skined in spainish colors. So is it so hard to belive that it could be spainish aswell?

**Darsh** · September 29, 2006, 02:15 PM

in the first MTW the fact than Spanish could have Gendarmes it was not historical like if French could have Tercios and I think the gendarmes you see on the alpha version is based on the first MTW but will not be available for Spain in MTW2:
a little history lesson
"GENDARMERIE, originally a body of troops in France composed of gendarmes or men-at-arms. In the days of chivalry they were mounted and armed cap-a-pie, exactly as were the lords and knights,with whom they constituted the most important part of an army. They were attended each by five soldiers of inferior rank and more lightly armed. In the later middle ages the men-at-arms were furnished by owners of fiefs. But after the Hundred Years' War this feudal gendarmerie was replaced by the compagnies d'ordonnance which Charles VII. formed when the English were driven out of France, and which were distributed throughout the whole extent of the kingdom for preserving order and maintaining the king's authority. These companies, fifteen in number, were composed of Ioo lances or gendarmes fully equipped, each of whom was attended by at least three archers, one coutillier (soldier armed with a cutlass) and one varlet (soldier's servant). The states-general of Orleans (1439) had voted a yearly subsidy of 1,200,000 livres in perpetuity to keep up this national soldiery, which replaced, and in fact was recruited chiefly amongst, the bands of mercenaries who for about a century had made France their prey. The number and composition of the compagnies d'ordonnance were changed more than once before the reign of Louis XIV. This sovereign on his accession to the throne found only eight companies of gendarmes surviving out of an original total of more than one hundred, but after the victory of Fleurus (1690), which had been decided by their courage, he increased their number to sixteen. The four first companies (which were practically guard troops) were designated by the names of Gendarmes ecossais, Gendarmes anglais, Gendarmes bourguignons and Gendarmes flamands, from the nationality of the soldiers who had originally composed them; but at that time they consisted entirely of French soldiers and officers. These four companies had a captain-general, who was. the king. The fifth company was that of the queen; and the others bore the name of the princes who respectively commanded them. This organization was dissolved in 1788. The Revolution swept away all these institutions of the monarchy, and, with the exception of a short revival of the Gendarmes de la garde at the Restoration, henceforward the word "gendarmerie" possesses an altogether different significance - viz. military police"
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Gendarmerie

**ghost665** · September 29, 2006, 02:20 PM

its on about the royal officers academy thats not mean for that culture, everything is fully done for the unit its the building that has no information.

**.Sun-Tzu.** · September 29, 2006, 02:31 PM

Not tryin to say that its historicaly right that they should be recruited for the spainish, but CA hasnt always gone for excat historical accuracy. For whatever reason they gave spain Gendarmes in the first MTW and it seems they might be giving it to them again, not sayin its historicaly accurate, just that evidence show its likely to happen.

**Darsh** · September 29, 2006, 02:48 PM

In my opinion the gendarme textures was an alpha version and the conquistadores should be the final version:
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp4.JPG

**the_mango55** · September 29, 2006, 02:56 PM

Ok, 2 points to make here:

1. Just because it has a picture of the unit on the campaign map selection screen, does not mean the unit will be unique. Look at these two examples
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_portugal.JPG
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_sicily.JPG

As you can see, the Sicilian featured unit is Norman Knights, which will obvously also be used by the English, and the Portugese unit is Jinnetes, which will also be used by Spain.

2. The Gendarmes will NOT be the best mounted unit. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but they are a mounted man at arms, a cheap and effective heavy cavalry, but not as powerful as knights.

**AlfonsoVIII** · September 29, 2006, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

Ok, 2 points to make here:

1. Just because it has a picture of the unit on the campaign map selection screen, does not mean the unit will be unique. Look at these two examples
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_portugal.JPG
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_sicily.JPG

As you can see, the Sicilian featured unit is Norman Knights, which will obvously also be used by the English, and the Portugese unit is Jinnetes, which will also be used by Spain.

2. The Gendarmes will NOT be the best mounted unit. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but they are a mounted man at arms, a cheap and effective heavy cavalry, but not as powerful as knights.

No where is that screenshot that say that the Gendarmes are the best cavalry in the west? Crap, cannot find it.

**Darsh** · September 29, 2006, 04:19 PM

"2. The Gendarmes will NOT be the best mounted unit. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but they are a mounted man at arms, a cheap and effective heavy cavalry, but not as powerful as knights."

Wrong, Gendarmes remplaced the old medieval knights, there are the best displined troops, they have the best equipement and the best combat skill in all the French army and not a "cheap men-at-arms cavalery" as you think (and for your information gendarmes in the first MTW was totally unhistorical and underestimated). The best example of this powerfull cavalery it was Bayard le Chevalier sans peur et sans reproche the greatest knight in all time.
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Qu...6/shldhist.htm

**Isnogood** · September 29, 2006, 04:42 PM

Darsh,I don't think that Gendarmes replaced the knights (and none of your links would back that claim) and it does sound more like the improvement of loyalty,than the improvement of fighting strength was the main goal in their creation (though I'd say that both was achieved), after all "Bayard le Chevalier" is referred to as "knight" in your link and if I'm not mistaken,so does "le chevalier" (could of course more referring to his character and skill), at least I have not seen any evidence that the "Pukin' Dogs" were anything else than a knightly order.

My best guess would be, that gendarmes will be city units, and so are all the other professional army troops, which would explain, why they are an improvement over the castle-build elite-units of other factions.It's only a guess though.

**the_mango55** · September 29, 2006, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by AlfonsoVIII

No where is that screenshot that say that the Gendarmes are the best cavalry in the west? Crap, cannot find it.

Are you talking about this?

http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp2.JPG

It says that France fields the best heavy cavalry in the west.
It does NOT say that the Gendarmes are the best cavalry in the west.

Look at the Scots screen, it says "Makes good use of spears and pikes" but the featured unit has neither a spear or a pike.
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_scots.JPG

**Darsh** · September 30, 2006, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

Are you talking about this?

http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp2.JPG

It says that France fields the best heavy cavalry in the west.
It does NOT say that the Gendarmes are the best cavalry in the west.

Look at the Scots screen, it says "Makes good use of spears and pikes" but the featured unit has neither a spear or a pike.
http://www.totalwar.org.pl/gallery/camp_scots.JPG

yes but Gendarmes is the ultimate French heavy cavalery and if France has the best werstern cavalery, Gendarmes should be the best western cavalery.
And for Scotland Hightlanders haven't pike or spear but I think the units on the faction menu don't represent always the stong points of the faction but represent the unit which is more representative of the faction. France=Gendarmes,England=Longbowmen,HRE=gothic Knights,Turks=Jannisary etc.

**Lusted** · September 29, 2006, 04:49 PM

Well i personally do not think Gerndarms will be French only, i think they will be recruitable by the French, Spanish and Milan(?)(Italinas in MTW i think could recruit them). Gothic Knights wil also likely be recruitable by HRE and Milan, which was famed for the armour it produced.