Cavalry charges arent nearly as powerful as they should be

[imb39changedmyusername]

I think the developers of MTW2 really ****ed up with the cavalry. I think they should cost a lot more for the knights, and that charges should be absolutely DEVASTATING! Espeacially when coming from behind, cos if you can imagine a big group of large horses in heavy mail ramming straight into a body of unaware men, it would be like a train hitting them, b/c seriously in real life they would go flying, arms, legs, backs, would be broken by the sheer force of the horses hitting them. It would be detrimental and thats why knights were so powerful in the middle ages.

I really think it should be changed anyone else agree?

[Ged]

Yes, and many people posted something like this long before you did. Go play a mod and it'll be better.

[Lost Crusader]

Cavalry charge is devastating if properly done. It's not perfect and there's a lot room for improvement, but saying that it's ****ed up is a bit over exaggerating.

There was a thread recently with some tips on the subject. I'm sure you'll find more if you search the forum.

[NobleNick]

Charges ARE devastating if done correctly into the backs of infantry; but it is easy to not do it correctly. Your horses need plenty of room, the right formation, and a field free of trees, rocks and other obstacles. (Also, check to make sure your cav get a good charge bonus, of at least 7.)

A piece of advice I have tried to implement is: Make sure your horses are in a formation at least 3 deep. Double-click beyond the formation you are attacking. After your horses are running full steam and are in good formation, then double-click on the target. You should then get the satisfying "bodies flying" animation.

[Lost Crusader]

A piece of advice I have tried to implement is: Make sure your horses are in a formation at least 3 deep. Double-click beyond the formation you are attacking. After your horses are running full steam and are in good formation, then double-click on the target. You should then get the satisfying "bodies flying" animation.

I do things a bit different than you. I keep my cavalry two rows deep, to maximize the number of horsemen making the first impact. When ordering a charge I doubleclick on the enemy, forcing them to immediately start running. The only exception is if the enemy is too far, or my cav is out of formation. In this case I singleclick on the enemy to start walking, and when they are near (not to near!) I order them to run.

I'm not trying to say that your method is wrong or anything

[NobleNick]

...I'm not trying to say that your method is wrong or anything

Heh, heh, I understand. Since I only have 1-1/2 long campaigns under my belt, I still rate myself an M2TW noob. I have been following advice, which says that the important things are to have a tight, fast moving formation at the moment of impact, and that the number of rows of horses aided in the depth of penetration into the enemy formation.

Do you get the "bodies flying" animation and good kill statistics when you charge with 2 rows deep?

[Bob The Fearless]

Would a speeding "Wedge" formation help here ?

[Lost Crusader]

Do you get the "bodies flying" animation and good kill statistics when you charge with 2 rows deep?

Oh, yes .
To be honest, I never noticed a big difference whether you use deep or shallow formation when charging against a single unit. But IMO, when charging an enemy line it is better to keep a 2 rows formation because it causes a "collateral damage" to the surrounding units.

I only use deeper formation when manoeuvring near the enemy, as the wider 2 rows formation tends to get stuck.

Would a speeding "Wedge" formation help here ?

I consider a wedge formation quite useless.

[Bob The Fearless]

I consider a wedge formation quite useless.

Alot of people say the same, I do tend to use it but haven't really noticed any difference.

Maybe need to try a few thing out in the custom battle area.

[Old Geezer]

I used to think that cavalry charges were too difficult and too weak. After considerable practice I believe they are still too difficult, but are doable. They are powerful and very devastating if done properly. I can rarely get good results in a city and certainly nothing devastating with flying bodies. The best flying bodies are found in the Americas campaign when the Aztecs and Mayans who are dressed up like birdies and kitty cats get smacked by the Conquistadors. That alone is worth the price of Kingdoms!

[bottenbreker]

Alot of people say the same, I do tend to use it but haven't really noticed any difference

well, i tried wedges when i first bought the game but in my opinion you get a worse effect and you lose more horsemen then you do with a normal formation.

[Old Geezer]

Wedgies worked OK in MTW1 but I gave up on them, because they're supposedly only good to cut thru a line and attack the enemy rear. This usually winds up in the cavalry getting stuck and trashed. I just flank. The AI is so aggressive in Kingdoms that flanking has become easier - perhaps too easy. I can usually hit the enemy from behind just after they engage my front line. Maybe on v/h battle the AI is this way. I don't remember it getting suckered so easily before.

The AI seems to do charges very well. It has caught me unawares a couple of times on 6x speed battles and really trashed stilling still cavalry units of mine. I have not seen the AI use a wedge - not ever in the last 10 months.

[Naxon]

actually, i have used wedges quite successfully. though, i tend to forget about it in the heat of the battle.

i used it to divide the enemy forces in two. you don't kill as many, and the cavalry usually get slaughtered, but that only matters if you actually care about them. (i don't)
anyway, the gap is very useful if you manage to get heavy infantry in there. it makes it very easy to surround them and then kill them.
divide and rule...

[Lost Crusader]

I do care about my cavalry, and losing it is unacceptable. That's why I outflank.

[Surgeon]

Wedgies worked OK in MTW1 but I gave up on them, because they're supposedly only good to cut thru a line and attack the enemy rear.

lmao!

Anyhow, in some instances I have managed to send heavy infantry flying with light cavalry. In an open field, few things are scarier than charging knights, but they can get bogged down if there are trees, building, mountains, etc. in the way. Also, cavalry are missile magnets because they are a much bigger target than foot soldiers, so they are overall more vulnerable to arrows/bullets. However, missile troops rarely can get enough volleys off before the cavalry closes with them.

[Roman Knight]

lmao!

You are so mature that I'm going to give you +rep

[Don in the North]

give Darthmod 1.4D a try mate, i reckon the balance is close to perfect, cept with generals due to their hp bonus.
but then by late period their hp makes very little difference vs cannons and muskets

[Roman Knight]

You could also watch out for the Officers mini-mod, which grants better officer skins, more animations and realistic cavalry charges.

[nosjo78]

I play SS which has better cavalry charges but this works in Vanilla as well.
Take 2 Cavalry units, I usually use generals for at least one of them. The heavier the better.
1. Move one cavalry group to the left flank, move the other to the right.
2. Charge with the left group. Stay engaged for about 3-5 seconds. Mouse over th enemy units to see when the DRASTIC killing slows, run the Cavalry to safety and let them rest. As soon as you disengage the left units charge in the cavalry from the right.
3 Rinse and repeat.
4. Its kind of nice to have a light cavalry unit as well as after a few charges from your heavy cavalry the enemy will probably route. Light cavalry is must better for chasing down routers.

[Kahn]

I dunno about step number 2.

The number indicating how many people are left in a group is, in my opinion, lagged. It does not properly reflect the number of troops left at that time, but reflects a number that more like 1 or 2 seconds previous.

Once the calvary charge is complete and there are no longer any horses charging in, it is my opinion that you've reached the point of diminishing returns and should pull out your horsey-men. Best to not let some of them work their way deeper into the fray and be unable to leave. This slows the entire disengage, as a calvary group works as just that, a group. They tend to linger around until all units are either free to flee, or those that got stuck have died. The ladder often being the case when he's surrounded.

Other than that, however, this is the tactic I use, much of the time. Sometimes I'll let the first wave of heavy calv get close enough to have the target turn around and brace for impact, then I'll pull them back and BAM, nailed from the (new) back-end by the second wave.