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Thread: Guides for Empire Realism IV

  1. #1

    Default Guides for Empire Realism IV

    UNIT GUIDE to Empire Realism IV






    Infantry:

    Line Infantry
    Pros: Good Firepower,Bayonets
    Cons: average morale


    Mainstay unit for all Western Armies. They receive standard training upon recruitment, therefore they start with 1 EXP point. Their main defense is concentrated firepower especially from close range, but they also carry bayonets which allows them to charge the enemy. Because armor is long gone, Line infantry is vulnerable to melee attacks from other infantry or mainly from cavalry. Their bayonets are very effective at killing, just not as effective at defending,besides standoff distance they provide. With Line Infantry you need to watch their cohesion status closely, as they become less effective once they start loosing cohesion, which will happen soon if you leave them firing for long time. Also melee will instantly disorganize units so be careful and always keep reserves.Their Effectiveness can be improved via advanced infantry training and new equipment that can be available via research.


    Grenadiers
    Pros: High Morale, disciplined,Good firepower, Bayonet, Policing Bonus
    Cons: High unit cost and upkeep, limited numbers


    Grenadiers were another specialist troops, recruited from experienced and tallest men of the Line Infantry regiment. As Light Infantry they were also composed as a Company, but often cross attached into independent Battalions. Some countries like France or Russia went even farther and fielded full Grenadier Regiments (Grenadiere de Roy, Russian Guard Grenadiers). They are good shots, but their main advantage it their individual strength, which made them feared by other Infantry units. Their main tactics should be Shock Action bayonet charge, which might often break morale of weakened enemy just by their presence on the battlefield. They also have good cohesion and will lose it much slower than other units. Grenadiers were also often used as policing unit due to their physical predisposition, therefore they also have policing bonus.


    Guards
    Pros: Excellent Morale,Disciplined,Good Firepower, Bayonets
    Cons: Limited numbers, High cost and upkeep



    Guards are Elite Infantry, Pride of Monarchs, who spend a lot of money on their training and equipment. Guard units only accepted exceptional individuals with previous military experience, which means Guard units starts with EXP 4 or higher. Guards have high morale, which makes them very hard to break, while they keep their cohesion better than normal units. Anyway because they are costly, its best to use them as reserve unit and use them at the decisive points in battle instead of letting them to be spend dueling other Line Infantry Regiments. Guard Infantry is not linked with Military buildings but with Government tiers, so they are only available from Capital City building at least Royal Palace.


    Garrison Troops
    Pros: Good Firepower,Bayonets,morale
    Cons: Limited to defended cities


    European Garrison troops are formed mostly from Invalids and veterans which are no longer fit for field service, anyway their previous experiences makes them effective defending force. They have good morale and stats, but cannot be used outside cities. Anyway they can match standard infantry on defense, providing good defending force for capitals, so you wont need huge garrison formed from standard Line Infantry units.


    Skirmishers
    Pros: Excellent Firepower, Ambush tactics, open formations and ability to move fast
    Cons: no defense against cavalry,small unit size


    Skirmishers are recruited from local North American populace from experienced woodsmen and hunters as they are better suited at North American type of warfare.They are usually formed in independent companies, and are fighting in open order using terrain to best advantage. They can set ambushes, scout the area and engage high profile targets at range like generals or artillery crews. In proper terrain they are able to remain undetected by normal infantry and firing at them while not providing any viable target for their mass salvos.


    Infantry Technology advancements:


    Military Technology is very important in 18.century, as it greatly increases the effectivity of infantry. its no longer just bayonet advancement, but Infantry effectivity can be increased via improved weapons and training (Live Fire training, Square formation), anyway each such change means more money is needed for proper training or to equip the soldiers which increases the cost and upkeep of infantry units.
    Last edited by JaM; June 14, 2013 at 02:45 AM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Guides for Empire Realism IV






    Cavalry:


    Cavalry was completely reorganized in ER4, where most western nations is using some sort of heavy armored cavalry at the beginning of the game, while further military progress and improved doctrines bring light cavalry doctrines. Some western factions will also start experimenting with Uhlans, which will be unique initially for Poland-Lithuania armies.


