Pikemen-Defense or Non?

**Marshal Murat** · 12-28-2006, 20:25

I've played many countries and all of them have pikemen. While using them, I drew the obvious connection to Greek phalanx. Now, do I keep them in defense mode or pull them out, manke them more aggresive?

**Sir Boo** · 12-28-2006, 20:41

I say put them in defence though it does depend on the battle your in. Eg a seige you would need to use defensive and have them block off one of the roads leeeding to the town center.

**Lorenzo_H** · 12-28-2006, 20:51

Do the Spanish get Pikemen? I am at turn 120+ and I haven't seen any...

**Carl** · 12-28-2006, 20:56

Terrico Pikemen I belive. Just wish my copy of M2TW or RTW would hurry up and arrive. (Only ordered it a couple of hours ago

).

**nameless** · 12-28-2006, 21:06

Originally Posted by diablodelmar

Do the Spanish get Pikemen? I am at turn 120+ and I haven't seen any...

You need the top tier barracks for Huge Cities to build them I think.

**PaulTa** · 12-28-2006, 21:56

no, you need the military academy, which gives you four recruitment of Tercio pikes. Once you upgrade further, you get gendarmes and Tercios.

**lobo76** · 12-29-2006, 03:02

I need to ask, since PIKES have no shield:

For defense, there are 3 stats. Armor (all round), Shield (frontal left) and Skill (frontal right). Since pikes have no shield, does their Skill defense extend to their whole front or the same as other troops? i.e when attacking a pike formation, it is the same whether I attack from the back OR from the left? Both will only need to overcome armor defense.

**dopp** · 12-29-2006, 06:18

No, defense skill applies only to melee. Most pikes have defense 1 anyway so it hardly matters.

Vanilla pikes are hampered by what seems to be a disabled armor system and a tendency to switch to swords immediately after the first contact. Their spear wall also doesn't stop charges. Guard mode sometimes helps them maintain formation, but then they don't attack (same problem with any unit in guard mode).

**Musashi** · 12-29-2006, 12:59

Originally Posted by Carl

Terrico Pikemen I belive. Just wish my copy of M2TW or RTW would hurry up and arrive. (Only ordered it a couple of hours ago

).

For shame Carl. You've been posting about the game here and over on Relic all this time without actually buying it?

Tsk tsk. ;)

**Carl** · 12-29-2006, 13:02

I needed the christmas money

. (My first posts at relic where asking about how the game looked/worked on the strategy map BTW.)

Genrally i've been repeating what others have said elswhere, I don't think i've given out a bad peice of info, (yet

).

**General Zhukov** · 12-29-2006, 13:49

Originally Posted by Marshal Murat

I've played many countries and all of them have pikemen. While using them, I drew the obvious connection to Greek phalanx. Now, do I keep them in defense mode or pull them out, manke them more aggresive?

Don't think phalanx. It seems that the proper use of pikemen in this game is to stop cavalry charges. So, use them for area denial tactics or to protect troops behind them. And yes, they stop charges very well. Do a test: the 150 florin militia pikes will humiliate charging French Lancers, which are the premier heavy cav in the game.