Military Unit Analysis

[Boaster]

Military Units consist of Infantry, Cavalry, Missile Troops, and to a lesser extend Ships. Why use them? What is the point? Which units are better than others? Which unit class is the best? Which unit type is the over all best? I'll be taking a disorganized look into these questions and present my reasons in balance.

Table of Contents
[1] Infantry
[2] Cavalry
[3] Missile
[4] Ships or Boats

[Boaster]

What is considered to be an Infantry unit?

They are units who do not have the luxury of a steed or mount. They are hearty fighters and travel by foot.


The following does NOT include Marauder units.

Based on Avg. Numbers at Level 5, Infantry have:
Attack (Avg. 18)
Hit points (90 to 99)
Health Recovery (greater than Cavalry or Missile, but varies upon faith)
Armor (Avg. 4)
Combat movement (Avg. 6.5 frames per grid)
Movement (Avg 16)
Melee resistance (Avg. 33%)

Also, when compared to the other military units, Infantry improve their hit recovery rate, but their armor never increases.


What else do Infantry have and what makes them useful?

Infantry are the ideal combat unit for dispatching opponents in hand-to-hand combat. When Cavalry and Infantry units square off, more often than not the Infantry will win the battle. Even though their armor is low on average, their melee resistance picks up the tab and allows them to be efficient melee killers.


Infantry versus Cavalry

Infantry win. High attack, high life points, and melee resistance allow them to break down Cavalry. Cavalry, at level 5, will have an average of 14 or 15 attack, with 14 armor or less.

For instance, take a Level 5 Dwarven Infantry and Level 5 Knights.

Dwarven Infantry:
19 Attack
5 Armor
99 (combined) Hit points
33% Melee Resistance

Knights
14 Attack
14 Armor
93 (combined) Hit points
33% Missile Resistance


Now, right off you'll find that the Knight's Missile resistance won't do anything versus the Dwarven Infantry. You will also see that each attack made by either group, will always hit. 19 attack beats 14 armor, and 14 attack beats 5 armor. Now the 14 attack versus the 5 armor will deal about 9 damage on a good hit, but thats reduced to 6 due to melee resistance. Now 19 attack versus the 14 armor will amount to 5 damage on a good hit and there is no reduction.

Infantry will have a better average damage than a Cavalry unit would in combat. I should also mention that Infantry recover and have a better rate of attack than Cavalry.

Infantry versus Missile

Missile will win 3 out of 4 times. Missile units have a chance to miss, which is not the case with melee at all. Missile units will win because Infantry have low armor and no missile resistance (in most cases). But if Infantry units get in melee range, Missile units will get slaughtered. But since Missile units launch projectiles, they can hit Infantry before they can attack. This is say 3 out of 4 times.

Elven Staffmen and Eagles do better than other Infantry units versus Missile. Their armor is 8 at level 5. Stick Throwers and Fae Slingers have 8 to 10 Ranged Attack at best. Eagles have 25% melee and missile resistance, rather than 33% melee only. Eagles are a unique unit, who combine speed, with moderate attack and armor. At best, they're about 10 attack and 8 armor.

So it is a pretty simple concept. Missile units will win if they succeed to make a hit, but risk losing the more they miss as they Infantry get closer.


Infantry versus Infantry

It's a tie. However, in some cases one Infantry unit is better than another. Staffmen and Eagles in general will lose to Dwarven Infantry. Dwarven Infantry, in most cases, will beat any Infantry unit if the enemy comes to them. Dwarven Infantry are the slowest moving Infantry unit, but best attack matched with best (normal) armor for infantry (which is 5, shared by Footmen). However, it is not unconceiveable that Eagles will beat Dwarven Infantry. I am just saying that more often then not, Dwarven Infantry beat all Infantry.

Eagles and Staffmen are not the typical Infantry.

Lowest Life points: Eagles and Staffmen.
Highest Life points: Berserkers, Flame Berserkers and Dwarven Infantry.
Highest Attack: Berserkers, Flame Berserkers and Dwarven Infantry.
Highest Armor: Eagles, Staffmen (8); Footmen and Dwarven Infantry (5).
Fastest Attack Rate: Eagles, Staffmen.
Fastest Recover Rate: Footmen, Eagles, Staffmen.

Again, it is not unconceivable for Staffmen or Eagles to actually beat other Infantry units. Its also conceivable that Eagles and Staffmen might actually lose to Cavalry.


Infantry: high power, low defense.

[Boaster]

What is considered to be an Cavalry unit?

They travel upon mounts or steeds, which carry them across the map and the battle field. They are suited with armor, or at least well-protected.


The following does NOT include Marauder units.

Based on Avg. Numbers at Level 5, Cavalry have:
Attack (Avg. 15)
Hit points (Avg. 90)
Health Recovery (greater than Missile and less than Cavalry, but varies upon faith)
Armor (Avg. 12)
Combat movement (Avg. 5.5 frames per grid)
Movement (Avg 20)
Melee resistance (Avg. 6%)
Missile resistance (Avg. 25%)

Also, when compared to the other military units, Cavalry never improve their hit recovery rate. Cavalry improve every other stat.


