This guide will help you to understand the use of advanced formations and hopefully it will help you improve your skill. First off you will need to allow advanced formations to be shown. To do this you will need to go to options>game options and then select the 'show advanced formations' option
Ok, onto the guide. First i will get the simple ones out of the way and then move onto some more complex ones.
-Fire mode- This is the mode you will select to put your cannons into 'ready' mode, in this mode they will fire whenever a enemy unit is in range, however they move very slowly so if you need to get them to a battle make sure you put them in limber mode (game does this automatically if you tell them to travel a long distance)
-Limber mode- allows your cannons to move fast but they cannot fire in this mode.
-Standground mode- Your units will not move from where you tell them to stand without you moving them, even if they become under fire they will continue to just stand there.
-Trample mode- This mode is only availble for melee cavalry, to be honest this mode is pretty much useless. The only circumstances i would use it is if your cavalry is surrounded by pikeman and there is no way they will survive, put them in this mode to make them do more damage before they fall.
-Stagger mode- Probably one of the most use modes in the game. Selecting this mode will cause your units to pan out and create space between them. This makes a cannon ball do less damage and units like spahi and cuirs which have splash damage will cause damage to fewer units that normal. One little thing to remember though is, if you click on stagger but dont move your units they will not change there position, so if you get a glimps of a cannons click stagger and then move your units immidiatley.
-Melee mode- This is the default mode for all of your melee units, infantry and cavalry (obviously ). However your ranged units can be put in this mode to make them more effective. For example musketeers to more damage to cavalry in melee mode than in ranged mode. And if the unit you are facing has good ranged armor it may be a good idea to put your units into melee mode.
-Defensive mode- This mode will make your units create a box shape, this is good for surounding your cannons and stopping cavalry charges. However if your units are attacked they will move out of this box creating openings for cavalry. Here is where a combination of modes will be used, you can set your units into defense mode and surround your cannons, once they are in place switch them into 'Standground mode' this means when they get attacked by enemy light infantry for example they will not move out of position and not create openings for cavalry. Here is a video showing this.
-Stealth mode- Some native units have the stealth ability, for example the forest prowler. This is a very useful ability to have. There are many ways in which you can use it to your advantage. Raiding, you can put your units into stealth and sneak them between your enemy villagers and there nearest garrison allowing you to kill alot of villagers. You can use them vs cannons, at range forest prowlers die badly to cannons at range but in melee they win. Knowing this you can sneak your stealthed units right next to the cannons, past there cannons defence and they pop out and melee all the cannons to death. Sneak attacks. If you put your units in stealth you can launch a ambush on your enemies advancing troops and attack him while he is ill prepared gaining you a huge advantage. Here is a video showing some of these in action.
-Cover mode-This mode is available to melee infantry units. It makes your unit twice as hard to kill but halfs its siege and halfs its speed. So it sounds like it would be pretty useless on the battle field but you if you use it effectively while sieging enemy buildings it could be the difference between a dead enemy town centre and a bunch of dead pikes. Ok so heres how to do it.I will use pikeman attacking a TC for an example. When your pikeman are siegeing the TC you will be able to see which pikeman has just taken a hit as its health bar shows above its head, now you need to click on that pikeman only and switch it isnto cover mode, now usally it would've died on the next shot but it doesnt, now the TC has to take another full shot to kill that pikeman. Now all you have to do it do this for every unit the TC attacks and your pikeman will last thats extra bit longer to kill the TC. Here is a video showing this.
This post has been edited by Apocalypes: Mar 12 2007, 15:13 PM
In my opinion, there is one bad and worst point about using cover mode. Enemy can just shoot to different unit once he see you used cover mode for one of your pikes. And the worst thing is that, yes, the unit will live 50% longer but it will also do 50% less siege and we dont want that, do we? I know the one pikeman will live longer by using this but so will the TC. But Im really not an expert, in fact im only captain in TWC and anybody is more than welcome to explain it to me a bit further
You are correct in saying that he can just shoot at another pike but the hope is that he wont. And that 1 pike you put in cover mode will do 50% less siege yes, but he woulda died in 2 shots so your making your other pikes do more siege becuase they are lasting longer.
nice guide indeed, and when sieging microing pikes to cover mode is usually pretty good because it will save some pikes and people normally dont tell their TC/TP to attack another unit...
In my opinion, there is one bad and worst point about using cover mode. Enemy can just shoot to different unit once he see you used cover mode for one of your pikes. And the worst thing is that, yes, the unit will live 50% longer but it will also do 50% less siege and we dont want that, do we? I know the one pikeman will live longer by using this but so will the TC. But Im really not an expert, in fact im only captain in TWC and anybody is more than welcome to explain it to me a bit further
You just put the unit that is being fired in cover mode. You can easily test it in the editor. Do 5 pikes vs 1 tower. In cover mode, 2.3 pikes survive and without cover mode all pikes die without destroying the tower.
It's very micro intensive, and not very easy to pull off in a game. Can be really handy early on though, like vs a Spain who forwards his age up tower.
Trample mode- This mode is only availble for melee cavalry, to be honest this mode is pretty much useless. The only circumstances i would use it is if your cavalry is surrounded by pikeman and there is no way they will survive, put them in this mode to make them do more damage before they fall.
