Fabius

Then clearly you have not played much multiplayer, because it is has been done and is easy to pull off given sufficient time and resources, especially in a team game setting. Also, again, Fanatics are naked, slapping on some blacksmith upgrades does not change that fact, any regular infantry champion will kill them easy in melee combat, any ranged unit with upgrades will kill them easily, frankly even just having stone walls is enough. so I fail to see the argument when the game has multiple options to deal with them.

it's in the name, they are "naked" ,emphasis on that word, Fanatics, they run around with no clothing or armour, just a shield, and kill hard and fast until they get wrecked by a hobnailed boot to the crotch and proper application of blunt/pointed/bladed weapon by a properly clothed and armoured infantryman. Any competent player with map knowledge can counter a fanatic raid with a mixed citizen force of ranged and melee infantry. Oh and your eco will probably be slower and handicapped cause food and wood are vital for eco expansion in first and second phases and you would have spent it all to make fanatics. Also fighting spearman with cavalry is silly unless they are super heavy like Selucids and even then its not a good idea. The main reason cav is a menace is due to its speed, the secondary one being that they have solid stats, you can pick your fights and disengage much more freely, it is the perfect tool to divide and conquer and your opponent. And yes I unapologetically murder my opponents with consular guard at every opportunity

How many games have you lost to a swarm of fanatics? A once off curb stomp does not render any one unit OP. Also champion cavalry are nowhere near as OP as they where in the past, Selucids and Persians are an outlier on that point as they are a lot stronger than the regular, but that is by design since it has a historical basis. As for counters, basic spearmen are functional against them, you need a numbers advantage though and preferably some champions of your own to stiffen the line, whatever form they take. I have personally annihilated about 100 champion Macedonian lancers using just mass veteran Triari and consular guard, so it is quite doable. And sure they are speedy, but ultimately half of this is a skill issue and not the fault of the game itself. Learn to make the most of what one has to hand. If something is really obnoxious like those Iberian fire cav in previous Alphas then sure fix them, but otherwise just leave it alone as is.

I see, fair point

What is the precedent for incorporating the Onager in Marian reforms? They seem to have already been in use prior to Marius. With that in mind why not just have them already available like all the other siege?

So based on what I just read in that very Inciteful article we should really be calling them the Augustan Reforms

I did watch it and thought it cool hence why I brought it up. There was a mention of something akin to them in Caesar's time, and the so called Marian reforms that we currently have would be inclusive of that era, which is a stretch given the lack of info. Hence why I asked first if it was within the scope of 0 AD. Which as you have mentioned is not. I am aware that Marian reforms was a misconception, I was just working within the context of what is currently present in the Roman civ. Out of interest why do we have a tech labelled as such if it isn't really a major change as it suggests? Also thanks for sharing the historical information, I have been recently realising my Roman knowledge is much less than I thought it was

I recently came across this video on Lanciarii, link below for interested parties, and I was curious as to whether this fell within the scope of the current 0 AD time frame. I have two ideas for a Lanciari unit type, both assume a link with Marian Reforms. Eg unlocked by it and having the legionary keyword. The first would be either to revive the old champion skirmisher that used to be present in A23 but was cut entirely from A24 onwards, and have them as an upgrade to legionary skirmishers or a separate entity you train from relevant buildings. A second idea and more unique would be to utilise The Persian immortal template and make a champion unit that switches between javelin and sword. The idea of giving the ranged version a small multiplier against cavalry also came to mind.

that is nice for staying power, but armies of ranged citizens can camp under fully garrisoned forts, which highlights that they are now quite useless at area denial, therefore not worth the investment unless you need a tech which is basically just an added cost to whatever tech you wanted to begin with, or a hero. You are better off putting the stone into walls and catapults which will impede an opponent

I have rarely felt that the overbearing need to rush third phase was because I needed siege to break an opponents buildings, it was because I needed to get champions out quicker than my opponent. Siege is just a nice afterthought, and with the threat level of any building that shoots arrows now practically zero, siege is reserved to sniping rams and border annoyance.

Civ specific buildings can usually be spammed, ultimately that simply means any civ with them is superior to those that don't have them if this path is taken.

I like this idea, unique civ things are good for differentiation and interest

The thought occurred to me that after the implementation of Marian Reforms the three Roman heroes are now out of their time frame, so what about replacing them with three new heroes like Julius Caesar and Pompey and one other from that era? If there is a proper place to put ideas please point the way as I am currently unsure if it should be community mod or some other place

When would this be fixed? Checked it and the issue appears to be that when the Extrordinari is replaced by the First Cohort Legionary it does not gain the legionary keyword hence why it is not being affected.

So basically Flemish Revolution lol