    Heavy Cavalry/Gendarmes
    Pros: Good defense and armor, fire from saddle
    Cons: less effective charge, cost


    Heavy cavalry is the mainstay of most of European armies in the beginning of 18.century. They usually use short carbines to engage enemy at range, and then charge with sword, anyway this also makes their charge less effective. Anyway their heavy armor makes them formidable in close melee, which makes them quite hard to resist even frontally. Anyway armor wont stop all bullets so as musketry progresses, these men will find attacking infantry is harder and harder.


    Cuirassiers
    Pros: Good defense and armor, Shock action
    Cons: cost


    More modern than Gendarmes, Cuirassiers stopped using carbines prior to charge and instead attacked enemy in closed formation and swords which made them practically irresistible. Their shock tactics can break weaker unit before contact while thanks to their heavy cuirass they can take on any other cavalry unit. Their cost is their only disadvantage.


    Dragoons
    Pros: Dismountable, Shock Action Charge
    Cons: Not as effective as heavy cavalry



    Dragoons started as mobile infantry and they dismounted before battle, anyway later they were more and more used as medium cavalry to break infantry via charges. They are equipped with shorter musket and sword, can dismount and act like skirmishers, anyway they are not as good as specialized units either as cavalry or infantry. Some countries like Russia relied mostly on Dragoons which were their main heavy cavalry type, besides light cavalry.


    Dragoon Guards/Carabiniers/Horse Grenadiers
    Pros: Good charge, Shock Action, dismountable
    Cons: Cost and Upkeep, require good cohesion to be effective


    Dragoon Guards or also known as Regiments of Horse, were lightly equipped heavy cavalry formed of selected men and equipped as heavy dragoons. They usually carry rifled carbines, anyway they only use them dismounted. But their main purpose is shock action charge as they are using strong heavy horses. They have same effect on infantry as any other heavy cavalry, anyway their lack of heavy armor might be a problem if facing Cuirassiers. But using proper tactics they can successfully fight against these with good chance winning.



    Hussars
    Pros:Fast Moving, Shock action charges, high maneuverability.
    Cons: no armor


    Hussars are very special kind of Light cavalry. They are very good swordsmen, with very high morale, often charging full speed into battle. They rise smaller more nimble horses allowing them to outmaneuver heavy cavalry easily which makes them effective flanking force which can be very dangerous even to heavy cavalry. Anyway their best usage is to use them for "little war" making a waste to enemy villages and economy buildings, while in battle they can perform flanking maneuvers and hit hard the unprotected artillery train, or chase down the routing enemy.


    Lancers
    Pros: Shock Action Charge,high attack because of Lance, high maneuverability
    Cons: lower melee defense due to a Lance


    Lancers are perfect shock cavalry. they fight in close formation, dealing huge damage during a charge. Thanks to their lances they are very dangerous against other cavalry, anyway if caught in close melee they will be at disadvantage due to length of their lance. Anyway Lancers are perfect in pursuit, their longer reach gives them advantage fighting infantry while their light horses give them good mobility. Initially in Europe, only Poland Lithuania uses them as regular force (Russia has access to Lance equipped Cossacks), where light Uhlans supplement elite heavily armored Winged Hussars. Anyway later they are available to other countries as well.



    Light Cavalry/ Chaseur Cheval/ Light Dragoons
    Pros: Fast moving, Dismountable, smaller cohesion impact, high maneuverability
    Cons: weaker in melee


    Light cavalry has advantage of being able to move fast across the battlefield. They don't use formed charges, and instead rely on individual swordsmanship and speed, which means they are less affected by cohesion loss impact. Anyway units like Chaseur Cheval are also skilled skirmishers, able to dismount and effectively skirmish enemy infantry from terrain cover. They can be also effective chasing down routed infantry.


