Mandekalu Cavalry... WTH?!

[Zaimejs]

My forces were useless against his. Keshiks would hit for 1 point of damage, then his cavalry would roll over them. It was only cannons that saved me from his cavalry.

 

[Bandersnatching]

So at this point in the game, he had Cavalry and not his Mandekalu Cavalry UU? The UU is a knight replacement, while the Cavalry unit has 25 combat strength and is a Renaissiance unit. Major difference there; if Cavalry, then it would seem like you are at a tech disadvantage to him, which takes a lot of effort to overcome.
Regardless of what he's using, pikemen and Keshiks are the way to go. If you are invading his territory but not getting anywhere, I'd suggest moving your troops back into your territory, then build up a large force of pikemen/keshiks and renew the assault. If you have any ranged units he shouldn't be able to take any city of yours, so all you have to do is build up a superior army, crush his, then take cities one by one.

 

[Zaimejs]

He had only Madekalu... that's what i meant.

The big problem was he had the wall... that cursed wall that didn't allow my Keshiks to use their speed. I beat him already... it's the other guys I have to worry about.

 

[smallfish]

He had only Madekalu... that's what i meant.

The big problem was he had the wall... that cursed wall that didn't allow my Keshiks to use their speed. I beat him already... it's the other guys I have to worry about.

The wall isn't a problem.

Start from the city that has the least amount of hex spaces and then work from there. Are you also using Keshiks to farm for experience? Do that.

Make sure you spam as many other units as possible - these guys are mostly your meatshields and city-takers, its nice to keep them alive but they are mainly to be there so that your Keshiks don't die.

 

[The_Quasar]

When you get a difficult opponent with units you're having difficulty with, you need to target those units and take them out immediately... Mandekalu are weak to Pikemen, so make sure you have a few Pikemen available before you take on an enemy equipped with Mandekalu. When you're on the rampage with Keshiks, it's useful to think ahead to the next couple of opponents, and consider what you will need, and begin building it early.

 

[The Pilgrim]

Or you just fire up Rise of the Mongols scenario and replay it until you mouse bleeds while improving your keshiks skills.

 

[Lyoncet]

I don't know exactly what's going on in your games, but you shouldn't be losing 5-move, move-after-firing, 2-range Keshiks to 3-move Mandekalu Cavalry. Are you engaging in his territory near his roads? Or trying to fight in rough or constricted terrain? Or are you backed into your own territory? Outside those circumstances, they should never be able to touch your Keshiks+Khans. Once you get promotions (easy when you can take pot-shots without fear of being hit back ever), you can get +range, indirect fire, and logistics which make them useful well into the modern era.

I'm also confused as to how you're only doing 1 damage per attack against same-era units. I just finished a game as Arabia and was doing 2-4 damage per attack in flatlands against Cavalry with my Camel Archers. Granted CAs have have about 25% more ranged strength than Keshiks, but Cavalry are around 40% stronger than Mandekalu.