Are bayonet techs critical in early game?

[Slaists]

Critical not really for the infantry, but for developing your military infrastructure. Getting them early means you build your higher level barracks earlier and get to recruit units like grenadiers and heavy cavalry earlier.

Square is also only useful against cavalry in melee, but not against cavalry charges. Once you charge and immediately withdraw and recharge, the infantry is pretty much gone after a few repeats. They don't really shoot much in square formation. What I dislike about cavalry in ETW is that they tire ridiculously quickly in melee and are weak there (and weak in cahrges too). Also, they seem rather invulnerable to infantry melee attacks while moving now, which also is bad (I liked the M2TW system)

Hmm, my experience actually went contrary to that (what you have in bold above). I have had Cossack infantry (they do not get bayonets) in squares losing just a few men against repeated cavalry charges.