Re: Battles are difficult?
well, I may only point at this entry. I don't know why you find it so difficult...
Re: Battles are difficult?
Because every time I lose. They have archers up in front, while I put them behind my spearmen. And in the sides I have the cavalry. However, Roman Empire doesn't have a lot of cavalry units. It is mostly comprised of archers and missile units, either on foot or horse riders.
However, their forces stomp on my spearmen easily and then chase them, and my archers cannot do so much damage.
Re: Battles are difficult?
REPETITIO EST MATER STUDIORUM :)
Re: Battles are difficult?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
asapas
I have the easiest battle level and still I cannot win battles. I have Byzantium and I am trying to fight either Sicilian rebels (at first), or the Serbians. However hard I try, I cannot win battles easily. I am placing spearmen,contaratoi etc in front lines, while I am using psiloi toxotes (archers) in the back line. Pronoarioi (cavalry) are to the side, as well as the Mounted Acritae (bow cavalry)However I really don't know what happens every time and they demolish me. Please, some tips regarding Byzantium would be helpful
Hi asapas. I'll try to provide some assistance. First, remember that in this era cavalry is king. For almost every faction in this mod, you want to utilize hammer and anvil tactics. Use your spearmen to hold the enemy in place while your cavalry swing to the rear and "cycle charge". Your spearmen should be able to hold long enough for your cavalry to flank the enemy. Use your general's bodyguard to similar effect. Use one unit of light cavalry - if available - to cycle charge the enemy's unprotected missile troops. In SSHIP, most rebel armies lack heavy cavalry in the early game unless they're in major settlements like Flanders, northern Italy, etc. This means you should have cavalry superiority and be able to practice hammer and anvil tactics without much worry. Finally, I recommend positioning your missile troops on the wings of your spearmen and infantry (but only if the enemy has no cavalry). This allows you to move your archers behind the enemy's infantry and shoot them from the rear if for some reason your cavalry cannot flank or are otherwise engaged.
As for fighting the Serbians, I recommend recruiting plenty of spearmen to counter their large cavalry contingents. Keep your cavalry positioned directly behind your line to invite the enemy cavalry into a direct engagement with your spearmen and then bring your cavalry around the flanks when the Serbian cavalry are engaged. You can also bait their cavalry into a foolish charge by sacrificing a unit of archers in the open field to draw them out.
Army composition is important but difficult to maintain in SSHIP because of the increased upkeep costs. Get familiar with using levy spearmen to hold enemy infantry in place (usually by fighting in favorable terrain, such as from a hill top or against the enemy's flank). Any professional or feudal infantry - such as your swordsmen units or Varangian guards - should be used sparingly to fill holes in the main line or to shadow the enemy's strongest units so your levy infantry aren't overwhelmed. Have a unit of light cavalry in the early game to wipe out enemy missile troops. The Byzantine's can also recruit horse-archers and these will absolutely wreck European factions early game because of their units' limited armor statistics. Also, don't hesitate to recruit mercenary units to help bolster your army for a battle and then immediately disband them to avoid the burdensome upkeep costs.
Hopefully these points help a bit! If you keep struggling on the campaign map, replicate the battle conditions in the Custom Battle mode and practice some different tactics until you feel you have a grasp on things. As I said above, you will win 90% of battles in this mod (and any Total War, really) just by using your infantry to hold the enemy in place while your cavalry cycle charges from the rear.
Re: Battles are difficult?
Thank you very much for your detailed response!! Implementing one and only strategy is a monotonous thing to do, however I will try and experiment myself with other tactics! You have been very helpful!!