Weapons of FOTS

[EmperorBatman999]

There has been some discussion over what guns the modern units use in the game, so I thought I would post who uses what weapons. I'm quite impressed with the variety CA put in, and a lot of it is accurate.

Minie Rifle (Generic Percussion Cap Rifles):
Manufacturer: Europe and the USA
Units:
US Marines (Trapdoor Springfield)
Line Infantry
"Bear" Infantry
Sharpshooters
Yugekitai
Aizu Line Units
Levy Infantry (According to the description, most likely the "Gewehr")

Snider-Enfield:
Manufacturer: Britain
Units:
Royal Marines (They seem to use a breach loading variation)
Imperial Infantry
Republic Infantry
Shogunate Infantry
Khitanei

Chassepot Rifle:
Manufacturer: France
Units:
French Marines
Guard Infantry (Shogun, Imperial, Republic)

Spencer Rifle:
Manufacturer: USA
Units:
Imperial Guard Cavalry
Carbine Cavalry
Tosa Riflemen

Smith and Wesson Revolver:
Manufacturer: USA
Units:
Modern Infantry Officers
Revolver Cavalry
General's Bodyguard

[♔The Black Knight♔]

Great info! Didn't know there was so much verity.

[Humble Warrior]

You know I wish the manual you get had a glossary of weapons and their general abilities, perhaps with the real life equivalent.

I really miss the days you got a good thick manual with the info, not the wafer thin useless nothingness that is filled more with credits and `hello` waffle than info.

I also find the ingame encyclopedia annoying as it always makes my game stutter to use and covers the whole screen. It would be more convenient just having the manual by my side as I run the program.

[Shugo560]

i love the spencer, but im surprised back then they didnt issue spencers to armies, a seven shot rifle all you have to do is work a lever and pull a hammer, and its not stiff, with a seven shot tubular magazine, pretty impressive compared to a single shot breach gun

[Captain Arrrgh!]

I particularly enjoy their use of bayonets... Like from the cutscene with the guard on the train...

Regarding the Minie, man what a brutal weapon, essentially a .50 cal. It took whole limbs off. Surgeons in the Civil War were aghast at the casualties brought to them.

[Shugo560]

well the Minie ball was good round, but cant outgun a spencer , but the minie can easily out-caliber it

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

well the Minie ball was good round, but cant outgun a spencer , but the minie can easily out-caliber it

I'd rather outfit my troops with accurate, slow firing, large caliber guns anyway.


If I had to choose, of course. It's always good to have a mix.

[Ifernat]

i love the spencer, but im surprised back then they didnt issue spencers to armies, a seven shot rifle all you have to do is work a lever and pull a hammer, and its not stiff, with a seven shot tubular magazine, pretty impressive compared to a single shot breach gun

Cost was often an issue. Also a fair number of generals simply thought that given a weapon that could get off 20 rounds a minute the result would be that a solider equipped with one would wind up shooting off his full complement of ammunition in a matter of minutes. Multiply by several thousand soldiers in any given battle. Basically army generals didn't want the headache that came with an order of magnitude increase in ammo consumption until it became abundantly clear that they didn't have a choice.

[Shugo560]

I'd rather outfit my troops with accurate, slow firing, large caliber guns anyway.


If I had to choose, of course. It's always good to have a mix.

well true , i always prefered a rifle a little more faster, with a smaller caliber. then a rifle that goes at 2-4 rounds a minute compared to 20 , thats imo

Cost was often an issue. Also a fair number of generals simply thought that given a weapon that could get off 20 rounds a minute the result would be that a solider equipped with one would wind up shooting off his full complement of ammunition in a matter of minutes. Multiply by several thousand soldiers in any given battle. Basically army generals didn't want the headache that came with an order of magnitude increase in ammo consumption until it became abundantly clear that they didn't have a choice.

meh, you know the 56-56 calibre is a fairly large one but not as big as a minie, a minie is as large as a 45 colt(including the brass) 56-56 is a rifle calibre, but smaller so can be made surplus a lil easier just a brass shells need to be made, which isnt hard considering industrial revolution was going on, and machines already existed to make brass shells very easy, so i dont think ammo was the problem

mabye they thought the calibre wasnt big enough, which is ridiculous since a 56-56 can easily knock you off your feet

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Hmm. I always prefered larger caliber, with slower rate of fire, so long as it is more accurate.

