Adjuchas
Recruit
For those that prefer Melee infantry, here are the tactics I use:
50% Polish Infantry (sword/shield) / Muscovite Infantry (mace/shield)
50% European Infantry (Halberd)
I created a custom group for the shield users and a custom group for the halberdiers so that they can be moved independent of each other.
vs Infantry:
Line formation with shield infantry in front and halberdiers behind, spread out with about a two-man space between each man, wait until they arrive then full charge, the shield users soak up the damage whilst the halberdiers strike through the gaps.
vs Cavalry:
Same as Infantry but with tight spacing, the shield users soak the initial hit to avoid casualties, those that penetrate the line get chopped up by the halberdiers. Tend to get some that escape the melee and circle around.. I tend to take them on myself as I act somewhat like a Cuirassier with my pistol/sword kit.
vs Ranged:
This is both the easiest and hardest foe, having the shield users in tight line formation at the front is essential either way and ordered to charge with plenty of time before the halberdiers to avoid them overtaking the shield users.
Siege attack/defence:
I find that infantry perform outstandingly in sieges, in attack the shield users soak up gun fire, once inside you tend to find lots of exposed ranged infantry (who are poorly armoured and weak melee'ers) and in defence the halberdiers can chop up just about anything.
AI Tactics
I've identified 5 main tactics used by the AI, here is how to counter them with Infantry!
Before I start, the most important rule is "line of sight", ranged enemies will be a huge issue if you don't make use of cover.
The first thing that needs to be done in all battles is to find a hill, valley or stream/river that you can form your troops in to get them out of line of sight, the closer the enemy is when you engage them the better you'll do.
Full Charge:
This is first tactic you'll encounter and the most common. The enemy will charge towards you until they reach their attack range, this can be easily spotted as they will bunch up forming a spread out column.
The easiest way to deal with this is a full charge when they reach close range. If you know there will be multiple waves, ensure you recall your troops and form up in the original position when the next wave arrives as it can be disastrous having your troops spread out. See "vs Infantry" for more tactics regarding this.
Cavalry Rush:
This is a pain but surprisingly ineffective, you'll struggle to get your troops out of line-of-sight before you're swarmed so focus on getting the formation in place (see "vs cavalry"), once the initial attack is down, search for some nice cover as there will almost always be ranged attackers on foot to accompany them. Once you're satisfied there are no more cavalry, you'll need to charge the ranged infantry with shield users first.
Slow Advance:
This tends to be a mixed Cavalry/Ranged Infantry method. The AI will advance, reform ranks to fire (if they have line of sight) and advance slowly again. Eventually there will be a Cavalry charge. Follow the guide lines for "Cavalry Rush" and you'll do ok.
Stand Ground:
The AI will form a tight line of ranged cavalry and ranged infantry at their spawn point and wait for you to come to them.
There are multiple methods to combat these, all dependant on the terrain...
If the area is hilly on all sides, move your troops as close as you can without being in line of sight, if possible get your halberdiers on one side and your shield users on the other, advance with the shield users to draw fire and then charge with the halberdiers for a quick enemy wipe.
If the area has low hills or few hills, follow the steps above but keep your troops together, advance the shield users ahead of the halberdiers with plenty of time so that they don't get overtaken.
If the area is flat you're in trouble, your best option here is move half your troops to one side and half to the other side of the map with wide spacing and try a full charge. Expect reasonable losses.
Wall Hugger:
Almost identical to "Stand Ground" except the AI will retreat to the zone wall (usually an elevated position) and wait there eternally, use the same tactics as you'd use for "Stand Ground".
The worst case scenario you can get is "Stand Ground" or "Wall Hugger" on a flat area with shallow rivers. I was in a long and bloody battle near Riga where each of the three rounds of the battle happened on that terrain. After an initial slaughter I found that I had to use one half of my men as a distraction so that the other half of the pincer could get close enough to attack... the distraction suffered a lot of casualties.
50% Polish Infantry (sword/shield) / Muscovite Infantry (mace/shield)
50% European Infantry (Halberd)
I created a custom group for the shield users and a custom group for the halberdiers so that they can be moved independent of each other.
vs Infantry:
Line formation with shield infantry in front and halberdiers behind, spread out with about a two-man space between each man, wait until they arrive then full charge, the shield users soak up the damage whilst the halberdiers strike through the gaps.
vs Cavalry:
Same as Infantry but with tight spacing, the shield users soak the initial hit to avoid casualties, those that penetrate the line get chopped up by the halberdiers. Tend to get some that escape the melee and circle around.. I tend to take them on myself as I act somewhat like a Cuirassier with my pistol/sword kit.
vs Ranged:
This is both the easiest and hardest foe, having the shield users in tight line formation at the front is essential either way and ordered to charge with plenty of time before the halberdiers to avoid them overtaking the shield users.
Siege attack/defence:
I find that infantry perform outstandingly in sieges, in attack the shield users soak up gun fire, once inside you tend to find lots of exposed ranged infantry (who are poorly armoured and weak melee'ers) and in defence the halberdiers can chop up just about anything.
AI Tactics
I've identified 5 main tactics used by the AI, here is how to counter them with Infantry!
Before I start, the most important rule is "line of sight", ranged enemies will be a huge issue if you don't make use of cover.
The first thing that needs to be done in all battles is to find a hill, valley or stream/river that you can form your troops in to get them out of line of sight, the closer the enemy is when you engage them the better you'll do.
Full Charge:
This is first tactic you'll encounter and the most common. The enemy will charge towards you until they reach their attack range, this can be easily spotted as they will bunch up forming a spread out column.
The easiest way to deal with this is a full charge when they reach close range. If you know there will be multiple waves, ensure you recall your troops and form up in the original position when the next wave arrives as it can be disastrous having your troops spread out. See "vs Infantry" for more tactics regarding this.
Cavalry Rush:
This is a pain but surprisingly ineffective, you'll struggle to get your troops out of line-of-sight before you're swarmed so focus on getting the formation in place (see "vs cavalry"), once the initial attack is down, search for some nice cover as there will almost always be ranged attackers on foot to accompany them. Once you're satisfied there are no more cavalry, you'll need to charge the ranged infantry with shield users first.
Slow Advance:
This tends to be a mixed Cavalry/Ranged Infantry method. The AI will advance, reform ranks to fire (if they have line of sight) and advance slowly again. Eventually there will be a Cavalry charge. Follow the guide lines for "Cavalry Rush" and you'll do ok.
Stand Ground:
The AI will form a tight line of ranged cavalry and ranged infantry at their spawn point and wait for you to come to them.
There are multiple methods to combat these, all dependant on the terrain...
If the area is hilly on all sides, move your troops as close as you can without being in line of sight, if possible get your halberdiers on one side and your shield users on the other, advance with the shield users to draw fire and then charge with the halberdiers for a quick enemy wipe.
If the area has low hills or few hills, follow the steps above but keep your troops together, advance the shield users ahead of the halberdiers with plenty of time so that they don't get overtaken.
If the area is flat you're in trouble, your best option here is move half your troops to one side and half to the other side of the map with wide spacing and try a full charge. Expect reasonable losses.
Wall Hugger:
Almost identical to "Stand Ground" except the AI will retreat to the zone wall (usually an elevated position) and wait there eternally, use the same tactics as you'd use for "Stand Ground".
The worst case scenario you can get is "Stand Ground" or "Wall Hugger" on a flat area with shallow rivers. I was in a long and bloody battle near Riga where each of the three rounds of the battle happened on that terrain. After an initial slaughter I found that I had to use one half of my men as a distraction so that the other half of the pincer could get close enough to attack... the distraction suffered a lot of casualties.