    Guard Heavy Cavalry
    Pros: Shock Action Charge, Good melee
    Cons: Cost


    Same as with Guard Infantry, Guard Heavy cavalry get the best men, best equipment and best training of all. Usually they wore metal helmets or metal caps inside of hats, while they also have metal front plate under their coat which gives them good melee protection. Their charge is devastating, they have high morale which makes them unstoppable charging force. Same as Cuirassiers they can overrun even heavily defended positions, anyway because of their cost, its better to use them when time is right instead of initial charge against all guns and muskets enemy has.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Guides for Empire Realism IV




    Artillery


    Artillery progression is influenced by technology improvements, and has dramatic effect on its quality. There are several Artillery reforms available each significantly improving quality of artillery.Anyway technology development doesn't just bring new guns, but also new projectiles. Heavy canister and improved explosive shells for howitzers are only available after extensive research, making Ordnance and metallurgy technology tree very important in the long run.


    Sakers
    Pros: better mobility and rate of fire than culverins
    Cons: lower range and weaker canister than culverins

    Sakers are initial artillery available from the beginning, and represents a variety of medium and light guns of different calibers used in late 17 early 18.century. They have decent rate of fire, but are not very accurate, but are good enough to support infantry if needed. They are relatively cumbersome weapons that are slow to aim or deploy, so you need to be very careful and deploy them with enough distance from enemy, while keep some protection near.


    Culverins
    Pros: Longer range, high damage
    Cons: slow moving, slow rate of fire


    Culverins represent heavy field artillery of variable calibers used during early years of 18.century. Because of heavier caliber its slightly more accurate than sakers, has longer range and damage, which makes them practically a requirement for any sieges. They can also be used in battles, but their low rate of fire puts them at disadvantage against more modern guns. They are also very slow to move in campaign, slowing down the army, so its sometimes better leaving them in separate marching column which will follow the main army so it wont slow it down. Culverins are very slow to deploy, while their crew contains many civilians who will run away in case of any danger.


    Light Infantry guns
    Pros: faster moving and deploying than sakers, high rate of fire
    Cons: short range, low damage, small canister


    Light infantry guns are usually composed of small caliber(2-4pdr) guns used for infantry support role.They can keep up with infantry, and they can deploy faster than earlier guns, anyway they are not ideal for counter-battery work, as their short range and low damage makes them less effective in this role. Anyway they can be dangerous to any infantry or cavalry unit that gets into range thanks to their high rate of fire. They have canister, anyway because of small caliber it is not very effective.


    12pdr field(Medium) Guns
    Pros: long range, good damage, effective canister
    Cons: average rate of fire, speed of movement/deployment



    Early 12pdr gun represents a qualitative jump over previous heavy and medium guns like Sakers and Culverins. It practically gives you artillery which has same range as culverins with rate of fire of saker but with slightly improved accuracy.Early 12pdrs are still relatively cumbersome guns, slow to move, anyway faster than earlier guns, which makes them good universal artillery unit,with a bit limited availability.


    24pdr heavy Guns
    Pros: long range, high damage, deadly canister
    Cons: low rate of fire, slow


    Early 24pdr heavy guns represents heavy batteries usually used for sieges, as they are too heavy to be effectively used in offensive battles. Anyway their range, and damage makes them very effective in defense. They out-range any artillery, which makes them ideal for counter-battery fire,but their rate of fire is slow. Similar to Culverins, they are not ideal to march with the army.


    12 pdr howitzers
    Pros: indirect fire, good canister
    Cons: smaller number of guns per unit


    12pdr howitzers are a specialist artillery unit with just 2 barrels per unit. Anyway they are designed for indirect fire with their explosive shells, or direct canister fire. They are good supplement unit for main artillery battery, which allows it to cover targets more effectively. with technological progress they will receive heavy longer range canister and improved explosive shells which will improve their effectivity significantly.


    Colonial Guns
    Pros: only artillery unit available in colonies
    Cons: smaller number of guns per unit


    Artillery was not very common in colonies, and units that were sent there usually got lighter guns due to their better mobility. They are good as infantry support, but limited numbers makes them not as effective, anyway they are able to suppress enemy infantry at longer range. Its best to keep some skirmishers close, as artillery units can be suppressed or destroyed by enemy skirmishers who can hide in bad terrain around the battery.


