Praetorians FAQ
v1.02, 24 October 2004
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Praetorians Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ/Strategy Guide)
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CONTENTS
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1. Preface
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- 1.1 Notes
- 1.2 Credits and Legal
- 1.3 Version
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2. Introduction
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- 2.1 What is Praetorians?
- 2.2 Who developed the game?
- 2.3 What are the minimum requirements?
- 2.4 Where can I get demos and patches?
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3. Gameplay
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3.1 Setup and Interface
- 3.1.1 Can I play as Barbarians or Egyptians?
- 3.1.2 What do the difficulty settings change?
- 3.1.3 Is there a list of keyboard shortcuts?
- 3.1.4 Can the map view be zoomed or rotated?
- 3.1.5 Can the game speed be changed?
- 3.1.6 How do I group troops?
- 3.1.7 How do I change the width of formations?
3.2 Unit Training
- 3.2.1 How can I replenish loses?
- 3.2.2 What is the difference between a village and barracks, and how do I
use them?
- 3.2.3 How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer?
- 3.2.4 What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control
Points?
- 3.2.5 What limits troop recruitment? Why can't I train a certain unit?
- 3.2.6 How do I gain Honour points?
3.3 Unit Usage
- 3.3.1 How do Stamina and Health work?
- 3.3.2 How do I treat poison?
- 3.3.3 What is the advantage of commanders?
- 3.3.4 Can I kill my own troops?
- 3.3.5 Can I stop my troops 'doing their own thing'?
- 3.3.6 Why don't troops retreat from battle?
- 3.3.7 Can I set multi-point patrols?
- 3.3.8 Does weather make a difference?
- 3.3.9 How does the hunters' ambush work?
- 3.3.10 Why won't my catapults attack?
- 3.3.11 Can I extinguish fires on war machines?
3.4 Buildings and Structures
- 3.4.1 Can I destroy bridges?
- 3.4.2 How do I rebuild bridges without infantry?
- 3.4.3 How do I move troops into towers?
- 3.4.4 Can the fortress's gate be repaired?
- 3.4.5 Can I build a fortress or village?
- 3.4.6 Can the protect command be used for buildings or areas of ground?
3.5 Multiplayer
- 3.5.1 How do I chat in multiplayer games?
- 3.5.2 Do any multiplayer maps feature fortifications and castles?
- 3.5.3 What's inferiority?
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4. Strategies
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4.1 Introduction
- 4.1.1 Tactics
- 4.1.2 Campaign vs Skirmish
4.2 General Tactics
- 4.2.1 Movement and formations
- 4.2.2 Leaders and heroes
- 4.2.3 Healers
- 4.2.4 Spearmen
- 4.2.5 Luring
- 4.2.6 Towers
- 4.2.7 War machines
- 4.2.8 Sieges
- 4.2.9 Bridges
4.3 Romans
- 4.3.1 General
- 4.3.2 Formations and tactics
- 4.3.3 Turtle formation
- 4.3.4 Praetorians
4.4 Barbarians
- 4.4.1 General
- 4.4.2 Melee Infantry
- 4.4.3 Cavalry
- 4.4.4 Hunters
4.5 Egyptians
- 4.5.1 General
- 4.5.2 Slut Rape
4.6 Skirmish and Multiplayer
- 4.6.1 Skirmish
- 4.6.2 Online
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5. Campaign
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5.1 Tutorial I
- 5.1.1 Overview
- 5.1.2 Strategy
5.2 Tutorial II
- 5.2.1 Overview
- 5.2.2 Strategy
5.3 Tutorial III
- 5.3.1 Overview
- 5.3.2 Strategy
5.4 Tutorial IV
- 5.4.1 Overview
- 5.4.2 Strategy
5.5 Crossing the River Arar
- 5.5.1 Overview
- 5.5.2 Strategy
5.6 Escort to Bibracte
- 5.6.1 Overview
- 5.6.2 Strategy
5.7 Of All the Gallic Tribes
- 5.7.1 Overview
- 5.7.2 Strategy
5.8 Divide and Conquer
- 5.8.1 Overview
- 5.8.2 Strategy
- 5.8.3 Why does the mission not finish?
5.9 The Everlasting Frontier
- 5.9.1 Overview
- 5.9.2 Resist the German Onslaught
- 5.9.3 Capture Mainz
5.10 A Land Lost in the Mist
- 5.10.1 Overview
- 5.10.2 Bridgehead
- 5.10.3 Alliance strategy
- 5.10.4 Independent strategy
- 5.10.5 Rescue
5.11 Greed
- 5.11.1 Overview
- 5.11.2 Strategy
5.12 Fear the Eagles
- 5.12.1 Overview
- 5.12.2 Strategy
5.13 Cold Treason
- 5.13.1 Overview
- 5.13.2 Relieve the siege
- 5.13.3 Defend the fortress
- 5.13.4 Conquer enemy villages
5.14 When All Hell Breaks Loose
- 5.14.1 Overview
- 5.14.2 Strategy
5.15 He Who Dares...
- 5.15.1 Overview
- 5.15.2 Introduction
- 5.15.3 Gathering an army
- 5.15.4 Defeating the horde
- 5.15.5 Dealing with villages
- 5.15.6 When I get attacked by Hunters my troops freeze. Why?
5.16 Homecoming
- 5.16.1 Overview
- 5.16.2 Strategy
5.17 War of Attrition
- 5.17.1 Overview
- 5.17.2 Strategy
5.18 Alea Iacta Est
- 5.18.1 Overview
- 5.18.2 Crossing the southern river
- 5.18.3 Pisaurus and Fanum
- 5.18.4 Ancona
5.19 War Within the Mountains
- 5.19.1 Overview
- 5.19.2 Introduction
- 5.19.3 Defense
- 5.19.4 Offense
5.20 Let the Hunt Begin
- 5.20.1 Overview
- 5.20.2 Defend the fortress
- 5.20.3 Reinforcements
5.21 The End of the Republic
- 5.21.1 Overview
- 5.21.2 Strategy
5.22 The Battle for Alexandria
- 5.22.1 Overview
- 5.22.2 Defend the fortress
- 5.22.3 Port and boats
5.23 Friends and Allies
- 5.23.1 Overview
- 5.23.2 Strategy
5.24 Just One... More... Fight
- 5.24.1 Overview
- 5.24.2 Mercenaries
- 5.24.3 River, Osuna and fortress
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6. Editing and Technical Issues
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- 6.1 Are there any cheats or trainers? Can I skip a level?
- 6.2 Where are game save files stored?
- 6.3 Can the resolution be changed?
- 6.4 How can I take screenshots?
- 6.5 Are there any custom or multiplayer siege maps?
- 6.6 Can I play as Greeks?
- 6.7 Is there a map editor?
- 6.8 Are there any guides to modifying the game?
- 6.9 Can I open .pak files?
- 6.10 Can I extract music from the game?
- 6.11 I can't connect to an online game. Any suggestions?
- 6.12 I have video/display problems. Any suggestions?
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Appendices
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- A. Unit Abilities
- B. Unit Training
- C. Terrain
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1. PREFACE
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1.1 Notes
This FAQ/guide is based on the United Kingdom release of Praetorians, patched
to v1.04. It contains comments and strategies based on other versions. I am
not aware of any differences between versions released in different countries.
Parts of the FAQ will be appropriate to demo versions, although I believe
certain balancing changes occurred between the demo and release version, so
use with caution. Praetorians was one of those games that tried to break out
of an established real time strategy formula (resource gathering - production
- battle), was received quite favourably by many that played it, but
ultimately sunk without trace soon after it was released - particularly in the
English speaking world.
Praetorians is a relatively easy game to start playing but includes many tough
missions likely to send players looking for a walkthrough or hints. It also
has scope for various different strategies, not all of which are immediately
apparent. Prima have published an official strategy guide (
http://www.primagames.com/strategy/book/5682/ ) - it has not been used
directly in the creation of this document. Praetorians is not well documented
in English on the internet, with only one fan-site of note, and only one
regularly used English forum. The later, http://forums.eidosgames.com/ ,
contains a wealth of strategies and mission tips, which I have edited down and
integrated into this guide. This guide also draws on material originally
written in Spanish or German.
This document is aimed at newer players, not multiplayer veterans. Both
multiplayer and singleplayer strategies have been included, but this text is
biased towards singleplayer, specifically the campaign. This reflects my
personal experience of the game, the overall level of forum discussion, and
what I think is needed most in a guide such as this. This FAQ was awarded the
title "FAQ of the Month" for August 2003 by GameFAQs. Cool.
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1.2 Credits and Legal
This FAQ was written by Tim Howgego (also known as timski), copyright 2003-
2004, unless otherwise stated. Errors and suggestions should be reported to
tim (at) capsu (dot) org. Please put "Praetorians" somewhere in the email
subject field. This FAQ includes ideas and strategies posted on forums,
primarily http://forums.eidosgames.com/ , and fan sites including Nitroace30
(now closed), http://praetorianzone.gamigo.de/ (in German) and
http://www.geocities.com/vent40k/ (in Spanish) - contributors are noted with
the relevant text.
You may save and print this document for your own personal use only. You may
copy and repost this FAQ, but the content of the document, including the
credits, must remain unchanged. You must not charge for it, sell, rent, or
otherwise profit from it. Informing the author that you are hosting it is
appreciated, but not mandatory. Ensuring you host the most recent version is
also appreciated, but not mandatory. If converting from text to HTML, please
note the use of fixed width text in diagrams and greater/less-than characters.
Praetorians copyright Pyro Studios SL 2003. Praetorians is a registered
trademark of Pyro Studios 99 SL. Eidos and Eidos Interactive are trademarks of
the Eidos Group of companies. All rights reserved. Other trademarks and
copyright are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This
is not an official FAQ. It is not endorsed by the game's developer or
publisher. The author is not affiliated to the game's developer or publisher.
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1.3 Version
This is version 1.02, 24 October 2004. Added new patch information, updated
modding section, and fixed dead URLs.
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2. INTRODUCTION
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2.1 What is Praetorians?
