What about adding into the game a brand new unit calling Cataphract Archer?
The unit is a heavily armoured cavalry unit. That means all armour upgrades that affect paladins should be applied and basic armour stats could be set to 3/3. However, its speed is limited - the unit is faster than infantry but definitely slower than any light cavalry and cavalry archers.
Its attack I leave to discussion but my idea is like the values 7-10 should be enough. Range could be the same as other cavalry archers have. HP like 100 (should be affected by bloodlines). Graphic I would apply a mix of centurion and Byzantine cataphract.
Now, which civs should benefit from them? I meant this cavalry as a unique or rare unit. My original idea was to grant them to Persians as a new unique unit, while moving their elephants into stable or even transforming them into “normal” elephants like Vietnamese have.
On the other hand Byzantines used them as well so maybe adding them as well?
What do you think? In game we have many different units - infantry, cavalry, skirmishers etc but no heavy cavalry archer. I think this unit should be somehow added.
If it goes in scenario editor like Savaran then all right. It is indeed true that Byzantine cataphract used both bows and melee weapons, but it’s a game design choice for them to be melee. Back in AoK beta they planned to do units that can do both melee and range attacks, but it was scrapped because it would require too much micro management. Whne they explained it they took the exemple of the samurai (was also both an archer and a swordfighter historically) where you would task your samurai to attack a trebuchet, then look somewhere else to deal with another emergency and when you would come back you would see your samurai shooting arrows on the treb and no more castle. It’s pretty sensible to think that cataphract aren’t archers for the same reason.
I wrote about a brand new unit. I have no intention in modifying Cataphracts of Byzantines. My idea is focused purely on cavalry archer with heavy armour. No melee. Basically, just take Cavalry Archer from game, change its graphic and stats and new unit is created.
I remember this unit from Total war (Rome, Barbarian invasion or Mediavel 2?) and it was fun. My vision is to add the unit which is very powerful and heavily protected but slow in comparison to other cavalry, though it still remains mobile. It should also share weakness of paladins (pikemen and monks).
Btw when you touched the melee & range attack. Well in AoE3 ranged units could switch between melee and range attack, for example Musketeer are good shooters while at same time they have bonus against cavalry in melee charges. It works and I saw games where they were used with deadly efficiency. Nevertheless, this was not my point. It would be interesting to see that in AoE2 but it is not part of my cataphract idea.
and it should be slow, with small rate of fire. As we are on that, what about horse crossbowmen? xbows in horses, make a fine appearence in medieval 2 as a uu for the polish and generic horse archer for european factions. Fast moving, accurate, slow rate of fire, maybe ignore armor?
Yes, slow, with small rate of fire but deadly fire. Aside that, xbow horseman is interesting. Try to write about it in a separate thread.
Yes and no Yes to armour with reduction. Elite TK has 10/5 armour which is immense. I am for armour like paladin has which means something like 3/3 or 3/4 or 4/4. The reason for that is that I want to keep the unit mobile so I cannot propose to make a bullet proof tank with high speed “My” cataphract is a horseman so he must be quicker than infantry and elephants.
Yes to armour with reduction. Elite TK has 10/5 armour which is immense. I am for armour like paladin has which means something like 3/3 or 3/4 or 4/4. The reason for that is that I want to keep the unit mobile so I cannot propose to make a bullet proof tank with high speed 
“My” cataphract is a horseman so he must be quicker than infantry and elephants.
