by Stuart Bailey Mon Sep 03, 2012 4:07 pm
If you want encounter battles you should try G2.
In G7 and some other games campaigns seem very "Western Europe" in feel with the emphasis on the capture/occupation of towns often by formal siege. Warfare even "open field" battles are seems dominated by Infantry, Artillery and commanders/players who seem scared to attack unless they are sure they have a huge advantage.
This I believe also suits some players who view warfare as a form of "diplomacy by others means" and start putting forward offers for talks etc the same month as the war starts. Screams of boreing, boreing from the Bailey corner.
Thus in G7 the only real "battles" to date have been:
1) Assaults on towns like Dresden, London and Ravel which may as well have been sieges.
2) The battle of Besancon........Austrian blocking force uses field works and carefully selected defensive to gain time for fortress preparation. French avoid direct attack and after failed attempts to turn flank force Austrian retreat by Artillery fire.
3) Battle of Staines ..........another artillery fight across a river.
Apart from the lack of Cavalry action these conflicts have also be noticeable for zero pursuit, armies loseing contact with each other and the object being on "place" and "spinning accounts of the action" rather than destruction of the opposition forces.
In contrast G2 seems much more influenced by East European Cavalry style tactics inc laying waste the opponents countryside so he has to come out of his strongholds and fight. Well you can stay behind your walls but your EH & Honour will probably go into free fall if you allow Turks, Poles, Hungarians and Cossacks etc to lay waste to your estates.
This emphasis on aggressive cavalry and defence of open country tends to mean that invaders find themselves being shadowed by light cavalry and faced with continual skirmishing tactics plus the use of ambush and sudden attacks on rear guards and vans............esp when they are crossing rivers and the like.
Warning to Swashbucker characters..........if in G2 your regt invades Poland, Russia, Poland or the Ottoman Empire:
1) Try to avoid fancy uniforms as the local Arnauts, Croats, Grenzer etc carry hunting rifles, they also tend to aim at officers (more loot).
2) Duty as a dispatch rider or in a small escort for a rulers/general could turn you into a hero or get you killed.........Ottoman Lt Cavalry have already killed a King of Poland and a Doge of Genoa and in transit. Another raid just missed the King of France ........Ok he got away but they nailed the Spanish Envoy to the palace gates before they torched the place!
3) Sleep with a loaded Pistol and a sword by your side. Prussians and Anatolians seem deeply fond of night actions.
4) If your regiment is in the Van and you have to cross a river do not carry too much gold across and make sure you and your horse can swim as you may have to re-cross it in a hurry
Finally I would not try the introduction of deep formations and passing loaded muskets from back to front and vis versa in the middle of an open field fire fight its a receipe for confusion and disaster! The only time this should be done is when defending fortresses and the like when your heroic crack shot character mans the fireing position aided by his sexy blond and brunette loaders ........just like the last of the mohicans!