Is Shielwall useful attacking?

[Diocle]

Great mod! one question? In this Mod Shieldwall is only defensive formation, or is a useful formation attacking the enemy?
I for me use Schieldwall only to keep the line, in attack I prefer to disable it, and you?

[Heathen Storm]

Great mod! one question? In this Mod Shieldwall is only defensive formation, or is a useful formation attacking the enemy?
I for me use Schieldwall only to keep the line, in attack I prefer to disable it, and you?

In attacking, you will take much less casualties but you will also deal less damage. That being said... Whether I'm attacking or defending I always create a shield wall. ALWAYS. It never fails me in a battle

[Diocle]

In attacking, you will take much less casualties but you will also deal less damage. That being said... Whether I'm attacking or defending I always create a shield wall. ALWAYS. It never fails me in a battle

Are you sure about casualities/damge thing? So is it like in RTW-BI?
I attempted some battle-tests but they did not resolved my doubts.
It's the slow movement speed, like Guilderstein said, the other aspect that I consider realistic but frustrating!

I'll try to use S.W. in attack more frequently! Thanks!!

[Guilderstein]

If the combat has not swung your way yet, then you better keep a tight formation. On the other hand, your warriors move slower and are likely to get tired. Finally, I usually switch to a loose formation when the enemy forces rout and my warriors pursue them.

[smoesville]

If there's a long distance between armies then i advance (at a walk) to just outside arrow distance, then form shieldwall and advance to within charge distance and break shieldwall and charge. Shieldwall will protect the men somewhat from archers/skirmishers but i usually have to weigh the fact that the longer the army takes the more damage they receive so if there are lots of ranged units then you might be better off legging it. Since i usually fight as the irish i use a line of skirmishers sometimes when attacking to try and draw the enemy onto the shieldwall, sometimes works but not against the irish since it just devolves into a skirmisher shoot-out/melee and then the rest of the armies engage as if the skirmishers weren't even in the battle.

[Heathen Storm]

One bad thing about shield wall is that once the enemy gets into your flanks, your men will drop like flies. The best thing to do is line up your men like this:
______
with four or five units with shield wall ability so you have a straight line, and keep a couple of non-shield wall units on the side to protect their flank.

[Diocle]

One bad thing about shield wall is that once the enemy gets into your flanks, your men will drop like flies. The best thing to do is line up your men like this:
______
with four or five units with shield wall ability so you have a straight line, and keep a couple of non-shield wall units on the side to protect their flank.

But... this is from the X Files Series!!.....It is exactly the same formation that I'm using!!! (well that I'm trying to use! sometime OK, sometime Not! It all depends on the enemies!). My problem is that if I stand and fight, is functining, but when I move the line the problems begin: the flanks advancing too quikly in respect to the centre of the line, and the line of units in ShieldWall, in some way, losing solidarity, become a bit disorganized: against the Saxon Huskarls the situation slowly, become more and more dangerous!!
Using Vikings, and if I have only few archers, I try everytime to reach the enemy line as quicly as I can, trying outflanking mouvements with medium or light troops but turning down Shieldwall, I want speed, more speed!

My error is that, excluding cavalry units, I'm not able to use well the skirmishers in front of my line or on both flanks, but not only in this mod, is my not solved problem with all TW Games!

I'll try Irish, when I'll finished to kill Saxons!!!

[Heathen Storm]

But... this is from the X Files Series!!.....It is exactly the same formation that I'm using!!! (well that I'm trying to use! sometime OK, sometime Not! It all depends on the enemies!). My problem is that if I stand and fight, is functining, but when I move the line the problems begin: the flanks advancing too quikly in respect to the centre of the line, and the line of units in ShieldWall, in some way, losing solidarity, become a bit disorganized: against the Saxon Huskarls the situation slowly, become more and more dangerous!!
Using Vikings, and if I have only few archers, I try everytime to reach the enemy line as quicly as I can, trying outflanking mouvements with medium or light troops but turning down Shieldwall, I want speed, more speed!

My error is that, excluding cavalry units, I'm not able to use well the skirmishers in front of my line or on both flanks, but not only in this mod, is my not solved problem with all TW Games!

I'll try Irish, when I'll finished to kill Saxons!!!

I'll show a picture of my favorite tactic

EDIT:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Note my line of spearmen, with heavy (herklædi spearmen) in the middle and leidangr along the edges, with a unit of Vikingr and Leidangr guarding the edges. Archers in front, with heavy units (huskarls and berserkers) behind the line with the Hirdmenn behind them ready to stop any gap in the shield wall.

