騎乗系

Mounted Units(騎乗系) †

Chariot(チャリオット兵) †

• 最も原始的な騎乗ユニットです。機動性が重要な場合に生産するとよいでしょう。ただし、防御ボーナスを受けられないので、攻められないように注意してください。
• Build this most primitive of the mounted combat units when speed is important but stay on the offensive as it gets no defensive bonuses.
  • The chariot was the first true fighting vehicle. Ancient armies used it to transport archers and other troops to the battlefield, where they would disembark and fight. The Assyrians, whose archers and spearmen fought from inside the chariot itself, turned the vehicle into a fearsome offensive weapon. Few enemies were able to withstand an onslaught of Assyrian chariots. This devastating form of attack was soon adopted by many of the Assyrians' enemies, who used the chariot against them with good effect.

War Chariot(重チャリオット兵) †

• この初期の騎乗ユニットはChariot(チャリオット兵)に相当するエジプトのユニークユニットです。ファースト・ストライクに耐性がありますが、防御ボーナスを得ることは出来ません。
• This early mounted combat unit (the Egyptian replacement for the Chariot) is immune to first strikes but gets no defensive bonuses..
  • The chariot was the earliest means of transportation in combat other than man's own powers of locomotion. The earliest known chariots, shown in Sumerian depictions from about 2500 BC, were not true chariots but four-wheeled carts with solid wooden wheels, heavy and cumbersome and lacking a pivoting front axle. The Hyksos apparently introduced the Assyrian chariot into Egypt shortly thereafter, where it was perfected for transportation and warfare. Within 500 years, Egyptian, Hittite and Palestinian chariots were extraordinarily light and maneuverable vehicles, the wheels and tires in particular exhibiting great sophistication in design and fabrication. Egyptian war chariots were drawn by either two or three horses, which were harnessed by means of chest girths secured by a pole and a yoke.

    The decline of the war chariot by the end of the 2nd millennium BC was probably related to the spread of iron weaponry, but it was surely related also to the breeding of horses with sufficient strength and stamina to carry an armed man into battle. Armed horsemen replaced the chariot in most Mediterranean civilizations. The use of chariots in war lingered in areas of slower technological advance, but in classical Egypt they were retained mainly for ceremonial functions.

Immortal(不死隊) †

• Chariot(戦車兵)に相当するペルシアの騎乗兵です。戦車兵との違いは弓兵系に対してのアドバンテージです。
• This mounted combat unit (the Persian replacement for the Chariot) is more effective than the chariot against archery units.
  • The Immortals were a strong corps of heavy infantry deployed by the Persian Empire in the fifth century BC. Gifted soldiers, they drew their moniker from the fact that regardless of the casualties sustained in battle, the unit was restored to full strength, no matter the cost. Equipped with bow and spear, the front rank would advance upon the enemy while rear ranks rained arrows to ease the assault.

Horse Archer(弓騎兵) †

• ゲームの序盤において非常に強力な騎乗兵です。敵のカタパルトに対して強力なカウンターとなります。
• This mounted unit is very powerful for early in the game and is a great counter to an enemy with catapults.
  • A horse archer (or horsed archer or mounted archer) is a cavalryman armed with a bow. Because using a bow requires a horseman to let go of the reins with both hands, horse archers need superb equestrian skills. Horse archery is typically associated with steppe nomads.

    The weapon of choice for horse archers was the recurve bow, because it was compact enough to shoot from a horse and retained sufficient range and penetrating power. The most serious threat to horse archers was arrows, and they could wheel away out of bowshot after every attack. Mounted archers therefore needed little or no armor and could ride light, fast mounts such as ponies. This made them cheap to equip and increased their strategic mobility.

    A drawback of horse archers was that the movements of a running horse disturbed the accuracy of the shot. After the invention of the stirrup, horse archers would stand up in their stirrups to absorb the motion of the horse. Another method to facilitate accurate shooting was to time shots between the strides of the horse.

    Horse archers were eventually made obsolete by the development of modern firearms.

