Rad compares units - a thread for balancing.

[Raiuga]

Maybe it's intentional and part of the formula, the Late Libyan Infantry and the Blastophoenicians have the same armor rating, with the first having linothorax all around and the second only partially. Is it because of the leg guards?

Also, do they appear at the same time?

[Rad]

They're much better than generic hoplites. They are slightly worse than generic elite hoplites, and I am fine with that.

[Rad]

I guess that the Spartan FM bodyguards are there to make them more Spartan like?

[QuintusSertorius]

I guess that the Spartan FM bodyguards are there to make them more Spartan like?

They were, but they won't be any longer. There are issues with not using a proper bodyguard unit for FMs.

[Rad]

Yh, namely the huge freakin upkeep

[Jervaj]

Yh, namely the huge freakin upkeep

No, a lot worse. Non refreshing numbers. After a pair of battles your FM is quite unprotected xD

[Roma_Victrix]

No, a lot worse. Non refreshing numbers. After a pair of battles your FM is quite unprotected xD

Thank you for pointing this out! I was going to mention it in the "fan suggestions" thread but forgot to or never got around to it (I've been busy tackling the Aegean and the freaking eastern Mediterranean and Sicily for that matter with my preferred faction, the Koinon Hellenon).

This thread is really bearing fruit. Thanks for creating it, Rad! IT'S SO GODDAMN RADICAL! IT'S SO RADICAL THAT IT HAS CONVERTED TO RADICAL ISLAM.

Tubular, cool, bodacious, gnarly, out-of-sight Islam that is.

[Brihentin13]

Thank you for pointing this out! I was going to mention it in the "fan suggestions" thread but forgot to or never got around to it (I've been busy tackling the Aegean and the freaking eastern Mediterranean and Sicily for that matter with my preferred faction, the Koinon Hellenon).

This thread is really bearing fruit. Thanks for creating it, Rad! IT'S SO GODDAMN RADICAL! IT'S SO RADICAL THAT IT HAS CONVERTED TO RADICAL ISLAM.

Tubular, cool, bodacious, gnarly, out-of-sight Islam that is.

My sides are in orbit. I wish this site would let me rep you again. Quick, someone else say something awesome!

[Roma_Victrix]

My sides are in orbit. I wish this site would let me rep you again. Quick, someone else say something awesome!

I was going to rep you for this, but apparently I can't rep anyone else again for the next 24 hours, because TWC are a bunch of sticklers for strict rules and such. Kinda like radical Islam! And we all know how radical Rad is for starting this radical thread, my dude bro. I guess you could say Rad's thread is all about radical Islam, the most radical kind, where people push things to the edge, especially in skateboarding and cycling, but also in dieting, like a strict month of nothing but (Halal) kale and avocados. Freaking RADICAL!!! Totally gnarly.

[Wailing guitar solo with totally awesome pinch harmonics heard in the background here.]


That being said, I'll have to agree with Krampus a bit about the costs of Illyrian Thorakitai versus Thracian Colonists. Logically, given their similar training and equipment and stats, they should be around the same price. However, I guess perhaps the team took other factors into account like certain resources in Illyria versus elsewhere like Thrace were more expensive to acquire, perhaps? Did Illyria have a lot of native metal smithing and production of metal items or did they have to import a lot of this stuff, like tin for making bronze? I have no idea, to be honest, so it would be cool to hear from an expert who for some reason has nerdy autistic levels of knowledge about metallurgy in ancient Albania.

[Rad]

Aww yeah, forgot about that one.

[Jervaj]

Yep, specially as retraining the msot scarce unit for you is harsh xD

[Hellenikon]

I don´t understand how units are assigned AP weapons, and i think this is a big deal because of how powerful that stat is.

I understand some units who carry axes or maces get AP weapons, also thracians with romphaia. However why Hyperaspistai gets AP weapons and not Peltastai Makedones? Why Hipppakontistai gets ap weapon (and 7 attack)? Why Baktrian somatophylakes get ap secondary but not baktrioi hippeis? Why some elite cavalry like hetairoi, lydians, thesalians etc. gets ap secondary but others like median cavalry do not?

Units with ap weapon outperform regular ones by a lot, so i think that stat should only be given with good justification - i like axe units having that for example, it balances their low attack.

[QuintusSertorius]

In virtually every single instance you've highlighted there, they have a kopis, not a straight sword. Or their mixture of weapons includes more kopides than straight ones.

[Rad]

Just noticed that the Armenian and Hellenistic cataphracts have a defense skill of 6, while the Parthian catas have a defense skill of 9. Intended?

[Jervaj]

Not sure but I think it was to represent their higher skill and horsemanship tradition. There was a discussion about Cataphract compariton and I actually think some changes ensued. Parthian stays the stronger one though, as it should

[Rad]

I agree that Parthians should be better cataphracts, especially compared to Hellenistic ones, but I am not sure if defense skill is the way to go. Currently, there are four levels of defense skill 3-6-9-12. I don't think the difference was that drastic. Slightly manipulating attack values of those 3 units would do a better job representing differences in quality. Or on a strategic level, availability - bigger unit pools and replenisment rates.

[Jervaj]

Theres such a big difference? Didnt knew that. Yeah I dont think he differences should be that big specially when other factions already pay with the fairly reduced availabilty

[Rad]

Putting them in different (currently existing) defense skill lvls is too drastic in my opinion.

[Rad]

New comparison

Jewish spearmen vs Hemithorakitai

Jewish spearmen have an armor rating of 3, while Hemithorakitai have an armor rating of 4.
It's odd since both units are armored the same. Fully helmeted, and 1 in 4 has linothorax.

[achilles-91]

Hi Rad. Do you think that phalanxes generaly are bit underpowered? I am aware of hammer and anvil tactics, and other supporting things. But i think they are bit too much underpowered. I did a lot of testing, im not saying this just like that. Still, i would like to hear your opinion. Others are also welcome to comment it.