[Diocle]

I'll show a picture of my favorite tactic

EDIT:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Note my line of spearmen, with heavy (herklædi spearmen) in the middle and leidangr along the edges, with a unit of Vikingr and Leidangr guarding the edges. Archers in front, with heavy units (huskarls and berserkers) behind the line with the Hirdmenn behind them ready to stop any gap in the shield wall.

Vikings?..... No!.. these are Prussians!!
Good, very good deployed battleline, the problem is, for my experience, keeping the formation compact while advancing!
Because, if the line is disordered, the AI invariably try to exploit the gaps in the line, so like you show in the screenshot, is a very good practice keeping 4 or maybe 5 (with general) good reserve heavy units, at the rear of the formation, I found that these guys can make the difference!
I, for me, keep the archers in the rear! when I try to use skirmishers in front-line after some time I forget about them and they are killed!Every time!
I use large units size, but in reality small numbers are more historically accurate, but with Normans too small Cavalry units!

[Heathen Storm]

Vikings?..... No!.. these are Prussians!!
Good, very good deployed battleline, the problem is, for my experience, keeping the formation compact while advancing!
Because, if the line is disordered, the AI invariably try to exploit the gaps in the line, so like you show in the screenshot, is a very good practice keeping 4 or maybe 5 (with general) good reserve heavy units, at the rear of the formation, I found that these guys can make the difference!
I, for me, keep the archers in the rear! when I try to use skirmishers in front-line after some time I forget about them and they are killed!Every time!
I use large units size, but in reality small numbers are more historically accurate, but with Normans too small Cavalry units!

That's why you set them on guard mode, and DON'T ADVANCE! Shield walls are not meant to advance. Let the enemy come to you! That's what the shield wall was designed for

[Berg-i-dum]

I use large units size, but in reality small numbers are more historically accurate, but with Normans too small Cavalry units!

This is a really interesting question. I use medium numbers, I thought too it was more accurate. But then you see armies with about 1000, so it is difficult to get big numbers for the bigger battles of those times, even adding other stacks.

For example I think the battle of Hastings had -at least- a total number of 8000 warriors, probably even more.

So what is your advice about this game setting, to make it more historical accurate?.

[smoesville]

My setup is similar though i play on small just because i feel it's more accurate for most of the mods timeframe except the biggest battles which are equivalent to several armies on both sides.

I usually have light infantry on the flank to protect it and also flank in turn as well as run down stragglers, mostly because the irish have few horses and cetheirne can outpace most medium / heavy infantry and kill them.

[Martin von Carstein]

Great mod! one question? In this Mod Shieldwall is only defensive formation, or is a useful formation attacking the enemy?
I for me use Schieldwall only to keep the line, in attack I prefer to disable it, and you?

I always use this formation. Easy to maneuver, it automatically goes forward as a phalanx. You just need to watch out for the back, but a frontal attack as much as possible.

[smoesville]

I always use this formation. Easy to maneuver, it automatically goes forward as a phalanx. You just need to watch out for the back, but a frontal attack as much as possible.

Needs some micro management if you have none shieldwall units; the line can get a bit ragged. What's the film in your sig?

[Martin von Carstein]

the line can get a bit ragged

It can be used by entering the chunking the reserves. Then he or she can tear yourself enemy lines and destroy him thus.

What's the film in your sig?

Warriors, "Attila".

[k/t]

Which "Attila" film was this? There are several on IMDB.

[k/t]

This is done a lot in TATW with dwarves.

[Lord Uxbridge]

I liked the original MTW where you could put any unit in any formation. Wedge was great for attacking on foot if I wanted to breach their lines.

[dowdpride]

seeing as i have held off three viking stacks with just one of my own with a mass shield wall on a hill... i would say yeah. its good in all situations.

[Diocle]

seeing as i have held off three viking stacks with just one of my own with a mass shield wall on a hill... i would say yeah. its good in all situations.

OK dowdpride, this is a good thing, SW is useful when we defend! I agree with you.
But when we attack? Is it useful in fast attack towards enemy SW? I have some dubt! Sometime I find it too slow, and if I have some fast moving unit in my line I lose the formation, being SW units slower! but really I do not know! using Vikings, I do not use SW in attack, I prefer fast moving mass assault, but this is only a personal and momentary choice!


P.S.: What a nice image in your signature!!!! I find that woman very...how to say?...recreational! (It.: 'azzo che figa!!!)