How do you fight?

**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

**_Tristan_** · 11-24-2009, 18:52

My favourite fighting style involves lots of cavalry and missile.

I will generalyy use fast cav to get rid of enemy missile units before they get in range.

Once done, I will then use my own missile units to soften the enemy line... and send in the heavy cav...

All you need to do is to time your cavalry charge just right... Which requires a bit of training but can be mastered rather easily...

I even managed to take on 1600 men with only two bodyguards, a Horse archer and a single unit of peasants as reinforcements...

There is nothing like cavalry in this game... Most times, I would not even take any infantry in my armies, not even in sieges (thanks to spies...)

**Yesugey** · 12-18-2009, 14:24

To having fun more, i usually train Canons and mass infantry only. The enemy hopelessly defend their cities and giving me heavy casualties, but finally overwhelmed by my swordsmen swarm.

**Seabourch** · 12-23-2009, 07:57

Depends on who I play, I'm more at home with a horde of missile cavalry, shooting everyone to death. But for infantry, I prefer a defensive battle as with England, only Billmen seem to work until your armoured swordsmen appear.