Miscellaneous Questions

**Ishmael** · 04-22-2009, 08:44

Miscellaneous question time! YAY!

Ok folks, I have a few random questions I'd like to put to you on all sorts of random topics. If you can answer any or all that would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I'll probably think of a few immediately after I post (you know how it is) and add those in an edit, so keep your eyes open.

1) How does fire on ships work? Will those tiddly litttle fires always grow into massive infernos that sink the ship if you/the AI does nothing about it? Or can they naturally stay small and/or go out, and so pose no threat to the ship? If they do always grow, how fast is this process? And what affect does fire have on morale?

2) Does the current tax rate of a province affect its 'worth' in diplomacy? I noticed that, as the Ottomans, the AI offered to trade 1 of its provinces for 2 of mine. 1 of my regions had an equal income to the AI's, but my other region had an income of '0,' due to being tax exempt. So was the AI just greedy, or does tax rate actually influence the AI?

3) Are the '8 inch mortars' the Russians get in their lineup for custom battles actually any better than their '4 inch' cousins? Also, are Ottoman and Maratha mortars any better than their European counterparts (they have different names, but I'm not sure if they are actually different)?

4) Does the presence of the Admiral's Flagship (with Admiral intact) give a moral boost to nearby ships?

5) Is it practical to use dragoons as mounted infantry, or do you use them as cavalry? For that matter, what is the difference between light and normal dragoons?

6) Has anybody given Madrid and/or Paris and/or England to the Powhatan yet (I'm looking at you, Megas Methuselah)?

7) How much money do the AI nations generally have available for diplomacy? If you give them a brilliant offer (for them) but they can't afford it will they still reject it with the generic 'your proposal is utterly rejected!' speech? And if you have a deal where they're paying money over a period of turns and can't pay, do you just lose out?

Ok, thats it for now, I might think of some more later. Thanks guys!

**Turbosatan** · 04-22-2009, 10:02

I can't help with all of your questions my friend but I know the answer to a couple:-

1) If my ships catch on fire, unless I stop them dead & drop the anchor, they almost always become engulfed in a raging conflagration. Tarred ropes, wood, gunpowder & acres of sails go up like a Turkish cigarette held to a blowtorch. My advice is sail out of immediate danger, drop anchor & turn off fire at will. Then pray.

2) Not sure; but: the AI is programmed to desperately want some regions. Could it be that the Ottomans wanted that particular province that was "worth zero" for a victory condition or summink?

4) Having an Admiral sail near boosts the morale of your ships' sailors & can recover them from routing (unless they're like way-gone in terror). It's like having a general on a land battle. I don't know the Admiral's radius of effect, though, nor whether it gets bigger as the Admiral increases in rank or whether the morale boost radius is fixed like in MTW1.

5) They're not very good cavalry. In a pinch, their increased unit size makes them ideal to act as a speedbump to an enemy cavalry charge, but it's a bit of a waste unless you're desperate.

I am often desperate.

& yes, it is possible to use them as mounted infantry. Whilst your foot troops are slogging it out, run them full speed around the flanks or behind the enemy & dismount & let them potshot away. Or keep them in reserve & use them to quickly deploy & plug a gap in your line; if the enemy are going to break your line (or you just need to distract them & break up their attack) send them running to the appopriate point & let them buy you some time.

Nota Bene: It is very easy to then forget about the poor muppets. This is why my dragoons almost always die. Horribly. But, you know.

Light dragoons get a different (shorter?) carbine, so they can shoot from the saddle. Dragoony dragoons must dismount before firing but can use the wedge or diamond formation on the mounted charge so are a teeny tiny ickle bit better on their horseys. & their unit card looks less cool.

**Servius** · 04-22-2009, 16:31

The only one I feel okay addressing is #5 on dragoons. I use them as light cavalry. I feel the ability to set up a small shooty group behind the enemy is not worth the trade off of mobility. I usually bring 4 cavalry units with me in my standard stack (6 if you count the Generals). Of those, 2 are always Dragoons. All 4 usually are, until I can finally build full-size heavy cavalry units. They have a larger unit size than normal cav, they can still form a wedge, and once you've taken a city, they are 2x as useful for suppressing popular unrest as other units.

The diff between Dragoons and Light Dragoons are...

1) Dragoons can form a wedge; Light Dragoons can't.
2) Dragoons can't fire while mounted; Light Dragoons can.
3) Light Dragoons have slightly better stats than Dragoons I think.

Both Dragoons and Light Dragoons have the same 2x multiplier on their ability to suppress popular unrest in a city.

**Ishmael** · 04-23-2009, 00:02

Thanks guys!
Anybody else know any answers? Any at all?

**phunkbot** · 04-23-2009, 12:45

Hi Ishmael, excellent points there, all 7 are ones I'd like to learn more about as well.

Some stuff on 5.) dragoons:
- I've successfully used them as mounted infantry when in siege battles to quickly rush up to and scale an unguarded wall; i guess it could also work for quickly garrisoning buildings.
- For running around your enemy and shooting them in the back from up close before charging in light dragoons are excellent, regular ones would take too much involvement for little gain to be useful to me.
- Light Dragoons actually work pretty good against other cavalry for the most part for me.