[Sir Thursday]

For the above cavalry spam reasons, and that city battles are truly horrendous, my interest in Medieval II has waned somewhat. The concept is good, but they need a better AI and better balance for it to work properly.


Sir Thursday

[Imperial Historian]

I agree, the concept of medieval 2 is good, but the execution didn't pay off I almost prefer the original. Medieval is essentially a mod of Rome Total War in my book, which I still love. I'm looking forward to see what the original team do with empire total war.

[Macros]

Medieval 2 is a totally new engine afaik over rome.

[Impirion]

With regard to the Total War series, the cavalry has been over powered in each one I have played (haven't played Shogun)

The Roman cavalry was stunningly good, even though they were crap in real life. And in both Medievals the cavalry owned.... until the bloody war elephants with cannons appeared.....

I preferred Medieval 2 because you can build more than one unit at once, and the distinction between towns and castles, which was a good idea I think. I was rather disappointed with the new world, which was just one province.

I understand where people are coming from about it being a flawed game, because the generalship by the AI is rather poor, and you need to be outnumbered 2-1 or worse for it to really be a challenge in a battle, but I still think it's quite a challenging game. In fact, my challenge to anyone is to complete the Byzantine Empire one on the hardest difficulty.

[Macros]

Roman cavalry was fairly weak actually, unless you achieved a perfect flanking or hit from behind any bigger than light infantry would butcher them.

Medieval cavalry (one and two) had a massive charge bonus, but in the middle ages, a unit of heavy cavalry was devastating against the regular foot soldier.

[frookenhauer]

I disagree...I've always had time for cavalry. I just tend to send the in late and always always flanking...gotta love them for mopping up the field and letting as little as possible escape


Typical battle line would be a solid thick core of hastati with a set of pooches flanking each side and two sets of cavalry flanking wide each side. General hangs back until really necessary...got boring after a while cos this works so bloody well. Thought the velites and archers were a waste of time. Principles are brilliant, but when marius comes along...Grah...good game, but I much preferred shogun.

[beru]

frook.. are you tring to imply that you prefer priciples to erly legoners? arest tho mad?

[Macros]

Hastati?
Really?
Can I play you online at some stage and utterly destroy you?

[Impirion]

Roman cavalry was not weak, I took three units to fight against three units of Seleucid Cataphracts (or whatever they were) and won, although I could claim that was due to my superior generalship

Hastati fold so quickly to a charge by cavalry it's funny. So what do other people like playing as if not as Romans? Seleucid is a favourite of mine, gotta love the elephants

[Macros]

I've never played anything but the romans. I suppose I should try that sometime
Cataphracts are light cavalry are they not?
Hastati are light a light unit also, need heavy infanty or spearment t stand up to a cavalry charge, which is realistic enough

[Impirion]

Macros, on Feb 15 2009, 01:28 PM, said:

I've never played anything but the romans. I suppose I should try that sometime
Cataphracts are light cavalry are they not?
Hastati are light a light unit also, need heavy infanty or spearment t stand up to a cavalry charge, which is realistic enough

Cataphracts are the heaviest cavalry you can get I believe.

Yeah, Hastati are kinda useless as soon as Marius's reforms come through

[Morgoth]

Cataphracts are more or less the heaviest cavalry ever to have existed, isn't it? Or does that distinction go to some group or another in the crusades?

[Macros]

I forgets, They were a light cavalry unit scout type thing in Age of Empires, which has probably skewed my thinking, and I've never commanded any in RTW (which I will go play right now and complete to unlock the non roman factions.) so I could very easily be wrong

[Sir Thursday]

In Age of Empires they were the Byzantine's Unique Unit, IIRC. They definitely do not fit the definition of scout.

[Morgoth]

Macros, on Feb 15 2009, 05:03 PM, said:

I forgets, They were a light cavalry unit scout type thing in Age of Empires, which has probably skewed my thinking, and I've never commanded any in RTW (which I will go play right now and complete to unlock the non roman factions.) so I could very easily be wrong

std speaks the truth. They were the special unit of the Byzantine faction in AOE 2 and were one of the strongest and heaviest around..

So you fail

[Macros]

Pah
i havent played aoe in years so my memory isnt that great. I rarely encountered them

++ geek points to you all, you're bound to level up soon

[frookenhauer]

Beru..I meant that by the time I've got a tonne o them, to play with they are rendered obsolete...Do you know, its one of the few games I've never bothered to play to finish.

Macros...No way I'm only good at finding the flaws in computer opponents and you would thrash me...soundly...until i find the flaws in your strategy

If enemy cavalry hits my Hastati...I flank them with my cavalry/general. I promise you the cavalry will beak before the hastati. The last of my forces to engage are my cavalry. I particularly love it when the opposing team engages their general too early.

I absolutely dread the heavy chariot.

[Tapper]

for those of you who are Total War fans (who isn't who posts in this thread? ):
the Empire Total War demo will be released on Steam at 4 PM GMT, or so the Total War boards announced yesterday around midnight.

[Macros]

so 4.01 pm gmt the steam server will go down

[Mezla PigDog]

I am currently hideously addicted to Medieval II. I am pretty rubbish at it but I just played as Spain and sent all my priests down to convert the Muslims early on. Now, every position in the College of Cardinals is filled with my dudes. I am invincible!!!!