    6pdr Field Guns (late)
    Pros: rate of fire,movement and deployment speed
    Cons: range, lower damage


    Ultimate light artillery unit available after artillery reforms. late 6pdr is lighter than previous light guns, it is faster to deploy and move around the battlefield making it ideal infantry support unit, but can also work as universal artillery. it has shorter range than older heavy artillery but its more accurate and can fire much faster than any other artillery unit. thanks to its weight and redesigned lighter gun carriages it has very good mobility on battlefield and on campaign map.


    4pdr Field Guns (late)
    Pros: rate of fire,movement and deployment speed
    Cons: range, lower damage


    French late light artillery unit based on Gribeauval design. It has improved carriage, lighter gun weight and precisely manufactured gun barrel which make it probably the best light gun of 18.century. Like all late guns it can fire both light and heavy canister.


    8pdr Field Guns (late)
    Pros: Good rate of fire, range, mobility
    Cons: none?


    French medium field gun based on Gribeauval design. Same as 4pdr, it was lighter than previous guns of same caliber, had much better mobility, while it also has improved accuracy which makes French 8pdr extremely good medium gun, which can supplement roles of heavier or lighter guns.

    12pdr Field guns (late)
    Pros: long range, high accuracy, high damage
    Cons: slowest rate of fire of all late guns


    Late 12pdr Field Gun took the role of heavy field artillery. Thanks to advancements in metallurgy and manufacturing, guns were 2x lighter than older 12pdr guns, their carriages were more sturdy and more mobile, which made Late 12pdr gun superior to any kind of heavy artillery. It could keep up with other units, its range was long enough to out-range any other artillery unit, and thanks to improved barrels and usage of wooden sabots, it was very accurate gun at normal battle ranges.


    24 pdr howitzers
    Pros: indirect fire, good canister
    Cons: smaller number of guns per unit


    24pdr howitzers are a specialist artillery unit with just 2 barrels per unit. They are designed for indirect fire with their explosive shells, or direct canister fire, which makes them ideal supplement unit for main artillery battery, which allows it to cover targets more effectively. with technological progress they will receive heavy longer range canister and improved explosive shells which will improve their effectivity significantly. Higher caliber means they can fire much heavier shell and larger canister which makes them much more effective than previous 12pdr howitzers.

    Horse Artillery
    Pros: high mobility,high rate of fire
    Cons: shorter range, vulnerability to artillery fire


    Introduction of Horse artillery units gave Commanders a unit that could keep up with rapid columns and provide them with fire support. This makes them ideal for supporting Cavalry divisions, that can react much faster than any other unit would. Horse Artillery units can deploy very fast, have high rate of fire, and usually their crews are the best trained gunners in the army, which makes horse artillery very dangerous unit. Anyway because of higher number of horses, Horse artillery was vulnerable to counter battery fire. Best usage is to use them as reserve unit that will exploit any enemy weakness.
    Last edited by JaM; June 14, 2013 at 02:44 AM.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Guides for Empire Realism IV

    Navy



    Naval unit stats were also reworked in ER4, making them more historically close to the era, while providing player with real ship design issues nations of 18.century had to work with. Important fact now is that not every European nation has ship building tradition and is capable building warships. Practically only major nations like Britain,France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden or Russia are capable building them, with their own approach to build quality and armament.


    Admiral Flagships

    There are several Admiral Flagships available. Initially you can have 86gun three-decker armed with 32pdr guns on lower deck,18pdr on middle deck and 9pdrs on upper deck, but with Dockyards also 100gun three-decker become available, which carries heavier battery (32/24/12) but also has much stronger hull. Later, with Navy reorganization new designs become available. while 86gun Ships will disappear, new 100gun ship will be available with improved hull strength. French navy chosen different approach and they also have Flagship two-decker ships available, which carry heavier guns than usual Double-deckers (36 and 24pdrs). Anyway with naval tree fully researched, you will gain access also to ultimate Flagships - 120gun Three-deckers which are the strongest ships in game.


