Willard's 10 Maxims on Use of Artillery

[achilles]

Artillery was certainly used inside of 200 yard range... granted often not by choice but by necessity. In fact, this is the highest percentage of battlefield fatalities were incurred.

The game is actually pretty well balanced for this. It's always been a bone of contention with me that artillery was never used to its best effect by the Southern armies given their limitations. Nathan Bedford Forrest was the exception to this rule and it probably accounts for much of his success in the war. Instead of protecting his guns like the crown jewels (and hence locking them up in metaphorical towers far from possible capture), Forrest preferred to wait for a vital moment and stick his guns into the enemies faces (see the excellent book by John Morton his chief of artillery). Looking at a Brice's Crossroads is an excellent example (which is where Forrest made the famous quip about artillery being made to be captured)- and great proof that smashing the enemy's front and routing him will gain you captured guns. No risk, no reward.

Anyway, its obviously not a great practice to stick your guns out in front of your infantry before contact, but on the other hand having them in good position to push up at the critical moment when the infantry is heavily engaged is a game winning strategy (and battle winning for that matter). A single gun can break a line, and if it costs you a battery to do so, so what? The goal of fighting a battle isn't to make sure you walk away with all of your guns.

[Willard]

Achilles -

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I think you may over-estimate the game engine. It can't be a perfect representation of CW warfare, but obviously it can continue to evolve into a better simulation as it continues to be tweaked. Obviously guns can be deployed as you have described - I have done it myself in MP games. However, the damage inflicted by guns unsupported by infantry at 200 yards nor the "fear" they created on the battlefield is currently simulated in the game.

In game, if you have a four-gun battery at 200 yards facing infantry, the max casualties you can inflict is anywhere from 80-200 depending on the situation (open field, hills, forest, etc) before the guns will be over-run by infantry. Opposing players can quickly switch their units into column, double time right in front of the guns, deploy into line and charge often after the guns fire 1 round and before they can fire another or limber/move. The limber/unlimber times are much much slower in game than IRL and that impacts this type of strategy as well. Simply put, rolling guns up out in the open, unsupported by infantry, in game will get those guns taken very quickly.

At Fredricksburg, Pelham held up the Union attack on the left with 2 guns. The example of Forrest at Brice's Crossroads is a good example as well as 11th Ohio Battery at the Battle of Iuka. HOWEVER, the game engine doesn't simulate these types of events. Because infantry can be TC'd and ordered - while under fire - to deploy from line into column, double time up to the guns, re-deploy into line, charge without a morale loss/check, artillery is basically a sitting duck providing none of the benefits you have ascribed in game. Perhaps IF the deployment into/out of formations were more realistic, damage/morale/fatigue hits to charging columns more accurately depicted, limber/unlimber speeds improved, what you are describing could be possible.

Finally, everyone agrees that the majority of casuaulties are going to be caused by artillery 200 yards and in. However the casualty/fatigue/morale malus currently inflicted by guns at greater than 200 yards makes them somewhat useless. I have seen players move their guns out in the open and I can't hit them with my arty at 350 yards after 15 minutes of fire. I have seen 12 pd guns inflict ZERO casualties of massed infantry at 250 yards after 10 minutes of fire from an enfilade position. And these are not isolated incidents - this is the norm.

*S*

Willard

[NY Cavalry]

Even with increased artillery effectiveness some players will still push forward their guns. A lot of guys do not have the patience to let the artillery do its work.
My three cents.

[Willard]

Harmon - the key is improved counter-battery effectiveness + increased infantry range to 200 yards.

[Little Powell]

This should have been stickied a long time ago (and someone even requested it). Sorry that I missed the request. I'd like to get more topics like this stickied and eventually start up a "SOWGB 101" thread.

[GShock]

I have seen players move their guns out in the open and I can't hit them with my arty at 350 yards after 15 minutes of fire. I have seen 12 pd guns inflict ZERO casualties of massed infantry at 250 yards after 10 minutes of fire from an enfilade position. And these are not isolated incidents - this is the norm.

I have seen the full CSA corps of batteries engage multiple USA infantry in the open and stationary causing about 15 casualties in 1 hour of tests at just about past the cannister range.
That was the last time I played the game and I am looking forward to see that change. :dry:

[Little Powell]

I have seen players move their guns out in the open and I can't hit them with my arty at 350 yards after 15 minutes of fire. I have seen 12 pd guns inflict ZERO casualties of massed infantry at 250 yards after 10 minutes of fire from an enfilade position. And these are not isolated incidents - this is the norm.

I have seen the full CSA corps of batteries engage multiple USA infantry in the open and stationary causing about 15 casualties in 1 hour of tests at just about past the cannister range.
That was the last time I played the game and I am looking forward to see that change. :dry:

GShock - I think you'll be quite pleased with what we've done with the arty.

I've been doing some testing. I setup a scenario with a Union brigade posted about 400 yards away from a CSA arty division, both sides in an open field. In 20 minutes, the Union brigade suffered 180 casualties. Moving them closer to the batteries, they began to take even more casualties. This was a large brigade (the Iron brigade) but still, this shows that they can't just sit there in front of a bunch arty anymore and not suffer for it.. They will get hit hard.

[Willard]

I have seen players move their guns out in the open and I can't hit them with my arty at 350 yards after 15 minutes of fire. I have seen 12 pd guns inflict ZERO casualties of massed infantry at 250 yards after 10 minutes of fire from an enfilade position. And these are not isolated incidents - this is the norm.

I have seen the full CSA corps of batteries engage multiple USA infantry in the open and stationary causing about 15 casualties in 1 hour of tests at just about past the cannister range.
That was the last time I played the game and I am looking forward to see that change. :dry:

GShock - I think you'll be quite pleased with what we've done with the arty.

I've been doing some testing. I setup a scenario with a Union brigade posted about 400 yards away from a CSA arty division, both sides in an open field. In 20 minutes, the Union brigade suffered 180 casualties. Moving them closer to the batteries, they began to take even more casualties. This was a large brigade (the Iron brigade) but still, this shows that they can't just sit there in front of a bunch arty anymore and not suffer for it.. They will get hit hard.

LP - thanks for the info. Looking forward to the update patch...hurry in releasing it!!!