This Artillery Fixation is getting a bit old now.

[Didz]

My statement was in reference to a few people who go on the offensive and then use arty to spur the AI into attacking thereby allowing them to play defensively.

A reduction in range is regarded as not desirable as it will reduce their ability to activate the ai into attacking.

That's all.

What you mean like the British did at Colluden?

Pretty unsporting but if the AI has turned up without any decent artillery like the Scots, what do you expect.

As the balls spread out as well as lose energy they had to keep the range short.

Thats why the batteries carried heavy case.

The tin case would disintegrate when it left the barrel so there would not be any extra barrel wear.

Well unfortunately, Captain Mercer as well as a number of other writers from the period beg to differ. The point is that any round which was not a solid ball becomes compressed as it travels up the barrel and effectively the only thing that prevents it spreading laterally to diserpate the energy behind it is the wall of the barrel, hence you get more barrel wear. Attempts were made to reduce this problem by placing a sabot behind the missile package which would act a bit like a plunger and push the missiles up the barrel but gunners of the time still noted that guns employed heavily in the firing of case shot wore out faster than guns that were employed soley for bombardment.

So they never had that many canister rounds because they would rarely get to shoot that many as the enemy infantry would either be advancing or getting shot to pieces rather quickly.

Well again I'm quoting from official documents from the early 19th century quoting the instructions to gunnery officers on the correct employment of case/cannister and they state 350 yards (British) 600 yards (French). Having said that we know that Mercer was actually using heavy case over round shot at virtually pointblank range against cavalry at Waterloo. He was also very concerned that one of his most worn guns might burst under the strain.