Early naval war: barques or caravels?

[econ21]

I'm playing England on early and need to launch some crusades for my Glorious Achievements. I tried one crusade on a land route, but it was too hard - I beat the frontier Egyptian army but was in no shape to fend off the second Egyptian army sent in retaliation. So I want to go by sea next time. Egypt has a modest navy (a couple of what look like Dhows in each adjacent sea) which I need to sink before I can invade by sea. I am just curious - what ships should I use? I can build the first two standard Catholic types - IIRC, they are called barques and caravels. The barques are faster (speed 3) but weaker whereas the caravels are slow (speed 1) but stronger. I think the Egyptian dhows are like the barques in stats. I am afraid the caravels may not be able to catch the dhows, so I am wondering about having a couple of stacks of barques.

Anyone got any experience with this? Getting a navy from Engand to Palestine is rather slow and the real life time I can devote to this game is less than I'd wish :=(

[Sainika]

Dhow has a speed of 3 while barques - only 2, caravels - 1. You cannot catch dhow so if you want begin a Crusade by sea, first make sure that no enemy ships exist on your route.

[Hosakawa Tito]

If you outnumber him in ships than breakup your fleet into single or two ship groups and attack him that way. Your chances of bringing him to battle will be much more successful that way.

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Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell so that they look forward to making the trip.

[Spino]

Since you'll be crusading by sea I wouldn't chance it by relying on barques. A reliable fleet will be the only lifeline your forces will have while in the middle east so don't take any chances. And should you go to war with another faction possessing a large navy you will find the ports of your major trade partners blockaded by your respective fleets. At that point one of you will HAVE to give battle to the other to keep the money flowing. In the long run a fleet of caravels will last longer thanks to their higher combat ratings. Caravels are worth the extra cost simply for peace of mind. they offer.

Personally I haven't noticed it being too hard to engage faster vessels with my caravels; dhows can run but they can't hide... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

You could always mix and match ships to certain sea lanes. Send the caravels to hotly contested areas and keep the barques in safer waters.

Keep in mind once the patch arrives that ships won't find it so easy to escape from battle.