But that's because Im of the mindset that, it doesn't matter how many bullets you can get off, in none of them hit. Or, those that do, don't kill. Or, if my men kill your men before they're able to kill mine.

That Gatling gun may be able to fire a lot of rounds, but if I kill the crew in five shots, that won't matter.

[Lazarus]

Way I see it, I would prefer the larger caliber. Small caliber is fine if you're say... skirmishers, or in some kind of position where you know your men will be able to make some excellent shots.

The standard man though, he's getting a big gun - because big guns make big holes, and big holes are hard to patch up, no matter where they are (dismemberment has the added bonus of terrifying the enemy green horns, as well as effectively taking the soldier out of the fight)

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Exactly. Smaller caliber, faster firing guns for skirmishers, or light infantry, bur larger caliber rifles for line troops.


Uh.... The history method, I guess.

[IGdood]

PFFT, REAL MEN USE MATCHLOCKS.

[Hresvelgr]

Snider-Enfield:
Manufacturer: Britain
Units:
Royal Marines (They seem to use a breach loading variation)
Imperial Infantry
Republic Infantry
Shogunate Infantry
Khitanei

Breech-loading variation of a Snider-Enfield? Isn't that redundant? The Snider-Enfield itself is a breech-loading variation of the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket.

[Shugo560]

Hmm. I always prefered larger caliber, with slower rate of fire, so long as it is more accurate.

But that's because Im of the mindset that, it doesn't matter how many bullets you can get off, in none of them hit. Or, those that do, don't kill. Or, if my men kill your men before they're able to kill mine.

That Gatling gun may be able to fire a lot of rounds, but if I kill the crew in five shots, that won't matter.

well, gatling gun round aint very large either mabye a lil larger than the 45colt, but that in saying 56-56 aint no small round, it can knock you down, here in america the owning of guns is a great thing cause you know the actual raw power of a firearm, and ill tell ya a rifle round as the 56-56 WILL knock you on your back , that saying the Minie can blow a limb off which isnt necessary , i think a medium size rounds good enough, you wanna clean up a bunch of limbs on a battlefield

[MajorStoffer]

I could swear I've seen some of the infantry officers using the Volcanic Pistol; a little long in the tooth by this time period, but still viable.

[Felixlynch777]

You know I wish the manual you get had a glossary of weapons and their general abilities, perhaps with the real life equivalent.

I really miss the days you got a good thick manual with the info, not the wafer thin useless nothingness that is filled more with credits and `hello` waffle than info.

I also find the ingame encyclopedia annoying as it always makes my game stutter to use and covers the whole screen. It would be more convenient just having the manual by my side as I run the program.

Sometimes I feel as if you read my mind XD. Agree completely.

Thanks for the info TC, I was going to make a topic asking as I noticed the different weapons myself.

[Lazarus]

I could swear I've seen some of the infantry officers using the Volcanic Pistol; a little long in the tooth by this time period, but still viable.

Which officers?

Dated? Perhaps. Badass? Very.

[EmperorBatman999]

Breech-loading variation of a Snider-Enfield? Isn't that redundant? The Snider-Enfield itself is a breech-loading variation of the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket.

In which case then units that seem to muzzle-load the Enfield must be using the 1853 variation then.

And it is not a Volcanic pistol I don't think, just the S&W Army No. 2 Revolver in the game looks like one.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And about the discussion of Muzzle-Loaders versus Lever Actions. It was far cheaper and simpler to make a muzzle-loader, and so more affordable for armies to buy in the thousands. It really was just the Lock, Stock, and Barrel. Then a ramrod would be added and maybe make the receiver end of the barrel modified so that it could open up like a breech-loader, but that was a tad more complicared. Weapons like the Spencer were more complicated to build, requiring the gunsmith to make sure the inner functionings of the magazine worked correctly, which is why they really were just given to more elite Light Infantry units, Cavalry (who enjoyed the breach-loading and lever-action capabilities because it was simpler to do from horseback) and for civilian use in places like the Frontier where it was understood rapid firepower was needed and the purchaser could afford.

[♘Top Hat Zebra]

Right.

I mean, in the end, it's all about the situation Im in.

@Shugo560: Oh yeah. We know all about guns down in Louisiana.