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View Full Version : Heavy Cav. and its use.



Jaret
10-18-2002, 08:39
Hmmsss ... would like your opinion.

Some ppl say heavy Cav is no use, since it is too weak. Others say it´s OK the way it is.

Q: Do you use heavy Cav ? And if so ... how do you use it ?

So far I have used two types of heavy Cav that I could comment on. Katapractoi and Lancers.

The way I used them seemed pretty effective to me .... :

I usualy deploy some 4 units of ranged weapons as my first row. (Longbowmen, Arbs, Trebs, etc.) The second row of Infantrie is composed of 2 units of Spearmen (Pikes) in the center, the Center is flanked by 2 units of shock troops (for the case it turns out that I need them in the center), another 2 units of Spearmen take the outer flanks of the 2nd row. The 3rd row is mostly Cavelerie. 2 Units of Light Cav on the flanks (to chase routers or to hunt Archers), while the Center of the 3rd row is made out of 3 units of heavy Cav. My last unit is usualy my General (often a heir).

After getting my tropps into the propper formation it´s Party Time. As the Attacker I always try to negate any terrain bonus the enemy might have by engaging his men with my ranged units. (As Defender I always try to use terrain to its maximum effect).
Anyway, the enemy advances to avoid my missile fire. As the enemy closes in on my Archers, my Infantry advances through the ranks of my Archers to stop the advancing enemies. Both forces usualy clash into each other a few steps in front of my Ranged Units, giving them the chance to fire upon enemy units still advancing towards the massacre. The light Cav takes the flanks and usually starts to hunt for hostile Archers.

The Spearmen form some solid lines in the center and on the flanks containing the enemy, while the shock infanterie closes the gaps on the Flanks ... leaving some gaps in the center. Thats the point where I have my heavy Cav screan "CHARGE!" . I have them charge right for the gaps in my center using their "unstopable charge" to break the enemy formation entirely and throw them into sever disorder. It usualy doesn´t take long unti the enemy routs frm that onslaught. By the time the enemy starts running from the field, the light Cav has finished the enemy Archers and now starts to chase the l33t units of the enemy that are routing.

" ROMO VICTOR ! " *ups wrong Game*

I know some of you will say that Heavy Cav is to slow and too expensive for it´s use ... but I found them to be quite usefull especialy when the enemy has several waves of reeinforcements ... those Spanish Lancers seem to last forever ... and God ... the carnage ! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

Your thoughts ??

Hakonarson
10-18-2002, 08:42
I try to use one or 2 units late in a battle to KO wavering enemy units, or earlier on as highly mobile "fire brigades".

For a while I tried to use sergeants as heavy cavalry - and that cured me of a lot of my problems, and cured a lot of my little pixel sergeants of their electronic lives!! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/redface.gif

Gringoleader
10-18-2002, 08:46
They make for an effective flying squad to bolster flailing units, but best of all I like to march heavy cavalry around on the flanks to freak people out, disrupt the formation and to generally make a nuisance of itself. Once the heavy fighting starts you can pile in wherever you like to.

Heavy cavalry can also be handing to simply ram into the enemy's heavy cavalry to take it out of the equation.

Lord Romulous
10-18-2002, 09:05
i use heavy cav beacuse of its relative speed when compared to foot units and also because they are reasonably good fighters.

in a battle i will use them to go around the enemys flank and attack from the rear. either to destroy a weak enemy so i can free the sergants up to support there comrades or to hit a winning enemy unit and thus saving part of my line from potential rout.

why i prefer heavy cav as against lighter faster cav is that if the unit u charge in the rear fights back or another enemy unit attacks u the heavy cav has enough combat power to either still win the fight or withdraw without taking heavy casulties.

while foot are better fighters than cav they just dont have enough speed to get around the entire enemy flank and charge a unit in the enemy centre in time to be useful.

TheViking
10-18-2002, 11:19
I always use heavy cav.

Once i had a royal knight with bad V&V so i send him into a battle where i thout he would die. But what i didnt know was that he had high dread. He ended up routing 7 units and won the battle. killing 100+ and took prisoners 200+. With only 7 men loss

My point is if you have a heavy cav and that unit have high dread u can win the battle, its not nessesary to have high dreads on the cavs cuz they have a good charge

Even when my gen flanked a spear unit the spears ran.

------------------
There I see my father.
There I see my mother, my sisters and brothers.
There I see my line of ancestors back to the beginning.
They call on me and ask me to take my place with them in the halls of Valhalla where the brave may live forever.