How do you fight?

**IncubusDragon** · 11-19-2009, 02:29

I'm curious about the similarities and differences there may be in how we approach fighting our battles. Do we stick to the same old tried-and-tested methods that we are comfortable with, or risk all with an audacious manouever?

I'm quite new to M2TW, but I cut my teeth playing multiplayer with Viking Invasion (VI) back in the good old days when I had a decent internet connection, so my main battle tactic is based upon the old VI online battles. I know there are folk out there who have only played single-player and so might not know what I mean, so in the following clip, I added some captions to give a general insight into my general tactics/reasonings (I tried grouping my infantry, something I rarely do)...

me fighting the battle (with captions) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsZg-RQ6UM8
...or...
edited highlights put to music (no captions) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mov5HlFdzIw
(you guessed it, I've been bitten by the movie bug after installing Fraps!)

My favourite "general purpose" army is Hungarian... good infantry and solid cavalry, including my favourite unit - Hungarian Nobles. Hungarian Nobles are horse archers that have a bit more stuffing in them than many other horse archer units, and can therefore double-up as fast light cavalry that can be critical in the outcome of melee combat when used right.

I'm aware that my YouTube clips aren't of the highest resolution, so here's a copy of the battle replay if you want to have a better look... http://www.mediafire.com/file/eyibzm...ngarianWin.rpy (simply save into your "replays" folder)

If you fancy fighting the battle yourself, here's the battle file... http://www.mediafire.com/file/5zrrnjxiiry/Hungary (simply save into your "custom" folder)

It'll be my intention to add any findings to this thread as I experiment in single player... but don't let that put you off adding anything of your own too!

**Braden** · 11-19-2009, 13:26

My tactics have remained largely unchanged in the single player campaign since Shogun.

A core of good, solid infantry that are better at holding the line than actually killing anything.

A few ranged units to soften the enemy up (though these are getting less and less in number now I've adapted tactics a bit for M2)

4+ units of good cavalry to actually kill with.

The main change I've done from the basic "Hammer & Anvil" tactic with M2 is that I range my cavalry much wider and further forward. The Ai is more likely in M2 to turn a good portion of his lines to face 1 or 2 cavalry companies leaving their flanks exposed to my infantry or at the least leaving the Ai with a disorganised muddle of troops which I can pick off company at a time with massed cavalry charges.

I've only really re-found ranged units in E:TW where I'm adding more and more cannon and my cavalry do nearly no fighting.

**Khorak** · 11-20-2009, 17:15

My preference, which unfortunately isn't possible with all factions, is a total range spam. England isn't my favourite faction for entirely patriotic reasons, I will happily fill an army with 10-12 (as normal, more if I have them available) of the best longbowmen I currently have, hopefully with a decent general and some siege if I'm going after cities. I always fight defensively (like England always historically did come to think of it) and shoot everything to death. I might have some melee troops if I'm storming cities, but otherwise MTW2 is so ridiculously unrealistic about the lethality of the bow as a general rule, that I can get by without bringing a screen of heavy infantry to an AI stomping. The only real problem against these armies is cavalry, which stakes deal with quite effectively by forcing them to die horribly in a frontal charge or die horribly under a hail of arrows as they screw around trying to flank me.

Once I start getting well enough into the gunpowder era, it just gets even worse. I'll end up putting out armies of 12 longbowmen and 8 cannons. The cannons alone are an unholy ranged terror with such numbers, stacked up with the longbows and there simply isn't any way to concieveably assail such an army without huge losses. You're just gonna get brutalised on the approach. And with the range of the cannons, I can force an AI army to attack me on my terms.

I'll also get by very happily with cannons and heavy infantry. Playing as Denmark can be a bit of a one trick pony for half the game as you run screaming towards the enemy in every single battle with a horde of whatever heavy infantry you have to hand in the secure knowledge that once you get your hands on the enemy, they're stuffed. Then you end up with cannons and Obudshaer and just can't stop laughing manically.

**Cute Wolf** · 11-20-2009, 22:30

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

With my Favourite Faction in each game

Vanilla & British Isles
England
Abuse your enemies with every kind of longbowmen! and get some Dismounted English Knights to kick their arse if they come close!... just made 4 dismounted English knights at the front, and let every longbowmen stand behind him (stronger longbowmen got outer place to protect against melee), switch off the skirmish mode, and watch your enemies fall easily... btw, plant all stakes on the ground, so massive cav charges won't make it... use two english knights as cavalry support
Scotland
Made a line of pikes using your highland clansmen, get some noble pikemen to guard their flanks, and get some highland nobles to help mop enemy line... just made sure that you got some archers and mortars, and just march to your enemy..... Better keep a feudal knight or two, as cav counter...

Crussaders only
Jerusalem
Use Marshall of the Templars as general unit in MP, then get the constables of jerusalem as support cavalry, get some templars and or tripolitan knights as regular cavalry, and use some squires and dismounted knights as line infantry... use templar crossbowmen as front line skirmishers, along with some moron of lebanon for backup archers, that's it... made use of your powerful heavy cavalry for close contact, with your bows pelting those saracens horse archers...
If you face massive Saracen troops, just use more moronites to give them spiky death...

**IncubusDragon** · 11-24-2009, 08:17

Cheers fellas... I suppose it makes sense to develop the use of missile/gunpowder units as our tactics evolve... after all, it's better for your own army if you can decimate the enemy before you even need to to raise a sword.

I was having a wee look at the Timurid "tank" (artillery elephants), and as far as I've been able to ascertain, only gunpowder units can take them out - no amount of arrows will injure them in the slightest (obviously, you can use half your infantry to take them on hand-to-hand but sustain heavy casualties too). As far as I've discovered so far, it takes two units of musketeers for every unit of Timurid "tanks" to take them out successfully. That said, you can take out a full stack of Timurid "tanks" with a full stack of Musketeers with minimal casualties...

**Cute Wolf** · 11-24-2009, 09:06

Janissary Musketters are actually the best gunmen in the M2TW game, as if they had no more ammo, they just drew their swords and charge forward to act as decent medium infantry (seriously). You can expect the same with Russian Cossack musketters.

But it looks like in empire TW: the Ottomans didn't have these excellent men, and Janissary musketters are quick to die in melee....

**IncubusDragon** · 11-24-2009, 09:25

That was fun, but when the Timurid "tank" is integrated into a balanced force, it's very awkward to handle. I set up a custom battle with 5 units of Timurid "Tank" (have they got limitless ammo?) and filled half my own army with 10 units of Musketeers... I admit I was a bit sloppy but still manage a win by a hair's breadth...

Like I say, sloppy performance... If I protected my Musketeers better, then I wouldn't have needed to bring so many of them, but c'est la vie and all that. Anyway, here's the battle replay - far from ideal, but it at least demonstrates that the longer range of the muskets come into their own when facing-down the "tanks" (save into your "replays" folder)...
http://www.mediafire.com/file/nzzt0my2ziz/Pyrrhic

As usual, battle is set to "very difficult" and if you fancy trying it for yourself, here's the battle file (save into your "custom" folder)...
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ckoiltzdvog/Elephant