How to Use Artillery Offensively?

[NimitsTexan]

How the heck do you get artillery in range while on the offensive? Every time I try to move artillery close enough to support an attack, even with Horse Battery's, the enemy artillery will wipe them all out before I can get the unlimbered.

[gollum]

Hello NimitsTexan,
another player already mentioned the issue in the wishlist thread - please drop by to cast your *vote* there for it too, in case CA are monitoring the forum. Through steam patches mp may quickly evolve into a finished state.

[thurjack_mahr]

A lot of people seem to have a problem with artillery, clamoring it's over- or under- powered. Personally I think CA hit it just about right.

The purpose of artillery is RANGE. If you can drop bombs on the enemy and they cannot drop bombs on you, theoreticially, sooner or later you will win. The purpose of artillery is not to destroy the enemy army in it's entirety - at least not in this armchair general's opinion - but rather to force the enemy to have to advance to answer the cannons. In other words, if you have artillery and they don't, they will be advancing and you will be defending (assuming of course they are in range.)

The horse-drawn cannons have a range of 400 (most of them) and they can haul in a jam by making them Run. With that in mind, I usually deploy them off to the flanks, aiming inwards to shoot into the middle of the enemy line as they advance on my own. The hard part is that you are bringing a unit into range for ranged attacks - this gives the defender the first round of shots at you while you are deploying and unlimbering.

Is there a way to avoid that first salvo? Well, not if you get noticed advancing. Options include trying to sneak a cannon around in the confusion and hope your enemy doesn't notice - or - send out some cheap-o units ahead of the cannon and hope that they draw the fire. It's good to buy a few units of total crap sometimes strictly for fodder if the budget can handle it!

[KrooK]

Gah - you simply dont know how to use art.
Problem with attacking art can be easily soluted but ... you have to be smart.

[gollum]

Originally posted by Krook
Gah - you simply dont know how to use art.
Problem with attacking art can be easily soluted but ... you have to be smart.

Interesting Krook, what does the trick then?

[Lavos]

How the heck do you get artillery in range while on the offensive? Every time I try to move artillery close enough to support an attack, even with Horse Battery's, the enemy artillery will wipe them all out before I can get the unlimbered.

When I'm bringing attacking army I usually don't bring any artillery just because of that reason. Its better to bring a single unit so you have more fighting units. When I do bring artillery, I just leave it hiding in the forest, advance on enemy, start some skirmishing, then bring them out. That way defender may miss them, and they will safely unlimber. Then, if they destroy opponents artillery, you can draw back and regroup around your artillery and make him attack. But chances of that happening are low. Mainly because of another point:
Artillery on hill is usually in advantage. For some reason some artillery don't shoot as good uphill as downhill. 24incher is great example here. Shooting downhill, or on flat, they do good damage using their shotgun shot, but shooting uphill their bullets usually won't separate before impact. Howitzers, on other hand, are also good uphill shooters.

[Postino]

the maps we have are cluttered with small hills that are just high enough to severely reduce the odds of artillery hitting a unit behind it. Hills have military crests, use them(though I'll admit that getting artillery in just the right spot to both use the cover and fire from it is a bit tricky).

otherwise, what thurjack said.

[KrooK]

Sorry Gollum - I never reveal tricks I'm using.
But trust me - there are some tricks - working tricks.

[gollum]

Sure, thanks Krook.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Krook is right. While it may be difficult to use artillery in offense, it is certainly possible to do so effectively. For example, I was playing as the Russians on one map in multiplayer when the American player moved his artillery up onto my flank in an effective manner. If he hadn't messed up on the placement of the rest of his army, the superior placement of his offensive artillery would have helped him to win.

[NimitsTexan]

Even when unlimbering at extreme range, and using French Guard Horse Artillery, I always seemt to lose 50%-75% of my guns while moving/unlimbering.

[Tully Bascombe]

Horse artillery are simply not very good at counter-battery work, that's what the 12 pound foot artillery was used for. Historically they were best used as a follow up to a cavalry charge. They would unlimber at 100 to 200 yards from the enemy infantry. If all went as planned they would be loading by the time the preceding cavalry had withdrawn. Behind them would be columns of infantry advancing across the field. They would try to get 2 or 3 rounds of canister shot off before their own infantry reached their position. It doesn't sound like much, but if they managed to catch the enemy still in their squares the effect of a few rounds of canister shot would be horrific.

I don't know if it's possible to re-create this in ETW though. I don't think the AI will stay still long enough to let such a complex tactic unfold. 18th century armies tended to stand in line and slug things out.

[TexRoadkill]

You simply can't move your artillery into enemy artillery range without risking losing them. You have to try and draw them into your killzone instead of entering theirs. That is what your skirmishing units are for. Try to draw them out with sharpshooters and cav, try to get your sharpshooters on the artillery. If that doesn't work you have to move up your main force and hope they draw the fire so you can setup your artillery within range.

If you are using your artillery to take out their artillery then you are just wasting it. If they target your artillery then move up your army and let your artillery hit their infantry as long as it can. Hopefully you will overwhelm them before they take out your guns.

[KrooK]

Or maybe think about something else ... what exaclty is range into this game? Is it the same thing like into mtw 2?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

That is true. Using the attack ground feature, along with shrapnel shot for example, a creeping barrage with two or more artillery units advancing in waves can be fairly effective.