Praetorians is a real time strategy game for PC/Windows, set in Roman Europe
around the time of Julius Caesar. The game involves almost no resource
management and is focused on tactical battle with a ability to capture
villages and recruit additional troops. Praetorians includes three
civilizations - Romans, Barbarians and Egyptians - the later often take the
role of other 'Arab' tribes. The main campaign is based on Romans. The game's
name is inspired by the Praetoriani (Praetoriae Cohortes), an elite cohort
formed to protect the general of the Roman army. Units in the game reflect
those that existed, but there are many concessions to gameplay balance, such
as the equal availability of war machines to all civilizations. Similarly,
while the storyline is set against a backdrop of events circa 50BC, the actual
missions and battles are somewhat contrived. Praetorians is not intended to be
a perfect historical re-creation. It should be regarded as a Roman themed real
time strategy game, rather than a traditional historical war-game. A summary
of the game's features can be found at http://www.praetoriansgame.com/ .
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2.2 Who developed the game?
Pyro Studios ( http://www.pyrostudios.com/ ), based in Madrid, Spain, wrote
the game. They are better known for developing the Commandos series of games.
Praetorians was published by Eidos Interactive. Originally intended to be
released in 2002, the game finally appeared in February/March 2003.
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2.3 What are the minimum requirements?
The absolute minimums are: Pentium III 500MHz, 128MB RAM (256MB for Windows
2000/XP), 16MB graphics card (DirectX 8.1 compatible, 32MB recommended),
display resolution 1024x768, 600MB free hard drive space, Windows 98/2000/XP,
quad-speed CD-ROM drive, keyboard and mouse. Multiplayer requires a slightly
faster processor (at least 700MHz) with at least a 56k modem connection
(broadband recommended).
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2.4 Where can I get demos and patches?
Two demo versions are available - a single player version (which I believe
features the campaign mission Crossing the River Arar) and a multiplayer
version (which features a single multiplayer/skirmish map). Demos can be found
at http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=124 and several
other gaming sites. Installing both the demo and the full game on the same
machine may cause to video glitches.
The most recent official patch at the time of writing is v1.04, 24 April 2003.
It can be found at several locations, including
http://ftp.eidos.com/pub/patches/praetorians/patchinstaller.exe ,
http://www.fileplanet.com/section.aspx?s=93629 and http://www.pyrostudios.com/
. The patch is 2.7MB. However Jare, one of the game's developers, released an
unofficial (unsupported) patch v1.05, 22 October 2004. This patch "fixes the
bug with troops becoming invulnerable after splitting them". It can be
downloaded from http://www.fileplanet.com/files/140000/146941.shtml . There is
no need to apply earlier patches first - v1.05 can be applied to a freshly
installed game. The game's current version number is displayed in the bottom
left corner of game's main menu screen.
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3. GAMEPLAY
==============================================================================
This section contains answers to commonly asked gameplay questions. It does
not specifically replace the manual. The manual explains the basic interface,
concepts and abilities. To be honest, even if you do not have the manual it is
possible to learn most of the game's features from a combination of the
tutorials and the readme file on the CD.
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______________________________________________________________________________
3.1 Setup and Interface
______________________________________________________________________________
3.1.1 Can I play as Barbarians or Egyptians?
You can in multiplayer/skirmish mode. There is only one campaign, which is
based on Romans. There are a few opportunities during the campaign to use or
train non-Roman troops, however there are no missions that use entirely non-
Roman forces.
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3.1.2 What do the difficulty settings change?
Difficulty influences the size and makeup of your initial forces. For example,
the first non-tutorial mission, Crossing the River Arar (see below), includes
two units of Auxiliary Infantry and three Legionaries on "easy", one less
Auxiliary Infantry on "Normal", and one less unit of Legionaries on "Hard".
The enemy generally has additional units on harder settings. RogueImpaler
notes: "Enemy villages will produce lots more troops on hard also." Less
obviously, on harder settings the enemy's AI (Artificial Intelligence) is
better. Centurion, on harder difficulties: "The AI was employing better
tactics such as flanking my archers by moving through woods, but the blatant
change was that I had less troops starting and there seemed to be more enemy
troops. I thought arrows from enemy archers/mounted archers inflicted a little
more damage."
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3.1.3 Is there a list of keyboard shortcuts?
Yes. Such a list may be found in section 3.2 of the game's readme.htm file.
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3.1.4 Can the map view be zoomed or rotated?
The camera height can be changed _slightly_ by altering the slider found under
game options. This can also be achieved by rolling the mouse wheel or pressing
Page-Up/Page-Down. The map cannot be rotated. It is not clear why the
developers decided to lock the camera.
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3.1.5 Can the game speed be changed?
No, although you can pause single player games by pressing Esc to bring up the
game menu.
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3.1.6 How do I group troops?
Select the required units, assign a group by pressing CRTL+1-9, then 1-9 to
recall the group, and 1-9 again to jump to them. Rufus adds: "You can add
units to an already existing group by selecting the new troops, then holding
shift and pressing the number of your existing group and finally once again
assign a group number. It is possible to have troops belong to several groups.
To activate this you need to go to the Game Options panel and click the
'Troops in Multiple Groups' button."
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3.1.7 How do I change the width of formations?
The width of individual units cannot be changed, except by changing the facing
or (for certain units) adopting a special formation. Facing can be changed by
selecting the unit, then either: (1) right clicking at the destination,
holding down with the mouse and moving it in the direction desired to face, or
(2) by selecting the 'facing' icon from actions menu in the bottom right of
the screen, and then clicking at a point you wish the unit to face. Multiple
units can be set into a formation of variable width. Gaius Julius writes:
"After you've selected your troops, right-click where you want them to go;
don't let go of the right mouse button yet, then either use the mouse's scroll
wheel to set the width of the formation, or you can use the Page up, or Page
down buttons on the keyboard." There is no direct way of ensuring certain
units take certain positions in the formation. However, Shamaani writes: "In
order to get spearmen in the front, standard army corps in the middle, and
archer behind I do like this: Select army corps and set them to 'Defend' the
pikemen. Select archers and set them to 'Defend' the army corps. For moving
the whole army, just move the pikemen." Alternatively assign groups to
different sets of units and order them separately.
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______________________________________________________________________________
3.2 Unit Training
______________________________________________________________________________
3.2.1 How can I replenish loses?
New squads can be trained using a village or barracks. Sometimes during
campaign missions additional reinforcements will join your army during the
mission. Injured troops can be healed with a healer such as a Physician. The
Physician can be ordered to heal a specific unit. Alternatively units within
the Physician's area of influence will slowly be healed. Where an existing
squad is missing men, squads can be joined. Select the units to be joined and
press the join button (or J). For example, two half-strength (15 man) legions
can be joined to form one full strength (30 man) legion. No one squad can ever
exceed full strength.
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3.2.2 What is the difference between a village and barracks, and how do I use
them?
Villages must first be captured by destroying any existing garrison, building
your own garrison next to the village using infantry, and then assigning a
commander (Centurion or similar) to recruit at the village. Barracks have
fixed ownership and cannot be captured, only destroyed. Barracks do not
require a commander. Barracks are only ever found inside fortresses. Both
barracks and villages can be destroyed. Destroyed villages or barracks cannot
be rebuilt or captured; they are permanently removed from the map for the rest
of the mission.
Both villages and barracks function in the same way: Assuming you have
completed the steps above, left-click on the building, then select units to
train from the menu in the bottom-right of the screen. Up to seven units may
be queued for training. Training will automatically stop if there is
insufficient population, honour points or unit control points (see below).
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3.2.3 How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer?
You don't. Instead commanders are promoted from other units. Select a unit and
then press Promote on the actions menu in the bottom right of the screen. A
small tent will appear momentarily. One member of the unit will become a level
0 commander and the remainder of the unit will be unchanged. The civilization
of the commander is determined by the civilization of the promoted unit. For
example, if you want a Chieftain rather than a Centurion, you must promote a
Barbarian unit (in most circumstances you will only control one civilization,
and so will not have this choice). Prior combat experience or unit type is not
transferred to the promoted unit: There is no advantage to promoting battle-
hardened Praetorians instead of Auxiliary Infantry. Commanders instead gain
experience from combat within their area of influence. Any regular or special
unit can be promoted. Characters, single man units such as scouts, and siege
engines cannot be promoted.
There is a limit to the number of commanders you may promote. This limit is
not entirely understood. It seems that you may have one commander per 1-100
troops. For example if you have 30 troops, one commander; 190 troops, two
commanders; 210 troops three commanders. You may never have more than five
commanders in total. There are some oddities, particularly in campaign
missions where this may not hold true. For example, certain named character
commanders may not count towards the five-commander limit. If you are already
at the limit and additional commanders join your army, you automatically keep
all the commanders and exceed the limit.
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3.2.4 What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control Points?
Overall army size is limited by Unit Control Points (UCPs) and Troop Control
Points (TCPs). These are specified by the mission and cannot be changed.
Typically UCPs range from 500 to 1000, TCPs from 50 to 75. To display the
current values, press and hold down Shift to show the Battle Status Panel.
Gaius Julius adds: "If you enabled it in the 'Game Options' section, it should
be visible on screen." Unit Control Points refer to the total number of men
you may command, so a unit of Legionaries might count as 30 men, a scout as
one man. Troop Control Points refer to the total number of units that may be
commanded as separate entities (yes I know that sounds the wrong way round),
for example a unit of Legionaries counts as one TCP, as does a scout.
Commanders, healers and scouts are exceptions to this rule. Commanders are
described above (see How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer? above).
Healers are restricted to two. Scouts are restricted to five. These levels can
sometimes be exceeded during the campaign when additional troops join your
army. For example, if the UCP limit is 500, your starting army accounts for
400, and 200 points worth of reinforcements join you, you can still keep the
total 600 points worth. You will not however be able to train any new units at
a village or barracks until the total drops below 500.
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3.2.5 What limits troop recruitment? Why can't I train a certain unit?
The village or barracks recruiting the unit must have the pre-requisite
population available. Most villages grow population slowly over time, although
there are occasional campaign reports of villages where population does not
re-grow. Any honour point requirement must be met (see How do I gain Honour
points? below). There must be enough space remaining in your army for the
units (see What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control
Points? above). Full troop requirements are shown in the Unit Training
appendix. Not all units are immediately available in the campaign. This varies
by mission and is listed at the start of the walkthrough for each mission.
Generally, special units are not freely available until later in the campaign.
The only mission where absolutely every unit from every civilization is
available is the final mission, Just One... More... Fight (see below).
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3.2.6 How do I gain Honour points?
