Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">wow. I love serpent dancers - they're a great chassis for bless effects, especially Water9. W/ Water9 they're fast, hit and poison everything in sight, and are very difficult to kill in melee. Hell, just use them head on against knights. They'll take a charge w/out any losses often enough. If you can afford more blessings they're even better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

There only weakness is to archery fire.

Snakes are expensive, but nice to sprinkle in w/ ordinary troops if you're pursuing a bless strategy.

Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Using both is even better. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes, that's sort of what I was trying to get at. Thank you! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I WILL NEVERRRR!!!!!!!! nooope, no snakes for me, no way no how, no nono1no1!!!Awawhawa!!!AAH!!!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif

Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I think that's the problem...from the little I've seen Argitoth write about his usual C'tis strategy, there's no room in it for Water. And so it makes sense that he's never had an opportunity to give Serpent Dancers a fair shake.

Re: Units seldom used.
 

I'd dare to say that there are few balance problems with individual units. Any of the nation specific "elite" unites have their uses, even if some of them are very situational and/or require additional support and/or appropriate blessings.

My biggest gripe is that in most (if not all) cases, wherever there is a "light" and a "heavy" unit of comparable quality and availability, it is better to build the heavier unit, period. This is largely due to the fact that the difference in cost between the light unit and its heavy counterpart is ressources, not gold, and it is the gold that ultimately matters. This is more of a general problem than a problem with specific units. Why build velites when you can build principes or alae legionaires, why build cardaces, why build unarmored satyrs, etc ...

Re: Units seldom used.
 

I've never seen any need to recruit horse brothers. They move fast, but only 8 precision?

Black acolytes for Iron Faith Ulm don't seem to be particularly useful. They're cheap, but that's the only thing going for them. It would be nice if they were stealthy, like some other low level priests.

Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Luckily, that has no impact on game balance, since no nation starts with Horse Brothers. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Cheap priests are never, ever a bad thing. Especially if you're up against Ermor. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Units seldom used.
 

Horse Brothers can be good for Fire&Flee tactics making a gauntlet. A small army of them can harrass a larger army keeping it from making its moves.

Usually when people make comparisons between hvy and lite armored units, then say the lite units are worthless.. its because they are using the lite units exactly the same way they use the hvy units. In that case it only becomes a comparison of things like cost and armor rating. I think there are times when hvy units would be a waste. Patrols, flanking, covering many provinces on the map instead of having an army in every province, and fatigue?

Re: Units seldom used.
 

Horse Brothers are great for patrols. Faster speed of untit = better patroling. I usually build a small army of 24 and use it as a running patrol army to knock down unrest and as Gandulf stated - When a large army invades just use it to harass the enemy (use up gems etc...) until you large army arrives.

Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">In theory yes. But you can recruit the same kind of priests from independent provinces and recruit more useful leaders in your castles, so having Black Priests as a national unit isn't really helpful.

Re: Units seldom used.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Light units tend to be much more specialized than heavies. The extra cost of heavies also tends to come from resources rather than gold: As gold cost is commonly the limiting factor, and the determinant of upkeep costs, light units really have no advantage over heavies, upkeep-wise. As a result, in MOST cases, it tends to be better to go for heavier units. In specific, specialized cases, light units are a better choice, but most of the time, the heavies are the way to go.

This tends to match the pattern I've seen playing other games: Most of the time, heavier is better, unless you're skilled enough to understand exactly when, why, and how, to use light units.