How Do You Attack

[Dhepee]

How do we attack?

Head on Rush -- click engage at will and charge the line. If you're attacking peasents with Chiv Foot Knights, Royals, Halbs, and CMAA it's like a hot knife through butter and you get 900 prisoners. Other times you're banging the rally button for all that you're worth

Send out a Unit to Draw Out the Defenders -- Everybody keeps peasents for a reason. General says, If you guys charge well make you all knights http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif They run out start a ruckus and you rout them, hopefully everybody comes charging after, into your wall of spears. Sometimes it works and sometimes your peasents just keep running.

Attack with Foot/Missile & Outflank with Cav -- Sneaky, very sneaky. Your infantry arm marches slowly forward, bowmen pluck at their strings and a whole bunch of cav ride around the flanks. You attack, fire arrows into the second ranks and the attack is joined the enemy commits himself and bang out of nowhere a cavalry charge against the flanks, and you tie him up in a neat little bag. Unless that is, your infantry break and run and then you're left holding that bag.

[Hikarr]

3, but it doesn't have to be cavalry.
I've experimented with almost purely infantry armies
to get some contrast to the all-cavalry eastern ones.
Tieing up the immediate front with some
spearmen while woodsmen/ghazi/swordmen
commit to the flanks can have a similar effect.

2 works better with lots of cavalry so you
can exploit movements more rapidly, though.
A few horse archers and some light or heavy
cavalry can be a truly beautiful thing =)

[Dhepee]

Horse archers are good for 2, they really annoy the @&$#&$ http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif out of people and you can get a good chase. I like the head-on I just saw Braveheart rush though, it isn't effecient but it's fun.

[katar]

unfortunately i can`t vote for what i do, as i use all three tactics depending on the opponent, the terrain and my resources available.

[flyd]

Definetly option three. Except sometimes it is attack with cav and flank with more cav. Charging your enemy head on does not give you an advantage over them. Sometimes, I even flank peasants. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[ToranagaSama]

Sorry, impossible to vote, as the number and methods of attack are FAR more varied than the options presented.

JMO, on the first choice, the word begins with a D.
The second choice is not an attack, simply an Opening Move like in Chess.
The last is a legit attack, but things can get a good deal more sophisticated, in addition to the fact that Cav too expensive to be wasted. As well as too valuable for chasing down fleeing troops.

[ChErNoByl]

The A.I. likes to be on a hill. I don't like attacking hills, but i usually charge with my infantry head-on, and have my super-heavy cavalry ride to the top of the hill behind them, and have them charge and mow down all the archers and crap. I'm not sure if its effective, but i love watching like 45 archers suddenly disappear into the mass of horses.

[TheViking]

i voted 3 cause thats the one i use when defending and most times when i attack, but now when i got VI and can produce berserkers i just go head on when attack and if i have berserkers in defending armys i also use to get head on.

[squippy]

Althoug I agree the situations are two varied, I do enjoy a double line infantry advance that just keeps rolling and rolling.... If I think I can pull that off, I will.

[The_Emperor]

I agree with ToranagaSama that it depends a great deal on the situation... and there are many more variations we can use.

However Tactic 3 is the one that most closely resembles how I attack in majority of battles, but it always depends on the situation.

Tactics, Tactics, Tactics... there are so many Tactics http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[DemonArchangel]

HEAD ON MUTHAf**KER Seriously, it's really fun to slam an army head on into the enemy line and going man to man. I just love confused bloody melees/ http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[frogbeastegg]

What's behind door number three? Froggy's favourite play style, that's what

Unless the situation calls for something different number three is my basic plan, of course things get tweaked to meet changing situations and it's never quite so simple as it sounds but that's half the fun. My love of this style is the main reason why I'm not so good with the Muslim factions; they aren't made for this kind of combat (they can do it if they have to but you are much better off taking advantage of their manoeuvrability and missile units) unlike the Catholics. It's this variety in factional tactics that make TW sound good.

[pdoan8]

I do all three depending on the situation. However, 3 is the best option for me.

Sometimes, I do all three in the same battle.

1) Send out 1 or 2 fast cav (prefer HA) to check out the enemy flank to see how well he react or may be making him shift formation.

2a) If the enemy formation is unbalance (ie having one side weaker than the other) or he is shifting the formation, I send in the melee troops with support of cav to overwhelm the weaker side.
2b) If the enemy have well balance formation and maintain it well, then I will start attacking on one side with half of the melee troops.

