Custom Games and artillery spam

I'm new to NTW, being far more experienced in RTW and playing with friends. One thing I simply can't grasp: how the hell can you people stand to play games with artillery? On some maps, particularly those that are flat with both deployments being relatively equal, artillery isn't a problem. On others, such as my recent experience ten minutes ago with Borodino, the artillery spam on both sides is such a nuissance and sometimes a lopsided affair.

Yes, I'm new and have quite a bit of learning to do, but I don't ever see myself coming to grips with artillery in this game. It seems so incredibly cheap. Looks like I'll have to limit myself to no art matches in a game with already very limited players.

Rush on the flanks is the way to go!!!

Limiting yourself to no art games is doing exactly what it says: limiting yourself.
If an artillery spam is too powerful, it's usually the map's fault (Borodino being a prime example, as is Waterloo).
IMHO, the historical maps aren't the best on which to play in MP.

Galisian Ria is the best map for arty battles and fights for flat and hilly areas.

Really good balanced map that is good for practice for the different types of flat or terrain maps to face people on. So National Cause, try your luck on that map with a max 2 arty limit and see how it goes. On such a good sized map, just spread your forces out and their arty won't be as good concentrated on only a small section of your forces.

If all else fails, use the classic meat shield militia.

Rome Total War: Peasants used to absorb arrows and missiles/Javelins

Empire Total War: Militia used to absorb volley fire and arty fire & Counter Fire after they wasted shots on militia.

Napoleon Total War: Militia used to fill gabs, support, meat shielding, and all the above.

if ur a no arty player like a few of us are. u have to be aggressive as u have no choice. alot of so-called good players say that bombarding u with arty for hours on end is attacking lol. use a balanced map and cap the amount of arty units they can use as suggested by point above.
if ur fast and aggressive the arty will actually be a handicap to ur opponent as it will limit his freedom of movement.

Originally Posted by triphammer

if ur a no arty player like a few of us are. u have to be aggressive as u have no choice. alot of so-called good players say that bombarding u with arty for hours on end is attacking lol. use a balanced map and cap the amount of arty units they can use as suggested by point above.
if ur fast and aggressive the arty will actually be a handicap to ur opponent as it will limit his freedom of movement.

exactly. thats why i never use arty.

very limiting.

in previous TW games, there was much more strategy available.

in EMPIRE and NAPOLEON, all you should do is, 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'.

move move move, kill a bit, move some more, kill some more.

surely artillery is a core part of the game.when i play no art games, then a lot more attacking goes on, but tbh, i dont mind whether its no art or art.it just means you gotta adapt slightly either way.and being able to adapt quickly makes you a better player in some way.

Originally Posted by triphammer

if ur a no arty player like a few of us are.

Here is one.

Originally Posted by National Cause

Looks like I'll have to limit myself to no art matches in a game with already very limited players.

Dont mind, National Cause, there are enough players. I play nearly always without art and have had never problem to find other players. I fact a lot of clans play in the same way. Standart rules like "no art, max 5 x 100/125 aka skirmishers" are quite common.
Just have a kind of personal list for the rulebreakers to kick them in time.

Some maps are just lame arty or no arty,dont play them.
If you dont use arty your just missing out on a fun layer of the game and most probably just win with light inf and kite.
Even if its just one cannon i beg everyone to use arty you just dont no the fun your missing out on,how can a good cannister shot not put a smile on your face.

What I find lame is when someone host's a no art game, then hides all his elite troops in buildings as an exploit because the buildings cannot be destroyed. This has happened to me more then once

Originally Posted by Major Hemorrhoid's Brother

What I find lame is when someone host's a no art game, then hides all his elite troops in buildings as an exploit because the buildings cannot be destroyed. This has happened to me more then once

Happened to anyone else? THats why I don't play "no art" on maps with buildings

Originally Posted by Major Hemorrhoid's Brother

Happened to anyone else? THats why I don't play "no art" on maps with buildings

most of the no art games i play are on pyramids,grassy flats, prussian hills, a couple more, but i dont remember.so generally there arent those kind of buildings to hide in

can grenades damage the buildings?i never checked, and the thought just struck me....

Genadiers have no effect on buildings.

The historical maps (like Borodino) are campfests, and are to be avoided at all costs. Things work out on the ones designed by CA, not the ones they poorly transcribed.

i wonder if any new maps are going to come out?i like the new ones they released...

Originally Posted by Y@$!N

i wonder if any new maps are going to come out?

I wonder if they'll ever include a "random map" option so we get access to maps like the ones you get in campaign which are just the best (bushranger stated some reasons for that very distinctly in one of his posts lately).
They may not always be balanced, but most of the time reasonably so, and at least they're not always the same.

Come to think of it, I don't wonder if they'll ever include that, but why they haven't included it already.

I wouldn't mind them bringing provence and bavaria back in all honesty. Those two are by far the best maps that CA ever made for Empire, and there was no real reason they had to go.

Originally Posted by Soveriegn

I wouldn't mind them bringing provence and bavaria back in all honesty. Those two are by far the best maps that CA ever made for Empire, and there was no real reason they had to go.

Bavaria was much too small and give alliance 1 a big advantage and Provence had that massive sloop on the left side which gave alliance 1 a massive advantage as it abruptly ended with a red line meaning alliance 2 had no way of flanking from that side and was put in a very bad position from the start. Red lines helped wayyyyyyyyy too much on those maps.

Art is the least effective on those maps. And yet people still ban them??