[NFP] Gaesatae is the real negative Unit

[Pfeffersack]

Units don't have Era tags as such, but belong to the Era of their Prereqs. Starting units like the Warrior and it's replacements are NULL, but are coded as Ancient Era.

**Edit**

I didn't read this earlier, but yeah this is an old bug. Agoge works properly with Ancient Era starts, but not Classical Era starts with units that have a NULL prereq.

I searched the bug forum and don't find any report for it, so I took the freedom to create one:

https://forums.civfanatics.com/thre...rking-on-gaesate-in-classic-era-start.663303/

 

[Victoria]

numerous Threads devoted to the 'problem' of attacking cities successfully in the Medieval Era

I get them a GG early and there is really no issue. Swords worth all of the bonuses you get them +xbow whittling first just does great. The Gaesatae draws their fire for a turn, no problem.
What hacks me off is I cannot build warriors

I do ancient starts so have no issue with Agoge, even if I did not, I tend just to have 1, swords with Agoge and those great mines is just fine.

Do what you do with other Dom style civs and push campus, CH and a GG. The culture and defensive quality means they are balanced better than many other aggressives.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I get them a GG early and there is really no issue. Swords worth all of the bonuses you get them +xbow whittling first just does great. The Gaesatae draws their fire for a turn, no problem.
What hacks me off is I cannot build warriors

I do ancient starts so have no issue with Agoge, even if I did not, I tend just to have 1, swords with Agoge and those great mines is just fine.

Do what you do with other Dom style civs and push campus, CH and a GG. The culture and defensive quality means they are balanced better than many other aggressives.

Yeah, I find the Threads mildly amusing. AI ranged units almost always target the sieging ranged units, especially catapults, while a Tortoise-promoted Swordsman (or with the Gauls, promoted Gaesetai with plenty of friends adjacent) or three with a single Magical Joshua's Trumpet Battering Ram can chew through city walls and a city even in the late Medieval while the city is wasting its strength killing my decoy archers or catapult. Just remember to get the place surrounded so that the city strength doesn't recover, and only a relieving force will save it.

 

[Victoria]

AI ranged units almost always target the sieging ranged units, especially catapults,

Once you get to bombards they target the Gaesatae regardless of whether the walls are archer or xbow

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Once you get to bombards they target the Gaesatae regardless of whether the walls are archer or xbow
View attachment 570602

I have not run any kind of formal test on this, but my impression is that the AI's sequence of targets is:
Previous Era Units
Siege Units
Ranged Units
Current Era Melee Units

I suspect this is intended to make it appear that the AI is attacking the most vulnerable units first, but of course that means it is not always targeting the most Dangerous units first. In the illustration you posted, if the Bombard succeeds in reducing the walls to 0 strength, they cannot target anything and even a reduced Gaesetai can waltze in after subsequent rounds from the Bombard reduce the city to near 0 strength. In this case, I suspect that the Gaesetai is drawing the fire away from the Bombard. I will have to set up some tests with various combinations of ranged, siege, melee and outdated melee units . . .

 

[Victoria]

I suspect this is intended to make it appear that the AI is attacking the most vulnerable units firs

I did some tests a few pacthes back and it targeted the weakest base combat strength unit. Then they changed it in a patch to target the modified combat strength with a priority of damaged units (if I remember the notes correctly)
I have not done a detailed test simce then but playing seems to confirm this.
Gaestatae do not get a GG bonus, bombards do and this helps beef up the bombard but it also allows you to beef up the gaesatae a little also.