Late game fighting French

[Jackster]

I regret i didnt kill them earlier as English, they are much tougher late game, a bunch of heavy stuff, they even start to have Longbowmen now too (Scots Guards) makes me lose my major advantage.
The only thing I have more then they do is provinces, I have British Isles, Dennmark, Finland, Normandy and a huge part of northern France.
However the cursed French allied themselves with Spaniards...
Currently we are having some major battles around Paris (Ocuppied by English).

[Ippius]

Have u reached the gunpowder age because gunpowder simply solves everything. It makes the enemy flee a lot easier. It destroys wallls quickly.
If u havent get anti-cavalry units like Billmen and Longbowman and attack France. If ur popularity with the Pope decreases send a diplomat to the Papal States and donate some stuff to them.

[Town Watch]

That ought to make things a bit more challenging and also fun. I even enjoyed getting my arse kicked by English and danes when playing as scotland. Though it was quite an overkill, when portugese, french, danes, spaniards and english kinda allied against me, and they all made naval invasion in England

It was kinda fubar situation, but I managed to destroy them all, and sue for peace in case of spain, france and portugal and denmark. Then I kicked English out of British isles, and took antwerp, bruges and Caen.

[Jackster]

well, i do, but so does the French and they have Basilisk while i am stuck with Culverin...
Ribault seems to be the best way to deal with their troops.
The biggest problem is their calvalry, Lancers and Gendarmes are just too good.
and English has no good spearmen.

[Zhou]

well, i do, but so does the French and they have Basilisk while i am stuck with Culverin...
Ribault seems to be the best way to deal with their troops.
The biggest problem is their calvalry, Lancers and Gendarmes are just too good.
and English has no good spearmen.

Plant stakes before defensive battles and that will help a lot of your problems against the French cavalry. Also try and use some dismounted english knights (with the two-hander fix applied) and you should do fine.

[parvus]

u'd want to get anti-cavalry things. a lot of them in fact.

[Ippius]

u'd want to get anti-cavalry things. a lot of them in fact.

The problem with that is that that army is very static and French archers (whoa re on cavalry) would destroy that formation pretty easily. Artillery would destroy it as well. u would need at least a few missile units to protect them.

[Jackster]

I dont think English is anywhere short on missile troops, some longbowmen of any kind will probably do.
quite silly that French know to mount archers on horses and English cant

[parvus]

quite silly how the french get scots guard and the scots dont

[Jackster]

alright, finally wipe the Spaniards off the map now, I can concentrate my afford on France.
The French seems to have some Lancers in their armies now though...
while I got Knights Hospitalliors during my Crusade against the Spanish Heretics.
And after fixing both shield and 2 hand bug, my Billmen and Armoured swordsmen is now much more formidable. (But then, so is the French...)

[parvus]

lancers r rly cool. combined with scots guard and mounted french archers, u'd hav such a good army

[Town Watch]

lancers r rly cool. combined with scots guard and mounted french archers, u'd hav such a good army

QFT

Indeed, but I'd add some pikemen and dismounted noble knights to that bunch. Such a beautiful army...

Pollaxe for the win!

[Jackster]

The AI has a good army you mean?
Well its my three stacks versus his three stacks, we will see how it goes.
Good thing i brought those Swiss Pikemen along, my Longbows and Arquebuses should take down their damm knights.
Fun thing that both the King of England (King Anthony the Merciless) and King of France (King Henry the Chivalrous) is commanding their armies. (one with high Chivalry, one with high Dread)

[Ippius]

Arquebusiers are really good but by the time they fire on cavalry charging at them, they're doomed.... I suppose that's why u have the pikemen.

[Prince Constantius]

Are we all forgetting something?!
Group your arquebusiers and pikemen in shift 4 formation.
Even if the impetus causes gaps in the pike wall, your Arquebusiers will shoot down most of the rank breaching french sods!!!
Also,a fresh reserve of Knights Templar to brush up the wasted French Gendarmes cavalry is advised.
What Zhou said is correct(brilliant strategist he is!) you need to place stakes at the focal points of your army and the flanks.
This will allow your archers to assume target priority,and your PIkes and Muskets to engage a packed group of cavalry,who would have negated their full charge strength.
MOst important,do not let them attack your rear, watch forests and hills, as Gendarmes and Lancers have a tenedency to flank your men(usually archers) before consolidating into your already engaged heavy infantry,pikemen etc....

[Jackster]

yes and dont forget the English archers can plant stakes.
The flank of the pike phalanx are potected by Swordsmen and Billmen.

[silverchickensofdoom]

K be nice to me, I just got this up and running a few days ago but...two hander fix?

[Jackster]

That was a really fun battle, and took a while, have my Arquebusiers and Retinue archers firing down at the oncoming French army, then run behind the phalanx and Billemen.
Lancers Charged through stakes and run into Billmen, kill a score of them, but eventually all die after the swordsmen surround them.
The French King was killed by a mortar shell! (really funny to watch)
The flanking Gendarmes was charged by the Templars, fought for a long time.
Archers and Arquebusiers take aim at the French Infantry thats marching slowly in Spearwall formation, they was then routed by my charging swordsmen.
Then There was this cool shootout between Retinue Archers, Sherwood archers, Scots Guards and Aventurers.

[parvus]

lol nice. that'd make a great replay