What is your favorite unit?

[Roma_Victrix]

Maybe you could contact the person that has those units. It could be helpfull with materials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgu_yCTHStk&t=60s

Hmm. Those are really nice and more than suitable for the Sasanian Empire, but I'm not sure about using any textures let alone whole models for EB II. The East of Rome mod is set in Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages, whereas EB II is solely within the Hellenistic period, overlapping with the beginning of the Roman period for the Mediterranean. In terms of the overall feel and look of equipment, gear, clothing, standards, etc. these are two very different time periods and for the most part are not compatible. Also, the units previewed in that Youtube video have heavily modded and awesome looking textures, but they are still clearly using the Medieval II Total War/Stainless Steel Middle Eastern/Asiatic heavy cavalry unit model, with faces and everything. The cool thing about units in EB II is that they have their own unique and custom look for everything. EB II does not rely on other mods for that, let alone the vanilla total war games.

Mistophoroi Hoplitai (Mercenary Hoplites), for some reason.

I can't deny that they're really well made and historically accurate, but I wouldn't go as far as to say they're my favorite unit to play with or look at. I have a bias, though, for really heavy infantry units like the Hellenistic Thorakitai Epilektoi or the Roman Pedites Extraordinarii (or for that matter Marian First Cohort). Give me chain mail, scale mail, or tons of muscled cuirass breastplates please! Lighter units and medium units play their part and by sheer economic necessity I am forced to use them, but I don't prefer them. The only light units that I like are ones that are incredibly versatile, like the Thracian Peltastai (oh my god they are vicious monsters) or the Roman Antesignani (really capable skirmishers/javelinmen, solid medium infantry compared to lighter Velites, AND serve as decent spearmen against cavalry...and manage to look awesome). The Thorakitai are not only heavier than hoplites (including your mercenary ones), but they have the versatility of being missile units as well, throwing javelins to soften the enemy.

I guess only Eastern cavalry are worth mentioning; most of their infantry are meh. It's supposed to be that way, though! I will say this, however: Carthage's beautifully-designed and oh so very elite Sacred Band infantry are quite possibly the most monstrous, solid fighters in the whole game, just a cut above the Hellenistic Hypaspistai, Hoplitai Epilektoi, and Spartan Hoplites. I especially like the new Libyan Swordsmen for that matter, the equivalent to the Hellenistic Thorakitai and Roman Principes, but I place them next to the Illyrian Thorakitai as being just a step below on my preference scale. I prefer the Thracian Katoikoi over them.

I guess my descriptions were also biased in favor of Mediterranean units, but obviously the Celtic Argoi and Drutonedammoi are fantastic.

[Brihentin13]

Obviously, I lean towards the Celtic rosters. I like the heavier Gallic units like the Solduroii and the Argoi especially. It's nice how those units actually look different from faction to faction. I also love entire Pritanoi roster, as blue war paint looks awesome on everything. Moving away from my core factions, I love hoplites of all different colors. It's great how they look so different, depending on what part of the world you're fighting in.

[Maroslav]

i rly like/hate hai nizak(armenian spearmen). while they are cheap, they can hold or even clearly defeat much more stronger(statisticaly) and more expensive units.

[Roma_Victrix]

Of all the available Hellenistic cavalry units, which one is your favorite? I'd say mine are the Kleruchoi Agema (or Agema Klerouchon Hippeon) from Ptolemaic Egypt, if only because they look the most dashing out of the heavy lancers. If not them, I'd have to say the Hellenistic cataphracts (kataphractoi), given their ferocious and heavily armored appearance, if not because of their charge bonus!