3a) If in the case of 2a, then I will rush the whole line of spear to hold the rest of the enemy units in place until I destroy his weaker side.
3b) In the case of 2b, this will be interesting. Depending on the situation, I would do the following:
- Use the remaining melee troop to attack the other side. Spear hold the front. Attempt to flank the enemy with cav or get to his rear to destroy his skirmishing troops.
- Use spears to hold the other side. Use the remaining melee troops to punch through the enemy spear wall. Cav support both melee groups.

That is how I do battle against AI. There are many variation depending on each different situation, small adjustment or shifting, but it is basicly what I would do in most cases.

[Tiwaz]

Mainly some variations of option 1.

I usually try to maneuver opponent away from their current position (vs AI) and at point when situation is suitable go for it and overrun them with my troops.

For some odd reason my armies are quite heavy. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

[Revenant69]

I think this poll is missing an imprtant option for Eastern cavalry armies. I mean i agree that when I play Catholics I mostly use option 3.

However playing with Eastern cavalry armies requires different strategies. And you do not have the option of isolate, surround, overwhelm and destroy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Cheers,
Rev

[led pighp]

It's more about chooseing the ground to fight on or useing the ground to your advantage.

[Dhepee]

I like to draw the enemy as close to the center of the map as possible, all the while keeping my cav out of the fight. Once they are in position I can sweep around behind them and wrap them up.

The best is if their army is large enough I can fire arrows into the center of the mass, without worrying about hitting my own men. Then you are getting them from front, back, and in the middle. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif

[The_678]

3 Is my basic strategy for every battle I always just send in my 8 or so infantry, outflank far to the sides four 4 Cav per side and attack. I send my infantry in formation right in front of the enemies line and flank/rear with my cav. Works every time http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[Balamir]

I like to use a blend of 2 and 3 mostly. here is how i do it.

I get 2 light cav: one to protect my bows against cav charge and the second to threaten their bows. I put my archers just short of the archers of the other side and then I put my cav on loose and charge their ranged.(note this wont be very useful if they also have light cav) so what the man does is either draw his bows back or charge my cav with his closest unit. So I draw my own bows front and start shooting their unit that was chasing me. After this is done i will see if I can repeat the same thing. If not i will draw the second light cav to protect my bows too and move my bows even further to shoot their first infantry line. After this is done I switch to number 3 and pray to God that this is going to work http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[rory_20_uk]

i have to say that whilst a considered attack trying to tie up the defenders after assiling with arrows, a frontal monouvre with spearmen and a hopefully decisive drive with my cream into the enemies side is my way of winning, I have to say that there are times when guts and glory is the modus operandi - especially when I have two armies: my disciplined army with a decent leader, and several hundred volounteers who are soon going to be dead. The latter go in, do their best and are usually slaughtered, then the professionals come in to win the day. Well, it's a laugh http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Nestor]

Hello to all,

I find it difficult to vote for any of the tactics in the poll. There can be so many variations of the attacker's / defender's armies that you can't predict what is going to happen in the battle - except, of course that the AI will lose eventually

I don't especially like the really big armies. Usually I deploy less than a full stack when I attack so I have to be carefull with my moves. My whole aim is to find the weak spot of the defender. Then I can decide what to do and almost everytime I have to make a different approach. IMO that's the fun of the game and the reason I play it for so long

Anyway, IMHO again, I don't believe you are a good attacker if you decide your battle plans before the actual battle.

[Qilue]

I have a general used-for-all-battles type plan to begin with and adjust for terrain and enemy troop types. I can use any of those three options depending what has happened. No battle is the same.

[Lord Rom]

I set up with a standard wall of infantry with missiles out front, cav on the flanks, scouts out front. Then I look for high ground advantage asap. after that I watch for opportunities to exploit, usually with the horsies. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[jas]

Quote[/b] (Nestor @ Sep. 20 2003,22:41)]Anyway, IMHO again, I don't believe you are a good attacker if you decide your battle plans before the actual battle.
No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy. - was that Patton?

[MILITARYMAN]

I think its best to fight on the counter attack roll http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[Jack]

My first post on this forum and it does seem like an excellent game. The tactics discussed are referring to playing against the AI or humane. Experience from other games has taught me that some AIs are not that good. The AI in MTW seems competent however or maybe that is just my inexperience talking. It would be nice to know what works and does not work as playing against a competent humane compared to the AI.
This game has caught my attention because of the realisms incorporated into the mechanics of the game itself. I had a look at the morale bonuses and penalties in another post and find them to be realistic. I am just not sure how far a map tile is in regards to the General being near your troops. Looking foreword to hearing from all of you.

