Slitherine

Hello,

I really have my problems using regular cavalery in Multiplayer. I think they are to unflexible to use them proberly in Multiplayer. In Singleplayer, they are nice to distarct AI or to flank enemy units or pursue light infantery, but in Multiplayer I really have problems wirh them.

I really like cataphracts and horse archers , also in Multiplayer, but they are used differently, than "regular medium cavalery" like the guals have.

In my current Multiplayergame, I am playing with Galatians against Pyrrhus. I tried to use many cavalery units. because pepole in this forum often says that gauls iwrh their infantery and big cavalery wings are really strong, but my opponent just blocked my cavalery with some trash hoplites and destory them now with only a few xystopheroi and my infantery center did not break the phalanx on contact and i am loosing now.

Is the center really only a thing of luck at contact with warbands against pikes or have i done something wrong?

And how should I use cavalery, to not get blocked with many trash units? How should I use big cavalery wings in Multiplayer to flank the enemy?

I'm trying to remember, because I won a game with Gauls vs Romans with a cavalry heavy army... the Romans tend to bring a lot of expensive units which limits their frontage though... if you're outnumbered, it is more difficult.

It can be tricky when you're confronted with a long enemy infantry line that extends in front of your cavalry. In that situation, I'd ideally like to smash through with my superior warbands in the centre while the cavalry tie up the flanks. Incidentally, tying up cavalry with less-expensive units is one of the more cost effective ways of countering them.

If the cavalry are good enough and the enemy units bad enough, you can sometimes win just by charging frontally. It's never reliable though, and your outnumbered cavalry will lose their edge before the infantry will unless you disrupt the infantry; and time was already on your opponent's side. If you can pull the infantry out of formation until one of them exposes a flank, a sudden charge might score a disruption. If you outnumber the enemy infantry with your cavalry locally (maybe one of the enemy's infantry units has pursued you a little too far forward), you can either pick a generals unit of cavalry to fix the enemy in place and then flank them with a second unit as normal, assuming the enemy unit isn't supported. If your cavalry won't stay in melee with an enemy infantry unit (sensible, as they will usually lose), you can force them to fight by placing another unit behind them as they charge. The enemy will turn to face them on the next turn, and then your second unit of cavalry can attack the infantry. Basically, you have to get those raw troops to show a vulnerability somehow, or force them to show said vulnerability, and then attack.

You can only do this manoeuvre if the enemy don't move up other units in support though. It can be a good way of targeting any unit that has become isolated on a flank.

The alternative to this is if you can somehow bypass the enemy units completely using your cav's superior mobility. Skirmishers might help with this if they can be enough of a distraction. Skirmishers may also help to weaken the enemy enough to make them vulnerable to your cavalry. Unarmoured troops (the kind likely to be slung at you to bog down your cavalry) tend to be more vulnerable to missiles.

Has the battle line become disjointed? If the flanks are out the question, it may be possible to slip a unit of cav through a hole in the battle line. Once you're behind the melee, you're free to wreak havoc just as surely as if you'd gone round the flanks. It can sometimes be useful to hold a unit of cav in reserve for just this purpose, or start to bring them in from the flanks if you see an opportunity.

The last option is to find a way to get your cavalry units in front of the enemy's best units while your warbands tackle the dross. This kind of flips the equation on its head a bit. It can be hard to maintain because the cavalry won't stand their ground, but if you can pull it off, your opponent may find all his second-rate units have run away and his heavy-hitters are on their own.

My last comment would be that I'd try to get rid of those xystophoroi. It's a lot harder to deal with infantry amongst your cavalry while the enemy still have cav of their own. I understand this may not be easy though.

Thank you a lot for the response, but the xystophoroi really give me a hart time, because they are stronger than my cavalery is, even they outnumber my cavalery. In combination with his infantery, I already lost some cavalery.

Meanwhile in the center, how i said, i trusted in superior warbands against phalanx, but they did really bad on impact. Now, I already lost some warbands.

I think, it is the best, to show some screenshots of my current situation. Maybe there are some
possibilities left, or someone can tell me waht I did wrong.