Are you F-ing serious? This mode works great against a massing of skirms, longbows, and other light infantry. Send a good deal of cavalry into their mass and put them in trample mode - those LI units just drop like flies. You blew it on that one, little guy.
I for one do not one 0% resist, 3.3 speed melee cavalry chasing 4.0 speed, 26 ranged attack FP.
If you're half-smart, you send the cavalry at normal mode right up to the LI formation. You put half in trample mode while the other half flanks the formation, effectively pinching it between the two cavalry formations. You pop that one into trample mode, and you got them. I do it all the time, and it works brilliantly against LI. Come on, people, use your brains a little...
you send the cavalry at normal mode right up to the LI formation. You put half in trample mode while the other half flanks the formation, effectively pinching it between the two cavalry formations.
Does LI have a special ability that I don't know about, called "Ghost Mode"? They can float through the horsies and pop-out on the other side? Using the method above, they are trapped, no where to go - cavalry on either side. That forces them (most of them) into automatic melee mode, which is useless. They are scrapped. Done.
No mate, its crap, your units take soo much damage it isnt worth it and if your flanking from 2 sides then thats leave 2 alternative routes for them to run from. And please dont patronise me.
This post has been edited by Apocalypes: Mar 6 2007, 18:24 PM
No mate, its crap, your units take soo much damage it isnt worth it and if your flanking from 2 sides then thats leave 2 alternative routes for them to run from. And please dont patronise me.
Your credibility is wanting; how can you post a "Guide" and then say something as retarded as above? You have obviously have some learning to do - and don't you dare patronize ME (spell it right).
Im not going to get into this with you, what i wrote are facts, you are the only one who has disagreed, if you find trample mode useful, then use it, im just sharing what i learned myself.
This guide will help you to understand the use of advanced formations and hopefully it will help you improve your skill.
First off you will need to allow advanced formations to be shown. To do this you will need to go to options>game options and then select the 'show advanced formations' option
Ok, onto the guide. First i will get the simple ones out of the way and then move onto some more complex ones.
-Fire mode- This is the mode you will select to put your cannons into 'ready' mode, in this mode they will fire whenever a enemy unit is in range, however they move very slowly so if you need to get them to a battle make sure you put them in limber mode (game does this automatically if you tell them to travel a long distance)
-Limber mode- allows your cannons to move fast but they cannot fire in this mode.
-Standground mode- Your units will not move from where you tell them to stand without you moving them, even if they become under fire they will continue to just stand there.
-Trample mode- This mode is only availble for melee cavalry, to be honest this mode is pretty much useless. The only circumstances i would use it is if your cavalry is surrounded by pikeman and there is no way they will survive, put them in this mode to make them do more damage before they fall.
-Stagger mode- Probably one of the most use modes in the game. Selecting this mode will cause your units to pan out and create space between them. This makes a cannon ball do less damage and units like spahi and cuirs which have splash damage will cause damage to fewer units that normal. One little thing to remember though is, if you click on stagger but dont move your units they will not change there position, so if you get a glimps of a cannons click stagger and then move your units immidiatley.
-Melee mode- This is the default mode for all of your melee units, infantry and cavalry (obviously ). However your ranged units can be put in this mode to make them more effective. For example musketeers to more damage to cavalry in melee mode than in ranged mode. And if the unit you are facing has good ranged armor it may be a good idea to put your units into melee mode.
-Defensive mode- This mode will make your units create a box shape, this is good for surounding your cannons and stopping cavalry charges. However if your units are attacked they will move out of this box creating openings for cavalry. Here is where a combination of modes will be used, you can set your units into defense mode and surround your cannons, once they are in place switch them into 'Standground mode' this means when they get attacked by enemy light infantry for example they will not move out of position and not create openings for cavalry.
Here is a video showing this.
-Stealth mode- Some native units have the stealth ability, for example the forest prowler. This is a very useful ability to have. There are many ways in which you can use it to your advantage.
Raiding, you can put your units into stealth and sneak them between your enemy villagers and there nearest garrison allowing you to kill alot of villagers.
You can use them vs cannons, at range forest prowlers die badly to cannons at range but in melee they win. Knowing this you can sneak your stealthed units right next to the cannons, past there cannons defence and they pop out and melee all the cannons to death.
Sneak attacks. If you put your units in stealth you can launch a ambush on your enemies advancing troops and attack him while he is ill prepared gaining you a huge advantage.
Here is a video showing some of these in action.
-Cover mode-This mode is available to melee infantry units. It makes your unit twice as hard to kill but halfs its siege and halfs its speed. So it sounds like it would be pretty useless on the battle field but you if you use it effectively while sieging enemy buildings it could be the difference between a dead enemy town centre and a bunch of dead pikes. Ok so heres how to do it.I will use pikeman attacking a TC for an example. When your pikeman are siegeing the TC you will be able to see which pikeman has just taken a hit as its health bar shows above its head, now you need to click on that pikeman only and switch it isnto cover mode, now usally it would've died on the next shot but it doesnt, now the TC has to take another full shot to kill that pikeman. Now all you have to do it do this for every unit the TC attacks and your pikeman will last thats extra bit longer to kill the TC.
Here is a video showing this.
This post has been edited by Apocalypes: Mar 12 2007, 15:13 PM
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