[HopAlongBunny]

I have experimented with a lot of different styles. Collapsing centre, end rush with strong flank'full retreat of centre and far, cavalry envelopment, all out skirmish. I remember there was a post here with a url to a page with numerous Byzantine formations, tried most of those under different situations. If I get motivated, I want to try doing some battles using very formal troop deployments.

Thats one thing that keeps this game being played (for me anyhow) The ability to experiment, and well, play http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Shono]

One of the great things about this game is that there is no one strategy that wins all.

Actually I should clarify that, having hugely superior numbers and quality of troops will usually beat any opponent, however even in this scenario winning is not everything. No point wasting your best troops to kill an easy enemy.

There are many factors that can affect your strategy on the battlefield. Terrain, quality, numbers, types of troops both yours and your opponent.

One certain thing, very few formations can stand assault from the flanks or rear and assaulting from these angles can inflict many casualties.

This may change in RTW though, as the romans were specialists in defensive formations and the ability and flexibility to fight all sides.

A feature that history proved to work well in the Squares at Waterloo.

[eddeduck]

My usual style is use skirmishers to harras from near by high ground (if there is any&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif If the enemy are drawn out far do's, then I wak e'm one good and proper. If not I flank with Cav and form my foot up in column (not silly type column with key 9) but tightly packed one. And then I send them toward the middle of the enemy line Ala Bony
(If baddies are on big hill It is not advisable tho It is also good for bridges If you put ure rock ard troops In The Front).
Big it Up
Aye

[SmokWawelski]

Sneaking around is good for thiefs

You stand in front of your enemy, present your arms and then let God throw the dice - this is how Kings fight

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Black Arrow]

3 is a good starting point. basically the task is to separate the enemy into small groups with exposed flanks and then envelop them with superior numbers.

I usually try for this and get to enjoy the big piles of dead (often mine http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif )

[PseRamesses]

3 is my favourite. But as ya´ll know it all depends on the situation. A funny thing though, in shere desperation, outnumbered, outteched I once charged the English with my French peasants and my peasants got extatic and actually scared the shit out of the English who turne tails and ran which only increased my number of captives, he he

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] ]2 works better with lots of cavalry so you
can exploit movements more rapidly, though.
A few horse archers and some light or heavy
cavalry can be a truly beautiful thing =)

Very true http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif



Quote[/b] ]Anyway, IMHO again, I don't believe you are a good attacker if you decide your battle plans before the actual battle.

Partially true, you still need to decide wich units you take in to battle, to counter the specific units of the enemy...



Quote[/b] ]No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy. - was that Patton?

Yes, it can get messy even when all seems bulletproof. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif



Quote[/b] ]One of the great things about this game is that there is no one strategy that wins all.

Very true. Different conditions, different results...

I personnaly use 2 and 3 depending on the conditions, and also 4.

I'll explain:

4-Eastearn Cavalary Skirmish Tactics - Hit and run, envelopment, uninterrupted missile fire, etc...

Of course it will work much better against Heavy (slow) Foot (slower) armies and specially using MHA. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[HawaiianHobbit]

Guts and Glory

[Finn]

I try to do 3, but it usually ends up as 1..

most often with my entire army chasing their army, with me sitting there screaming as they ignore my orders to come back just before the other army turns around and annhialates them..

[Pruneau]

Whatever tactics I use, I always hover real low when attacking so I get the full sound of troops charging - adds to the atmosphere a lot, in my opinion.

Which attack I take depends on a lot of factors, but I love the frontal attack, with some added side support and some archers if the situation allows.

[Basileus]

i guess im like most, judging by the poll..i´ll hav eto change that i want to be special http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif

[Icerian Rex]

My armies are normally fairly similar, as is my attack: I opt for slightly smaller forces of well-souped-up units, and a typical array is normally 8-10 units of Pavise Arbs, probably 3-5 units of spears, and the general (if there's room, I'll have some light cavalry as well.

With a force like that, I don't even care where the enemy is, they're goin' doooown. I'll take my army, march them en masse across the field toward the enemy, and let the Pavise Arb's slowly encroach until they're just within range. My lines are long and about three units deep. At this point, the AI normally sends out the archers, who are typically cut to ribbons before they can even get a shot off. After that, the AI sends out the ground troops, and I'll concentrate my fire on the strongest of them, and then work my way down the food chain. If a mass route occurs with the enemy, I'll send out the cavalry. If not, I'll retreat behind my spearmen and use the cavalry to flank.

