Cannons mode of fire

[Spendius]

What are these "explosive shots" from cannons ?
Are they historically accurate ?
Do they have any utility in the game (more deadly ? more efficient against walls ?)

I would have loved to be able to use "mitraille" (don't know the english word, when the cannon is loaded with nails, forks, small rocks and such, for short range devastation).

[lars573]

Historically speaking it's a stretch to be sure. Shells are first used around the mid 16th century. Made from hollowed out stone balls filled with gun powder and slow burning substnace. But that is for mortars.

In game they are for feild engagements. Kind of like burning missiles.

I would have loved to be able to use "mitraille" (don't know the english word, when the cannon is loaded with nails, forks, small rocks and such, for short range devastation).

Grapeshot or cannister shot, for future referance. Although cannister refers to a tin can full of pistol balls.

[Mailman653]

The explosive shots are more deadly against troops but very inacurate.

[chunkynut]

The explosive shots are more deadly against troops but very inacurate.

Yeah, as in will never hit the target you asked them to fire at and unlikely to hit anything else too!

Found 2 culverins to be much more useless that even 1 catapult in an open field battle with the explosive shot on.

Without the cannons seem good, obviously excel against walls, i'm not sure though how experience will effect the accuracy of explosive shot.

[Spendius]

In MTW, for trebuchets and catapults I would never use explosive shots since the rebound made more kills and hit probability. Now in MTW2, "classical" artillery is more effective with fire shots while cannons are devastating with normal shots (yeah just come on the bridge).
Thanks for confirming my thoughts.

[Sheogorath]

At least they dont blast their shot into the ground twenty feet in front of themselves like they did in RTW.
I could never really get over that. I basically stopped using siege equipment because of its crapenosity.
Now I have to start using it again >_>

[Kobal2fr]

There was explosive shot in MTW ?! Well dang, I never knew... But then again, except with valour up the wazoo, my 'pult servants satellized 3/4th of their boulders

Back to MTW2, and a bit out of the original topic but might as well share the topic, I've been wondering what burning ballista bolts do/are supposed to do. They seem to do the exact same damage as regular bolts to wooden walls, they don't skewer so there's little point to using them against people (even should they actually hit, you know, a point less than half a mile from where you were aiming ), they seem even more imprecise than regular bolts... morale effect maybe ? Then again, I've been wondering about flame arrows too, since they can't destroy walls anymore...