Keshik(ケシク) †

• Horse Archer(弓騎兵)に相当するモンゴルの強力な騎兵です。地形による移動コストを無視するため、非常に高速に移動できます。また、敵のカタパルトに対する素晴らしいカウンターとなるでしょう。
• This powerful mounted combat unit (the Mongol replacement for the Horse Archer) is extremely fast because it ignores terrain movement costs. It is an excellent counter to enemy catapults.
  • The equestrian skill of a Mongol was notoriously keen. Having been taught to ride on horseback from the age of three, and by five given bow and arrows to use from horseback for hunting and war, it was a natural way for the Mongols to conduct war. The Mongol's harsh, nomadic lifestyle prepared them well for the rigors of war; they often thrived in conditions that would be considered intolerable by any other troops of its time. When the need arose, Mongol horsemen could go up to ten days at a time without cooking food, during which they would sustain themselves by drinking the blood and milk of their horses.

Knight(騎士) †

• このゲームでは火薬以前における最強のユニットであり、Grenadiers(擲弾兵)やCannon(カノン砲)が登場するまで非常に強力です。
• This is the strongest pre-gunpowder unit in the game and are quite effective until Grenadiers and Cannon begin appearing.
  • Knights were heavily armored, mounted men-at-arms found primarily in medieval Europe. Like the samurai of ancient Japan, knights followed a strict code that covered their behavior both in battle and in their personal pursuits. Fighting astride powerful horses, armored knights had a distinct advantage over enemies on foot and remained the dominant force on the battlefield when battles were fought primarily hand-to-hand. Occasionally, brilliant infantry tactics allowed knights to be outmaneuvered, but it wasn't until the development of gunpowder that knights were rendered obsolete.

Camel Archer(ラクダ弓兵) †

• Knight(騎士)に相当するアラビアのユニークユニットであり、火薬ユニット登場までは非常に強力です。
• This powerful mounted combat unit (the Arabian replacement for the Knight) is very powerful until the introduction of gunpowder units.
  • In the Arabian Peninsula, cavalrymen ride on either horse or camel. While horses are somewhat easier to train than camels, camels are the obvious choice for forces operating in the deep desert. Arab tribesmen such as the Bedouin have always been fearsome warriors, and their prowess with bow and arrow (and later, rifle) from atop a mount has become the stuff of legend.

Conquistador(コンキスタドール) †

• Knight(騎士)に相当するスペインのユニークユニットであり、騎士やラクダ弓兵と違ってmelee(近接戦闘)ユニットを攻撃する際にボーナスが付き、地形の防御ボーナスを得ることが出来ます。
• This powerful mounted combat unit (the Spanish replacement for the Knight) gets a bonus when attacking melee units and gets terrain defense bonuses, unlike the Knight and Camel Archer.
  • Following Columbus, a Spanish military group known as Los Conquistadores, 'The Conquerors', were directed by Hernan Cortes to the New World with the sole purpose of seeking out new frontiers and riches in the unknown. The Conquistadors undertook their expeditions in the vast landmasses of the Americas at their own expense, risking their lives without aid from the Spanish royalty. Horses adorned with many bells enabled the Conquistadors to launch successful offenses against the American Indian natives, who had never seen a horse before the arrival of the Conquistadors. Spanish-Conquistador conquests include campaigns in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Cuzco, Columbia, Chile, the Bay of Honduras, and the Pacific Coastal regions.

Cavalry(騎兵隊) †

• 最強の騎兵系ユニットであり、特に開けた場所での戦闘に効果的であり、退却することも可能です。Cannon(カノン砲)を攻撃する際にボーナスを受けられますが、防御側に回ったときには地形ボーナスを受けられません。
• This most powerful mounted unit is particularly effective in open terrain and can withdraw from combat. It receives a bonus when attacking Cannons but receives no terrain bonuses when defending.
  • Cavalry is composed of soldiers trained to fight on horseback. Because of their speed, cavalry units were often used for reconnaissance missions and hit-and-run raids on enemy installations and troops. Although warriors fighting from horseback with a variety of weapons date back to ancient Egypt, horse-mounted cavalry as we generally think of it today actually began in the late 1700s. Under Napoleon, the cavalry became an elite force, frequently deployed simultaneously with foot soldiers to mask the movements of the main battle force.