It's rare that this tactic doesn't work, and it's just awesome seeing units collapse twenty men at a time.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-thumbsup.gif

[Icerian Rex]

Another approach that's a variation on this theme is to stack my units into a block about four units deep by three wide. As I'm marching toward the enemy, they invariably go for the flanks.... just like I want em' to.

Normally the AI will send a quarter of it's forces around one side, and a quarter around the other. At this point, I'll turn each of my flanks to face him, normally using spears, and with the flanks at least temporarily protected, charge headlong with the rest of my men right up the middle. I don't care what's in the way: Catapults, spears, doesn't matter - I'm normally looking for their general, and if I find him and, er, dispatch him, alot of times the AI's horse units will route right through my men, and the prisoners add up quickly.

NOTE: If this doesn't work, you'll wind up with your flanks collapsing and your front lines routing, but with the enemies faster units all over your slow spearmen, it can take on the look of Custers Last Stand.

[Selborne]

I usually usa a combination of (2) and (3), actually.

My first goal is to get the defender to move from their established position, usually to get them off a hill, or to get my forces to some high ground so that I'm not fighting uphill.

I always try to disrupt their line of battle, so that they're unable to present s solid front. This often involves sending cav units around the sides to force them to re-position (but not close enough to cause the enemy to charge).

Then I'll try to get the enemy to charge, either by sending out a harassing force (usually horse archers) or by targeting infantry with archers. Once the enemy comes at me, I'll switch to an infantry-first line so my spears can act as the anvil against which my cavalry hammers the enemy troops.

That's in a perfect world, of course. It usually works

[Doug-Thompson]

Quote[/b] (jas @ Sep. 27 2003,17:02)]No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy. - was that Patton?
I believe the correct quote is, No plan survives first contact with the enemy, and that the general was Field Marshal von Moltke, victor of the Six Weeks War in the 1860s and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

[vlad_demstra]

i use what I think is best at the time.. usyally it is 1 or three. one on the way of better knights vs peasents.

[Aleksandr Nevsky]

I've been playing with the vikings lately, and it seems rather simple to win with them. Landsmena and Carls can pretty much take anything on the battlefield out, and Huscarles and Joms are just a step above. It is pretty darn fun to kill thousands of spearmen and all for only the loss of a few hundred, will hopefully try MTW regular campagin again with the new features soon.

Anyway,

Yeah it usually depends on the situation. Spear units in the middle, with lighter infantry on the flanks, heavy infantry behind the spear. I usually don't rely alot on any missile units, but I have been reviewing logfiles lately against the AI and they are more effective than I have realized before.

Mind you I have only played single player, will have to try my hand at Multiplay one day, no doubt it is a whole different ball game.

[Voigtkampf]

I mostly make a rather careful advance in number 3 style, yet, as pointed out, there far too few choices presented here. The main tactic is adaptation - it is the only way to survive. But I also like those rare occasions where I get to slaughter some poor melee missile units with my heavy cavalry.

[Kaboom]

3 But now I nearly win every attack Because I only attack if I am sure of victory If the enemy is less than 16 unit, I bring a lot of archers to shoot them down before advance If they are strong, I bring less archers and approach slowly in a defense line with strong infantry and cavalry flanking. My attack columns is bigger and my general is generally at least 2 star higher rank Nothing of armor or weapons compare to a general 4-6 star higher than your enemy

[ZZuluZ]

Icerian Rex,

I tried your strategy in a custom battle and it was a miserable failure for me. I tried it on flat terrain. I walked my army upto the enemy. When the arbs got within range I ordered them to fire. They didn't even fire once before the enemy cavalry charged into them And I don't think they can fire from behind spears, so they were utterly useless Am I missing something?

[Voigtkampf]

Quote[/b] (ZZuluZ @ Jan. 17 2004,07:25)]Icerian Rex,

I tried your strategy in a custom battle and it was a miserable failure for me. I tried it on flat terrain. I walked my army upto the enemy. When the arbs got within range I ordered them to fire. They didn't even fire once before the enemy cavalry charged into them And I don't think they can fire from behind spears, so they were utterly useless Am I missing something?
You are not missing anything. And no, there is no arb that can fire through the lines ahead, only if you line them up on a hill on a level above your protective spear unit.