    70-74gun Ships of the Line

    70-74gun Double-deckers were the mainstay battle ships of 18.century used by all naval nations. Initially these ships usually carried 70 guns and were moderately armed with 24 and 12pdr guns, There were also larger designs available like Spanish 70gun ships with 24/18pdrs or French early 74 gun ship with 36/18pdrs. British found themselves out-gunned when facing these opponents therefore after some naval reforms they also started to use 74gun Ships with 32/18pdrs. French and Spanish replied with even heavier designs armed with 36/24pdr guns,but such heavy battery meant those ships were too overloaded which had negative impact on their structural strength. British ships overall had much stronger hulls that could take more damage from fire or from weather.


    64 Gun Ships of the Line

    These ships were intended to replace older 60 gun ships in battle line, and most of the time were just converted from older 70gun ships,but there were also some new build ships. They carry lighter battery than 74gun ships (24/18 or 24/12), and are practically the smallest ships that were able to fight in classic battle line.


    60gun Ships of the Line

    Most numerous Ships of the Line in the beginning of the century were slowly replaced by heavier ship types. They carried 24pdrs on lower deck and 9 or 12pdr guns on upper deck. They are good ships which can serve well until heavier 74 gun ships appear in larger numbers, anyway at that time they are obsolete only good for patrols and trade fleets protection, as their hull is not thick enough to survive hits from 32pdr guns for long time.


    50-54gun Ships of the Line

    Smallest ships of the line available in the beginning of the century are meant to be a cost effective choice for initial fleets. Usually they carry 24pdr guns on lower deck and 9pdr on upper deck,but French and Spanish ships (54gun) usually carried 18pdrs as a main battery. They are the weakest line Ships, anyway their cost means many shipbuilding capable nations would prefer them over costlier ships.


    44-48 gun Heavy Frigate

    These heavy double decker frigates are mostly converted from late 17.century line ships, anyway also several new were built. Usually carried 12pdr on lower deck and 9pdr on upper deck they didn't had enough of firepower to survive duels with heavier Line ships, anyway they carried enough of guns to engage smaller vessels, which made them ideal for guarding trade lines, hunting pirates and raiding enemy trade ships, anyway their maneuverability could not cope with smaller frigates which could out-turn them or outrun them. With late naval reforms older 70and 60gun ships of the line were sometimes razzed to heavy frigates, keeping their main battery while their sailing abilities improved, which made them ideal for cruiser duty.


    32gun Frigate

    Originally a French design, this Frigate has just single gun deck high above water, which makes this ship very fast and maneuverable vessel ideal for anti-piracy duty and scouting. It can successfully engage smaller ships, something that is not always the case with heavier ships. Its cost is much lower, which makes it very useful for any duties you might have. They are especially good to scout the seas and provide the recon info about movement of enemy fleets before they can reach your shores (enemy will most likely engage single lonely frigate, which will give up his position and most likely intention (you can detect invasion fleets this way). Later it was found that 12pdr guns are not enough, so late designs appeared armed with either heavy carronades or long 18pdr guns which greatly increased their firepower while preserving their speed and maneuverability.


    24gun Frigate

    Smallest frigate available initially is usually armed with 9pdr guns. It is cheap ship ideal for scouting and anti-piracy duties, anyway because of weaker guns, it might get into trouble if engaged by larger fleets of smaller ships like Pirate Brigantines or Xebecs. With "letter of marque" you will be able to recruit special version of this ship - Privateer Frigate. These were largest ships used for raiding enemy trade routes, and while they are relatively costlier to "recruit" because of their private origin, they don't cost any upkeep.


    Sloop/Ketch

    Smallest vessel available in the game, they are good as scouts or with Letter of Marque as a privateers to raid the enemy trade lines. Thanks to their sail plan they are very fast and maneuverable, anyway they wont survive any combat with stronger ships.


    Pirate Brigantine/Pirate Xebecs

    These are special vessels used by Pirates or Barbary pirates. they are very fast and maneuverable ships,capable outmaneuvering any other ship, while carrying larger crew preferred course of action for them is to board the enemy ship. They carry small caliber guns, which wont give them much chance in gunnery duels with large ships, anyway they can be quite annoying as pirates usually prefer raiding trade lines with them.


