Using muskets en masse

[phonicsmonkey]

I've never had great success with muskets without micro-managing them a fair bit

try starting them out in front but on the flanks so they get a few rounds off into the advancing enemy line, then dropping them back and going around the side to form up behind the pinned enemy infantry and fire into their backs

ouch!

[Severus]

And this is as it should be, afterall it wouldnt be very realistic if musket balls could be fired in the same trajectory as an arrow! Maybe you could run your archers out to the flanks and protect them with a unit of infantry or cavalry.

[Ravencroft]

Try turning fire at will off.

That way, you can maneuver them very close to the back of the (bogged down) enemy then fire! That way, you get a lot of kills, and it may even start a mass rout.

Now I use that with camel gunners, I get a lot of kill with them.

[Caliburn]

I like to use gunpowder first in front of the lines, and then retreat them behind the melee infantry. From there they'll circle to the flanks, while light/medium cavalry covers enemy cavalry, and (possibly) horse archers run to the rear of the enemy formation.

If there's a mass of good melee gunpowder guys (or crossbows, Aventurios for example) and I'm using pikes, I'll just let part of them sit in front of the pikes. Usually it doesn't take much to rout the enemy army with a couple of gunpowder guys in the flanks and a couple of cavalry units charging into their backs. With pikes behind them, the gunpowder guys don't even nessessarily get many casualties, as the already weakened enemy is likely to rout all too quickly.

Not that the enemy too often manages to engage the line if you have missile-heavy army with a wing of horse archers, or even just light cavalry... As Venice I've had good results even with a cheap pike/musket/Militia Cavalry setup, but that's partially because the computer is stupid and can't think properly...

Don't know about the Mongols and Timurids, though, and I haven't played infantry-heavy stacks as the Turkish.

[Yaropolk]

i always avoided using muskets for just that reason, however there is a historical battle (HRE + Spain vs France) where HRE's muskets start out lined up behind their pikes, with France about to charge your lines. If you don't move them from this position the muskets will fire THROUGH the pike ranks and decimate the french charge.

[mir]

Try turning fire at will off.

That way, you can maneuver them very close to the back of the (bogged down) enemy then fire! That way, you get a lot of kills, and it may even start a mass rout.

Now I use that with camel gunners, I get a lot of kill with them.

Wow, thanks for the replies, everyone!

Ravencroft, where/how do I turn this ability off? Is it in the game script? Because it's not a button/ability I can use in the battle...

I've been experimenting with all-Janissary armies in Custom Battles. Fielded an army of 4 units EACH of Janissary Heavy Infantry, Archers and Musketeers. It seems to work somewhat.

I deploy the Archers at the front initially, with their sharpened stakes deployed. As soon as the battle begins, I retreat them to the rear and the Musketeers come forward.

Only when the enemy is close do I charge the JHI forward to engage while the Musketeers re-deploy to the flanks. This tactic works quite well even against elite units.