Honour Points (or "Honor Points" for Americans) are required in order to
recruit certain units types, notably cavalry (1 point per unit) and special
units (2 points per unit). Honour points are gained from battle. They
accumulate slowly as your troops gain experience from fighting. The precise
relationship between combat experience and honour points is unknown. Gaius
Julius notes: "The number of HPs you accumulate varies by troop type." The
current honour point total is displayed on the Battle Status Panel (press and
hold down Shift). Gaius Julius continues: "You'll see an icon of a star with a
wreath around it, next to it you'll see a number. This number is the number of
HP's you have. To the right of this you'll see a bar, when it fills up
completely, you've earned another HP."
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______________________________________________________________________________
3.3 Unit Usage
______________________________________________________________________________
The Appendices contain data covering unit strengths, abilities and use of
terrain.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.3.1 How do Stamina and Health work?
Health reflects the overall life and damage of the unit. Single-man units will
survive until their health reaches zero. For multi-man units, health is an
average across the unit. Such units typically start losing men once the unit's
health declines below about 50%. Health can be recovered using a healer such
as a Physician. Stamina is used when running or (in certain cases) when using
special abilities. Stamina declines at different rates. For example,
Legionaries' stamina will decline fast when running because all that armor is
heavy - try it ;-) . Stamina recovers over time once the unit stops trying to
use it. Certain abilities such as Extra Energy Regeneration and Prayer can be
used to recover stamina more quickly. Steal Energy Effect drains stamina from
enemy.
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3.3.2 How do I treat poison?
Poison is only used by Nubian Archers. It can be treated using the Physician's
Cure Disease ability. The later ability also cures blindness.
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3.3.3 What is the advantage of commanders?
Commanders (Centurions, Chieftains or Barbarians) are required to recruit at
villages. They also have advantages in the field. Troops within their area of
influence gain bonuses to attack and defense. These bonuses vary by
civilization and experience/level - as shown in the Unit Abilities appendix
below. Bonuses do not stack, however it is thought that where two commanders
of different civilizations are present, the highest bonus available applies.
This would mean that a level 4 Centurion and a level 4 Chieftain collectively
give a 30% bonus to both attack and defense. This is only relevant to a few
campaign missions, since in most only one civilization is available. The area
of influence is shown by a faint blue circle around the commander.
RogueImpaler adds: "You can tell if your troops are affected by their leader
when they have a little extra eagle in their flag." Combat that takes place
within a commander's area of influence increases the commander's experience
and level. Higher ranking commanders can make a significant difference to the
outcome of a battle, so ensuring they gain experience is useful.
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3.3.4 Can I kill my own troops?
There is no command to do this, however there are tricks to destroy your own
units. From no_pulse: "Build a tower and garrison it with the units you want
destroyed. Then send a battering ram in to destroy the tower, and it will not
only destroy the tower, but also the units inside." Athos suggests: "You can
also position your troops between a ballista and the ballista's target."
Mercurypitt writes: "I like to hide them in grass and then burn the grass
while forcing my troops to run through the flames." Kmorg74 adds: "I just
break them up into small groups and send them to probe or decoy enemy troops."
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3.3.5 Can I stop my troops 'doing their own thing'?
Yes. Assign them 'Hold Position' orders (press H). Stationary formations may
also be used, although these generally have a more specific purpose than
simply telling your troops to remain still. Troops will still react to the
enemy when holding. This reaction can be modified by setting them to
'Aggressive' or 'Defensive' mode. In 'Aggressive' mode units will engage the
enemy as soon as they come into view/range. In 'Defensive' mode units will
wait until they come under attack or the enemy comes very close before
responding.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.3.6 Why don't troops retreat from battle?
Troops cannot be retreated once they have been engaged in melee. This is
considered realistic. Troops can retreat from ranged attacks, however they may
sustain heavy casualties doing so.
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3.3.7 Can I set multi-point patrols?
By default patrols are set between the starting point of the unit and the
location you set the patrol. By holding Shift down while setting the patrol
route, multiple patrol points can be set. Similarly, if CTRL is held down
while setting a patrol point, the unit will run that part of the route.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.3.8 Does weather make a difference?
No. Weather is essentially there to look pretty. It does not affect how troops
fight, their stamina, or anything else.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.3.9 How does the hunters' ambush work?
Andrex Aurelius writes: "Place your Hunters in a forest and wait until their
Stamina regenerates to full. When it has, the Hunters will automatically go
into Ambush mode and will attack enemies that walk over their position. When
in Ambush mode Hunters become invisible to the enemy (except to Wolves) and
deal much higher damage."
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3.3.10 Why won't my catapults attack?
War machines are generally the least likely to respond to an approaching
enemy. This partly reflects the time taken to load and fire them. To make them
more responsive set them to 'Aggressive' mode. The main danger with auto-
firing siege engines is the risk your troops will get caught by them. This is
particularly true of Ballistas, which fire straight at the target, rather than
over the heads of your own troops. Alternatively, assign attack targets
yourself.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.3.11 Can I extinguish fires on war machines?
Yes. Retire the machine or siege engine from the front line and assign
Auxiliary Infantry (or similar) to repair the machine.
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______________________________________________________________________________
3.4 Buildings and Structures
______________________________________________________________________________
The use of villages and barracks is discussed under Unit training above.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.4.1 Can I destroy bridges?
Wooden bridges can be destroyed using archers or Catapults. Simply order them
to attack the bridge and after a short time the bridge will start burning and
then collapse. Stone bridges cannot be destroyed.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.4.2 How do I rebuild bridges without infantry?
Demote an existing regular or special unit. Click on the unit, select demote
from the bottom-right menu and confirm the demotion. The unit will put up a
tent for a few seconds, and then reappear as infantry. The infantry can then
be used to rebuild the bridge. Demoted units cannot return to their former
unit type.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.4.3 How do I move troops into towers?
Select the unit and then right-click on the tower. From Random: "It's
important to click the base of the tower. I was clicking the top of it, but it
wasn't registering." Cicero notes: "Make sure that the towers are in good or
perfect condition. They get damaged by attacks, in which case your archers may
not get in. If there's damage to towers, simply get your auxiliary troops to
repair them." Only foot troops can enter towers - not cavalry or siege
engines.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.4.4 Can the fortress's gate be repaired?
Yes, so long as it is your fortress and the gate has not been completely
destroyed. Assign Auxiliary Infantry (or similar) to repair the gate, by
selecting them and then clicking on the gate. The unit will attempt to repair
the gate to full health and then stop repairs. They will not attend to
subsequent damage and must be reassigned each time new repairs are required.
Once the gate has been destroyed it cannot be repaired.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.4.5 Can I build a fortress or village?
No. Major fortifications and villages are defined by the map and cannot be
built from new, moved or modified.
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3.4.6 Can the protect command be used for buildings or areas of ground?
No. The protect command works with troops only.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
3.5 Multiplayer
______________________________________________________________________________
For technical issues see I can't connect to an online game. Any suggestions?
below.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.5.1 How do I chat in multiplayer games?
Press Enter to chat to your allies, Shift+Enter to chat to everyone.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.5.2 Do any multiplayer maps feature fortifications and castles?
Officially no. Jare writes: "The plans for fortress sieges in skirmish and
multiplayer had to be put on hold in order to make the release date we had
committed to." However existing siege maps have been hacked to make them
playable in multiplayer or skirmish mode - see Are there any custom or
multiplayer siege maps? below.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
3.5.3 What's inferiority?
This feature is designed to make it easy to finish a multiplayer game without
having to search for every last enemy unit. When the enemy no longer has any
villages, or their force is 10% the size of your force, inferiority is
enabled. This starts a 60 second timer. Once the timer has run out the
location of all the enemy's remaining units can be seen.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
==============================================================================
4. STRATEGIES
==============================================================================
______________________________________________________________________________
4.1 Introduction
______________________________________________________________________________
4.1.1 Tactics
Gaius Julius writes: "This game forces you to use the 'right' unit for the
'right' task, for example, don't use archers for melee combat." While this is
partly true of many similar games, in Praetorians it is far more noticeable.
Use the wrong unit and you may suffer 100% casualties for no loss by the
enemy. Use the right unit and it is often possible to do the reverse.
Athos writes: "There is actually a good amount of strategy in this game.
Primarily in the match-up of units and how you move around the map. If you
just move your troops toward an objective they will get murdered; have a scout
and know everything about where they are about to move..." Ah, scouting - more
about that later; it is perhaps the most important tactic of all.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.1.2 Campaign vs Skirmish
LordJohnDrinksalot: "I'm not saying tactics don't matter. They matter - I've
seen enemy archers cut to pieces in melee combat without a loss to friendly
Legionaries and ballistas decimate an advancing legion company - but they pale
in significance to the same old Real Time Strategy 'recruit troops quicker
than the enemy' tactic. This is obviously less true for the campaigns (you
have to employ tactics), but very true for the skirmish battles (you have to
capture villages quicker)." There are many times during the campaign when
careful scouting and tactical positioning of units is the only way to win. In
skirmish mode this is not true. "While I'm trying to cleverly ambush the AI
[Artificial Intelligence], the AI is grabbing another village. Frankly,
grabbing villages quicker than your enemy seems to be 80% of the game, and
everything else is a distant second place consideration."
While some of this strategy section is applicable to both campaign and
skirmish modes, it is likely to be more useful in a campaign context.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
4.2 General Tactics
______________________________________________________________________________
This section covers specific tactics applicable regardless of civilization.
Different civilizations are discussed in subsequent sections.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.1 Movement and formations
Scouting is crucial in Praetorians. This applies to extending the effective
range of units such as archers, but most importantly it prevents your troops
walking into an ambush. From Athos: "You should always know what stands
between you and the place where you want your troops, and what is there
waiting for you. Do these through proper scouting and planning, and you'll be
able to take out the ambushes before they ambush you. ... Scout as much as
possible and know what you're facing, and plan how to get around it before
bull rushing into anything and everything." From loki: "Although I can
understand the need to have basic formations/patterns while the troops are
stationary, I don't have the slightest idea why I would need complicated
formations while moving. Here's why: you should always know where you are
going, that's what scouts are for."
Combat in Praetorians is relatively fast once it starts, but often during the
campaign there is plenty of time to prepare. One can march a 'perfect'
formation into a pitch battle, but once the battle has started almost all hope
of control has been lost when additional enemy troops are drawn in. By
planning battles, you opt to control the battle by the terms on which you
fight it, not by a 'click-fest' of orders to units that often cannot respond
because they are busy fighting off an enemy that happens to have engaged them
already.