Kleruchoi Agema:





Kleruchoi Agema and Kataphractoi riding together:



Kataphractoi:





By the way, I just added links in the OP to new Imgur album pics of the following units:

ASPIDIOTAI HIPPEIS:

http://imgur.com/URJ38pj

KLERUCHOI AGEMA:

https://imgur.com/a/Ckvg4

BAKTRIOI HIPPOTOXOTAI:

http://imgur.com/jvF6AtR

THRACIAN KATOIKOI:

https://imgur.com/a/5MBze

THRACIAN RHOMPAIAPHOROI

http://imgur.com/YohxNi9

THRACIAN CAVALRY

http://imgur.com/a/2W7Vt

LIBYAN SWORDSMEN

http://imgur.com/a/bulel

HYPERASPISTAI:

http://imgur.com/a/gxtt3

[wermez]

Lonchophoroi.

[Roma_Victrix]

Lonchophoroi.

They're pretty delicious looking and versatile with their javelins, although their charge bonus suffers slightly as a result:



The new Aspidiotai Hippeis make up for that by being standard lancers, although unlike the other Greek lancers since they wield shields:

[Anubis88]

Btw, am i the only one that can't spot the difference between the Agema Kleruchoi and the Lydian lancers?

[Roma_Victrix]

Btw, am i the only one that can't spot the difference between the Agema Kleruchoi and the Lydian lancers?

This was my original thought when I looked at both of them, but then I did a thorough inspection. Turns out that while the bodies are actually the same models, the helmets, capes, and plumes are slightly different. For instance, the Kluerchoi Agema have purple-painted helmets while the Lydian Lancers have red-painted helmets. It's ironic that you've invoked this comparison, though, since the Lydian Lancers are actually a carbon copy of the Molosson Agema from Epirus! In addition to the differences I've already mentioned, I don' think the Lydian Lancers have one of the same body types as the Kleruchoi Agema, namely the one with a linothorax that has an iron strip plate kottybos stomach band. You can see an example of that if you look at my picture of Kleruchoi Agema, specifically the guy on the very far right who is somewhat obscured by the pop-up unit labeling text caused by hovering my mouse cursor over the unit. You can see how a couple of the guys behind him have the same armor type for their torso.

[Roma_Victrix]

Some new pictures:

Kleruchoi Agema:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Lydian Lancers and Molosson Agema riding side by side (just to show that there's not a difference between the two as far as appearance is concerned; the same model is used for both of them):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thracian Rhomphaiaphoroi

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thorakitai Epilektoi:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thorakitai:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thracian Katoikoi:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Baktrioi Hippotoxotai:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Lonchophoroi Hippeis:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Aspidiotai Hippeis:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Euzonoi:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hyperaspistai:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Libyan Swordsmen:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thracian Cavalry, Hippeis and Prodromoi:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thracian cavalry storming the breach in the walls of a Barbarian city:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[QuintusSertorius]

I've been playing an Epeiros-as-Syrakousai game recently, and I have to say some of the lower rungs of the Greek roster are brilliant. Hemithorakitai especially; they can harass from range, they can close and melee with levies or lower-tier line infantry, they can hold cavalry. Hoplitai Haploi are also really handy as long as you cover their flanks with steadier units (like Hemithorakitai).

[Roma_Victrix]

I've been playing an Epeiros-as-Syrakousai game recently, and I have to say some of the lower rungs of the Greek roster are brilliant. Hemithorakitai especially; they can harass from range, they can close and melee with levies or lower-tier line infantry, they can hold cavalry. Hoplitai Haploi are also really handy as long as you cover their flanks with steadier units (like Hemithorakitai).

Yeah, but you better wipe out the Romans and much of the Celtic factions soon after your Thorakitai reforms, otherwise the Romans get Marian units and the Celts get their heavy upgraded reforms.

Seriously, though, those Cohors Evocatae are solid monsters and the First Cohort, numbered 242 men, are really intimidating. The Polybian era Romans are scary enough, but the Triarii are now only what, 90 some men for each of their units?

[TvFootball]

Yeah, but you better wipe out the Romans and much of the Celtic factions soon after your Thorakitai reforms, otherwise the Romans get Marian units and the Celts get their heavy upgraded reforms.

