CA What's the point of camel cavalry?

[Rostam_e_Iran]

2x Soghdian Camel Raiders (950) vs (575) Nordic Horse Raiders x2 = Camels got absolutely destroyed WTFF!!!?!

First of all SCR didn't ride camels, second, since when did nordic have such an excellent equestrian culture?

It's a ing joke.

[the lightning legion]

those are raiders meaning they move faster and disrupt defences better

but in general camels are counter horses

[Sacerdos]

Camels are very broken right now. A lot of people have mentioned that they seem to die a lot faster than horse cavalry regardless of their stats.

[M2TWRocks]

I remember trying to make use of them way back in the original Medieval Total War. And, I found they were rarely superior to horse options. Over the years, I've occasionally tried them again but came to the same conclusion. They're almost always slower than horses, so it kind of defeats the purpose for me.

[General Maximus]

I don't have this game, but I wonder, did CA intend camel cavalry as a morale deterrent to horses?

Camel cavalry had never been particularly good at fighting in any TW game, but in almost every game prior to Rome II (I didn't test camels there), camels helped a lot in making enemy cavalry rout simply by standing near them. Especially in RTW and Medieval II, horses got bigger morale penalties whenever camels were close by, enemy or allied, and they would be rout much faster.

Maybe that's the reason they are so poor? They might be like those priest units in Barbarian Invasion in RTW and Kingdoms Teutonic campaign in Medieval II, who are pathetic at fighting but increase your own units' morale, or as in this case, scare the enemy units nearby.

Just my own two cents...

[Rostam_e_Iran]

I don't have this game, but I wonder, did CA intend camel cavalry as a morale deterrent to horses?

Camel cavalry had never been particularly good at fighting in any TW game, but in almost every game prior to Rome II (I didn't test camels there), camels helped a lot in making enemy cavalry rout simply by standing near them. Especially in RTW and Medieval II, horses got bigger morale penalties whenever camels were close by, enemy or allied, and they would be rout much faster.

Maybe that's the reason they are so poor? They might be like those priest units in Barbarian Invasion in RTW and Kingdoms Teutonic campaign in Medieval II, who are pathetic at fighting but increase your own units' morale, or as in this case, scare the enemy units nearby.

Just my own two cents...

A whooping -3 moral.....

[M2TWRocks]

A whooping -3 moral.....

Yeah, that's the thing that never makes any sense. Usually the horse unit's stats are superior to the camel's so that the moral penalty never comes into play. This is why I continue to never use camels.

[Rostam_e_Iran]

Well, it's disappointing and not just the camels, even though for their price you'd expect Little more. Sassanids imo have weak cavalry. There seems to be a lack of malee cavalry and shock cav are just meh. Also the camel clibinarii was nerfed? yes ofc, cause they were so op, unlike tagmata.....

[Kjertesvein]

Fun fact, the Danes were the earliest cavalry nation in Scandinavia. They got their "European cavalry" in 1134. Norway have never had a dedicated war cavalry, ever. Sweden is inbetween.

​~Wille

[General Maximus]

Fun fact, the Danes were the earliest cavalry nation in Scandinavia. They got their "European cavalry" in 1134. Norway have never had a dedicated war cavalry, ever. Sweden is inbetween.

​~Wille

That, and the fact that decent Scandinavian cavalry only emerged with Gustavus Adolphus in early 17th century.

[geala]

If it only were the stats. Why are you so upset? Change it with PFM. I don't like camel cavalry because of the backseat saddle. I don't know much about camel history and maybe this kind of riding was usual and historically correct but it just looks so stupid I wouldn't use camels even if they had laser cannons mounted.

[Rostam_e_Iran]

If it only were the stats. Why are you so upset? Change it with PFM. I don't like camel cavalry because of the backseat saddle. I don't know much about camel history and maybe this kind of riding was usual and historically correct but it just looks so stupid I wouldn't use camels even if they had laser cannons mounted.

I mostly play MP and not SP and you're right about the camels looking stupid, but still the best camel in the game should be worth something.

[Mountain_Commander]

Really like playing the Moors in Medieval 2 with their camel cavalry. Guess I too hope camels get a boost.

[James the Red]

The Swedes experimented with Elk (Moose) Cavalry sometime in the 1700s. They also kept using the pike until the 1730s.

[green tea]

The Swedes experimented with Elk (Moose) Cavalry sometime in the 1700s.

I missed that in Empire!

[James the Red]

I missed that in Empire!

I don't think it was actually used though, I think they scrapped the idea early on. However, Elk cavalry is totally something CA would be into put into a game. Like in a DLC unit pack for a possible future 'Empire 2', along with English longbowmen and other such things.

edit- which I would add, would be awesome.

[The Despondent Mind]

I never understood the logic that camel are supposed to be sooo scary to the horses, and also why aren't they afraid of horses too?

[Sacerdos]

Its based on multiple historical and modern accounts of camels freaking out horses.

Horses need to be acclimated to the smell of camels, and if they aren't they'll get startled.

It wouldn't work on horses that have lived along side camels for a decent amount of time and gotten used to them though.

Camels apparently either don't care, or the people using them also used horses and got them used to each other.