Latbat writes: "The basics are to put your infantry ahead and archers behind,
but this tactic isn't enough to win against a good player. You have to have
your hand on the pulse of battle, and do what's the best for current
situation, not to just blindly attack if the forces are equal." Mark OHearn
writes: "Clearly archers are far too weak to be at the front so keep them back
behind melee troops. In most missions I just hotkey my important units -
special unit, healers, centurion, and scouts. Make sure you make these units
auto-stay [hold] or your healers will go into the melee attacks and die."
From Random: "Tell your archers to protect your infantry and manually control
the horses. Tell your chief units and priests to 'protect' the infantry too,
so they'll give you the good benefits while not exposing themselves. Keep your
groups under easy control by assigning group numbers, so if you tell your
archers to attack something else, it's easy to make them 'protect' the
infantry again after the battle." Quintus writes: "When building up formations
for all out assaults, place stationary spearmen, stationary archers behind,
and all the heavy infantry behind them. Any attacks from the front the
Legionaries will skirmish." Cavalry can be used to charge down poorly defended
units such as archers. Once other enemy units are engaged in skirmish cavalry
will be able to ride through their lines.
Finally, remember that your troops can run (assign orders while holding down
the CTRL key). They cannot run forever, since their stamina decreases. Also
consider that if their stamina declines, they may not be able to use a special
ability.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.2 Leaders and heroes
Heroes are only found during the campaign. They are named characters. They
always have the abilities of other single units - typically Centurions, but
sometimes healers or scouts. Their main advantage is a higher than average hit
point total. Unfortunately they are almost always mission critical - should
they die the mission will be failed. Mark OHearn writes: "In certain missions
I was able to leave a hero at or near the starting position in the woods. In
other missions, you need them to recruit troops, so just always keep them back
from the action with a troop to protect. Hotkey them is the best way to move
them around." Sometimes it is possible to use a hero to take the brunt of an
enemy attack: Their above average hit point total allows them to survive while
other troops do the damage. But avoid baiting Hunters with them - if unlucky,
it's an instant 'game over' moment.
Commanders gain considerable bonuses at higher levels. If the commander
survives long enough, these bonuses can make a significant difference to the
performance of troops, both offensively and defensively. Commanders also have
special abilities. From RogueImpaler: "Your troops are much more capable with
their leader in the vicinity. Image your Legionaries have just thrown their
pilums - now they are exhausted. With their Centurion close by they regenerate
much faster." This particular trick is specific to the Roman army, because
only their Centurion has the ability to provide extra energy regeneration, but
it is a good example of using commanders' special abilities. From bond0bhave:
"Using this way I killed 2 squads of Praetorians and one Gladiator in the
campaign. I had a group of Nubian Archers, a Barbarian Chieftain and a
Centurion. Use the Barbarian Chieftain to sap the stamina, and then use the
Nubians to poison the gladiators. Retreat them when the enemy gets close and
then attack with more poison, using the Centurion to refill stamina."
RogueImpaler continues: "The Centurion is willing to sacrifice himself in
order to let his troops escape if that time has come. Troops can't get out of
a rumble once they've been attacked or have attacked themselves. You can send
in your Centurion at this time. He will give the troops the opportunity to
break loose and run for it." This particular trick is unconfirmed.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.3 Healers
Healers are particularly important when you cannot afford to take heavy
casualties - specifically when you have no village at which to recruit
replacement troops. This occurs quite frequently during the campaign. Healers
will attempt to heal wounded soldiers automatically. Mark OHearn writes: "It
is not unusual for them to go to the frontlines, and if your fighting troops
are killed, so goes the medic. Therefore, consider putting him on hold (you
can auto-hold) to keep him from doing this. After the battle, un-select the
hold so he can go heal the remaining troops." Jare writes: "I would suggest
using the 'protect' command, so the medics follow your lead troops without
getting ahead of them. Protecting troops helps a lot when managing a large
group in battle." By default healers automatically use their abilities to heal
injured troops, in addition to slow healing within their area of influence.
This ability appears to extend to every unit except the healer himself, so
occasionally intervene and 'manually' heal your healer.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.4 Spearmen
Spearmen (including Guards and Pikemen) have a special formation called
'Stationary'. Stationary spearmen are particularly effective against charging
cavalry. Athos adds: "Spearmen are perfect for stopping those charges, only
problem is you have to protect them from archers or they get torn apart." A
common strategy is to place archers behind stationary Spearmen. This entices
the cavalry to try and attack the archers, but in doing so generally forces
them onto the stationary line of Spearmen (see Luring below).
RogueImpaler writes: "Use spearmen at the last moment to counter mass attack -
they can be very, very deadly indeed." Rather than luring, this tactic
involves advancing Spearmen forward with other troops, and just before the
enemy cavalry engage in melee switching the Spearmen to stationary.
ShadowFiend writes: "A nasty strategy is to place pikemen in stationary form
in front of the village entrance of the enemy if you don't have enough forces
to swiftly destroy the village. Everything comes out dying quickly."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.5 Luring
The lure is a classic technique, primarily relying on the other players' units
stupidity to drag them into an ambush. One unit is sent close to an enemy
unit, then once the enemy unit gives chase, the friendly unit retreats back to
where other friendly units are waiting to pounce. Luring only partly works in
Praetorians - enemy units cannot be dragged far, and should the initial lure
fail subsequent lures are progressively less likely to succeed. From Athos: "I
have the archers right behind the spearmen in stationary to lure enemies onto
my troops, and the Legionaries to sweep onto the attacking forces (though they
don't necessarily need to, the spearmen should handle them) and to protect the
flank should it be threatened... and don't forget a good ballista on the right
or left to cut through the troops."
On performing the lure itself, Loki writes: "Archer-cavalry is the right unit
for this, because you can attack the defending cavalry from a long range and
force them to chase you. As you are about as fast as them, you can retreat
behind your pikemen and let the enemy cavalry crash into your impaling
polearms." Egyptian Parthian Cavalry is the ultimate unit to use to lure
enemies, since it can both fire and ride at the same time. If cavalry are not
available Centurions may be used effectively. They can also generally sustain
more damage before suffering loses, although sustained luring is still likely
to require a healer to be available. Avoid luring with low-hit point troops,
since they tend to die in the attempt.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.6 Towers
From Mark OHearn: "Towers are an interesting aspect of the game. They provide
your weak archers with a 10,000-point defence bonus, making it almost
impossible for a small group of melee troops to successfully overcome." Andrex
Aurelius writes: "If you put archers in they cause a lot of damage to
approaching troops but they die quickly once the tower is destroyed. If you
put weak troops like Auxiliary Infantry in then you have a cheap rock dropping
defence, which is useless against archers and siege weapons, but good against
other units attacking the base of the tower. Also, if you have Auxiliary
Infantry in towers they are very useful for putting out fires during an attack
but they have to be covered by other units." Ranged troops will also drop
rocks from towers if the enemy gets close enough. Towers can be repaired
conventionally by assigning infantry to repair them, much like damaged
fortress gates and seige engines. From plastikman: "The best units to put in
the towers are the Nubian Archers, if you can spare the unit cost. They have
the longest range of all the archers in the game and the height of the tower
can provide a little boost too. If you want to be really evil, set them to
poison arrows before you place them in the tower."
Mark OHearn continues: "Beware, however, that you do not build towers near
your village and then not occupy them immediately. There's nothing quite like
watching your opponent build a tower next to his village and then sneaking
your own archers into it and start attacking. Depending on the map, a forest
nearby might make the tower an easy attack by archers unless you also occupy
the said forest with melee units."
From Latbat: "Those towers with archers in them you can knock down with rams
easily. ... I usually use two rams, because they destroy a tower quicker and
with all archers in it. But it can take some time before you can get to those
towers if facing strong opposition on ground, so I'm considering using
catapults more, set on flaming stones of course." Nitroace30 notes: "Catapults
are very effective against towers. Defend them with spearman/pikeman and they
will work very well." Archers can also be used to set towers on fire. Normally
once the towers become 50% damaged the occupants will spill out onto the
ground and melee ensues. Rams have the advantage of eliminating the defending
units along with the tower.
Significant tower building comes with its own problems. Mark OHearn again:
"Firstly, it will limit how many troops you can send into battle. Secondly, if
you do need to empty troops from their towers, the enemy will have the
opportunity to sneak into your village and take over these towers." Instead
consider building towers only on regularly contended or particularly strategic
parts of the map.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.7 War machines
Many war machines and siege engines are highly effective outside of a strict
siege environment. War machines require careful use because there is a high
risk of damaging your own troops. The combination of slow reload-time and
apparent unwillingness to fire until enemy units come close can be in part
off-set by setting them to 'Aggressive' mode.
As mentioned above, rams are effective against Towers. Chronoshift notes that
they are also effective at destroying village garrisons. Of course their main
purpose is destroying the gates to fortresses (see below).
Athos writes: "Ballistas are incredible useful when it comes to defense. You
know those annoying turtles, and how arrows can't really pick them apart?
Ballistas slice right through them. Perfect for disrupting those advancing
troops as it can kill 7-10 troops at once. Or more." The main disadvantage
with Ballistas is a tendency to murder ones own troops. Positioning of the
Ballista is clearly important, with many favouring higher ground or a position
on the flank of an army. Ballistas are generally better than Catapults when
used against close formations of troops, however they need much closer
supervision or better tactical placement than Catapults if friendly fire is to
be avoided.
From loki: "While catapults are not very effective, they can be devastating
when used to defend an elevated position. Four catapults on barrage can wipe
marching troops when combined with archers." Multiple Catapults can indeed be
highly effective when defending a position against infantry attack,
particularly when they have a range advantage over the attacking troops.
Although Catapults have a numerical range advantage, they need to be able to
use that range by setting them to 'Aggressive' mode and having some form of
scout or nearby tower coverage. AI players very rarely use scouts.
Consequently, AI units often cannot see any further than their normal units
are capable of seeing. AI controlled infantry have a tendency to retreat
slightly once they have come under heavy barrage attack from enemies they
cannot see. This can result in the AI units making several false advances,
each one of which damages them. From chronoshift: "You can easily burn down
garrisons/towers/villages from far away distances if you can setup a few
catapults on hills just outside of main bases. You may need to send a hawk in
for your catapults to fire."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.8 Sieges
Officially fortresses only exist in the campaign. Consequently, the majority
of strategies for dealing with sieges can be found in the walkthrough.