    East Indiamans/Trade ships

    Naval trade is represented by trade lines in ER4, while standard trade ships are removed. Instead, all Ships that are capable securing resources from trade areas are now representing East Indiamans, largest trade ships of 18.century. These vessels were used for trade with distant colonies in India, Africa and China and were build by Private companies which handled the trade with these areas. East Indiaman size was about the same size as double decker Frigates or 50-60gun Ships of the Line, anyway because they were not primarily military vessels their armament was much weaker, as they they optimized to have large cargo areas, which prevented them from using heavy guns. While they usually had around 30-50 guns, their crew was not as numerous and had no military training so their effectivity was low, anyway it was enough to protect themselves against pirates and privateers.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Guides for Empire Realism IV

    Combat Guide




    Empire Realism uses unique combat design which tries to simulate real aspects of 18.century tactics.Entire combat evolves around three things which were never that important in vanilla game - Fatigue/Cohesion Morale and experience.

    Cohesion system.

    Former Fatigue was renamed to Cohesion (while fatigue descriptions were also kept) and now represents the state of units, how well they can respond to commands of their officers. Cohesion impacts the unit accuracy,movement speed, melee combat and morale, so its very important to keep Cohesion high so unit fight effectively. There are several ways how you can lose cohesion in ER.
    Movement automatically reduce unit cohesion, as moving longer distances in line formation was very problematic and usually ended up with disorder if unit was forced to march too far in such formation. Musket fire is another way how to lose cohesion. Each volley reduces cohesion significantly, so normal trained men are usually only able to fire about 3 salvos until they get disordered by its effect. This is the main reason why no unit was able to keep using its fire drill for long time, as usually after first initial shots in combat, soldiers tended to fire their weapons out of order. Officers were unable to control it, because of all the noise and smoke produced by musket fire.Continuous musket fire also reduces accuracy, due to smoke which obscures the view, and overall disorder, where soldiers fired shots without aiming into the smoke. Therefore, its beneficial to check the unit status during firefight, and stop units from depleting their ammo without any significant effect.
    Melee. Close combat was always bloody thing, as infantry didn't had any armor or any means to effectively protect themselves against thrusting bayonets. Any melee combat caused complete disorder of the unit almost instantly, which most of the time resulted in unit with weaker morale to withdraw before enemy reached them. Anyway if two units met in close combat, you can count on both being immediately disordered, which makes them vulnerable to counter-charges done by fresh units in reserve. Melee combat is always vicious, with huge casualties, but usually its very short and decisive. This was the main reason why bayonet charge become praised by all generals as the most effective tactics, even though musketry was responsible for much more dead than close combat,anyway that was more result of a fear being caught in close combat and killed which caused men to rout and run instead of facing enemy with bayonets.

    Cohesion system applies also to cavalry practically the same way as it applies to infantry, but it has much more importance. Cohesion is the most important thing for cavalry. Their charge depends on it. Cavalry charging in close ranks with good cohesion is unstoppable, while disordered cavalry would get always repelled. Movement speed greatly affect cavalry cohesion, faster it moves, faster it lose the cohesion. if you order your cavalry to gallop across the battlefield to engage the enemy at the other side of the battlefield, your unit will get there faster,but completely disordered, which will make their charge ineffective (disordered units get 100% charge penalty), and their melee weak (disordered units have 50% melee penalty). Therefore, you need to plan the approach of your cavalry carefully, to avoid the ground that can be covered by enemy artillery while your cavalry is moving forward into position. Only when you are at distance slightly greater than musket range you should order them to do a charge, so they will do it with best results. Once you see your cavalry is getting disorganized, its better to withdraw them and charge with another squadron instead of keeping them in contact.


