First impressions, ideas, a few bugs

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

I think that you should harvest crops in season and have to take out rocks, plow, kill weeds, make irrigational canals, make fires to drive away insects, spread manure, etc,.... (Not that you would have to micromanage that but it would be cool to see the citizens actually at work doing these tasks, but that would give the player a realistic feel for actual farming). The yield should be pretty large, but that all depends on the amount of work that was put into the job and the weather and pests.

One option that would be nifty for soldiers would be making it so that they would stay gain experience instead of by existing, by being garrisoned in a barracks. The fighting part seems good though. I also think that for a civilization, if their infantry are ineffective in combat, they would be better in economical functions. That goes the same with cavalry of course. Lastly, I think that elite units should be able to build things just as quickly, but would have limits. For instance, they could perhaps make just barracks, fortresses, walls, and more of the military kinds of structures. Maybe they could also have an economic boost to all the friendly basic soldiers and women due to the fact that they would feel more protected.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Thorfinn the Shallow Minded

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

This is another personal thought. I disagree that there should be an actual unique technology that gives you access to the phalanx formation. If the phalanx was used even during the Archaic Age so why would you actually need to have a tech specifically designed for it when the the game begins around 500 B.C.? If I were to design a unique technology for the poleis faction, I would have a something that allows your hoplites to kneel down, making their hopla cover most of their body, making an almost impenetrable wall of bronze. There are actually several battles that include this, such as Mykale. There was another occurrence when a general Chabrias and his fellow outnumbered Boiotians used a similar tactic (That was around 378 B.C.). This also was a tactic used by the Athenians at Pylos (425 B.C.). Likewise, it happened during the first battle at Mantineia and at the battle of Piraieus.

[oshron]

there's some trouble with that, though: what if they were attacked from behind? or from the sides? they can't very well turn while hunkered down like that

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

there's some trouble with that, though: what if they were attacked from behind? or from the sides? they can't very well turn while hunkered down like that

Just pray, oshron, just pray.

[oshron]

thats not what i meant; its more of a realism factor. presumably, if a unit was made to hunker down in one spot, their armor would increase, but as far as i know, there's no way to make the armor affect only one side of it.

btw, what ARE teh actual mechanics that are being put behind the phalanx in-game? do the units all move in unison when in a phalanx?

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

Well, I think that they all move in unison. The benefits are on the front. (It adds 30% more attack and armor.) The real weakness of it is that it is has a movement penalty. That goes alone with the Syntagma formation. If my idea of having guys be able to hunker down, they would be immobile, but would have massive benefits at front, (I would suggest giving a good 60% more defense.) but might even be killed quicker at the right side and back. In conclusion, if somebody flanked them or attacked them from the behind there isn't much else to do than pray for those hoplites

Edited December 16, 2010 by Thorfinn the Shallow Minded

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

I am just wondering, but when I was playing Alpha 2 Bellerophon, none of the Spartan hoplites seemed to have a single Lambda on their shields. I thought that Spartans were fairly easily identify because of that letter on their sheilds. Are they supposed to look like that?

Edited December 16, 2010 by Thorfinn the Shallow Minded