Are light infantry useless?

[Mythman]

The Jeagers are probably the best. My personal favorite are the American long riflemen. The most important thing to remember is to avoid mellee at all costs. That's why it is best to position them directly in front of your line. That way when you see the enemy charging you can retreat them behind the line.

Are the british light infantry any good as I have started a campaign as them and I want to try out the light infantry in India and America.
Are they particularly good in the colonies?

[ssmarine]

Their standard light infantry is about the same as most other nations I believe. The green jackets are badass but you wont get them until later in the game.

[django333]

Yea the Green Jackets are awesome. Even more awesome if you read up on their history.

[Mythman]

Yea the Green Jackets are awesome. Even more awesome if you read up on their history.

Thank you I will do. Are light infantry good at raiding enemy towns/resources?
Is it worth it taking more than 3 unit of them in an army?

[ElementUK]

As was mentioned earlier the best use for them imo is stake defenses for your artillery.

What's happened to Grenzers though? Can't seem to make them anymore. And try finding a reference to Wind Rifles....Ok they were made but mainly by hunters who needed that silent one shot one kill without startling their prey in the musket's slight firing pan delay.

Putting them in the game might be fun but....I'd rather have Grenzers back.

[Mythman]

As was mentioned earlier the best use for them imo is stake defenses for your artillery.

What's happened to Grenzers though? Can't seem to make them anymore. And try finding a reference to Wind Rifles....Ok they were made but mainly by hunters who needed that silent one shot one kill without startling their prey in the musket's slight firing pan delay.

Putting them in the game might be fun but....I'd rather have Grenzers back.

Are they worth taking just for the stakes?
And btw what are Grenzers?

[calicheSCOT]

Yeah the Light Infantry doctrine is defiantly bugged, they don't withdraw when under threat in skirmish formation. Units under skirmisher fire should get a negative moral modifier, I think light infantry was more useful at causing disruption and confusion than making the most casualties. I think CA intend the player to be imaginative with them; of course line to line the Light Bobs are not going to stand much of a chance, but get them in a building, shooting at a flank, up behind the lines on a hill and so on, and their accuracy and extra range will pay off. They make good ambushers for picking off stray artillery or generals!

[Amish Electrician]

No units are useless.

Cannon fodder comes in many shapes and sizes, but all of them useful.

[Mythman]

Yeah the Light Infantry doctrine is defiantly bugged, they don't withdraw when under threat in skirmish formation. Units under skirmisher fire should get a negative moral modifier, I think light infantry was more useful at causing disruption and confusion than making the most casualties. I think CA intend the player to be imaginative with them; of course line to line the Light Bobs are not going to stand much of a chance, but get them in a building, shooting at a flank, up behind the lines on a hill and so on, and their accuracy and extra range will pay off. They make good ambushers for picking off stray artillery or generals!

Ok I will try that when I next face an important general. That seems like a good idea actually, use them like battle field assassins.

No units are useless.

Cannon fodder comes in many shapes and sizes, but all of them useful.

Nice!

[PGeo36]

They're only useless if you don't know how to use them properly as in not using them as your frontline infantry.

[Kyias]

Are they worth taking just for the stakes?
And btw what are Grenzers?

They are not "just stakes."

Those stakes are deployable after the deployment phase, and during the actual combat. So if you see a cav charge coming that you were not prepared for (as you were moving your army of advancing) then you can sprint your light infantry over to deploy them.

On top of this, their land mines, deployable while entrenched, are the best entrenchment deployment available for an army.

Their last purpose is to absorb fire and perform flanking manuevers where other units would get torn to bits (that you would rather not). I'd rather my Light infantry take the brunt of the attack rather than my line, and they fill that role quite well while still providing more diverse utility and deployment options not available to you if you went with strictly line inf.

[Thanatos]

Thread moved to Gameplay and Strategy Discussion.

[django333]

Ok I will try that when I next face an important general. That seems like a good idea actually, use them like battle field assassins.

There is a famous story of a Green Jacket killing a French general at 300 yards and then killing the officer coming to his aid just to prove it wasn't a lucky shot.

[Amish Electrician]

I'm a bit confused, are light infantry the Green Jackets/similar units?

[django333]

Yes, any unit that can use light infantry doctrine I suppose. Rangers, Jaegers, Green Jackets, etc.

[Mythman]

I'm a bit confused, are light infantry the Green Jackets/similar units?

Yes, green jackets were like the elite British light infantry at the time.

Thats why they are so good!(as light infantrymen )

[Amish Electrician]

Yes, green jackets were like the elite British light infantry at the time.

Thats why they are so good!(as light infantrymen )

Ah, and they're only accessible after the Light Infrantry Doctrine, presumably.

What does "light infantry behaviour" or whatever do in battles?

[django333]

It makes the unit spread out more. You can imagine it as the men in the unit using terrain as cover much like wars are fought today instead of standing in a line and using firing drills. It basically makes them harder to hit.

[Amish Electrician]

It makes the unit spread out more. You can imagine it as the men in the unit using terrain as cover. It basically makes them harder to hit.

Ohh, that's what that was.

For some reason when I use things like that and Fire & Advance it glitches so that all my infantry instead of only those selected do it, which often puts me off from using it.

[setep]

I would say light infantry can be very effective if you learn to deal with their quirks (e.g. facing the wrong way after being redeployed). Personally, I like to micromanage my light infantry (usually Tiralleurs as France or the equivalent in other factions) to get the most out of them, though I can see the merit of sticking them in front of your line infantry whilst they're using the LI behaviour. What really settled the debate for me is the degree to which unit such as Tiralleurs and Jaegers are able to dominate cavalry if you catch them at range. In the past players have tried to flank my light infantry but a combination of repositioning and stakes means that they suffer heavy losses before they even engage my units. My favourite memory regarding my Tiralleurs was their complete destruction of a unit of Austraian Curassiers, and I don't just mean routing them, I mean, they killed every single soldier after one volley from each unit. Plus I have on a number of occasions seen carelessly used generals get gunned down mid-charge or whilst locked in a melee.

Here's some advice from me:
1) Ignore the 80 range light infantry and skirmishers, unless you intend to place them before your line infantry (as described by above posters). Grenzers are probably an exception as well, but personally, I feel like they shouldn't even be in the game in their current state, they're very cheesy.

2) Be aggressive with your light infantry when possible. They aren't light dragoons, so you will want to keep your hit-and-run attacks sensible, but you should definitely utilise them as they're a great way to bait enemy cavalry out from the enemy flanks, or if your enemy is a short-range artillery fanatic, you may get an opportunity to fire on (and maybe rout) them if the enemy doesn't give them proper support.

3) Don't attack enemy light infantry who are taking cover (using the Light Infantry Behaviour). Some people may disagree, but I find light infantry engagements are just laborious and wastes of ammunition. There are usually better targets.

4) Tap the "Advance" button (Not 100% on the name) when your light infantry get repositioned, this will prevent them facing the wrong way and ensure they fire when an enemy comes within range. The best way to tell if your units are facing the right direction is to just look at their firing arc.