Consider the following when defending a fortress:
- Move fast. This is one aspect of the game you cannot take at your own pace.
- Hold the gate(s). Repair them whenever possible using infantry. Generally
once the gates have been destroyed, long term defense of a fortress becomes
impossible unless the enemy is very weak.
- Place ranged troops on the walls, particularly in the fortified towers where
they are better defended. Switch these troops to 'Aggressive' mode so they
fire at enemies sooner. Use special ranged troops if available (Slingers are
great against siege engines).
- Keep support units such as commanders and healers close to the walls, but
not on them.
- Use cavalry sparingly to ride out against dangerous, but poorly defended
threats, such as siege engines and ladders.
- Use heavy infantry to counter any enemy that climb the walls. Ideally the
enemy should not get this close.
- Use stationary Spearmen to guard the gate, to give a final line of defense
in case the gate should be destroyed.
- Use Catapults to fire over the walls (again, set on 'Aggressive').
- Use your barracks to replace loses.
When attacking a fortress, many more options are available. From loki: "Attack
the fortress from both sides at the same time, which is, I gather, one of the
most useful tactics against _any_ computer."
Generally computer based fortresses' defenses are predictable. First lure out
any enemy cavalry, conventionally done by starting to attack wall defenders
with a Catapult. Cavalry are normally lured into a stationary Spearman ambush.
The next threat are defenders on the walls. For Roman players, Dramaticus
writes: "Use turtle formation to divert defenders while you roll up your siege
items." Enemy archers generally fire on the nearest target, at least until an
alternative target starts to hurt them. Since Legionaries are almost immune to
arrow fire, they make excellent decoys. With a healer behind them they can
survive several minutes of attack. Dramaticus continues: "You can load up to a
couple of troops into siege towers before you roll them up to walls. The risk
is that the tower may burn down before the offload, but the advantage is
immediate deployment, rather than having your troops catch up with the tower
and then attacking."
Rather than assaulting the walls with siege engines and troops, consider
either ramming the fortress gate with a Battering Ram, or using Catapults to
bombard the defenders on the walls. BadGuysAlwaysWin writes: "To eliminate
archers on walls, use 2-3 catapults for maximum result. Set 2 to 'spread' and
1 to 'normal' (neither fireball nor spread). Now, march forward with 2-4
legions in turtle formation. Bring up your catapults and get rid of the
archers one group at a time." Catapults normally have a range advantage over
archers, so with careful use of scouts catapults can be very effective at
range. However, walls give a range advantage to archers manning those walls,
so it is not possible to completely eliminate the chance of enemy archers
setting your Catapults on fire. If they do so Catapults can always be
retreated and infantry set to work repairing them immediately. Rams are the
most effective way to break down gates, but Catapults can also be used.
BadGuysAlwaysWin continues: "Set 1 [Catapult] to 'fireball' and 2 to 'normal'.
With no archers on the walls, it's very simple. Set pikemen in stationary in
front, Legionaries on flanks, destroy the door, then advance."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.2.9 Bridges
Mark OHearn writes: "Often you need to repair broken bridges. Instead of doing
so and attacking the enemy on the other side, I now build a tower or two, and
more importantly, some siege weapons and lure my enemies towards the bridge.
You need scouts and a way to start the battle - usually siege with hawk can do
this. Since the bridge is not built there is no melee combat, and usually they
cannot engage in range attack (or at least not effectively)." Also remember
that bridges make good ambush spots when built.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
4.3 Romans
______________________________________________________________________________
4.3.1 General
Roman units are characterised by organisation and defense. Entity comments:
"Romans have strong defence so, with a healer, your men survive a bunch more
battles." They are well suited to many of the campaign missions where the
player initially starts without a base or any means of recruiting additional
troops. In many campaign scenarios there is no particular need to rush, which
allows short sharp battles to be followed by a period of healing. The same
time can also be used for scouting.
From nitroace30: "I think the Legionaries are the best standard fighting unit
in the game - their turtle formation looks so good." Turtle formation is
discussed below. From xtend13: "The Romans are the most balanced, and the
square formations are easy to control." From Centurion: "Slingers are great
for destroying siege weapons and wearing down the enemy so they can't charge.
And don't forget the 30 troops to a unit either - makes their spearmen the
best in my eyes." Basic regular Roman units generally have about twice as many
men as other civilizations. In the case of Spearmen this is clearly an
advantage, since the more Spearmen one has, the easier it is to hold a line
with them. Having more men per unit should logically make the unit more combat
effective. This is in part true - Romans are certainly better than most
Egyptians man for man. However, the same logic does not always follow when
compared to Barbarians - in offensive combat a smaller total number of
Barbarian warriors can be quite effective, as discussed further below.
Shadow_Praetorian writes: "The Romans are the exact opposite to the Egyptians:
They have awesome infantry but they lack in the cavalry department." FV
Constantinus writes: "I love the speed of the Equites, very good for speeding
to the aid of a failing attack." Superdroideka adds: "Never use them [Equites]
for frontal assaults. They are best used to attack archers when your infantry
are fighting enemy infantry." The minor speed advantage of the Equites is
about their only advantage, especially when compared to the special cavalry of
other civilizations (German Cavalry, Parthian Cavalry and War Chariots). The
Roman commander must use native cavalry very carefully. From nitroace30:
"Sure, the Romans ain't got the best cavalry, but what they lack in mounted
units they make up for in infantry." Centurion writes: "Problems with the
Romans are that their Legionaries are slow, and man for man they can't take
Barbarians."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.3.2 Formations and tactics
While the game punishes those who, for example, put archers in front of heavy
infantry when entering battle, there is no single correct formation. Often
formations need to be adapted for particular terrain or circumstances. Galen's
suggested Roman formation:
"- (a) Skirmishers in the front of the pack, expendables who can absorb the
first hit and reduce the ranks, for this Auxiliary Infantry.
- (b) Spearmen, with archers assigned to protect them.
- (c) Legionaries, assigned to protect Spearman.
- (d) Second wave of two units of archers moving together, with a right or
left flank Spearman unit protecting them.
- (e) 2-4 Legionaire groups.
- (f) The rear guard, auxiliary fighters and Spearman."
Telemach's suggestion is particularly useful when defending or ambushing:
"- Spearmen (kneeling [stationary] if taking an assault).
- Legions (holding position, or they'll rush the enemy).
- Archers (definitely kneeling).
- Cavalry (ready to rush lone groups of archers/catapults)."
RogueImpaler writes: "Have 9 sets of Legionaries stand in a cube form. Send
sets of archers in that cube and line them up nicely. Have your Centurion and
medics in the middle and line them up. Spearmen can form in the cube too. Now
give all of these troops a CTRL key assignment... It's awesome to see what
happens if you get rushed with this mega formation and you go to turtle
formation."
Centurion writes: "When I'm moving to engage the enemy on open ground I have 2
Legionaries at the front and 2 archers behind them with a slight space so they
don't get drawn into the melee. Then I have at the back another Legionaire
unit to be thrown into the fight as reinforcements. Protecting the rear of the
archers I have Auxillary Infantry."
From Athos: "I think the best use of formations in this game is when it comes
to luring the enemy upon your stationary army. Three spearmen troops up front,
with 2 ballistas on each flank. Then legionaries behind in standard formation,
with archers in front of the Legionaries and behind the spearmen in stationary
position. Then catapults behind all that with medics and leader. Cavalry to
the right or left to sweep behind the enemy assault for archers or artillery
(so they don't take out your stationary spearmen)."
Loki writes: "Don't move all your units at the same time. If you suspect an
archer ambush in the woods along the roads, send your legions in turtle mode -
they can't harm you much. When you encounter the enemy, use your legions to
block enemy pikemen, then send your cavalry (which you had previously hot-
keyed) to slaughter enemy archers who stand behind the pikemen. You really
need to master the turtle/archers/cavalry routines if you want to travel with
minimal damage. If the enemy archers are in the forest, your best bet is to
send a turtled legion to attack them or 'deturtle' a legion and RUN to attack
them. It's a lot bloodier, but archers are very nasty and can wipe
cavalry/pikemen in no time when protected by forests. Of course, the same
tactics apply to you when you are attacked - put your archers in forests, but
ALWAYS leave a legion with them to protect them."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.3.3 Turtle formation
Centurion writes: "Turtle formation makes your Legionaries practically
invulnerable to a small amount of missile fire (even Balaeric Slingers). When
in turtle formation advance towards the archers. When near, come out of the
turtle formation and charge. In turtle formation Legionaries' fighting
capacity is severely lessened than in standard formation, so if an enemy is
coming at you stay in standard formation. It's also a good idea to have a
medic to accompany them, in case there is much missile fire." With modest
arrow-fire, a healer can keep alive a few turtled Legionaries for several
minutes. The healer is gerenally not fired upon, so long as he remains behind
the Legionaries.
From Random: "I use turtle formation whenever possible. Use standard formation
when walking across the map or it will take forever, but in combat it's best
to use turtle formation. Especially if the enemy has archers, since the turtle
is almost invincible against arrows." Loki adds: "Send a turtled legion if you
suspect an archer ambush. Using the scouts, you send a turtled legion because
you KNOW there is an archer ambush."
From superdroideka: "How to counter turtle formation? Move your archers to
water or attack the turtle with melee warriors." Ballistas are also rather
effective against turtled Legionaries - the target is slow moving, so easy to
hit, and the troops are close together so casualties will be high.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.3.4 Praetorians
From superdroideka: "Praetorians are extremely powerful melee troops. Use them
to aid Legionaries against melee warriors. The only thing they are afraid of
are archers using hit and run attacks." Athos writes: "The Romans may be
boring, but when you see a unit of Praetorians fight their way out of
overwhelming odds because of their immense defense, well, that is amazing."
From Centurion: "The Praetorian unit pretty much destroys anything in its
path. I use Praetorians to burst through stationary spearmen lines followed
with Legionaries and my own spearmen."
Prefect comments: "Praetorians are easily defeated by Berserkers, and
Chariots." Mark OHearn writes: "There is no single unit capable of destroying
a Praetorian troop. German Calvary are great but won't kill the troop, even
with a charge. And the Bersekers simply don't have enough defence to last.
