Increasing the mercenary roster

**Zarax** · February 01, 2007, 09:06 AM

After seeing some recent developments in EB I came to the conclusion that having more mercenary units is a quite time effective way of increasing the available unit variety in the game without waiting for the whole government framework to be created.

Basically here is what I think: As shown in EB many units that are part of a faction roster were also soldiers of fortune in time of peace, in some cases to bring more found for their city state (Sparta is an excellent example) or because they chose this as life profession (and good mercenaries were always prized).

This brings me the following improvement ideas (*unit cards required, help VERY welcome):

1) increasing greek mercenaries/heavy peltast availability over all territories with the greek resource, of course with more limited numbers in areas distant from major hellenistic states.

*2) For factions that had at least a decent cavalry culture they should have a mercenary version, so greek cav available in greece, macedonian in macedonia, thessalians in thessaly, pontic heavies/cappadocians in anatolia, kataphracts in the far east and baktrians around baktria

*3) Most barbaric factions and some others should have a toned down version of their high tier units available as mercenary as such independent units were often common, so heavy scutarii in southern spain, lybian inf in carhage owned africa, chosen barbarian troops and heavy cavalry in their own areas but with slightly less defence stats and morale, spartan mercs ( using the spartan phalangite model but fighting in hoplite style), thracian/illiryan thorakitai and so on...

This way XGM will be able to offer more options to the player and do a good step forward to the government system, making the following ones much easier.

Opinions and help offers welcome!!!

**RedFox** · February 01, 2007, 09:22 AM

I think that the all out non-peltast units with javelins shouldn't have more than 11 as their missile attack (some elites have a lot more), with the exception of romans, whose missile should also be toned down, but having the armour piercing attribute added.

Everything else would really work brilliantly, though what I'd like to see is Pezhetairoi, Thureophoroi and Iphikratean Phalangites as recruitable mercenaries. They should nevertheless be quite expensive to balance for the ablity of having another faction's core units.

**Maraxus** · February 01, 2007, 09:24 AM

would this include AORs too?
now that DBH changed the militia phalangite I bet we could use the old shirtless skin to make a Greek levy AOR unit. (I LOVE AORS!!!!!!!)

**Zarax** · February 01, 2007, 09:51 AM

AOR would come later with the implementation of the government system even though faction rosters won't be 100% integrated in any case...

[QUOTE=RedFox;1484346]I think that the all out non-peltast units with javelins shouldn't have more than 11 as their missile attack (some elites have a lot more), with the exception of romans, whose missile should also be toned down, but having the armour piercing attribute added.[QUOTE]

Javelins have very high stats due to the fact that 1.5 doubled shield effectiveness against missiles, making most units quite impervious...

**Kara Kolyo** · February 01, 2007, 10:04 AM

mercs sounds great! can we have them by saturday morning please?

**Zarax** · February 01, 2007, 02:32 PM

Sure, that would be $20 lol

**scannerfish** · February 01, 2007, 07:31 PM

Great Idea for mercenaries .

**RedFox** · February 02, 2007, 10:38 AM

We should definitely include the Ekdromoi as a mercenary unit available around the aegean, those guys could run circles around Thureophoroi and frankly put them into shame! I even won by exhausting them and then charging as they were trying to regroup - doing such against a fresh Thureophoroi resulted in clear defeat, they were all hacked to pieces in seconds, but managed to get some good 40-60 kills (varied, sometimes died faster, sometimes slower). I will lower the armour stat from 2 to 1 and maybe the charge from 6 to 5, but definitely maintain the bonus against cavalry.

What do you think Zarax? The Ekdromoi is beginning to be more balanced than I thought it would. (used to be slow and ineffective)
I've also added a placeholder Militia, they have 3 attack and 8 defense, smaller than the old Thureophoroi, which now has 7 attack and 17 defense.

I'll see if I manage to have a chat with Dime once he recieves my PM, besides all of this i'm planning on creating new intro videos for the greeks and rome, could be additional downloads if someone is interested in them... Would still have the same music and narration as the originals though.

**Zarax** · February 02, 2007, 11:10 AM

Well, what about releasing an unit pack with your stuff redfox?
If you can prepare it I will upload it somewhere...

**RedFox** · February 02, 2007, 12:58 PM

I have still lots of stuff to work on, I'm going to copy the hoplite for the greeks with a bit lowered armour (no greaves and such), then i have to finish thermopylae (or put it on hold till the next release!), finally I have to finish the faction icons for the Greek Cities and Baktria.

Any ideas whatsoever? I know i'm going to use elephant for baktria, but haven't got a clue on the greeks.
I could also probably add quite a few ambient settlement and ambient landscape pieces if given some time. Have to retexture Pezhetairoi, Asthetairoi, >Thorakitai Phalangites, Iphikratean phalangites<- need new models as well-, Thureophoroi and Thorakitai. Not to forget removing Hypaspists from greeks and renaming them to that unit you once suggested, with different model/skin, similar stats.