walking too fast

I don't know if anybody has posted this topic before, but is it just me or are units walking/running way too fast, specifically in relation to artillery units fire rate. It seems w/gunpowder artillery I get just 1-2 shots off before the main lines meet and the artillery stops shooting. I've tried all sorts of config to get more out of arty and they all stop firing unless I'm directing them at an enemy unit not engaged, usually at enemy rear, and no friendly unit is in front of guns. I don't mind friendly fire, just wish they'd keep firing at something.

- I've tried placing artillery in front and far behind spearwall

- I've tried placing artillery among spears and/or muskets, like so

SSSSSS G G MMMMMM G G SSSSSSS
Arch Arch Arch Arch Arch Arch

- I've tried placing artillery on a flanking hill far away from main line, like so

GG or GG


or GG Main line or GG


At this point I've concluded that gunpowder artillery is usefull only on seige maps and pretty useless on battlemap, given their slow rate of fire and poor accuracy, unless the enemy is standing still and willing to be pounded w/shot. They take up valuable unit slots and don't generate anywhere near the same casualty #'s vs. archers/crossbows which have 1/2 -1/3 the range. What has your experience been??

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Originally Posted by holycow

At this point I've concluded that gunpowder artillery is usefull only on seige maps and pretty useless on battlemap, given their slow rate of fire and poor accuracy, unless the enemy is standing still and willing to be pounded w/shot. They take up valuable unit slots and don't generate anywhere near the same casualty #'s vs. archers/crossbows which have 1/2 -1/3 the range.

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Absolutely my experience except in a couple of scenarios. Field artillery I understand was pretty useless in medieval times. In the game however I use field artillery sometimes.

Ballistas, when attacking as they're quite accurate if I have them available , but don't stack armies with them on purpose.

Catapults, I like to use the flaming stuff because it looks great and occasionally I get lucky. I also find fighting them a pain as I may loose a general if I'm not careful.

Trebs I've never been lucky with them in field battles with these , I wonder if others have been able to use the dead cows effectively here.


In a close big battle I wouldn't use these at all and swap them out.

As for gunpowder artillery I've never got that far into a campaign to use them effectively.

If you're trying to pound engaged units, try using mortars. They fire high shots and prefer higher angles where possible, which means the shells come down reasonably close to vertical. Their accuracy is somewhat bad which means you will take some friendly fire, but there's practically no way any unit can ever block its fire, and so it should continue firing at anything on the battlefield that you've targeted as long as it is alive and in range.

I've had mixed luck with them when tackling walls or towers (lower trajectory guns have a bigger target to hit because the broadside of a wall is obviously a much easier target than the topside where mortars approach from). They do only okay at this, but make up so much in field battles where they shoot a high arc and thus avoid shot obstruction that they seem well worth fielding.

The other thing I want to note is that the lower-firing sorts of artillery benefit insanely from being on high ground. The flight path of a shot will most of the time be able to clear friendly units and still hit the enemy when the artillery is occupying an elevated position, and this is so much the case that you almost might as well park them on the nearest hill and set them to fire at will - even if they're largely out of range they may be able to fire at something at some point, and putting them anywhere else makes them practically worthless as you've both noted already.

Speaking of that, fire at will is usually very good for your artillery once melee starts, no matter where you've positioned the arty at. The automated process often spots clear shots that you had no idea could be taken, and if your artillery is in a largely useless firing position it's nice to know they'll take all the shots they can on their own without you having to try to figure out if a given shot can in fact be made by the unit.