Questions About the Melee Roman Infantry Design

[sphyrth]

These questions come from a guy who's very new to this historical stuff, so expect them to be kind like a kid who has little to no idea what he's talking about.

1. 0 A.D. describes itself as a game that presents each faction in their prime. But I'm having trouble finding out what the "peak" of Roman military technology is. I'm comparing between Julius Caesar's army and Trajan's (If there are more, please let me know). And I think that WFG also believes that, hence the RomeAtWar mod. So my question is, what did the team decide as "Rome's peak" and why?
2. Maybe it's there and I'm just not seeing it, but where's the Lorica Segmentata (let me just call it that)? I'm not referring to that Blacksmith upgrade.
3. Why is the scutum more rounded than rectangular?

[Lion.Kanzen]

2 and 3 Lorica segmentata wasn't popular in late republic and early empire, after Marian reform the units look like.

This units are from Augustus time, the classic legionary equipment, appears between Caligula and Nero rule.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Lion.Kanzen

[sphyrth]

Thanks! So, if I got this right

1. 0 A.D. presents the mid-Imperial Swordsmen.
2. Their equipment should be:

• Lorica Hamata
• Imperial Gallic Helmet
• Fulham Gladius

My particular graphics card makes it difficult for me to see these things when they get promoted, so I don't know what changes in armor would also take place in the game.

[Lion.Kanzen]

No. The game represents Roman Republic. Between Punic wars.

Quote

Keeping with the design approach that a civilisation should be represented at a specific time in history, the Republican (pre-imperial) Roman civilisation is set in the Polybian period of the Roman Republic, during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC)

http://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/Civ%3A_Romans_Republican

[sphyrth]

 

16 hours ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

No. The game represents Roman Republic. Between Punic wars.

http://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/Civ%3A_Romans_Republican

Sorry about this. giving me post-Augustus equipment while saying that 0 A.D.'s Rome is Republican confused me. Anyway, I think I can do the research on how that works by myself.

Let's just stick in-game then:

1. What are the Roman swordsmen wearing in 0 A.D., specifically the helmet, armor, and sword (no problem with the shield, since that's the biggest thing I could see)?

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

The Punic Wars Roman swordsman would be wear a pectroal (bronze chest piece), a bronze montefortino helm, and maybe 1 bronze greave on his left leg. That is the first line of Roman army. They are called Hastatus and use a Gladius Hispaniensis sword. The 2nd line of Roman army are the Principes and they wear the same helms, have same shields, greave, etc, but may wear lorica hamata, the chain hauberk for body armor instead of the small nearly useless pectoral.

3rd line is the veterans who are the Triarii. They have the best equipment and primary use a long hoplite spear called Hasta.

The shield have round top because that was the shape of the Roman shields in the Republic era. Round top scutum can still be found into the Imperial era, mix with square top scutum. 

Edited September 20, 2016 by wowgetoffyourcellphone

[sphyrth]

Okay. Checked my history and I think I found out where I'm messing up.

Marian Reforms -> Segmentata's popularity begins to wane -> Caesar's Time -> Rome was official called an Empire.
I was confused because I thought Marius' reign was AFTER Caesar's Imperial time.

 

Anyway, choosing the Hamata is the safest bet since it never really fall out of use... even at the time when the Segmentata was popular.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

You still have it wrong friend.

 

Marian reform army is the army Caesar used. Marian reforms happened only a few decades before Caesar started his Gallic conquests. And technically, the "Marian Reform" army is what was used up through most of the reign of Augustus. He was the one who created the standing army of the Romans that many know and love, standardiing many of the ad hoc practices of the previous 80 years since the Marian Reform. About that tme is when the segmentata became into use, very early 1st century AD. Continued to being used until the 3rd century AD. I would say the peak of use was in the reign of Trajan and his Dacian Wars, around AD 105. Hamata was used too through the whole time period.

[sphyrth]

If AoE was my childhood game then I wouldn't have been this historically stupid. Anyways, thanks!

[Zeta1127]

Rome was powerful throughout history, so much so that one point in time simply doesn't do the civilization justice, which led to the choice of the Republican Manipular army during the Second Punic War alongside Carthage, due to the focus on 500 B.C. to 1 B.C. in Part 1 Empires Ascendant. Hence the long term plan to also include a few other Roman civilizations in order to do Rome justice: the Early Empire (Marian Reforms), Late Empire (Trajan), and Byzantines in Part 2 Empires Besieged focused on 1 A.D. to 500 A.D., which is planned to also include other civilizations at their prime during the period and campaigns.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Using reforms as technology in order save to creating many Roman factions.