Combat M2TW
Various Combat Arms Usage
What I recommend is pick your faction and start a campaign. Go to the building browser for a settlement and right click on the troop producing buildings. They will list what troops you can get at what level. If you right click on the unit, it will pull up the unit card with a full description and the key stats. That way you can see your entire unit line up and what buildings you need to get them.
Beyond that, M2TW is not that dissimilar from other Total War games.
A list of Faction units and stats can be found by clicking on the 'M2TW Unit' link at the bottom of the page.
Stats
In earlier Total War games, a good summary measure of unit combat effectiveness was their attack stat and their combined defence stat (armour+shield+defence skill). The chance to kill was driven by the difference between attack and defence stats, so each could be regarded as roughly of equal importance. In STW and MTW, a one point difference in the (attack - defence) differential led to an increase in the kill rate of about 20%. In RTW, the stats differed more and the corresponding increase was about 10%. In M2TW, we have no hard information yet but since the game uses a modified RTW engine, a 10% effect seems plausible.
However, in M2TW (and also RTW), the attack animations of the units also play a role, so the stats alone do not tell the whole story. This was seen most visibly in 1.0 and 1.1 when many two handed units could not damage cavalry much due to their animations. Due to differences in the animations, some units may hit more rapidly than others.
Beyond the attack and combined defence stats, the player should consider a range of other factors: - Unit size: as Stalin said, quantity has a quality all of its own. - Charge stat: this is particularly important for cavalry (it adds to their attack value if "charging" or if following through on a charge) - Morale: on VH, militia will often prove fragile due to low morale - The range, rate of fire and ammunition limit of any missiles - Unit speed (this is especially important for cavalry wanting to catch routing enemy cavalry, e.g. defeated generals!) - Armour piercing weapons: this may halve the effect of enemy armour. - Spears vs swords? Spears are more effective against cavalry, less effective against infantry. - Does the unit have a special formation? Phalanxes make pikes almost invulnerable to frontal melee attack on level ground. etc
General's bodyguards have two hit points making them twice as hard to kill. They also regenerate losses between battles.
In MP, the purchase price of the unit is the cost and should represent CA's assessment of the unit's overall combat effectiveness. However, in SP, upkeep is likely to have a much bigger effect on the overalll cost of a unit (providing surival prospect are not too grim). Upkeep is not closely tied to combat effectiveness and so some units are clear bargains (e.g. England's armoured swordsmen are more effective than the more expensive Dismounted Feudal Knights and cost about the same as far inferior militia).
Sieges
Sitting out a siege reduces the number of tiresome siege battles you have to fight and also paces your expansion, perhaps producing a more challenging game since the AI has more time to build up. However, storming settlements may bring you closer to victory. Here are some reasons:
1. Siege battle is the best place to clear out your low-tech troops such as militia which could give room to maintain better troops.
2. Each settlement at least give you 700 forin per turn which could recruit 2~3 low tech troops. Lets say you sit for 5 turns on a sieging a settlement you actually lost 4~5k forin potential income. By comparing the cost of the troops you may lost in battle, it does not worth it. [You will only lost 40~100 militia men in early game by taking a settlement even on VH/VH, and they only cost around 700 forin.]
3. Sitting on siege is a waste of your army force, especially for France you have lots of bother to defend.
4. Time is important, the faster to take the settlement, the quicker you establish your power and develop your faction. At least this is true for France.
It's all a matter of taste and preference.