Ranged attacks are great while melee troops engage. A troop of Praetorians
with a medic is very difficult to stop. While I still love the fast-pace and
aggressive nature of the Barbarians, and can certainly appreciate War Chariots
and Nubian Archers, there is a good reason why the game was named after the
Praetorian unit - they are the best single unit."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
4.4 Barbarians
______________________________________________________________________________
4.4.1 General
Barbarian units are characterised by a strong offensive attack, generally
slightly faster infantry, and overall more power per man. Centurion writes:
"They are the strongest fighters in the game, man for man they will always
win, unfortunately they are the slowest to build (72 seconds for 16 warriors)
and are usually swamped by enemy forces that out-number them. But with a
Chieftain at a high level the Barbarians get an insane offensive bonus, and
they can steal enemy mana/stamina." Barbarians are perhaps the most difficult
army to use effectively: In my experience they are not as easy to keep alive
as Romans, but lack the rapid replacement abilities of Egyptians. While their
special units are excellent, some are very hard to use effectively, notably
Hunters.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.4.2 Melee Infantry
Shadow_Praetorian writes: "Barbarians have the best attacking infantry.
Beserkers and Warriors throw rocks." From Lt_Kerensky: "Infantry are tough,
but expensive and, due to throwing axes being slightly worse than Pilum, not
as combat effective as Roman Auxiliary Infantry. As catapults and other siege
engines use the same number of infantry to man them, this actually means that
siege machines are more expensive for the Barbarians." Of course the
'cheapest' war machines and siege engines are produced by the Egyptians, by
virtue of the low 'cost' of their slave units. Lt_Kerensky continues:
"Warriors are the toughest standard infantry. In large numbers they are the
masters of the open battle due their speed and power. Throwing stones can be a
treat when pursuing a fleeing enemy. ... Berserkers excel when fighting large
masses of foot enemies. They are 'mob' killers, and will dispatch, with ease,
up to 2 Legionaire troops or 4 Soldier troops. Bad choice when fighting
cavalry, Gladiators, Praetorians and ranged troops." Neoendofday adds: "Try
Berserkers and pair them with slingers."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.4.3 Cavalry
FV Constantinus writes: "The Noblemen are awesome. They are great fighters. I
can send them to the front of the attack many times before they start to take
big loses." From Lt_Kerensky: "Noblemen are the best standard cavalry. They
are not as quick as the Equites, and are as vulnerable to spears and arrows.
[But] They can defeat almost any unit on their own."
From Athos: "The Barbarians are great for the sheer power they have with their
units, and how German Cavalry can dominate the field when put to good use. The
fact that they can ride into the woods does make them almost uber units."
Centurion notes: "They [German Cavalry] get severely kicked by Praetorians."
German Cavalry are highly effective against the majority of single targets,
particularly when they charge them. I find they perform less well when swamped
by several enemy and are forced to fight their way out.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.4.4 Hunters
Hunters have the ability to hide, almost unseen in woodland, and pounce on
passing enemy, causing huge amounts of damage. This ability sounds
particularly dangerous, but in practice it is hard to make effective use of.
From Kmorg74: "The ambush is a great leveller for the Barbarians. Best way is
to avoid that wood area if you can do so. They cannot hurt you if you do not
need control of that area. And if they come after you, cavalry slaughters
them." Centurion writes: "I send Legionaries just outside their position. Then
send a cheap unit such as a scout to the forest very close to were they are.
When hunters use ambush tactics, they just kill the scout leaving me free to
charge with Legionaries."
LordJohnDrinksalot writes: "If I have the time, I always send a scout's wolf
ahead into the forests. I avoid attacking Hunters in forests with melee units,
if I can help it. I have archers hit them. If the Hunters attack, they're
easily wiped out in the open. When I've used Hunters in multiplayer, my
opponents run them down with Germanic cavalry (which operate in forests) with
no losses to them. One guy I played had three Hunter units in grasslands when
my Wolf Scout found them: lucky I had some archers and flaming arrows... When
I've used Hunters against the AI skirmish, I've found it was a time-waster:
One good ambush isn't too important when the AI is capturing more villages
than me."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
4.5 Egyptians
______________________________________________________________________________
4.5.1 General
Basic Egyptian units are quick to build, but generally very fragile. Their
special cavalry is excellent. Prefect writes: "Can't beat their
cavalry/chariots. Soldiers are way underpowered though. Guards have nice
defense, and Nubian Archers rule. Everything is built quickly, and rushes
well." They are favoured for those seeking to win a game rapidly, using a
Slave rush tactic called Slut Rape (see below). Entity writes: "Egyptians can
pump out units fast, not to mention having archers that can actually replace
the basic ones totally. However, if you can't organize mass units well in
battle, prepare to get your butt kicked." Egyptians perform poorly man for
man, however with good tactics they can still be effective and inflict
disproportionately heavy loses on the enemy.
From Centurion: "Their units are so fragile, even Guards set to stationary can
be obliterated with ease, however War Chariots are great at decimating
standard infantry types, Nubian Archers are excellent at harassing the enemy
[using poison]. And Parthian Cavalry is good for leading troops away and
wearing them down gradually, however if fighting the Romans you have to be
careful of Equities, which are really fast and can run Parthian Cavalry down.
Also the Egyptians have balanced officials for their armies. Their infantry
can 'pray' to regain stamina and are cheap to produce so you can get more
troops out of a village than any other group in the game, so you can have
superiority in numbers."
From superdroideka: "Build lots and lots of troops because you'll lose many of
them. The backbone of your army will be Soldiers, supported with many archers.
Double click on the location where you want your soldiers to go to: they don't
have a special attack so don't save their stamina. If you have honour points,
create Camel Riders and War Chariots first, build expensive missile warriors
when you have enough powerful melee cavalry to support you shock infantry. A
few Ballistas are always welcome: they kill any unit in their path so use them
on approaching powerful soldiers like Praetorians, Berserkers or German
Cavalry." ShadowFiend describes a non-rush tactic for Egyptians: "Basically
amassing Soldiers and basic archers. Barbarians fall like flies from arrows so
they are easy prey. Furthermore with numbers I can easily match the better
quality troops and overcome them."
From DTRY: "Nubian Archers can fire poison arrows - a real pain to the enemy."
Me$$iaH writes: "Nubian Archers aren't that strong. Their only strong point is
the poison, but that doesn't do extraordinary damage. I believe Hunters are
stronger." With a Physician nearby, Nubian Archers are not effective. However,
in most games there is a limit of two on the number of healers allowed.
Without healers nearby, poison is very effective, especially if the Nubian
Archers can fire one volley of poison darts, then flee, leaving their prey to
slowly die.
Superdroideka writes: "[War] Chariots have more hit points than German Cavalry
but one squad contains only 8 chariots. Use them to assist your melee infantry
during the battle. Try to attack archers first and when the enemy archers are
dead, attack the rear of the enemy infantry."
From Mark OHearn: "A neat trick with the Egyptians is the mirage ability of
their leader." The mirage creates what appears to be an extra unit. It can be
moved and will draw fire until engaged in melee combat.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.5.2 Slut Rape
From Athos: "The whole 'slut rape' tactic makes me think of anyone who plays
as an Egyptian a rusher." This tactic involves a 'rush' of slave units early
in the game. "Nubian Archers and their poison, do rock, and the Parthian
Cavalry is amazing, but mostly you see them being used for their super rush
capabilities."
Athos continues: "Here's a picture of the infamous slut rape strategy that
many newbie Egyptian players employ to win the game in under 3 minutes:
Essentially once your Egyptian enemy has greater than two cities taken, and
are whipping out Slaves like no tomorrow the game is already over. The worst
part is, you can't counter-rush because you know more Slaves are on the way.
... It doesn't take 3000 Slaves to take out a legion, more like 500 who
swiftly sweep onto their opponents who only have 2 maybe 3 legions, some
spearmen and some archers. Slaves = 12 seconds. Legionaries = 75 seconds. That
means you can get out 6 Slave units by the time it takes your opponent to get
out one legion troop."
ShadowFiend writes: "With Barbarian spearmen I can block any kind of rush. 1
Barbarian spearmen = 2 1/4 Slaves in strength. One tower with 1 archer can
block slut rape quite easily. ... The basic of blocking rush is to always
stick to fortified places and where you can exploit the terrain to your
advantage... and have spearmen. 4-5 of them in the row. The first unit you
should train is a healer."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
4.6 Skirmish and Multiplayer
______________________________________________________________________________
4.6.1 Skirmish
Skirmishes against computer players undoubtedly benefit from simply capturing
villages as fast as possible. This gives a greater troop production capacity,
so in any war of attrition the player with the most villages wins. From
Outcast_Rebel: "I tend to grab at least 3 settlements as soon as possible, and
start pumping out units as fast as the settlements will allow. I go for my
tower defences as I am pumping out units. You tend to get a jump on the enemy
quicker this way." Shamaani writes: "[I send] my first Auxiliary Infantry to
the first village with its Centurion. I demote my Pikemen and get 1 or 2 new
Auxiliary Infantry and Centurion to get 1 or 2 villages in the first minute of
play. Then, for each village, I build a tower and get archers first (for the
tower). Only after that do I start developing my army."
Random writes: "I usually recruit, alternately, Legionaries and archers to
begin with. You can build up an army fairly quickly. The important thing, I
think, is to protect your towns with towers and keep attacking the enemy.
Don't let them build too many troops without a challenge. Don't worry if you
lose some troops too, because your towers will protect you from whatever
forces the computer has left. Capturing one village with a high population is
a good idea, like the centre town in the demo's map. Some of the best battles
can be fought over that centre town. My games usually last around 20 minutes,
so the troops I usually recruit are archers and Legionaries and maybe some
Equites later. Praetorians and such take too long to recruit in a 20 minute
game. Make sure you recruit some priests and have them 'protect' your
infantry; that'll give you a big advantage when fighting. Also, don't
underestimate the power of a levelled-up Centurion. Just keep attacking and
don't let up. After a few battles you'll get on top."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
4.6.2 Online
This section is based heavily on the writings of Mark OHearn, and owes little
or nothing to the experience of this author. Basic concepts like understanding
the strengths and weaknesses of troops and formations are still important.
However, most players find that the online multiplayer game is not like the
campaign. Tactics applicable to the campaign, or even the AI player in a
skirmish, do not always work well in multiplayer. From Mark OHearn: "For the
most part forget about thinking - do. What I mean is that if at the start of
the game you have to think what your plan of attack will be, you're certainly
at a significant disadvantage, so much so that you may have already lost."