So my current feeling is, that cavalery is to unflexible and superior warbands are
gambling. They can do really big damage on impact, but then they fail, the center is slowly but surely lost.

Current situation on the battlefield:



Left wing:



Center:



Right wing:

Superior warbands vs pikes is a chancy business, and overall probably favours the pikes. However, if it goes bad for either side, that will pretty much decide the overall result of the battle.

Ouch. Ok, that's looking pretty rough. You might have some hope on the left flank. If you can use that cavalry unit you've got near the phalanxes trying to flank you on the left, not to engage but to block and annoy, you might be able to postpone impact. If you can hit that unit with its flank exposed with your free warband, score a few disruptions, and then hit the enemy with those scythed chariots in the flank when they are disrupted, you might manage to inflict a reversal there. You've got a unit of cav on rough ground nearby; maybe see if you can get it around the back of that left-hand scrum.

Your centre seems to have dissolved; nothing much to do there but try to hold out with what is left. That unit of lights with its flank to you off the safety of the rough ground might give way if you hit it in the flank now. If you can win the left, you can maybe turn. Don't fight the mediums on rough ground; move towards something else so they are forced to come off it and fight you. Then, you can destroy them.

He has two units of vulnerable phalangites and an isolated unit of xystophoroi on your right. You have some warbands and cavalry who could win a local advantage if they act quickly. Try to beat the disrupted phalanx out of the way and then hit the remaining phalanx in the sides. Alternatively, if the steady phalanx attacked you first, you may be able to lure it into pushing your warband back; that will then give you room to hit it in the side. The xystophoroi can be surrounded; just don't get your cav stuck in the forest; you can move them through if it is faster, but they can't fight there. That severely disordered penalty is too much. Try to tie up his other units in the meantime. Once you've gotten rid of his more vulnerable units, you may be able to target the rest if they're still tussling with their current opponents.

That's all I can suggest right now.

Thanks a lot for the responses! My chariot could beat 2 phalanx in one turn. But I still think its lost this time.

I will consider the advices given to me for new matches, but i think syntagma phalanx using nation vs galatians is an uneven fight.

But i am happy that in Field of Glory historical accuracy is more in focus than dull balance

I also find it very difficult to use cavalry en masse, ie, as part of a Carthaginian/Alexandrian combined arms system. A heavy investment in cavalry tends to use up a lot of points, making it more likely that your overmatched infantry will crumble before the cavalry can pull off an envelopment.

Do the designers see any changes to the cav rules as we move toward the cavalry-centered armies of the early Middle Ages? Or will the proliferation of lancers and, later, the knight unit type give shock cavalry an advantage?

I would really like to see some instructional tutorial information on cavalry formations. Maybe Michael C will provide some of his insight in a new video.

You get greater value from your cavalry if you can use them in the second half of the battle when formations are starting to break up and some enemy units may be disrupted or may have lost significant numbers of soldiers already.

Barrold713 wrote:I would really like to see some instructional tutorial information on cavalry formations. Maybe Michael C will provide some of his insight in a new video.

I am a heavy infantry player. Cavalry is not my expertise. Given their mobile nature I have seen my opponents use them in a more freewheeling style than foot. I will say that Cavalry in the rear doesn't have to be in combat to be useful. Just sitting in the back with sight line on the rear or flank of enemy units in charge range causes those units to take morale checks at a -1.

I am a heavy infantry player. Cavalry is not my expertise. Given their mobile nature I have seen my opponents use them in a more freewheeling style than foot. I will say that Cavalry in the rear doesn't have to be in combat to be useful. Just sitting in the back with sight line on the rear or flank of enemy units in charge range causes those units to take morale checks at a -1.

Yeah, that may be true, but my problem is to get in the back of my enemy with cavalry. Nearly everytime my cavalry gets stuck through some trash infantery units, like Thurephoroi or even worse. And if i try to make a even bigger circle around his units, my cavalry reaches the enemy back to late, till my main line has broken with most factions already (he mostly plays with romans or hellenic pike armys, so I have tounse cavalry to take the prasurre, with nations like the gauls)