Seriously, though, those Cohors Evocatae are solid monsters and the First Cohort, numbered 242 men, are really intimidating. The Polybian era Romans are scary enough, but the Triarii are now only what, 90 some men for each of their units?

I have a question about the Celtic armor upgrades. What is it they get exactly? I tried searching in the EDU and other files for how it changes their unit stats but I couldn't find anything. Also, while the Celts get their reforms, it seems like the Iberian elites just stay the same throughout the game, and their stats are rather poor for an elite unit to begin with.

[wermez]

Man, I think that all those sword-and-javelin infantry would look way better if they held their swords in right hands from the start, not only when they spend all of their missiles.

What unit I should use as medium Macedonian cavalry? Xystophoroi?

Also, what do you think about using hoplitai haploi as some sort of southern roman socii? Perhaps as some Lucanian spearmen?

[Sar1n]

Man, I think that all those sword-and-javelin infantry would look way better if they held their swords in right hands from the start, not only when they spend all of their missiles.

What unit I should use as medium Macedonian cavalry? Xystophoroi?

Also, what do you think about using hoplitai haploi as some sort of southern roman socii? Perhaps as some Lucanian spearmen?

As cavalry, use Raskumezenai. They're abundant enough in mercenary pools, and you can get them in regular recruitment too in some places. After Thorakitai reform, you also might want to use Lonchophoroi Hippeis if you really want to roleplay with Macedonian cavalry, but oddly they are both more expensive and slightly inferior.

[Rad]

They get a +1 armor boost each upgrade.

[QuintusSertorius]

They get a +1 armor boost each upgrade.

It's not +1, it's +2.5 (rounded up) each.

[Rad]

Well now, that's interesting. Why doesn't that show in the stats?

[Cohors_Evocata]

Well now, that's interesting. Why doesn't that show in the stats?

No bloody clue why CA wouldn't have made it so that it accurately displays on the unit info card, but as the guy who determined it, here's how we came to that conclusion (note that we didn't exactly determine how much it added, but since the other theory we'd found on the matter was that it would be +2.5 each, that's what we've assumed since).

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

-We tested in multiplayer. The reason for doing this is that custom battles supposedly either give the player or the AI bonuses (i.e. there is no "bonus-less" difficulty) and we would need to have control of both sides of the battle to make things work out (e.g. we couldn't have the AI suddenly pulling out of a melee).
-The units used were the Camillan and Polybian Equites (with their availability edited, so that Carthage had access to the latter in "early" multiplayer setup). The reason is that the stats of these units are almost wholly the same, except for the Polybian variant having +1 armour and slightly higher cost. For testing purposes, we gave the Camillan unit a single available armour upgrade (which would change the rider model to that of the Polybian unit, but leave the Camillan pony instead of the Polybian horse).
-Now the test was simple. Assuming that armour upgrades were +1 each, the stats would have been the same and all things being equal we should see fairly close results and either side potentially winning. We lined up the units opposite each other (though we did give both sides a BG unit with general in it, which was to stay far from combat to prevent a loss of general influencing things), drew both units up in equally deep lines and made sure they had a clear charge. No pulling out of melee allowed, the fight would continue until either unit (Polybian or upgraded Camillan) won.
-The results were clear. I believe we did about three battles, with the upgraded Camillans winning each time with a fairly significant margin (about 10 troops more remaining on huge unit size). This meant that the upgraded Camillans must have had better stats than their Polybian counterparts, i.e. the armour upgrade must have added more than 1 point of armour value to the unit.

Furthermore, I think the Armenian Cataphracts ought to be rated highly.

[Rad]

Quite odd. Well, that makes armor upgrades even more joyful events

[wermez]

One little thing I remember; one day I decided to test Polybian equites vs Lybo-phoenician horseman. Difficulity was medium; both units charged and fought until Lybo-phoenicians run away. Equites were considerably stronger. Is that normal?