How powerful should artillery really be?

[Polemists]

So I like polls, they are fun, they kill time, and opinons are always interesting.


All this news on Empire Total War land battles has got me to thinking. Just how powerful shound artillery (Cannons, and other seige weapons using gunpowder) really be?

If you recall there were actually a variety of cannons in MTW2, they were useful but not over powering. There were exceptions of course, but usually they killed a handful of men.

So in Empire Total War, how powerful do you want to see cannons be?

Feel free to post your opinon.

[Mailman653]

As long as it brings down an elephant in one shot, don't care too much about the rest. How crazy would that be if an elephant takes two or three cannon balls to bring down?

[PBI]

In my view artillery should be the most powerful arm of the military in this period.

The caffeine addicts and ADHD rushers have had their turn in the "ZOMG CAVALRY SPAM, CHARGE!" days of M2TW. I want Empire to be geared more towards the boring, meticulous, obsessive-compulsive players like me. So, picking the optimal place to deploy your guns to best dominate the battlefield should be absolutely crucial, and making hasty attacks directly across the enemy artillery's field of fire should have suitably humbling results.

[Alerion]

As far as I know, melee combat WAS historically speaking still a major part of battle back then. but I agree that artillery should be very effective and powerful. But then again, artillery should easily be ripped apart, if not protected from cavalry outflanking the army

it has to be powerful, but it can`t be the "I win button"
and you should have to know, how to use it...

[Sheogorath]

Arty should have its best effect against infantry and cavalry. Field pieces wouldn't be too terribly effective against buildings (a solid roundshot is just going to fly right through most non-military buildings with minimal damage), and while grapeshot might knock the paint off and put some dents in the brickwork it probably wouldn't go through.
Now, against men, artilleries effects should vary. Roundshot depended on the depth of formation of the enemy. Against a line of men three-deep, the most it could kill would be three men. Although you might be able to wound six with a lucky, one-in-a-million shot.
This is assuming no collateral damage from the wounded men suffering 'friendly stab' with their bayonet or accidentally firing their musket.
Grapeshot, though, at the right range, could take out massive numbers of men. Considering it was basically a concentrated musket volley firing 1 inch balls (Or, if you were desperate, whatever fit down the barrel. Nails, bolts, cats, small children...
Regardless, any infantry foolish enough to get too close to a cannon should suffer for it. Cavalry too.
There was a reason it was difficult to get people to charge artillery batteries. Nobody wanted to find themselves looking down the barrel of a 12 pounder cannon charged with grapeshot. And the effect of those shots on morale should route all but the best trained units in 1-2 shots.

[rajpoot]

There was a reason it was difficult to get people to charge artillery batteries. Nobody wanted to find themselves looking down the barrel of a 12 pounder cannon charged with grapeshot. And the effect of those shots on morale should route all but the best trained units in 1-2 shots.

Exactlyl; CA give us that, give us that and all will be well..........I mean it's so so sad when you see horses and men charging straight at your precious guns in Imperial Glory........

[ByzanKing]

I think the artillery should just be a "support" group to the ground troops. I don't want to see cannons ripping apart an entire army with a few shots before any type of melee battle begins. Plus we all know CA is notorious for having the AI build entire stacks of nothing but artillery, so hopefully the artillery is not to overpowering, i.e.-war elephants. IMHO.

[Megas Methuselah]

I agree with Byzanking.

[Sol Invictus]

In my view artillery should be the most powerful arm of the military in this period.

The caffeine addicts and ADHD rushers have had their turn in the "ZOMG CAVALRY SPAM, CHARGE!" days of M2TW. I want Empire to be geared more towards the boring, meticulous, obsessive-compulsive players like me. So, picking the optimal place to deploy your guns to best dominate the battlefield should be absolutely crucial, and making hasty attacks directly across the enemy artillery's field of fire should have suitably humbling results.

I am with you. The obsessive-compulsives must have our moment in the sun.

I hope that Artillery will not be very destructive at long range but will be quite effective as the range closes.