[PseRamesses]

As Katar, and others, I use all 3 tactics depending on the given situation.

[Somebody Else]

When playing as the Vikings, I find that the frontal assault works fine - a huge extended line charging straight forwards. They can't flank me as my line is so long, they can't break through as my men are so much harder than anyone else (except Saxon Huscarles - so wipe them out first) and chances are I'm going to flank them anyway, so I merely envelop any strong resistance in the centre - unless it's already broken.

Otherwise, it's a case of march up to just out of bowshot, move my archers in to pepper the enemy and hopefully tempt something out, which get's fallen upon and slaughtered by either MaA or halberfier types. Then a nice charge with my shock infantry with any cavalry I have going around the sides. Either that or I'll have separated my infantry and cavalry, with infantry being the anvil for the cavalry hammer that's gone right around the back.

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

hmm some useful stuff here, I usually use my horse archers (hey they're quite cheap) to mess up the enemy's formation. It seems like the AI always has the archers at the front and spearman, swordsmen at the back. So, if you try to attack the archers, the foot soldiers charge (and how come the AI always has some nice hill to camp on??) downhill. So, I usally send horse archers from both flanks to draw some of the spears/swords and then charge the enemy's front while they're busy chasing the horses around.

[The_678]

For me it's basically option 3. Of course situations change as well as basic tactics, but it's generally like that.

[Gen_Lee]

I only did a few combats till now, but always tried to place My units on the biggest hill avaiable and if with trees place my men of arms on them. Then tried to flank the enemy with cavalary.
I managed to do a 3h battle where I was just moving My army from a hill to another with Ai doing same, until they give up and retreat.
Still need to do a lot more (Im finding much more appealing the strategic part of the game, and as Im on My 1st campaign on early, tend to solve most combats automaticly, as Im Already on the 2nd week of playing 4h straight every day and still 47 years to go)

[Ja'chyra]

Quote[/b] ]I managed to do a 3h battle where I was just moving My army from a hill to another with Ai doing same, until they give up and retreat.


The question that immediately springs to mind is WHY? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-inquisitive.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-dizzy2.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-zzz.gif

BTW these smilies are great http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-toff.gif

[katar]

Quote[/b] ]The question that immediately springs to mind is WHY?

give him time to get the hang of things, he`ll soon be butchering thousands of fleeing enemy troops like the rest of us soon enough. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

welcome to the forum Gen_Lee. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Welcome, Gen_Lee http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

Mais um Português? Bem Vindo http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-thumbsup.gif

Quanto às batalhas, tal como katar disse, vais-te habituar rapidamente Deixas de ser tão hesitante a atacar...

[makkyo]

I can't give that information. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[somethingbrite]

I think Tsun Zu said something about being flexible like the willow in the wind in his work the art of war in both attack and defence.
This is true. there is no absolute hard style of attack or defense, its being able to realise that an opportunity has arisen and being able to capitalise on it. A few of my stunning victories where I expected to get completely mauled have resulted from modifying my battle line on the spur of the moment and taking advantage of opportunities that arise.

mostly though, I attack with caution.....

[somethingbrite]

Actually I mostly attack and defend with a good strong defensive line of infantry defending a line of archers and my General (usually a cavalry troop type) This I flank with sword type heavy infantry as my flanking defense and shock troops to push into the sides of the enemy once they are committed. Then I like to have flanking forces of cavalry to defend my flanks then move out, outflanking and heading to the rear of the enemy battle group.
Its safe and successfull and also flexible enough fo rmy needs, both in attack and in defense.
Go with what you know.

[afroide]

I definately lean more towards the head on rush - There's something satisfying about watching an enemy line that covers 1/3 the width of the map rout within seconds of a lancer charge.

That being said, I usually try to ensure that I have a huge advantage. I usually turtle and build economy until my armies outclass the opponent, and try and make sure I'm charging downhill or at least on level terrain. If I'm up against heavy anti-cav units, I'll also try and send jinettes around back to throw a few volleys into the enemy lines for good measure.

[katar]

Quote[/b] ]Quanto às batalhas, tal como katar disse, vais-te habituar rapidamente Deixas de ser tão hesitante a atacar...



what? seeing as my name appears to be stuck in the middle of it. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Sun Tzui]

Quote[/b] ]Quanto às batalhas, tal como katar disse, vais-te habituar rapidamente Deixas de ser tão hesitante a atacar...



