Light Infantry... what the ****

[HotNifeThruButr]

So far in my Dominions "career", I've never found a use for light infantry units. They get butchered by casters, slaughtered by archers, massacred by heavy cavalry, owned by light cavalry, and annihilated by heavy infants.

Why are they even in the game if they suck so badly?

[Tricon]

They're cheap and tire the opposing units. And occasionally they hit something, too.

[ April 13, 2004, 21:54: Message edited by: Tricon ]

[Gandalf Parker]

What do you think they were used for historically? Its called "sword fodder". They are cheap and use few resources. You can build them in mass. They make good patrollers.

They can make a good front wall to draw the attention of enemy cavalry, archers, and casters so that YOUR cavalry, archers, casters can do their job. Every hit that hits a light infantry DOESNT hit someone else.

[ April 13, 2004, 21:56: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Jasper]

Sword Fodder?! Oh wait, that's probably sarcasm...

Light Infantry in Dominions absolutely suck. The ones that have javelins can be (just) ok in certain circumstances, but still aren't worth it. I only use them if forced to (ie by starting with them).

Illwinter is aware of this I believe, although I'm not sure anyone has come up with a clear solution, and they likely have higher priority things to address first.

[ April 13, 2004, 22:48: Message edited by: Jasper ]

[Nephelim]

Originally posted by Jasper:
Sword Fodder?! Oh wait, that's probably sarcasm...

No, light infantry is supposed to suck. It's the peasants that you hand a pitchfork to.

Gandalf's description of them is spot on. Their job is to die.

[HotNifeThruButr]

Heavy infants do a much better at dying, they've got almost 4 times the shielding power light infantry give at not even twice the price.

Militia are peasants you give a pitchfork to, light infantry usually get paid as much as heavy (10 gold), not counting the national elites like Men at arms.

[Taqwus]

They might live a bit longer with something like Marble Warriors, Fog Warriors or Antimagic. With those spells and anything else that boosts all friendlies on the battlefield, the more the merrier.

[Firebreath]

As Taqwus mentioned, the moment that you can make the fight drag on, and on, and on (using spells or simply 20-1 numbers - light infantry (low encumberance) becomes an advantage rather than a waste of space...I would hate to think what a large group of flaggelants blessed with fire 9, and an air shield, and an ironskin could do to any heavy infantry or cavalry...especialy if you combine that with the surround bonus, enemy encumberance, and any defence lowering spells like web or tangle vines, etc.

[HotNifeThruButr]

That's your solution to everything, isn't it, Taqwus?

Hey, at least you don't have to hire 'em.

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by Firebreath:
As Taqwus mentioned, the moment that you can make the fight drag on, and on, and on (using spells or simply 20-1 numbers - light infantry (low encumberance) becomes an advantage rather than a waste of space...I would hate to think what a large group of flaggelants blessed with fire 9, and an air shield, and an ironskin could do to any heavy infantry or cavalry...especialy if you combine that with the surround bonus, enemy encumberance, and any defence lowering spells like web or tangle vines, etc.

Two words, two awesome words that really show the potential of a mass surround strategy:

MASS FLIGHT

That high-level spell was designed for the horde-mentality player, I swear Every single enemy unit that can be surrounded will be surrounded each round, so long as you have enough troops.