What is this game?

[Hooahguy]

yay! im finally right for the first time in my life!

[Incongruous]

As I said the Pike was obsolete by 1700, with a few exceptions of coarse, I did say Sweden and Russia.
I had not heard of the Spanish still using it to any great extent.
After Ryswik Pikes were abolished in Germany and Britain, the French soon adopted the Bayonet as well in 1703, thus rendering Pikes obsolete. Plug Bayonets had been used since the 1670's, but with the ability to fire while using the bayonet Pikes were not needed at all to protct from cavalry.

But as I said, there were exceptions.

[PapaNasty]

@ Xehh II
Hehe yeah the Bay is a nice place, Pity our rugby team isn't so great though Best features here are definately the beach in summer (International Beach Vollyball champs anyone? mmmmm Swedish Vollyball girls ) and the offshore fishing. And thankfully we're nothing like Auckland... although we get lots of Jaffa drivers through here

@Bopa
Haha the 500 in Dunedin over the weekend looked pretty chaotic, But they're being pretty tough on those they arrested I hear. Wellington is a great place, despite the weather... Great if your into anything wind-powered though huh Great clubs too

But back to the Pikes...

Didn't Cavalry tactics change greatly around this time as well, removing them from being one of the main "shock" forces of an Army? From what I remember the large-scale use of better gunpowder weapons meant that Armies around this time largely stopped using armour of the heavy kind for mounted soldiers, moving them to more of a "light scouting" and enveloping role (as Knights were obsolete); meaning the pike defence was largely redundant anyway and use of the Bayonet was not only less costly but also also cut down the need for armies of the size previously seen, as 1 man did the job of both shooter and pikeman. Correct me if i'm wrong or anything, i'm just going off what history I have read up on

[pevergreen]

To my understanding, pikes were there to stop cav charging muskets.

Muskets shoot, while reloading cav charge, pikes protect muskets, cav run, muskets shoot.

[Incongruous]

The bayonet rendered the Pike obsolete, infantry did not take as long to reload their firelocks. Cavalry had for some time been used to flank enemy lines, or destroy wavering units. Hunting down retreatig or fleeing units was also their part. But a charge of cuirassiers could still endanger an unprepared front line.
Pikes were the reserve of poorly armed revolts usually in this period.
But the early French Republican Armies, which were of an increased size, used them too.