Quote[/b] ]what? seeing as my name appears to be stuck in the middle of it.

He's saing that he'll get used to battles, the same way you you were telling him, in your post. Remeber
Quote[/b] ]give him time to get the hang of things, he`ll soon be butchering thousands of fleeing enemy troops like the rest of us soon enough. . That's all http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-toff.gif

[Lord of the morning]

My normal lineup is a cav heavy army with some heavy infantry central, I usualy play with something like the scorpion (the deployment scheme where you have cav ahead on the flanks and some powerfull, preferably cav, units in reserve). Naturaly this changes if the opponent has any unusual units or play any other tactic than the normal AI defence tactic: find a hill and stand on it and wait.

[spud_gun]

I voted for 3, as a general rule, but I do tend to use the other two styles though, 1 archer and 2 peasant units as an uprising #1 http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif quite funny to watch some royal knights smash through them http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif and then chase them down http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Or using the draw play when i'm outnumbered and on attack. But I like the whole strategy of trying to outflank an AI general who just won't have any of it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[gaijinalways]

I agree with the few people that the situation may merit different approaches. Bridges, mountains, on a plain and even what troops you have and high their valor is will make a difference. Sometimes when I am outmanned and have so so quality troops , I might just try and get the general killed in hopes that at least the first wave may rout after his death. Of course general hunting can work any time, but there are times when the general is easier to get at and he can be surrounded or shot at to death.

One thing I have done even on the attack is baiting and also going after the artillary units, which can be crucial as the AI on expert will try to drag you into those killing zones. If the AI has catapaults or other such things, you often have to try and take them out unless they are way in the back of the battle screen. I have had the AI a few times try to surprise me..as you're chasing routers and suddenly you're getting hit with something big

Flanking is always important, especially on defense but on attacks it helps you to hit from behind or from the side which brings a lot of advantages. This makes enemy troops much more likely to rout.

Sometimes I use a controlled march with men spread out to try to avoid missle and artillary fire. I slowly close with minimal causalities ( probably because the AI doesn't usually concentrate his firepower on one unit) though you have to watch that the enemy doesn't suddenly charge at you.

[Anselm]

My favourite is a mixture of all three.

Large feint to draw out their main defensive line, headlong rush of main units into it, and then try to flank round to the rear of their line and a spot of general stalking, if i can pin his unit against my oncoming battle line.

Mayhem http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

Anselm

[Crazy Duke]

Mostly it depend on terrain and enemy, I?ve use all 3 types, but prefer No3.

[Thoros of Myr]

I use #3 most, but a hybrid of all 3 types is what I strive for.
When I become too elaborate and take a bad loss I'm reminded that war is chaos, often a simple plan beats what would seem the most clever.
Great thing about MTW is you can never predict what will happen 100% of the time

[Earl of Sandwich]

I rely most heavily on tactic 3. When I have an army with infantry and cavalry archers, I will often split my cavalry archers to both enemy flanks, and while the slower infantry are catching up to the battle, I will spray they enemy with some arrows to keep them company until the hour of reckoning. Some other tactics I employ are the use of cheap units to distract the enemy while so that I can march my more powerful attackers around the rear.

[Icerian Rex]

I tried your strategy in a custom battle and it was a miserable failure for me. I tried it on flat terrain. I walked my army upto the enemy. When the arbs got within range I ordered them to fire. They didn't even fire once before the enemy cavalry charged into them And I don't think they can fire from behind spears, so they were utterly useless Am I missing something?

You are not missing anything. And no, there is no arb that can fire through the lines ahead, only if you line them up on a hill on a level above your protective spear unit.

My experience on the battle field has been that the best approach was to move my PA's forward en masse, with the spears just behind. Once I was close, I would stop the whole army, and slowly advance the PA's one unit at a time (like pawns on a chess board). Once in range, they began to shoot immediately.

At this point, the AI would normally send out archers: And all fire would be trained on these archers (or other ranged units). If the AI sent out cavalry, fire was redirected on this cavalry. Normally the cavalry would rout, but if not I would try to place a single unit of spear/pike in front.

Now, there are definitely sooome drawbacks to this plan, as if I am facing off against some type of fast infantry, such as Gazis, and they all attack at once, the arbs can't shoot fast enough, and the best approach would be to either A) Kill the general if within range, or B) Abandon the field in haste.

