'When do you get' dedicated artillery?

[Myrmidon.1989]

I'm playing as Romani and I'm in 238BC if I remember correctly. I've been waging a long stalemate territory battle with Epirus for about 10 years now. Literally tens of thousands have died fighting over 3 settlements. It's gotten to the point where numbers and terrain mean nothing. They're phalanxes are so ridiculously OP. I can have a single phalanx boxed in on 4 sides with mercenary phalanxes or triarii of my own and they simply will not break let alone die. I've tried all kinds of infantry and cavalry, they're essentially missile proof from any angle. It's a historical misconception that phalanxes were completely defenseless from the ranks and rear, they were obviously at an extremely severe disadvantage yes but still very dangerous. Even so the phalanxes of Epirus seem to be invincible from front, sides and rear regardless of whether I'm using pikes, close quarter infantry, an assortment or projectiles and/or cavalry. They simply will not break.

So I'm wondering... When do we get access to dedicated artillery? I know the marian reforms are a long way off. But currently I can't build anything anywhere.

[Boriak]

Sounds like you're playing on Hard battlefield difficulty. Though phalanxes are still tough on Medium, I can beat them with no real trouble.

You could try lowering their shield value. I did that in another copy of RTW+EB to make them die faster.

[Yvesdlv]

They simply will not break.

I'm new to this mod, but old to the game (and other mods).


I'll check the units but what you state seems weird.
With other mods, I usually play VH/VH (I'm not there yet with this mod) and for the case you describes (elite units not breaking), there's a few things you can do.


First is to know how the armor/shield/defense skill works.


If you attack with missiles: AI receives no help from their defence skill
- From rear or weapon (right) side: only their armor will protect them.
- From front or shield (left) side: only shield and armor will protect them
- In phalanx formation: they will receive some bonus, but I don't know how much
- Notice that javelin are armor piercing, meaning the armor bonus is halved.


If you attack with melee units (infantry, Cavalry)
- From the rear or weapon (right) side: the initial blow will be without defence skill or shield (for them) and with bonus charge (for you). Once you are locked in melee, if they are able to turn a few men around, they will defend with full shields and skill.
- From front or shield (left) side: Charge bonus for you on the initial blow, then when locked in melee, shield and skill bonus will apply.


Second thing to know is the terrain and fatigue bonus/malus.
When fighting on a hill, the upper side gets an attack and morale bonus, the lower side a attack and morale malus. How much? I don't know. On VH, never fight a uphill fight.
When fatigued, a unit gets attack, defence (skill, not ormor nor shield) and morale malus of one per level of fatigue. When a fight last long, exhausted units won't be able to kill anything. On VH, manage your fatigue!!!
When surrounded only a morale malus will apply. No attack or defence malus after the initial blow.

Third, spears
- Spears receives +8 attack bonus vs cavalry, but -4 malus vs Infantry.

Lastly, know the difficulty level system:
- On Hard, the AI will receive +4 to defence skill, attack skill and morale. AI also seems to have 1.2 - 1.5x normal ammo.
- On Very Hard, the AI will receive +7 to defence skill, attack skill and morale. AI also seems to have 1.5 - 2x the normal ammo. AI javelins unit delivering 9-12 volleys is the norm in my VH games, as well as archers almost never going out of ammo.

Because cavalry plays on morale, cavalry effectiveness is highly influenced by the difficulty level. Once locked in melee, thing are even worse.
Because the AI defence receives no defence skill bonus when attacked by missiles, human player missile units efficiency is the exact same at any difficulty level.
AT VH, your cavalry is less effective, your missiles are as effective as at Normal difficulty level.
At VH, AI Cavalry is more effective, AI missiles are insanely more effective. Because of both their attack bonus, and their increased ammo.

So, if you play VH, what is preventing the elite units from breaking is their +7 VH morale bonus, and probably the fact they are not exhausted.
If you play VH, you need to pay attention to your (and AI) fatigue level. Have solid, high stamina units in your center front or facing the elite AI phalanxes. Try as much as possible to hold the high ground and wait that they get tired.
As long as they are not at least tired, cavalry charges, even in the back are useless with the insane AI morale bonus.

Keep the units that will go around fresh. If they aren't at risk of being attacked by the AI reserve, you may go around with missile units as AI fatigue do not play any role in the killing. Don't waste ammo on highly shielded units (attack from the front).

If you plan to attack with melee unit, they should have some way of increasing the effect of their initial attack charge (Javelin attack before charging, Warcry, high charge bonus) and should preferably use swords as main weapons, not spears. Attacking/charging enemies that are not tired is a waste of time. Wait preferably until they are very tired, if not exhausted.

If you are roman, you may well put your center line hastatii or principes on fire at will, but keep least one Javelin volley for those on the wings for the case they have to go around and charge from the rear.

If you're locked in melee, try to replace exhausted unit with less tired ones. I usually don't do it, because the risk of breaking is very high. You need to manage you units fatigue level.
When choosing your main unit type, do not forget to check the stamina. In many mods, good stamina is definitively a point for choosing Principes over Hastatii at VH.

[_Nux_]

With Romans you can recruited artillery in homeland with the Marian reforms and also can by recruited earlier in Greek cities from regional MICs because at this period it was being built by Greeks if I'm not mistake.