Cataphracts - they weaken your army now (bug?)

[Ragu777]

when i became empire - i saw that i can now recruit cataphracts
in first look they amazing - melee stats like heavy infantry (+1 attack!!), and they have ranged attack (and flanking!)
but when i recruited them and saw what happen in battles - I became disappointed because
1)even regular infantry have higher priority in first line (looks it also applies to other heavy cavalry - i have companions),
2)if first line full - they go to second (where they give only ONE support) and my godlike archers/horse archers go to reserves (so i lose +3 from support), and this is biggest problem with them- you can lose battle while without cataphracts you easy win it

indial war elephants and charriots have similar stats but i never see them in second line when i had battles with maurya

[Geffalrus]

I'm hoping they address this issue as problems with heavy cavalry have been brought up a lot in these forums. On paper they have so much utility, but in practice - due solely to how frontage allocation works - they are a liability as you rightly point out.

There have been plenty of other times where light horse pushes out my archers in the support line despite them being less useful both for shooting and supporting.

And finally, I just won an assault on Rhodes in part because the siege engine was in the reserve line and didn't support or shoot. Instead the much less useful Urban militia were in the shoot/support role. All in all, the formula for frontage allocation is not perfect, and desperately needs an adjustment.

[jimwinsor]

In the meantime, form pure cavalry armies ... 12 cataphracts plus 12 horse archers for support. Has the further advantage of superior strategic map movement.

[Ragu777]

In the meantime, form pure cavalry armies ... 12 cataphracts plus 12 horse archers for support. Has the further advantage of superior strategic map movement.

if i have fronatage less than 12, cataphracts go to reserve? because i have only bactiran horse archers (start unit for seleucids) and it in reserve when cataphracts in second line

[jimwinsor]

If less than 12 frontage, might be the case, yeah, I'd have to test ...