Orion You can view the 10/27 mixed block in action by downloading the zip from the ZH Download page.

Horses all the way. Granted I don't have the numbers to back this up but a soldier on horseback always has the advantage to one on the ground in combat.
Plus they are much faster than a foot soldier. That is the best benefit when an army attacks close to your city unexpectedly.

Besides in this game you choose when to fight. If you are good with economics then you can always pay off the invader. I am on the 6th adventure and have barely had to fight and only do so for fun.

There is nothing more humiliating to an army than to be beaten by a bunch of locals with rocks. LOL

Here are the numbers. Just click on military figures. I would go with horses but if you want to keep some hoplites in for maneuvers when your cities are attack then go ahead.

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Orion,
I don't know yet, but I think there are situations when hoplites can be better than cavalry... I would suggest a mix of both types with more horses than hoplites as the best solution - and make sure you have some rabble as well. These rockthrowers can help a lot sometimes, if they can remain out of man-to-man combat of course.

Cherub Baltic

[This message has been edited by Baltic (edited 11-28-2000).]

Looks to me as if hoplites are better defense, and I think having a few of them around to take hits for the horsemen is useful. Plus, in defense, you just leave them grouped together at the attack point, muster them at the one month mark and you win every time.

And all that wheat can get expensive.

When turning off auto-combat, there are movement and fighting advantages to each unit, hoplites, horse troops, and rabble. Having a mix of units gives you a larger pallette of moves and tatics to use.

I doubt though that many people will achieve an all horse army for all twenty units. That'd take 160 horses + 80 reserves = 240 horses total. And having at least 40 elite houses all on the same map, all eating double rations of wheat. I'm doubtful that many Zeus maps have the realestate to support this large of a city, plus the wheat fields necessary to feed all those horses.

Even with six horse farms, all burning wheat at an enormous rate, it would take ten years to achieve an all horse army. And never use your precious army for that ten years, or else you'll take casualities, which will set you back even further in your timeline. Take 2 casualities per unit, an average result of winning a battle, and now you're set back an additional 40 horses, or almost two more years, all just from one battle.

I'm sure academicly the 20 standards of horses army can be done, but only by dragging one's feet on when to fight and drawing out an adventure far past when all enemies are conquered. I personally find that kind of game a bit dull.

[This message has been edited by Innovandora (edited 11-30-2000).]