Before playing online, practice. Mark OHearn again: "You are going to learn
the computer's strategy, but more importantly, you are going to learn the map
terrain." The learning process extends into multiplayer itself. OHearn
suggests saving each game sequence (this options is available at the end of
the game) and replaying them to learn from your opponent.
Me$$iaH writes: "I choose a race based on the race my opponent chooses. If my
opponent is Roman, I choose Barbarians because Barbarians can take on Romans
easily with a big army. If my opponent is Barbarian, I choose Egyptians - with
a large number of soldiers, 2 priests and a few pharaohs [officials?], Egypt
takes on Barbarians easily. When my opponent is playing Egyptians, I choose
Romans - Egyptians often build large groups of archers, so turtle formation
gives you an advantage, and Soldiers are no match for Legionaries."
Mark OHearn writes: "After studying countless openings from very skilful
players, I have concluded that there is NO ultimate best start, so stop
searching for it. My only advice is to keep your units together so they are
harder to destroy. A general opening includes building immediately at the
closest base and moving my soldiders (spearmen and archers) to the next
village with the largest population. This may be closest to me or to my enemy.
Scouting should be established right away, before your opponent spreads out
and kills your scouts as they try to get into place. ... I was very successful
in most of my earlier games at destroying the villages closer to my enemy and
winning with superior population. Later, people became better players and
realized this and either protected them better (spread out quicker), or
attacked/took over 'my' bases."
Athos writes: "Don't avoid contact with your opponents. The more you fight
them (and hopefully the more casualties you inflict) and the more you move on,
the harder it gets for them. Plus, more honor points, which means better units
like Praetorians or German Cavalry." This can work against you if your attacks
are effectively repelled by the enemy - losing you a lot of troops and giving
the enemy Honour Points. This particularly applies to attacking villages -
attack with everything you can to ensure success. RogueImpaler comments: "I
try to build an army really quickly and then go all out leaving only one set
behind for little defense."
From Mark OHearn: "Understand whether you should takeover a certain village or
destroy it. Usually, unless your plan says otherwise, first destroy the
garrison. Then you can later decide whether to: (a) burn it; (b) control it;
(c) leave it alone for later use. ... Early in the game if you do decide to
burn a village close to your opponent's starting position, consider demoting
your archers after you set the village on fire to slow down and possibly
prevent your opponent's workers from killing your archers and saving the
village."
Athos again: "One thing I've noticed is to keep pressing the attack. Expand
and fast, keep building units, but don't sit still. Just keep moving,
attacking. Don't settle on 3 villages and then decide to build up, because the
enemy is building up more on the villages you decided not to capture.
Basically the more you attack and the more you push your opponent back, the
more difficult it is for them." Mark OHearn adds: "Never give up, if you are
being cornered start building towers and setting up a strong defence. ... At
the end of a game, if your enemy is cornered and has setup a strong defence,
re-create (demote) your army into a siege assault force."
OHearn continues: "Always start training better troops when you have the
honour points. Always ensure your villages have troops waiting to be trained.
Try to limit access to your base of operation by the least number of paths,
and build up your forces in these areas. And always have another plan of
attack when your enemy defeats your initial assault plan, including falling
back to regroup instead of losing too many troops in a hopeless cause."
RogueImpaler writes: "Most of the time the people you team up with don't
really play as a team, while your enemies do. This is because either your
allies want to build up defense first or they don't even care to help you
out." From Mark OHearn: "When playing multiplayer games, you absolutely have
to work together. Clans easily win games when playing non-clan players who
rather protect themselves then help their allies. Same principal applies in
multiplayer games - assemble a mass of troops together and attack one village
at a time. The trick, of course, is to have your other allies work together on
this strategy. Imagine your chances against the troops of three armies against
your own, while either your allies are staying at their home base or are too
far away to help in time. Destroy or take over large populated villages -
again, as a team."
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
==============================================================================
5. CAMPAIGN
==============================================================================
This section provides a 'walkthrough' for the single-player campaign. This is
not a blow by blow account of precisely how to fight battles, rather a guide
to possible strategies for meeting objectives. It is likely that personal
preference for defensive or offensive styles or different troop deployments
will affect how battles are fought. Where specific battles are particularly
tough I have included some possible tactics. These may not be the only viable
tactics; they are intended to help players that might otherwise regard the
battle or mission as impossible to win.
The 'walkthrough' assumes 'normal' difficulty, except for the first two
tutorial levels which can only be played as 'easy'. Difficulty settings affect
a number of factors, including starting army, and overall intelligence and
tactical ability of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) players. Some of the
strategies presented may not be as effective at the 'hard' difficulty setting.
Likewise, other options may be viable when playing 'easy'. All the strategies
presented have been tested on 'normal' difficulty, so do work; although player
inexperience with basic game concepts and troop usage may make some missions
seem impossible regardless of strategy:
Many missions are tough. Even die-hard strategy fans or war-gamers will find
themselves replaying some missions a few times before they are successful.
This document will hopefully help, but cannot entirely replace the process of
learning by trial and error. Don't be afraid to restart a few times when
things go wrong: Although frustrating, you will get much better at playing. If
you cannot get past a certain mission, even on 'easy', it is possible to edit
the game to allow you to play subsequent missions - see Are there any cheats
or trainers? Can I skip a level? below.
Basic maps have been provided in ASCII. They show important paths, rivers,
bridges, villages and fortifications. They omit elevations and terrain types
completely. These maps are not intended to show every detail, rather as a
guide to the approximate position of mission critical elements such as
villages or objectives. They should be used in conjunction with the in-game
maps. Note that one can see all terrain once the mission starts - 'fog of war'
only applies to hostile units. Compass point directions given in the text
assume north is at the top of the page/screen, south at the bottom.
Missions last until all the objectives have been completed. Current objective
status can be seen in-game by pressing F9, or Esc and selecting objectives
from the menu. Some objectives simply need to be maintained throughout the
mission, for example keeping a certain character alive. Other objectives can
be completed during a mission and then forgotten about - such objectives
appear as green on the in-game list. Objectives often change during a mission.
They are shown in a format such as:
Objectives:
- Starting objective.
- + New objective once that starting objective is complete.
- Another starting objective.
+ Objective added during the mission (triggered by something other than
another objective being met).
The starting units shown are those under your control at the outset; not
allies or future reinforcements. The starting units listed are those on
'normal' difficulty, and may not be relevant to 'easy' or 'hard' (see What do
the difficulty settings change? above). 'Available units' are troops types
that may be trained, often later in the mission once a village has been
gained. 'Available construction' indicates what infantry may build.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
5.1 Tutorial I
______________________________________________________________________________
5.1.1 Overview
Location: Province of Cisalpine Gaul, Northern Italy.
Date: February 17, 58 BC.
Objectives:
- Meet your guide at the river.
- + Agrado of Talagatta must survive.
- + Escort Agrado of Talagatta to the end of the valley.
- Destroy all enemy forces.
Unit Control Points: 84/500.
Troop Control Points: 4/50.
Starting units: Auxiliary Archers (30), Auxiliary Infantry (30), 2x Spearmen
(12).
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
.-''-.
.-' '-.
.-' 6 '-.
.-' . '-.
.-' . . '-.
.-' . 5 . '-.
.-' . . . . . . . '-.
.-' . . . . 3 '-.
'-. . . . . ] [ '-.
'-. . . ~~~~ . '-.
'-. . ~~~ . '-.
'-. 4 .~~~ . . '-.
'-. ~~ . . '-.
'-. ~~~ ~ 2 . . '-.
'-. ~~ ~ . . . . '
'-.~ ~~ .. . . .-'
'-. ~~ .. . .-'
'-. ~ 1 .-'
'-. ~ .-'
'-. ~ .-'
'-. .-'
'-. .-'
'--'
. . = Path (minor pathways not shown).
~ ~ = River, sea or lake.
] [ = Bridge or location for bridge.
1 = Start location.
2 = Agrado of Talagatta (Scout).
3 = Gaul Bandit Infantry.
4 = Gaul Bandit Bowmen.
5 = Gaul Bandit army.
6 = Exit location.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
5.1.2 Strategy
You can opt not to play the four tutorial levels, and jump straight to
Crossing the River Arar. I strongly recommend you work through the tutorials.
Even if you have played a few skirmish games, some features such as siege
techniques may be new.
As with all the tutorials, follow the instructions that appear in the top
right hand side of the screen. Take some time to become familiar with your new
units and their special formations and attacks. Remember Auxiliary Infantry
have a limited combat ability: They are primarily engineers used for building
and repairing (and in true Roman style, making the army look bigger).
Practice troop selection and basic movement. Running decreases troops'
stamina. Stamina recovers naturally over time. Make use of key-based troop
groups (CTRL+1-9, then 1-9 to recall). I tend to assign keys based on unit
type, or at the very least assign ranged, melee, and special units to
different key groups. While such groups may seem excessive in this mission
they are almost essential when fighting with ten or twenty units, so using
them is a good habit to get into. You will then be asked to march to the river
(2 on the map above). When you arrive, Agrado of Talagatta, a Scout, will join
your forces. Use his hawk to scout out the area close to the bridge (3 on the
map above), revealing a small enemy force of Gaul Bandits. Use your spearmen
and archers to kill these enemies, and in doing so, secure the bridge. (There
is no formal way to capture a bridge, just destroy enemy units nearby.)
Battles here are quite easy because you generally out-number the enemy. Try to
experiment with tactics that play to your troops' strengths. Archers work best
in a stationary formation protected by a line of melee troops. In particular,
ranged troops gain an advantage from good scouting. Very often scouts (in this
case via the hawk) will be able to spot targets that are within archers'
range, but which those archers cannot see. This becomes more important later
when attacking enemy positioned on higher ground or hidden in vegetation.
Spearmen can also be highly effective in a stationary formation when the enemy
is forced to attack them. While spearmen will be successful here in a direct
assault and melee, you may wish to try luring enemy melee troops into an
ambush. For example, position your Spearmen in a line on the southern side of
the bridge. Move your archers up behind the Spearmen and set them to the
stationary position. Your archers should have the enemy in their range, luring
those enemy into the line of Spearmen. Where possible, plan your attacks - you
cannot retreat troops that have been engaged in battle, so try to get all your
fighting troops into battle at the same time. Keep your Auxiliary Infantry out
of the battle at this stage.
