the key with chariots is that you have to keep them moving they have low defence but the spikes make it really hard for a unit to get close to hit them

As Gaul on vh/vh difficulty I took out the Britons chariots easily. Warbands packed into forests and lured the chariots in.

As Egypt on vh/vh difficulty I loved the Chariot generals and chariot archers. Not too many missiles per unit but their mobility allowed you to position yourself for best shoots. Chariot generals best tactic was to run a fraction ahead of persuing cavalry/generals and let the enemy touch those chariots back wheels.

Never stop whilst in mellee...keep clicking to get any chariots that are bogged down to disengage and run through/out of enemy combat. Chariots knock over many enemy. Send in cavalry behind a chariot.

Also, chariots have the advantage of frightening units and disrupting formations, so it is a good idea to charge the "already-chariot-attacked" enemy.

If you're using them, you need them in numbers to be truly useful, as opposed the limited use. They're certainly not all-powerful, but can do wonders if used correctly. I myself, preferred missile chariots over any other kind, because they're more nimble and versatile (I see normal scythed chariot-variants as too specialized for my tastes). Against elephants, large numbers of archers and/or slingers, a phalanx circle, or similar formations/compositions, you're doomed.

Chariots can do a number on cavalry, true. But I prefer them for the disrupting capability if using heavy melee variants, and as really steady horse archers if using chariot archer variants

They scare infantry
They can disrupt formations.

Thatīs why I take 2-4 of them.

I found that scythed chariots are available very early on, which makes them very useful against light infantry / cavalry.

Later on against heavier forces I have 2 uses for them:

In open combat I run them around the rear of the enemy to engage onagers and other artillery and small generals bodyguards and any other oods and sods behind the main battle line. I usually let tthem get on with it - if they run amok they can do even more damage.

If defending a settlement and I have one of these units I get it out of the settlement immediately. You can have great fun attacking units that are sapping, artillery, archers etc. Just keep well away from heavy infantry unless you're really bored and want to micromanage each encounter. Again if they do run amok, hopefully it won't be among the defending forces but the enemy. (I've has scythed chariots kill several Roman cavalry generals when running amok - for some reason the Roman generals can't leave them be.!)

Sometimes chariots have a problem for me, all they do is knock people down...they didn't kill them. That happened a few times in my Egyptian campeign.

One question, in the Egyptian chariot (not chariot archers) there are 3 guys in there. I was wondering why, they'd be useless, right? Maybe they could attack people around them, but that is only if the chariot stopped (try to do it when it's moving would be rather hard). All I notice is one by one they fall off the chariot (I didn't notice until recently that chariots can lose man power, but the actual chariot doesn't get destroyed).

Has anyone noticed any great difference in their performance in different terrain?

On a flat solid terrain, chariots should whizz along.

However they should stick in mud and deep sand, and be unusable in rocky terrain.

Also you really wouldn't want to use chariots in hand-to-hand combat at speed. Great for using as a missile platform (at close range) and for scaring the pants off people but whacking people with a sword might be a bit painful if done at speed?

[This message has been edited by lmao (edited 09-15-2006 @ 04:58 PM).]

STORY TIME:

My best use of chariots was when I was Egyptian I was sieging a Carthage city (in the middle of Northern Africa). After I busted through the Stone wall and had mopped up the gate defenders and all that, I saw that there were a lot of enemies waiting in the streets to fight me. I gave them one volley from my archers, and then I sent chariot archers and regular chariots down the street. It was death. The chariots ran through the streets and the blades cut down any living thing touched them. Another thing is my chariots fanned out to cover the whole road, so I just had them run the whole distance until I got to the town square. The Carthaginian Iberian infantry and Libyan spearmen were cut down like grass, and I secured the townsquare.

That is why I like chariots.

[This message has been edited by AFF92 (edited 09-16-2006 @ 11:14 AM).]

just wondering, when I pit sythed vs ele's, the sythed got whooped. Is this a normal thing? Or did my syth just mess up terribly?

Chariot General is firing at will, as well as melee against Brutii cavalry. The order will be to run away from the cavalry. As they turn the wheels will kill cavalry. As the Brutii cavalry persue they will be killed both arrows and touch the chariots wheels.

Chariot archers. Their mobility has allowed them to take the high ground. They fire down on promising targets. They can run away from any threats.

Combat Chariots. Attacking another Brutii cavalry unit. Like their general they will turn away from sustained combat.

Avoid prolonged hand to hand combat with chariots. Repeat clicks to get the chariots to move. When moving avoid sharp turns otherwise chariots can get tangled up with each other.

Egyptian cavalry and infantry were relegated to waiting in the corner of the battlefield. Only when the action got a bit hot did the chariots lead their persuers to the waiting fresh cavalry and infantry.

Chariots...definately worth it...against the AI anyhow.

[This message has been edited by Severous (edited 09-21-2006 @ 08:56 AM).]