    Morale impact

    Morale is practically as important as cohesion in combat. Morale system in ER makes musketry and artillery fire reduce morale of unit significantly, so it is possible to break enemy unit approaching just by concentration of fire. Actual casualties are not that important, as units with low morale will rout even with light casualties taken, while units with high morale will march forward even if they take lots of casualties in the process.
    Morale can be impacted by several other things beside enemy fire. Unit that doesn't have its flanks supported by nearby friendly unit will have its morale reduced. Also just pure presence of enemy at the flank reduces the morale significantly. At the other side, having flanks supported by own units increases the morale of the unit, which means having reserves behind the attack line is very important.
    In defense, being on slope increases morale as well. And there is general presence near, which inspires men, and increase the overall morale of the units nearby. So, having all things combined together can make difference between victory and defeat. Your men will get under fire from enemy infantry and artillery, so its very important to support them so they could withstand such morale drop.
    Anyway even if your units morale drops and it starts running, nothing is definite. Unit might/will recover, if it wasn't badly damaged, and it managed to get into safety. Having units in reserve so they can replace routed units is more and more important..

    Cavalry combat is all about morale. Shock action cavalry relies on morale break of defenders before actual impact happens. All melee cavalry therefore cause morale shock on enemy just by being near. While heavy cavalry might be strong enough to break even good infantry positions, it will most likely end up with a lot of casualties,therefore its always better to use them for attacks against already weakened enemy positions and decide the battle with the charge.
    Morale is also deciding factor for cavalry engaging cavalry. attacks on flanks or rear can break even heavy cuirassiers, therefore proper course of action against enemy cavalry units is needed. Light cavalry squadrons can benefit from their superior maneuverability and speed on flanks, while heavy cavalry should occupy enemy in front. Sudden flanking attack done by Hussars might be very lethal, and might result in complete enemy destruction and a lot of captured men(all men that are "touched" after unit routes are automatically "killed" anyway this represents them surrendering if they have no way to get out). While shock action applies to all units, there is one specialist unit that has morale bonus against other cavalry units - Lancers. Sole presence of lancers on battlefield will reduce morale of enemy cavalry nearby. Facing lancers was very problematic for any unarmored cavalry, as lancers had longer reach and could kill enemy horsemen at distance while they had very hard time trying deflecting lance thrusts.


    Experience

    Empire Realism use unique experience system for some time. This system is based on simple fact, that inexperienced men were not as effective as experienced men.If you recruit rookies who never fired a shot into your guard regiment, they will look good on parades (if they manage to move properly) but once they get into combat they wont be anyhow effective, as they have no experience from fight. They never fired a shot. And if such unit meets on battlefield with enemy unit, which was constantly fighting last few years and is full of veterans, they will badly defeat your inexperienced guard no matter their nice uniforms.
    ER uses system where 0 experience means no training, such soldiers never reloaded or fired their weapons, never had to march in formation etc.
    Experience 1 represents units with basic training or some combat experience. Their morale is a bit higher, their cohesion doesn't drop that fast, and they can reload and fire more effectively.
    Experience 2 represents well trained troops, that already seen some combat. These men have very good morale, and are fully effective with their weapons.
    Experience 3 represents veteran troops. These men were on several campaigns and know all about the war.Usually Grenadiers are recruited from veteran troops of the regiment, as well as other specialist units.
    Experience 4 and higher represents Elite Guard units which are highly trained Elites, handpicked men from other units, or exceptional recruits. Usually these units received constant training to keep their combat readiness high. they received lots of training rounds, trained every day for few hours to be ready. Because such training was very expensive, no nation could afford it for all units.

    Experience influences unit accuracy,morale, cohesion,reload and melee. Experience levels are not entirely linear,for example, accuracy goes up faster with level 1 and 2,but then slows down with 3-4, and is higher at 6 and it doesn't change afterwards. Reload stat is linear, and each level gives +10 to reload skill which is responsible for reloading process and misfire rate. Discipline/cohesion is also nonlinear, it gives no bonus on low levels but increases dramatically on level 3. Anyway, rule is, experienced unit is more effective than similar unit with lower experience. Because of engine issues in ETW, you can only see real stats if you open them in battle. Unit stats opened on campaign map will only show initial stats.


