Deployable Defences

[peacemaker]

The artillery sandbag defences are flawed. Every single time I see them zoomed in, the cannon seems to be inside the sanbag, and so the crew just stands there and doesn't fire

[Ardri]

Artillery sandbags also narrow the field of fire when they are constructed if I remember correctly. I figure if the opponent is close enough you need the sandbags your artillery is already lost.

[Feanaro]

For infantry, you have trenches and stakes. Trenches, which are really walls of a sort, work well against ranged weapons, cannonballs included. They are horrible against cavalry, who just run right over them. They work pretty well in general. The stakes stop cavalry. They work pretty well but cavalry haven't been as big a problem for me as in previous Total War games.

Now, the arty sandbags can be a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it doesn't seem to limit their field of fire, sometimes it does. Sometimes they bug up. Still, I've had good success creating a wall with entrenched infantry and sandbagged artillery. Set the artillery to canister shot and you've got a solid wall of fortifications with some really, really big shotguns interspersed throughout. Deploy some artillery behind with round shot and it's a regular shooting gallery.

[PBI]

Trenches and chevaux de frise are available right from the start, as are the artillery defenses. Later on light infantry get fougasse, essentially minefields. Light infantry can also plant stakes, which I believe are essentially chevaux de frise that can be deployed once the battle has started.

As for when you can use them, I believe it has to do with being attacked while your army still has movement points remaining (apart from light infantry stakes, which are always available). Make sure to move your general carefully when there are anti-cavalry obstacles around, I've forgotten about them and marched him over them before; he won't make any effort to avoid them.

[Ishmael]

what tech/s unlocks fougasse?

[tibilicus]

What's the criteria for the option to have deployable defences to appear? I had the option for defences in one game but now the option never seems to be there..

[PBI]

What's the criteria for the option to have deployable defences to appear? I had the option for defences in one game but now the option never seems to be there..

You have to be defending, and I think your army has to have either not used up all its movement points, or else not moved at all, in the preceding turn. I generally seem to get them either when defending a city, or else defending against an enemy sally.

what tech/s unlocks fougasse?

My Jaegers seem to have them by default, I think they might just be available to any high-level light infantry.

[thurjack_mahr]

The best time to deploy the anti-cavalry stakes is when the enemy has been creeping up your flanks with his cavalry. I timed it *perfectly* (total luck, tbh) in a multi-player game and the wall went up at the instant the cavalry hit and it wiped them out almost totally to just charge. I suppose the moral of the story is to keep an eye on the flanks and if you have no cavalry on the flanks, try light infantry to counter them if timed right.

Another dirty trick is to build a anti-cavalry wall BEHIND the sandbag wall and goad them into attacking... ;P

[Bob the Insane]

[QUOTE=PBI;2175263]You have to be defending, and I think your army has to have either not used up all its movement points, or else not moved at all, in the preceding turn. I generally seem to get them either when defending a city, or else defending against an enemy sally.
[QUOTE]

You should notice on the campaign map that after not moving for a turn (i think) your stack has a small ring of stakes around it. In this case you can deploy defenses.