Light Infantry vs Line Infantry

[antisocialmunky]

I find that Light Infantry is way better in the early game than line infantry because they can unload all their guns into an enemy at once rather than one line at a time. However by the time you research all those techs, line infatry becomes much better.

Has this been the experience of anyone else or am I just being silly?

[Polemists]

I thought you couldn't get Light Infantry until you researched the Light Infantry Tech, which is rather far down the military tree if I remeber right.

I certainly prefer Line, but that is simply do to the fact I am more interested in holding a line rather then killing the enemy, and boxes of men serve that purpose rather well while my more elite unites (Grenadiers, Guards, etc) move up to take care of whatever.

[therifleman]

Light Infantry are smaller in unit size so they will die faster than Line Infantry will. You can also spread your Line Infantry out to 2 ranks deep to get a lot of the muskets firing. Line infantry also have access to ring bayonets fairly early, which makes them a better CC option.

Light infantry are good, but I wouldn't rely on them as a substitute for Line Infantry.

Late period, there is no question, Line Infantry > Light Infantry smply because of rank fire.

[PBI]

I must say, I'm finding it hard to figure out how best to use light infantry. If I put them in the center, the get mowed down by the enemy line infantry, and if I put them on the flanks, they're vulnerable to cavalry.

I'm not quite sure what role light infantry are good for that another unit can't do better.

[pevergreen]

AFAIK multiplayer games have no techs researched, so anything that can fire more than 1 row at once is great.

I like to use them as sharpshooters.

[Polemists]

Well if you are fighting a city, there is usually alot of Militia and armed citizens, in general light infantry is better then them and good at soaking up shot so your better units don't have to.

[Didz]

I must say, I'm finding it hard to figure out how best to use light infantry. If I put them in the center, the get mowed down by the enemy line infantry, and if I put them on the flanks, they're vulnerable to cavalry.

I'm not quite sure what role light infantry are good for that another unit can't do better.

I think they've been rendered pointless by the poor implementation of skirmishing and the lack of open order. Light infantry survived on the battlefield by being intelligent, and not presenting the enemy with a target worthy of being fired at. That meant spreading out and making full use of cover and darting out of sight if the line infantry looked like it was going to waste a volley on them. Likewise, when threatened by cavalry they would rapidly withdraw into a nearby square or take shelter in a wood until the cavalry got bored and buggered off.

None, of that behaviour seems to feature in ETW so, even those troops with a skirmish button seem the stand around in dense groups under musketry and artillery fire and only react to cavalry when they they are in the final stages of a charge and running would actually be the least sensible option.

I've just stopped training them now as they a waste of funds.

[a-e]

it doesnt help that the use of light infantry to work infront of the battle line is never implemented the computer so the function of light infrantry to destry other light infantry never comes fully to fruition.

[Didz]

it doesnt help that the use of light infantry to work infront of the battle line is never implemented the computer so the function of light infrantry to destry other light infantry never comes fully to fruition.

Yes, historically there were only two counters to enemy light infantry. 1) Cavalry and 2) your own light infantry. Cavalry were only viable if the enemy did not have artillery or their own cavalry to drive you off, so most armies employed their own light troops to fend off the enemies. By the end of the Napoleonic war for example every third man in a Prussian Regiment was trained for potential employment in the skirmish line, and Britain had whole regiments and divisions trained for this role.

[Fiddling_nero]

I thought you couldn't get Light Infantry until you researched the Light Infantry Tech, which is rather far down the military tree if I remeber right.

If you have colonies in the Americas you can recruit rangers. (At least for the factions that get colonies to start there.) The Austrians also get Paundors(sp?), the Spanish get Guerrillas, and the Russians get Siberian Hunters. So there is plenty of factions that gain access to light infantry early on.

[crazyviking03]

IMO, until the game can be modded to slow things down a bit, light infantry are useless as skirmishers. As it is now, with skirmish mode set, you are lucky if you can get even 1 shot off before they turn to run, especially if you are fighting native americans or other melee armies, since they like to bonzai charge across the map. If you turn off skirmish mode, then they get smashed by the enemy, since they only have 60 or so men. Dont get me wrong though, I love light infantry/rangers/auxillary and use them often, just as it is now, they die way to quickly, which is a bummer if you are like me and name your units and role play with them.

[Husar]

Well, i think light infantry are skirmishers, I guess their purpose is to harass the enemy with their longer range and higher accuracy and retreat when the enemy advances to get into range, that way you can force the enemy to march onto your lines when they are trying to defend. That's all purely theoretical of course, it's not like I have the game yet, but from the stats I saw posted here they reload slower than line infantry but have more range and accuracy, they are only worth it if you can use that I guess.

[Sisco Americanus]

I find them useful (Panders, anyway) as skirmishers. In defense you can use them to disrupt an enemy advance: place a few units of light infantry here or there in front of the advancing enemy line, forcing some of them to stop and fire while the others either keep advancing or turn to fire at the skirmishers as well. Either way, you've disrupted the enemy line, and created holes you can exploit. You can also use them to distract enemy units and often pull them away from the main fight; basically, your 400-some gold unit of 60 skirmishers pulls their 700+ gold unit of teched up line infantry off on a wild goose chase for a while, which can only level the odds of the main fight or tilt them in your favor. Later you can finish off the distracted, isolated units in detail.

Lots of uses for the different light units. You just have to be creative and get away from the line up and plug away at each other mindset.

[NimitsTexan]

I've used them to screen a deployment of line infantry or artillery, also used them to force an infantry advance to slow down so it can be engaged by my artillery.

[antisocialmunky]

The Minute Men from RTI are the units I had in mind when I did started this thread since is 160 men shooting at once. After you get fire by rank, line infantry is largely better due to the ability to stab. Since the light infantry in RTI has the same range as line infantry, I jsut stick them behind my artillery to supplement the canister shot with 160 musketballs.

[MikeV]

I've used them to screen a deployment of line infantry or artillery, also used them to force an infantry advance to slow down so it can be engaged by my artillery.

That's the classic use, in an open-field battle. After they're done skirmishing, and withdraw behind the line, they're available to protect the line's flanks (especially if the cavalry's busy chasing off the opposing cavalry). Their longer range helps them contribute fire onto the units engaged in front of the line. After the enemy foot units break, they can also chase them down (again, if the cavalry are off doing something else, or re-forming after a charge) without having to commit the line and have them lose order.

The other major use is against buildings and other field fortifications, especially when they can out-range the defenders. The line take too long, and too many casualties, to be as effective.

As ever (well, since the time of Alexander, anyway), think "Hammer and Anvil." The line, in this case, is your Anvil, and Artillery/Cavalry your Hammer. Light Infantry aren't quite peltasts, but they're useful in the auxiliary roles.