    Movement and maneuverability

    ER4 uses realistic movement speeds which are adjusted for used combat scale. Infantry units usually marched at 50m/minute, while they could also move at double pace (if needed) up to 100m/min. Double Pace was usually used for any formation changes, or it was used as a standard movement speed when unit was formed into column. In ER4 there is no running speed, as Line infantry training and doctrine forbid such things, and required Line infantry to keep formation and cohesion at all costs.
    Cavalry units at the other side, were using several different movement speeds.while normal walk was about the same speed as Infantry double pace, or 100m/minute, cavalry used trot to shorten the distance to enemy, or gallop (300m/min) for any rapid movements, envelopments and similar. In ER4 cavalry "walks" at trot (200m/min) and runs at gallop. Once they are at charging distance they will slow down a bit so they wont lose the cohesion or if infantry wont rout, they will not crash into them at full speed which would result in total confusion in cavalry ranks. Charging distance is usually about the same distance as musket range, therefore if your cavalry has to engage infantry frontally, its better to receive the salvo at maximum distance than facing it at short range.
    Light cavalry and Hussars because of smaller horses are just slightly faster (while heavy horse would be faster with a hussar, it usually carried heavy cuirassier instead of lightweight hussar), but difference is not big, anyway light cavalry can catch up with heavy cavalry in pursuit. Units like Uhlans or Lancers are extremely effective pursuers, as they can catch any unit while their lance gives them much better reach to kill enemy from safe distance.
    Besides movement speed, all ER4 units have also custom maneuverability based on unit type and training.
    With infantry, highly trained heavy Infantry is able to change formation or maneuver much faster, than standard infantry. Militia units at the other side will have huge problem keeping formation and deploying into line. Skirmishers at the other side will be able to charge direction very fast, using their open formation advantage.
    Maneuverability will be one of very important abilities for cavalry. While heavy cavalry will be not able to change directions easily and therefore will be more suited for frontal attacks, Light cavalry will be able to turn very quickly, which will make them ideal flankers. Also in bad situation, light cavalry would be able to turn and run much faster.


    Musketry/ rate of fire/misfires

    As many of you noticed, units in ER4 fire much faster than in any other mod. This is because of several reasons. Main reason which was responsible for chosen time scale, is in-game reloading animation. If you seen any youtube videos with reenactors reloading a smothbore musket, you would notice they rammed the bullet just once. But in ETW/NTW games, infantry is usually ramming the bullet 20-30 times. That would only be the case if infantry was using very tight fitting balls, or rifled barrels, but non of this is true in 18.century. Bullets were made much smaller, so they didn't slowed down reloading process, resulting lower accuracy was not considered as a problem. Rifled muskets and carbines were only used by skirmishers and some cavalry,but not by Line Infantry units.
    Usual line infantry battalion of 600 men with 2 rank firing was able to fire around 2-3 rounds per minute, which means entire unit delivered 800-1200 rounds per minute, which is about 2x higher than combat rate of fire for machine-guns..
    Therefore with ER4, i have measured the reloading animation, and set the limits so veteran troops would ram the bullet 2-4 times max (best is 2, which represent single ramming and returning the rammer back). Anyway such fast musket fire, required other things to be scaled to the same level. Therefore movement speed of all units, and artillery rate of fire is also scaled for the same scale, so in combat, artillery will be able to fire against approaching enemy same amount of shots as it would in reality.
    Another important stat in ER4 is misfire rate. Because of tactics that required fast reloading and firing, malfunctions were very often. By average, no musket was able to fire more than 50-60 rounds without malfunction. Usually cartridges could be spoiled by water, flint might not work properly, ignited powder in the pan didn't got inside the barrel, or bullet could get stuck, etc.. Therefore in ER4 failing rate for muskets is quite high (this was actually not used in vanilla, and all musket had 0 failing rate, misfires were only result of flintlock mechanism which was defined as same value for all weapons). In the beginning when you don't have any proper research available, failing rate of musket could be as high as 40%. while unit experience reduces failing rate significantly, you can also invest in military research, that can improve this. Techs like Live Fire training will reduce misfire rate but will increase the cost of infantry, as such live fire training was not something cheap. Improved muskets available later will also reduce failing rate but also increase reloading speed. There is quite significant difference in rate of fire of early infantry and late infantry just because of all this new technology and training procedures.
    Last edited by JaM; June 14, 2013 at 03:56 AM.

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