    Cavalry were used extensively in the American Civil War, and in other conflicts throughout the mid to late 19th century. When the repeating rifle replaced earlier single-shot firearms, horse-mounted troops became easy targets for infantrymen. The South African War, from 1899 to 1902, was the last major conflict where cavalry played an important role. Today, the roles once performed by horse-mounted cavalry have been assumed by troops utilizing armored assault vehicles and aircraft.

Cossack(コサック兵) †

• ロシアのCavalry(騎兵隊)ユニットであり、他の騎乗系ユニットやCannon(カノン砲)に対して大きなアドバンテージを持っています。
• This Russian Cavalry unit enjoys a large advantage against other mounted units and Cannon.
  • Skilled horsemen dwelling in the northern steppes of the Black and Caspian Sea regions, the Cossack hosts had a tradition of fierce independence and, after decades of conflict, finally received privileges from the Russian government in return for military services. In the 16th century there were six major Cossack hosts: the Don, the Greben (in Caucasia), the Yaik (along the Ural River), the Volga, the Dnieper and the Zaporozhian (west of the Dnieper). Under the Russian umbrella, the Cossacks expanded eastward from their settlements in the Don and were early colonizers of Siberia. From the 18th through the 20th centuries, the Czars used Cossacks extensively to suppress revolutionary activities and conduct foreign wars.

    During the Russian Civil War (1918-20), the Cossacks in southern Russia formed the core of the White armies there and suffered extensively. Under Soviet rule, the Cossack communities ceased to function as distinctive entities.

War Elephant(軍用象) †

• 強力な初期の騎乗ユニットであり、移動は遅いですが、弓騎兵のようなユニットに対するより強力なカウンターとなります。
• This powerful early mounted combat unit is a slower, but more powerful counter to units like the Horse Archer.
  • The war elephant was first used in India and was known to the Persians by the 4th Century BC. Using war elephants, Candra Gupta defeated Alexander's successor Seleucus and established the Mauryan Empire. Though Carthage's African war elephants accomplished little subsequently, their presence in Hannibal's army during his transit of the Alps into the heart of Rome in 218 BC established their reputation as a fearsome weapon. The elephant's tactical importance apparently stemmed in large part from its willingness to charge both foot soldiers and cavalry and from the panic that it inspired. Although used in Indian military forces until the 20th Century, as with so many traditional weapons, the utility of elephants in war ended with the widespread use of gunpowder.

Cuirassier(胸甲騎兵) †

• 白兵戦から銃撃戦への過渡期のユニットです。Cavalry(騎兵隊)の登場までは最強でしょう。
  • キュラッサとは胸部を保護する金属製の厚い鎧の事です。火薬兵器が戦場に浸透して以来騎兵の装甲は重化の道をたどり、15世紀には拳銃とサーベルで武装した最初の重装騎兵が登場しました。頭から爪先までを覆う強固な鎧はその後機動性が求められるに従い徐々に脱ぎ捨てられ、最終的に兜と胸甲で身を守る胸甲騎兵へと発展しました。胸甲騎兵は主にヨーロッパ大陸で活躍し、1812年にナポレオンが14連帯を率いたのが最盛期です。
• This unit marks the transition from melee to gunpowder-based cavalry. The Cuirassier is the strongest land unit until the entrance of the Cavalry.
  • The Cuirassier was the last step in the evolution of European armored cavalry. Drawing their name from their heavy, metal breastplates - or "cuirasses" - the Cuirassiers were the heaviest of the heavy cavalry. The earliest Cuirassiers, born in the 15th century, were armored head-to-toe and armed with heavy saber and pistols. As European warfare began to rely more on firearms, much of this heavy armor was shed to increase mobility, eventually adapting into what is now recognized as the standard Cuirassier uniform - a breastplate and helm. Fielded almost exclusively in the battles of continental Europe, the Cuirassier saw its most widespread use under the command of Napoleon, who was fielding 14 regiments of the cavalrymen by 1812.