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Thread: Archer Reloading Speed

  1. #1

    Default Archer Reloading Speed

    Hello!

    I always had hard time about understand the logic of ETW archers reloading speed. They are most of the time even slower than gunmen. Should't it be other way around? I don't think a bow require more time for reload than old musket? Maybe they should get higher reload speed ; low range and low damage for realism. What do you think?

    Thanks!

  2. #2

    Default Re: Archer Reloading Speed

    As far as I know, the bows have been replaced on the battlefields by muskets, because the archer had to be trained for years, while you can teach everyone to use musket after only a few weeks of training or so. That's why I think that archers in Empire should be an elite formation and probably expensive, having an advantage over musketeers just in the rate of fire, but having a limited number of arrows because a quiver fits limited number of arrows.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Archer Reloading Speed

    Quote Originally Posted by musketer View Post
    As far as I know, the bows have been replaced on the battlefields by muskets, because the archer had to be trained for years, while you can teach everyone to use musket after only a few weeks of training or so. That's why I think that archers in Empire should be an elite formation and probably expensive, having an advantage over musketeers just in the rate of fire, but having a limited number of arrows because a quiver fits limited number of arrows.
    Tell that to the eastern peoples of the steppes and also to the natives in Americas who used bows from the childhood.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Archer Reloading Speed

    Tell what? I wrote that the archer had to be trained for years, so for example from childhood years.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Archer Reloading Speed

    actually in ER5 archers are way faster to reload than muskets.. they can release whole ammo load very quickly, but their lethality is reduced, as arrows are nowhere near lethality of smoothbore muskets - where typical arrow would end up having around 70-100 joules of kinetic energy, musket would go up to 2000 joules, where arrow would usually end up in the wound preventing any blood loss, musket bullet would tear huge hole in body, creating big blood channel resulting in quick blood loss and imminent shock. (typical musket bullet diameter was around 22-17mm, with muzzle speeds around 350-400m/s)

    ability to kill was main reason why muskets became preferred weapon even for hunting in North America. Musket accuracy was quite good at 50m distance (with tightly patched bullet using leather patch accuracy was good up to 75m) , where arrows would start to be affected by weather conditions at that distance (60m is maximum distance for direct shooting, everything above that requires indirect aiming), while in case of hit, animal would be incapacitated from single bullet, while you might need to hit it with multiple arrows to actually kill it.


    In ER5 archers are capable dealing lots of casualties, but only in favorable conditions. Best approach is to put them in wooden areas, where they get decent cover while their rate of fire gives them quite an edge no matter the range. any musket equipped unit would have to get close to even detect them, giving archers lots of "free shots" before musketeers can respond with own musket fire.. just dont expect them to win against Line infantry in open terrain.. (especially if line infantry has bayonets)

  6. #6

    Default Re: Archer Reloading Speed

    Very interesting JaM, thanks for the detailed explanation

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