Tactical post
 

I propose to discute in this post about the tactical tips and test made in the game, and the differences we find respect MTW2.

First observations
 

Skirmishing phase:

- distance: respect to TW series, the missile have little or nothing effect to long distanc; they can only cause wounded to no-armoured units. They start to cause dead to no armoured units at medium distance, and to heavy units only at short distance and not frontally (i suppose for the shield presence). Also the unit density change the missile effect. So respect the TW games here the skirmish has to be made very close.

- Take the higher ground permit to defend better or attacker better against/with the missiles units.

- run to hit the archers: the classical TW tactics against the archers, launch a light cavalry to attack them, is not a good idea. The moral of no-knight cavalry can collapse very rapidly if run without support, and under short distance missile fire. Better use it in more intelligent modality.

- cavalry archers: the cavalry archers can be very useful to hit the heavy cavalry charge on the flank, and to destroy the army cohesion. If pursued she caused much damage. But to hit with efficiency she must go very close (or over a high terrain), and so she can be hit be foot archers or can be taked by a counter-charge. That because in the game the cavalry in movement changes direction with a U movement of all the unit (very realistic and correct thing), not with a turn of the front of the single man, so the time to run is shorter respect to TW.

My most immediate noted difference was that the default speed of the cavalry is set to run. This is very different from all TW games, and very annoying. All other units appropriately walk first and only run when commanded, the cavalry should too.

Me too is see this, it is very annoying for walk in formation, but in battle I found useful. Many times at MTW2, I click two times for make to run a cavalry, but after i see she walk because i click for error one or three times.

Anyway if you give a ctrl+A at the start of battle and press "walk", all the cavarly will continue to walk just to first run command you set for each unit.

Second
 

- Against the pikemen, the swordmen are more useful that other pikemen. They inflict to these more losses in minor time.

- I prefer to use the pikemen against the cav. in deep formations and compact. So it is more probable to block in fixed position the horsemen.

In the game not all so simply as can seem. And by a cavalry it is possible to win over pikemen, and there are the cases when knights lose to swordsmen. ;)
P.S.
Pikemen from Kyivan Rus' and arabic pikemen are more powerful than other.

Sure the exceptions to rule exist. But in general resist to a cavalry charge with swordmen isn't a very good idea I saw. Too many losses. Better attack when the cavalry is fixed or in coordination with other cavalry.

The pike of not-western are better (like many others units type). but they are also high-priced :grin:

They cost that ;) IMHO.

Feigned attack
 

I saw this possibility, which use the enemy self control: i launch a cavalry unit (better no irregular, sergeants if possible but also mounted archers) in a frontal or lateral attack. At last moment i turn back the unit (one or more time this movement). This movement can stimulate the enemy with high self control to leave the formation to try to attack; with the AI is more easy, but also vs human, this cause problems to maintain a coherent line when many units start to attack. If your army is not far, you can a rapid attack when the adversary try to reorganize his line.

It is better change the cavalry unit used for this work, because the fatigue grow rapidly, and it is necessary make attention to enemy shooters.

Enemy shooters, yes it is a serious problem ;)
Horse archers can become a large problem for any player. But also they are not omnipotent.