One thing I didn't understand about the reply you got was when someone stated Arb's can't fire through lines. On a number of occasions I've seen a force of knights charge my lines (at which point I take the arbs closest off of hold position/hold formation, and put them on skirmish). This force retreats back beyond the safety of the spears, while I train all fire on said unit. Now, while some of my own men die, I can easily see the firing message from some particular PA, and be assured that at least one or two of those knights will bite the dust....

I dunno, and I'm looking for people's help who have tried this strategy, or prefer something similar. ... maybe I'm just not explaining it correctly?
[QUOTE]

[Icerian Rex]

My last responses were to zuluzz and voigtkampf, but I didn't do the quote thingy correctly.

Some other things I had thought of is that I never turn the fire at will feature off, I start my guys out on hold position and hold formation, and I lead with the arb's, not with the spears. Their pavise keeps them free from most damage, and the spears are fairly close behind.

Nonetheless, from time to time I too have had a problem with my PA's failing to fire, despite being in range and despite not having another unit in front of them. I don't know why this is, and sometimes (like with the respondent's situation) by the time they do fire it's too late. Still, even with a full on cavalry charge (say perhaps three to four units) I can take out enough of their horse to make it fairly easy on my spear/pikes.

One final note: I never actively seek out battles until my units are very teched up, and that includes the weapon bonus wherever & whenever possible. I'm also going to be attacking using one of my better generals... hopefully 4+ stars or better, with no negative battlefield attributes. When the battles come to me, I'll normally camp out on the highest hill, two lines deep, with my flanks curving backward - In part how some of my generals gain their stars. It's not the most original, but it works... or at least it has for me.

Again, any thoughts from people using a similar strategy are appreciated.

[Pox]

I use any of those three techniques, depending upon the situation. If I catch an inferior force in a bad position, it is an all-out rush to crush them. When the enemy and I have equal forces in equal position, or I have an inferior force in a superior position, or I am facing a superior force in an inferior position, then it is a combination of the latter two choices. First I will skirmish to probe and weaken the enemy, then when the main battle is engaged I usually use a block of troops to pin the enemy while other units move around the flanks.

[gaijinalways]

Many ways to kill your enemy. Hmm, yes, as someone posted earlier, the tactics in battle will vary depending on your troops, the enemy's troops, the terrain, your positions, and your generals.

I love baiting the AI as sometimes you can get them to run after cavalry and if your cavalry are missile units you can get off some shots here and there.

But being willing to sacrifice units to hold a line or to keep some units from routing is important and hard to judge what to give up and where. Of course some earlier advice of trying to divide the enemy up into groups works if you're allowed to do that and you can focus your units on a few groups. Sometimes it is almost good to have routing peasants if they pull some units chasing them out of the battle.

The missile whittling away the enemy approach is nice when you can approach and just fire away (or when you have nice high ground, one battle where I was on a cliff was like this, I didn't have a lot of soldiers, though some missile types fight well in a pinch. Anyway, the enemy kept attacking, with maybe 5-6 waves but he was losing a lot of units. I think he was hoping I would run out of ammo.

This brings up a another point, you have decide where to concentrate your missile fire. Of course, generally we all prefer not to cut down our own troops, but there can be times when we don't mind if ours are less valuable or are just there to be sacrificed. I know some people don't like to get in missile duels, but I find sometimes if I have better armor and more than one unit that can hit theirs (or just a bigger unit) than I go for it if I am beating their soldier on my own. Of course, I like to run my cavalry or peasants (because they run fast) at the missile types and get them running or at least retreating so that they don't or can't attack some of my men.

So battle tactics really vary, even the same armies will sometimes approach each other differently with quite different results.

[maestro]

I just love locking troops into melee combat with good, armoured, defensive troops and then hammering them from the side or rear with some guys no horses with sharp sticks

Number 3 for me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[nightcrawlerblue]

I use #1 mostly. Get my best spearmen and Swordsmen then charge into the enemy. Sometimes I'll use cavalry to get to the rear and flank the enemy while my spearmen hold them at bay. I love having 2-3 units of knights/horsemen charge into the back of an enemy while my spearmen keep them busy. They usually rout in a couple seconds after that...

[lancer63]

Recently I've been leaning over an old tactic I learned from someone at the FBZ boards. Three roughly equal forces; center and 2 wings. 2 engage 1 is held in reserve. Applies for attack and defense equally. Not a foolproof tactic but helps me outflank and ever bolder if not smarter AI.