Tactics - Attacking

[Rebel4714]

What are your tactics when attacking an enemy?

If the army is bigger than mine, I typically deploy my weaker infantry and skrimishers in a long lin to the enemys front to occupy as many units as possible, then move my better infantry, dragoons or calvary to the flanks. The only negative is, the timing has to be perfect, because if the center breaks, it can divide you entire force.

If they are smaller, I try to bait them into an ambush. Sending a few light units forward, then withdraw into my larger force, I always use artillery heavily if they are smaller so I dont rack up casualties trying to trap them.

What works for you?

[HomelessDepot]

I rarely run into situations where an enemy force is superior to my own (outnumbered, yes, but not all-around 'superior'). It doesn't take much more than the standard approach -

1) Have a strong line of professional infantry
2) Screen that line with light infantry to help break up opposing formations
3) Keep counter-charging units (Grenediers, etc) behind your line, and near the flanks
4) Cannons in the font, howitzers in the back
5) Cavalry to chase off enemy horse and to flank your opponents line

I would say, however, that recently I've discovered it's quite fun to take a less 'gamey' approach to battle. Set up your troops, hold advance for a couple seconds, and then relax and watch the fireworks. Microing like crazy to avoid canister, prevent enemy cavalry charges, move my general, etc is all well and good - but I'm really starting to appreciate the cinematic nature of the game. Especially with the blood and smoke mod.

-HD

[Lord Thesaurian]

I usually deploy a weak center, with light infantry if possible, with heavy wings, sometimes having the latter detached. This allows for me to engage their flanks and still have enough men for an actual flanking maneuver. Meanwhile their center formation is disarrayed as they push into mine, and this increases the effectiveness of the cavalry charge to their rear.

Or sometimes I'll just move up some horse artillery and blast their general. This usually pisses them off and they all charge my line... and are obliterated

[Ahlerich]

i try to get the majority of my units face roughly into the direction where the ai army spawns. that usually workes unless u are outnumbered 1:20
if outnumbered that much i do the above + manually aim with my cannons

dude above - you got the italian flag wrong

oh that and cowardly hiding my general in the deepest ditch, behind the highest hill or behind houses. his troops usually laugh at my generals but they dont have a sould, they dont go to heaven.

[43rdFoot]

My armies consist mostly of infantry, but I use them basically to hold the enemy in place where I destroy the enemy with cannon. I had one battle where a battery of 6 pounder horse artillery had 600 kills. It was fantastic.

[Archimonday]

It depends on the type of Attack. For instance, when attacking a fortified enemy, especially on a hill, when he has Artillery targeted at you, and you have none to return the favor, speed is your best friend. The quicker you can close with his fortifications, and in turn his guns, the more men you will spare and the more success you'll have.

If im facing a fairly balanced enemy to my own force, I might spend some time simply bombarding them with artillery before making a final move. most times I charge with my units in Column. Doing so minimizes the number of men exposed to a volley of musket fire from the front at any given time, meaning you'll get to your target with more men, and often times, the focused, narrow path of a column attack can break through a line, kill their officers, and often times rout the enemy unit.

One thing to make sure is your forces are always supported by others, I would never send a unit to charge a hill by itself, im going to try and cover them as much as possible with my artillery, and possibly make distractions with my cavalry to allow my heavy, or line infantry to move in for the kill.

[Lord_Slop]

I take enough artillery and infantry, don't bother with cavalry except to counter their cavalry, a well-set line will hold against anything the AI throws at you, also less micro-management, the trick is to harass them into charging me.

[magman]

Bombard them off of better ground, engage them with a strong but short line (fire by rank, 3 rounds and charge). Pull back a unit, throw gernades at the enemy unit now unengaged, Charge with grenediers. Put the retreated unit back through the hole you just made. Role the flanks from the penetration point.

[Hurricane Brad]

Well, so far I've had success deploying my line infantry and foot artillery in a line and bombarding the enemy with long-range artillery fire until they close with my battle line, at which point they are typically cut down by musket fire and canister shot. I will typically put half my cavalry on my right flank and half on the left, and they will be sent to run down any routing units, charge into the back of the enemy infantry engaging my battle line, charge enemy artillery that's giving me trouble, or intercept enemy cavalry that's attempting to flank. Any light infantry I have will also usually be deployed on my flanks, and hidden if possible so that they can attack from surprise. These tactics have worked well for me so far, but I confess that I haven't played Empire that much and I almost always have the advantage in artillery. The few times that the CPU has had more, I've sacrificed a couple cavalry units to take their artillery out or I've had the advantage of good defensive ground.

[loony]

the only time you need to think about anything is when the enemy has is fortified on a hill, has no cavalry and you are the attacker. (if it does have cav, it will be the first to counterattack and die anyway)
1. split army into the following: base (arty, 2 units of line, general), distraction (2 or 3 units of conscripts), flanking force (3-4 units of line), pinning force (the rest of infantry and cavalry somewhere in between the distraction and the flanking force)
2. advance the distraction from one side, the flanking force from the other side. keep the enemy from rash maneouvers with your pinning force (i.e. if they decide to face either, you advance with the pinning force -line perpendicular to their line)
3. engage at extreme range (best, if from cover) with the distraction. when enemy lines up, attack from flank and advance the pinning force.
4. move 1 unit of cavalry where the distraction is (melee is likely there)
5. advance with the pinning force to relieve the flankers. it is likely you will have several local melees by the time. countercharge with cav
6. once the enemy faces your pinning or flanking detachments advance with the distraction and melee the enemy cannons
7. engage in a shootout, if possible, charge their general with cavalry.
8. watch them rout.


depending on the distances and terrain, this might take 30 mins or even more