Placement and selection of artillery?

[Amir of Ness]

Hello,

forgive me if this appears to be a daft question.

Is there any reliable way of working out where to place big guns etc (non-moveable artillery) that means they will be facing the right way to do some damage?

When my units first appear on the map in deployment phase, they seem to often be facing the still invisible enemy. Using the direction they are pointing to begin with I've had some degree of success in firing. Is this just luck or is there a hint in the starting positions?

A second related question is what is the best artillery piece to develop and deploy? I'm thinking mainly in terms of hitting key units (especially the general) on the battle field rather than walls in a siege. There is a wide range with differening accuracy and fire-rates, is one really big cannon more effective than two smaller faster ones?

Would appreciate the views of experienced generals

[Reconquistador]

hi

while im not sure about the starting angle (have to test it...)

my personal favorite artillery piece is the serpentine. good range and not a bad minimum range either, plus decent damage if it hits.

that or a line of culvins hurling death at the enemy and watchin the balls bounce through their ranks.....sign why do i have to be at work.....i wanna be killing stuff...WHY GOD WHY

[katar]

the direction your troops face at the start gives you a general direction, after that you have to decide on the enemies line of advance and direction of attack.

it can get to be a real guessing game, when it has several ways to attack you and you can either concentrate your artillery in one direction (hoping they come along that path).

or

placing your units so that they face several different directions (then at least a few will be able to fire on them, but you won`t be able to unleash massed fire upon them).

personally i always stick with catapults, a 360 degree fire arc gets rid of all the guesswork

that way the enemy get screwed, no matter their direction of attack.

p.s. welcome to the forum guys.

[The_Emperor]

I agree with Katar Artillery with a full 360 Degree angle of fire is a lot more useful in general combat.

Trebuchets and Mangonnels are good in castle assaults but lack the versatility of a Catapult in the fluid nature of a battle.

[Dhepee]

Fixed direction artillery can be good in a defensive position, espcially if you move your units to the crest of a hill near the edge of the map. That pretty much guarantees the direction of the enemy attack, and you can place your guns accordingly. The artillery fire will diminish the advancing impetus and lower morale in the enemy so that when they make contact with your line they are already a little shaken and much more likely to route. I usually withdraw my artillery units after it is clear that the enemy has no more reinforcements coming on the field (this is where agents and watchtowers come in handy) and bring on more mobile units for the pursuit phase of the battle. Positioning is everything. If you are close to the edge of the map you pretty much know where the enemy is going to hit you and the time lag between withdrawing a unit and bringing a unit on is short because your lines are right on the entry point of the field, this is important for effective pursuit.
Fixed direction artillery is kind of a waste on the attack, or any artillery for that matter. You are usually started too far away from the enemy to use the artillery for preping fire and it takes up valuable slots in your line of battle. On the attack better to go with a strong missile unit and use them to soften up the enemy before your assault.

[katar]

the only time i use artillery when attacking is on a bridge assault.

you know that they will be defending a fixed position, and the main enemy body will nearly always be within range of your artillery.

when defending, if you can make certain that the enemy have a limited avenue of attack, and that your flanks can be secured, you should be able to train all of your artillery along the enemies line of advance for maximum effect.

there`s nothing in the world like seeing a volley of six catapult shots bouncing happily through the ranks of sixteen mixed up enemy units as they funnel through a valley with their flanks blocked by steep cliffs.

the slaughter is a sight to behold.

[Skidrowpunk]

If I defend, I place the artillery behind my soldiers on a steep hill. If it's a low valour artillery piece I use them to watch the nice effects of when it hits the ground and maybe to kill some attackers . On high valour artillery I aim at the first row and they hit the second, third and fourth . When I attack I always try to lure the defenders from their position and into my artillery fire.

I'll stick with the mighty catapults, as you all said a 360 degree fire arc is invaluable, on the field. On castle assault it's mangonels or trebuchets.