After the battle, join your two Spearmen units into one unit. Head west until
you see the enemy unit hiding in the trees (4 on the map above). Spearmen
cannot enter dense woodland, so you will need deal with this enemy using a
combination of archers and Auxiliary Infantry, or lure the enemy out into the
open (harder because this enemy has a ranged attack). Your Hawk Scout cannot
spot units hidden in woodland (for this you would need a Wolf Scout, not
available in this mission).
Scout the elevated area just to the north (5 on the map above) to reveal enemy
infantry and bowmen. On the road just north of the elevated area there is a
further enemy army. Try to take the elevated area quickly, and then position
your archers upon it. Your archers will gain a range and visibility advantage
over the enemy, while the ridge affords them some protection. Position your
remaining troops on the approach to the elevated area. Once the battle is
over, move Agrado of Talagatta to the far north of the map (6 on the map
above) to complete the mission.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
5.2 Tutorial II
______________________________________________________________________________
5.2.1 Overview
Location: Province of Transalpine Gaul, Southern Gaul.
Date: March 2, 58 BC.
Objectives:
- Capture the village of Talagatta.
- Eliminate all enemy forces.
- Cnaeus Gabinus must survive.
- Caius Titus must survive.
- Agrado must survive.
Unit Control Points: 123/500.
Troop Control Points: 7/50.
Starting units: Agrado of Talagatta (Scout), 2x Auxiliary Archers (30), Caius
Titus Rudus (Centurion, level 1), Cnaeus Gabinus Illyricus (Physician), 2x
Spearmen (30).
Available units: Auxiliary Archers, Auxiliary Infantry, Spearmen.
Available construction: Defensive Tower (after first troop trained), repair.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
.-'-.
.-' '-.
.-' . .] ['-.
.-' . ~ . '-.
.-' . . ~ . '-.
.-' . . ~ . '-.
.-' . . ~ . '-.
.-' . . ~ . . . '-.
.-' . _ . ~ . . . . . . ]4[ '-.
.-' . |2| . . . . ~ ~ . *'-.
'-. . ~ . ~ . + * '-.
'-. . ~ . ~ ~ . . 3 '-.
'-. . ~ . ~ . . '-.
'-. . ~ 5 . . .-'
'-. . ~ ~ . .-'
'-. . ~ .-'
'-. . . . . ~ .-'
'-. . ~ .-'
'-. . ] [ . . .-'
'-. . . . ~~ .-'
'-. 1 .-'
'-. .-'
'-.-'
_
| | = Village/barracks (may include various defenses).
* * = Fortification/wall.
+ = Tower (free-standing from village).
. . = Path (minor pathways not shown).
~ ~ = River, sea or lake.
] [ = Bridge or location for bridge.
1 = Start location.
2 = Talagatta. Population 200.
3 = Enemy tower.
4 = Stone bridge.
5 = Ford.
-----------------------------------~=(+)=~------------------------------------
5.2.2 Strategy
At the start of the mission you will be attacked from the north. Quickly
switch your Spearmen and archers to stationary position and you should be able
to kill the attackers without taking any loses. The mission starts with two
new units - Centurion and Physician. The Centurion is a commanding officer and
gives troops in his area of influence (blue circle) combat bonuses. These
bonuses increase the more battles he commands. The Physician automatically
heals injured troops within his area of influence (green circle), and can also
be instructed to heal specific units. Physicians cannot bring troops back from
the dead.
March north up the road to Talagatta. As you approach you will be attacked by
enemy infantry and bowmen. Once the defenders have been killed, attack the
garrison building on the north-west side of the village. Do not attack the
village itself. Once the garrison has been destroyed, the village chieftain
will be evicted from the village, so be ready to fight him. Demote one unit
(either spearmen or archers) to form a unit of Auxiliary Infantry, with which
to build a new garrison. Finally, move your Centurion into the village to
allow troops to be recruited.
Each village has a population pool from which troops may be recruited. In
Talagatta's case, the total population is 200. Each of the three recruitment
options available in this mission decreases the population by 30. While
population recovers slowly over time, initially you will only be able to train
six new units. There are further limitations on current army size, neither of
which is immediately relevant: Unit Control Points (total head-count limit for
the mission, currently 500) and Troop Control Points (total unit-count limit
for the mission, currently 50). Feel free to keep pumping out new archers and
spearmen; at least until you need your Centurion again to command the battle.
Construct a defensive tower just to the east of the village, and place some
archers in it. Shortly afterwards two waves of light enemy troops will attack
from the east. Once their attack is over build additional troops - you will
struggle with only 3 or 4 units, but 10 will be plenty :-) . Once training is
complete, order your Centurion to return to commanding the troops. Now attack
the enemy tower (3 on the map above).
There are two alternative approaches to the tower. The direct road via the
stone bridge (4 on the map above) forces your troops to march directly below
the tower and then loop back onto elevated ground before they can assault it.
The alternative ford crossing (5 on the map above) avoids fighting close to
the tower. There are additional enemy troops lurking in the woods, both on the
route to the tower and just to the south of the tower. The tower itself is
guarded by a small enemy force. Attack the tower using archers, who will set
it alight. Melee attacks against towers tend to do less damage, and inflict
greater casualties on your troops. If you have trained some additional troops
the battle should be quite straightforward.
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5.3 Tutorial III
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5.3.1 Overview
Location: Near the City of Matisco, Gaul Kingdom of Aeduii.
Date: March 25, 58 BC.
Objectives:
- Capture the village of Matisco.
- Eliminate all enemy forces.
- Caius Titus must survive.
- Cnaeus Gabinus must survive.
- Agrado of Talagatta must survive.
Unit Control Points: 158/500.
Troop Control Points: 9/50.
Starting units: Agrado of Talagatta (Scout), Auxiliary Archers (30), Auxiliary
Infantry (30), Caius Titus Rudus (Centurion, level 0), Cnaeus Gabinus
Illyricus (Physician), 2x Legionaries (30), Spearmen (30), Wolf Scout.
Available units: Auxiliary Archers, Auxiliary Infantry, Hawk Scout,
Legionaries, Spearmen, Wolf Scout.
Available construction: Assault Ladder (once Fortress reached), Catapult (once
ladders complete), Defensive Tower, repair.
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.-'-.
.-' '-.
.-' '-.
.-'* _ '-.
.-' * |3| '-.
.-' * * '-.
.-' . . * * '-.
.-' . * * . '-.
.-' . . . . . . '-.
.-' . . . . '-.
'-. . . '-.
'-. . . . ~ ~~ ~ '-.
'-. . ~ ~ . . ~~~ '-.
'-.~~ ] [ ~~~ . . ~~~ .-'
'-.~~ . . ~~~ . . ~~ .-'
'-. . ~~~ ~~ ~ .-'
'-. . ~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ .-'
'-. . _ .-'
'-. . . |2| .-'
'-. . .-'
'-. .-'
'-. 1 .-'
'-.-'
_
| | = Village/barracks (may include various defenses).
* * = Fortification/wall.
. . = Path (minor pathways not shown).
~ ~ = River, sea or lake.
] [ = Bridge or location for bridge.
1 = Start location.
2 = Matisco. Population 200.
3 = Aeduii fortress.
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5.3.2 Strategy
This mission starts with two new units - Legionaries and the Wolf Scout. The
later allows dense woodland and grassland to be scouted, and you should use
the wolf to find the enemy troops hidden in the woodland just to the east of
your start location. Use your Legionaries and archers to kill them. Unlike
Spearmen, Legionaries are capable of fighting in woodland.
Capture Matisco (2 on the map above) by using your Auxiliary Infantry to build
a new garrison next to the village. This village is neutral at the outset, so
there is no need to destroy anything. A group of enemy troops will attack from
the north. As you engage them you may be fired at by enemy bowmen positioned
on the ridged area on the far west side. Recruit the two additional Auxiliary
Infantry as instructed, plus a range of other combat units: Archers,
Legionaries and Spearmen are all potentially useful in the coming battle. If
you are patient, you can produce as many troops as the mission Unit/Troop
Control Points (500/50) allow. Ensure you bring your Centurion to the front
line before commencing battle.
March towards the fortress (3 on the map above), but do not get too close.
Select a unit of Auxiliary Infantry and construct some ladders. Follow these
by a few Catapults. Construction should take place behind your lines - these
units can be moved to the front at the appropriate time. Reform the remaining
Auxiliary Infantry once construction is complete.
As you approach the fortress enemy cavalry will ride out and attack you.
Stationary Spearmen are very effective against cavalry. Set them up in a line,
and send a fast unit (such as your Centurion) towards the fortress to lure the
cavalry into an ambush.
The final assault on the fortress benefits from similar decoy tactics. Siege
weapons such as ladders and Catapults are very vulnerable to attack. For
example, Catapults firing stones are very effective against stationary troops
(such as those enemy units on the walls), however it only takes a few fire
arrows to set a Catapult alight. While burning Catapults can be repaired
(order spare Auxiliary Infantry to repair them), conducting repairs mid-battle
is somewhat inconvenient. The main threat while outside the fortress is from
enemy bowmen on the walls. Rather than letting them fire at vulnerable units,
use Legionaries in 'Turtle' formation. In this formation, very little damage
will be taken from arrows. Your Legionaries can safely soak enemy fire while
you advance those units you intend to assault the fortress walls with, such as
Catapults, archers and ladders.
There are two ways into the fortress. Either move ladders up to the walls, and
then let melee troops climb onto the walls; or break down the gate. The
easiest way to break down a gate is to use a battering ram; but those are not
available in this mission. While regular melee troops or Catapults can attack
the gate, this will take a long time. I think it is preferable to try and
advance by climbing the walls. When using ladders, try to ensure all enemy on
the walls have been killed, then move the ladder into position and quickly
order melee troops (Legionaries are ideal) up onto the walls to deal with
enemy melee troops that will attempt to repel your attack. Defeat all the
enemy defenders, including the Chieftain, to complete the mission.
This tutorial is a good introduction to the idea of using the right unit for
right job. Randomly throwing units at the fortress will result in huge loses,
while careful tactics can reduce loses to almost nothing.
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5.4 Tutorial IV
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5.4.1 Overview
Location: Near the City of Carilocus, Gaul Kingdom of the Aeduii.
Date: April 1, 58 BC [ok, where's the joke...?].
Objectives:
- Dubalix must be stopped.
- Caius Ti 
Walkthroughs 