What else do Cavalry have and what makes them useful?

Most Cavalry have 33% missile resistance and more than 10 armor. This makes them ideal candidates for dispatching Missile units most efficiently. However, some Cavalry units have melee and missile resistance. Even one Cavalry group has a missile attack.

With high armor, they block attacks better. Sometimes a block can be much nicer than physical resistance.


Cavalry versus Infantry

Unfortunately, Infantry win 7/10 times. Cavalry are able to make a hit with ease, but Infantry have such high attack powers that it would take a max level Cavalry unit to really stand a good chance. Cavalry don't have a real high attack power. I would say that it takes a Level 5 Cavalry group to beat a Level 4 Infantry group.

Infantry only wins 7/10 times, because Cavalry do have a chance to win because the battle is roughly even but in the favor of Infantry. Also, Raiders tip the scales. Raiders have a max ranged attack of 9, but a maximum missile range of 3. Raiders have the potential to get a couple hits in before melee begins, and their missile attack damage won't be reduced any because most infantry have 0% missile resistance.

For instance, take a Level 4 Dwarven Infantry and Level 5 Knights.

Dwarven Infantry:
17 Attack
5 Armor
84 (combined) Hit points
33% Melee Resistance

Knights
14 Attack
14 Armor
93 (combined) Hit points
33% Missile Resistance


Like before the Knight's Missile resistance won't do anything for them versus melee.

Level 5 Knights will beat Level 4 Dwarven Infantry because of the difference in hit points and attack/armor ratio.



Cavalry versus Missile

Cavalry beats Missile 9/10 times. The Raiders and Flame Raiders sort of bring this down because of their low armor value, who have 16 attack and 10 armor. 10 armor is the lowest of all Cavalry class units. Rock Hurlers are the likely candidate for being able to kill Cavalry units, with their high ranged attack (16).


Cavalry versus Cavalry

Lowest Life points: Elven Riders and Wind Riders.
Highest Life points: Raiders, Flame Raiders and Holy Knights.
Highest Attack: Raiders, Flame Raiders and Holy Knights.
Highest Armor: Holy Knights (15), Knights and Heavy Cavalry (14).
Fastest Attack Rate: Elven Riders and Wind Riders.
Fastest Recover Rate: Elven Riders and Wind Riders.


Cavalry: moderate power, moderate defense.

[Boaster]

What is considered to be a Missile unit?

Missile units are a Projectile Militant group trained from the Thieves Guild. They come in groups of three like Infantry and Cavalry do.


The following does NOT include Marauder units.

Based on Avg. Numbers at Level 5, Missile units have:
Attack (Avg. 5)
Hit points (Avg. 70)
Health Recovery (Less than Cavalry and Infantry)
Armor (Avg. 5)
Combat movement (Avg. 6.5 frames per grid)
Movement (Avg 16)
Melee resistance (Avg. 15%)
Missile resistance (Avg. 15%)

Also, when compared to the other military units, Missile units never improve their hit recovery rate. Missile units improve every other stat, including missile range and ranged attack. Their progression for attack or armor is very low.


What else do Missile units have and what makes them useful?

They are great Infantry killers. Also, Missile units do not have to be close to deal damage. You can have 9 groups of Missile troops and 3 champions and the enemy might never touch your army, thought it is not garanteed. Also, being able to assist Warrior champions in slaughtering other Warrior champions with ease.

Consider the strategy of using a Warrior and a couple troops of Missile units. The Warrior may be able to distract the dumb computer's AI into focusing only on him while the Missile units pick away at the enemy's life points and even killing them. However, it is not garanteed.

There is no garantee with Missile units, because they can miss their targets! Unlike melee (who only miss if the target is fleeing), Missiles can be avoided.


Missile versus Infantry

Missile win 9/10 times. There is a chance for Missile troops to miss, but Infantry are so vulnerable to Missiles they are easily killed by projectiles. Infantry can sometimes avoid oncoming objects, or even cause the Missile troops to miss. The computer is quite good at dodging bullets.

Since Missile units can get the first hit in, I'd take them over Infantry nine times out of ten.



Missile versus Cavalry

Cavalry beats Missile 9/10 times. Cavalry's high armor and missile resistances will effectively eliminate a great deal of the damage that might otherwise be done. Cavalry units are faster in comparison to Missile units in both attack and movement, but relatively equal in hit recovery.

Rock Hurlers, Crossbowmen, and Javelineers do best versus Cavalry. Sometimes Archers do well, especially if they proc a multishot.


Missile versus Missile

Lowest Life points: Archers and Fae Slingers.
Highest Life points: Stick Throwers and Rock Hurlers.
Highest Attack: Rock Hurlers.
Highest Ranged Attack: Axe Throwers and Rock Hurlers.
Highest Missile Range: Archers and Fae Slingers.
Highest Armor: Axe Throwers and Crossbowmen.
Fastest Attack Rate: Stick Throwers and Fae Slingers.
Fastest Recover Rate: All Tie (10).


Missile: Damage through Range, low health.[/quote]