Originally Posted by antisocialmunky
ESSAY #3
Well, with arrows, we'd make a knock back animation that staggers the unit so those hit will fall behind and then you'd be able to kill them with a ordered attack. Only the Yumi Samurai are meant to be actual killers. Yumi Ashigaru are there to provide blanket fire and disorder untis while the small units of Yumi Cavalry do both to a degree.
Yari unit spam armies won't be totally unpreventable so it's unrealistic to completely get rid of the tactic, just make it hard to pull off.
However, BI's 1.3 patch fixes the hitbox problem for RTW where attacking units hitting a defending unit's weapon kill both units. This fix means that weapon length will be a 'phantom' factor in defense. If a unit's weapon is long enough and it cant' be flanked, that unit cannot be attacked effectively.
Nagae Yari Ashigaru are going to be able to exploit this. They have 18 feet long pikes with the Oda version measuring 21 feet. They're there to hold a attacking unit. Their units are large and their pikes keep units from engaging them. They will be able to cancel out any unit it engages from the front. However, they are rather slow because they carry around a huge pike and vunerable to missile fire.
Yari Samurai on the other hand carry a short enough weapon so that casualties will be taken by attacker and defender. Te Yari Samurai is the most vunerable yari unit, but it can hold it's own.
The purpose of the Nagae is to stand and hold. The purpose of Te Yari and Yari is to battle for positional and material advantage. The purpose of Yumi, Teppo, and No Dachi and Naginata is to cooperate to undermine the job of the pervious two. The purpose of cavalry is to control initiative.
The conventional battleline will probably end up with the most defensive units holding the center to prevent it from caving in. Radiating outwards along the length of the line will be prograsively more offensive based units. The slow and enduring Nagae in the center, Yari and Te Yari clashing on the flanks with Naginata, No Dachi, and Cavalry operating on the extreme extents. Teppo units will move there after the battlelines are joined to defend.
Simply stated: battles will be decided on the flanks like real life.
After the initial exchange of teppo and rain of arrows, the center will be rather quiet with primarily units of Nagae Yari holding a long continuous portion -they being vunerable to flanking and it being sensible to consolidate them into one line to reduce flanking opportunities- of the line. Yumi units might be shooting into the fray to try and break the enemy or waiting as a reserve.
Moving outwards, Yari and Te Yari units, perhaps the odd Sohei, will be fighting each other. Whoever breaks first will be able to flank and undermine the center, caving the whole center inward, the ultimate goal of battle.
Teppo units sit on the flanks, firing at each other and raking the opposing flanks. In early, the No Dachi and Naginata would be flanking the enemy line, but the advent of Teppos make their job nearly obsolete since they accomplish the same thing but require less training and casualties. Charging Teppos may be done, but it will be costly; Nagashino being a prime example. The flanks will be very fluid.
Cavalry will be trying to circle wide and fight each other with the ultimate goal of causing enough fear ti start the rout of units. Takeda, possessing special shock cavalry with an additional morale reducing trait, are especially good for this.
Generals and the morale units shore up the line.
Or so the theory of this mod goes. :-p
