I'm in a game now where my top 3 or so AI opponents have all teched toward cavalry and (as the AI somehow seems to be able to do) instantly have a ton in the field.
I, on the other hand, more or less beelined to steel for cannon.
So it's my cannon with a few grenediers and pikes against their cavalry and muskets. Which would you rather have?
For a number of reasons, I really prefer the cannon. Both are excellent offensive units, but for a number of reasons I think the cannon are much better.
1. Cannon can get the city raider promotion.
2. As a result, the cannon can kill anything in an enemy garrison stack, including the cavalry (I'm getting a bit above 80% liklihood of victory with CR3 cannon against cavalry, which of course receive no defensive bonuses). The cavalry, on the other hand, is in trouble going after a mixed stack that includes pikes, grenediers or muskets.
3. The cavalry is faster, but this advantage is reduced by the fact that they have to drag around a train of catapults/trebouchets in order to be able to attack cities.
4. The cannon, on the other hand, can bombard city defenses for themselves.
5. Collateral damage. At the end of it all, collateral damage is king. Even if I lose a cannon or two on the first attacks, I know I can knock down the whole enemy stack with enough cannon.
6. I prefer the tech path to cannon. I think it's shorter, and also more useful, giving us grenediers and the ironworks, and setting us up for railroad (machine guns).
I, on the other hand, more or less beelined to steel for cannon.
So it's my cannon with a few grenediers and pikes against their cavalry and muskets. Which would you rather have?
For a number of reasons, I really prefer the cannon. Both are excellent offensive units, but for a number of reasons I think the cannon are much better.
1. Cannon can get the city raider promotion.
2. As a result, the cannon can kill anything in an enemy garrison stack, including the cavalry (I'm getting a bit above 80% liklihood of victory with CR3 cannon against cavalry, which of course receive no defensive bonuses). The cavalry, on the other hand, is in trouble going after a mixed stack that includes pikes, grenediers or muskets.
3. The cavalry is faster, but this advantage is reduced by the fact that they have to drag around a train of catapults/trebouchets in order to be able to attack cities.
4. The cannon, on the other hand, can bombard city defenses for themselves.
5. Collateral damage. At the end of it all, collateral damage is king. Even if I lose a cannon or two on the first attacks, I know I can knock down the whole enemy stack with enough cannon.
6. I prefer the tech path to cannon. I think it's shorter, and also more useful, giving us grenediers and the ironworks, and setting us up for railroad (machine guns).
