Hi all
The last days I have been experimenting around with Cavalry Armys. The Results are somewhat disappointing ... kinda
Historicaly Cavalry Army Example - Golden Horde :
After the mongolian tribes were united, the new Khan set up the Golden Horde. The Mongolian Army was consist of about every male Mongolian in the Age between 15 and 50. ( about every ) Each Warrior was to bring at least 3 horses along with him. The Army was mainly Mongolian Horse Archers and Light Cavalry, along with some Heavy Cavalrymen, usualy the Guard of the General/Khan. Battletactics were quite easy. If they outnumbered the enemy greatly, they used their speed to encircle him, if opposed by a force greater in numbers, they usualy used their Horse Archers to force the enemy out of his defensive position and then lured them into traps. Infantery was usualy Slaves or Warriors from minor factions that had been absorbed by the Horde. Their speed made them very hard to battle. They always showed up were you least expected them, pursuit was almost impossible.
Pros & Cons with MTW Cavalry Armys :
Heavy Cavalry :
Pros:
Faster then Infantery, Stronger than most Types of Infantery
Cons:
Bad in Woods and rough terrain, vulnerable to Spears/Pikes/Halbards, Small Unit
Medium Cavalry:
Pros:
Faster then Infantery, Stronger then none Spear/Pike/Halbard Infantery
Cons:
Bad in Woods and rough terrain, vulnerable to Spears/Pikes/Halbards, Small Unit
( Heavy and Medium Cavalry are almost the same with MTW ... cept that Heavy Cavalry got more of a punch but is sometimes slower ... sometimes. )
Light Cavalry :
Pros:
Fastest Units in the Game, Stronger then many none Spear/Pike/Halbard Infantery
Cons:
Bad in Woods and rough terrain, vulnerable to Spears/Pikes/Halbards and Missiles, Small Unit
Horse Archers :
Pros:
Fastest Units in the Game, Stronger then Infantery Archers
Cons:
Bad in Woods and rough terrain, vulnerable to Spears/Pikes/Halbards and Missiles, Small Unit, worse then Infantery Archers in long range combat
Hybrid Horse Archers :
Pros:
Faster then Infantery, Stronger then none Spear/Pike/Halbard Infantery
Cons:
Bad in Woods and rough terrain, vulnerable to Spears/Pikes/Halbards and Missiles, Small Unit, worse then Infantery Archers in long range combat
General Pros :
All Units are fast, Units are easy to rearrange on the Battlefield
General Cons :
Woods and rough Terrain, vulnerability vs. Spears/Pikes/Halbards, many Units vulnerable to missiles (large targets), real bad archers (compared to Infantery)
Considering that, I come to some conclusions.
Horse Archers: Not worth a cent They can´t take upon Infantery Archers, they are no help in close combat, enemy units in woods are almost invulnerable to their arrows (making the wood problem worse)
Hybrid Horse Archers: Are a must have for every Cavalry Army, since Horse Arhers are really %$§(/& Even if they can´t make use of their Arrows (too many enemy Infantery Archers or enemy Infantery inside woods) they can still fight most none Spear/Pike/Halbard Infantery in close combat.
Medium Cavalry: Inferior to Heavy Cavalry on almost every location. Barely faster then Heavy Cavalry, way less combat skill, lesser Armour rating which makes them vulnerable to Missiles.
Light Cavalry: About as strong as Hybrid Horse Archers in close combat, Light Cavalry makes an excellent reserve force, that is quickly deployed where it is needed ... a must have
Heavy Cavalry: An absolute must have for every Cavalry Army. They are the only ones that can take upon enemy Spear Units head on and live. Important espcially when you need to drive the enemy out of some woods.
All in all ... :
If your Faction has no good Hybrid Horse Archers an Cavalry Army is about no use. The Horse Archers are no use, since after their Ammo is depleted they ar of no further use ... absolutely no use (cept vs. Pesants or Archers maybe). Without any Archers your Cavalry force can easily be countered by Spears/Halbards, since you can´t pepper them down to a size that can be handeled well.
Also terrain is very Important Many woods will be your undoing, so will be high mountains. The best chance for your Cavalry Army is when the enemy got many Archers, since they don´t stand a chance vs. any of your units and your elite units can concentrate upon the enemys anti cav units.
The use of pure Cavalry Armys is very limited ... sadly. I belive that the Historical advantages of Cavalry based Armys isn´t reflected correctly. I think the effectiveness of Horse Archers needs some tweaking, or there should be more diffrent kinds of Hybrid Horse Archers (I also miss the Firing Arc of them) . Also the speed of Heavy Cavalry should be lowered ... or Medium Cavalry is of no use compared with the Heavies.
Your turn Player 1, burn away
Jaret
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