Use of Tactical Units

[JMM]

Translation from a topic in French Forum

Napoleonic tactics advocated the use of artillery before any interventiont of infantry;
In HW, artillery units have two kinds of shots, ie: shooting on zone / shooting against unity.
What differences between these two functions

The difference is materialized by a different target:
a) shooting area: just a point designated as the target.
b) attack against an unit: the target is the selected unit itself.
In 2 cases, the command is "order and forget". Artillery AI approaches to achieve adequate clearance to open fire. Theoretically, the unit approaches to see the target while being compatible with the firing distance of the cannon whose range is the smallest. That said, the AI also takes into account the threat thus tries to manage the conflicting constraints.

unless I am mistaken, in the first, the battery remains permanently in place and the second, it moves according to the designated opponent to be attacked, is that correct?

In the case of a shooting area, artillery moves to the optimum distance before unlimbering.
Two cases:
a) the area is empty of any element: artillery awaits the passage of enemy
b) the area is a construction, a bridge or an frozen era: artillery immediately fires until the building was on fire, the bridge is destroyed, the ice is broken.

over the shooting area, can I destroy homes, forests or other fortification.
Finally, the gunfire they are inaccurate or irrelevant to the foot of a promontory, a shelter or a hill that is without the visual target

The calculation of ballistic missiles is quite accurate and takes into account undulations of the land. Thus, it was not uncommon in HW, to see only half of the guns of an artillery company opened fire while the second half was silenced because it did not see the target. This has evolved with the version 02d; a cannon can fire even if doesn't see the target, the accuracy being reduced.

In fact this raises the problem of reality: the land is not necessarily always completely flat and have a slight ripple of 2 or 3 meters for a distance of 700 meters or 1000 should be fairly common.

to complete units receive friends before the batteries they impact the ball or just the hot breath of death.

Theoretically, the units can not stand in front of an artillery unit unlimbered, but an artillery unit can be positioned behind another unit. The howitzers can fire over the units placed in front, but not the guns! That said, it is possible that some cannons fire through a friendly unit (especially on the sides) .. well we have to be abstract and expect that this potential bug is resolved ..

Last question, cavalry units designated to be in support of a battery they intervene to defend against enemy attack.

Any unit in support ensures the security of the supported unit. There was some malfunction but it now seems to work well. So, the support must act immediately if there is a lateral threat on the supported unit.

JMM

[HarryInk]

Thanks.  All good to know.

[Jacquinot]

Thanks for information.

[thilio]

The difference is materialized by a different target:
a) shooting area: just a point designated as the target.
b) attack against an unit: the target is the selected unit itself.
In 2 cases, the command is "order and forget". Artillery AI approaches to achieve adequate clearance to open fire. Theoretically, the unit approaches to see the target while being compatible with the firing distance of the cannon whose range is the smallest. That said, the AI also takes into account the threat thus tries to manage the conflicting constraints.

JMM

Can you comment about the book1 in which it's written "Zone bombardment: the AI moves the company forward so that the cannon with the most limited range can reach its target. Attacks on enemy units: the AI halts the advance of the company once one of its cannons is able to open fire effectively on the enemy.
Warning: bearing in mind the comments on how the AI works, it is preferable not to vary overly the type of artillery which a single company possesses. For example, you should try to limit yourself to one type of cannon per company, perhaps complemented by one or two howitzers."
This suggest to be cautious when ordering zone bombardment because the artillery will go closer to have all the guns involved?

[Franciscus]

Any unit in support ensures the security of the supported unit. There was some malfunction but it now seems to work well. So, the support must act immediately if there is a lateral threat on the supported unit.

JMM

That's excellent news. I stopped using the support order in relation to arty units, but now I will try again. Was this solved in 2F ?

Thanks !