When do you use Musketmen?

[Adam7Eight]

I never build musketmen.

 

[LDG]

As a UU, when Protective, often when Aggressive, and lastly as the objective of a mad-dash beeline to Gunpowder (mostlikely inspired by there being no strategic resources within borders).

 

[CHEESE!]

I use Oromos and Janissaries. I CANNOT STAND MUSKETEERS!

 

[Jeffrez]

almost always, especially if my warring neighbour has elephants

 

[Roxlimn]

As stack defenders and mop-up troops, Musketmen are top-notch. City Raiders don't have bonuses against them, and neither do Macemen nor Knights, nor Elephants. Usually, I'll build a decent stack of Musketmen if I'm up with a tech lead going into Military Tradition and Steel.

Cuirassers + Musketmen + Cannon are plenty powerful enough to take on any Medieval tech city or army, and they're not as vulnerable to enemy tech up as Riflemen generally are. Even when Rifles are online, Cannon are enough to take them on on the attack, and Musketmen with Pinch generally do well enough on stack defense to keep an offensive going.

 

[Felix Luce]

What, no Musketeer love?

Bh

Me, I also LOVE musketeers. Before Warlords/BTS, I played Louis XIV or Napoleon (usually Louis) every single game. I love any unit with increased movement.

 

[Levgre]

Almost always. You can upgrade them when you get riflemen, or leave them behind as garrison so your newly produced riflemen are free to attack.

I always feel safer with musketmen behind rather than medieval units, they can stand up to attacking grenadiers and riflemen quite fine.

 

[grommit5]

I like musketmen. They build quick and upgrade fairly cheap to riflemen.

 

[Swein Forkbeard]

There are 3 reasons why I would use them.

1. When they're called "Oromo Warriors".

2. When I have a serious tech lead.

3. (WTF, why wasn't this an option?), when the AI spams pikemen and/or macemen.

 

[MrCynical]

3. (WTF, why wasn't this an option?), when the AI spams pikemen and/or macemen

What's wrong with crossbowmen (unless you're still somehow without iron)?

 

[dragodon64]

Always, especially when I'm Agg and/or Pro. CIII or 1-4 first strikes is no joke.

 

[Pe Ell]

Me, I also LOVE musketeers. Before Warlords/BTS, I played Louis XIV or Napoleon (usually Louis) every single game. I love any unit with increased movement.

Yeah, me too! I had a great game with Nappy where I just overran poor Mansa with musketeers mainly. Though that was with Nappys old traits (aggressive+industrious) when he had cheap forges and barracks. You could produce Musketeers quickly and move them to the front quickly. Very versitile.

I focus on gunpowder early only when I have a UU, otherwise I tend to trade for it. Musketmen aren't bad though, decent stackprotectors and garrisons in cities.

Oromo warriors are just silly (as in powerful).

 

[Dominico]

I was shocked at how good musketeers are in a war. I need to try them again actually.

Im also suprised by how everyone says muskets dont last long. I must research in a different order to others. I find that in most of my games when im at war they appear early and last a fair while. If im not at war i will usually get riflemen quicker (especially as england). Fighting medieval armies its a must to have a few of them scattered around.

 

[Zanbatou]

If I win the race to liberalism, I'll usually choose nationalism as my free tech, so that I can later enable the draft. Then I'll start slowly building trebuchets while beelining toward steel. As I'm researching steel, I start drafting a huge army of musketmen. When I reach steel, I upgrade all of those trebuchets to cannons (I often have to lower my tech rate by 10% in order to afford this).

This generates a powerful army very quickly and usually lets me take out at least one of my neighbors. It does leave my economy in ruins, though, due to decreased population from drafting, drafting rebellions, followed by war weariness. Still, it is my favorite method of warfare for that era. And I usually have no military infrastructure at all before this point (not since an ancient axeman/swordsman rush, anyway), so I need to do something weird if I want more land.

So musketmen often comprise a huge portion of my attack force (though its the cannons that do all the real work).

 

[lutzj]

Draft them when you take the liberalism tech path and pop nationalism!
Actually, build them once you get gunpowder!
If China used them better then they could have beaten back Mongolia...

PS: You left out an "always" or "whenever feasible" option in your poll

 

[King Flevance]

That would fall under other. I think musketmen are usually only worth building on marathon. Maybe epic. I think a game speed option may have shown a little more differential. As some people replying do not play on epic or marathon much if at all. And others almost exclusively play marathon. Back before marathon muskets were worthless, but now, I always have a musket/knight era. And muskets counter knight alot better than pikes. (Considering Combat II and Formation promotions. 10/10 xp is very easy to get.) as they do just as good a job against knights as pikes do, and they tear through anything else.

 

[Mesix]

Muskets with strength of 9 are wimps. I've modified the musket class of units to 10 strength and use them. I also build Pikes to help protect them from horse (as is historical until bayonets were invented).

To partially compensate for the strength increase, Grenadiers also get a slight attack bonus vs. Muskets.

Maybe bayonet would be a nice promo mod for gunpowder era units. +50% vs. mounted units would be a nice promo addition that could make musketment useful...especially if it is a promo unique to musketmen.

 

[Felix Luce]

Maybe bayonet would be a nice promo mod for gunpowder era units. +50% vs. mounted units would be a nice promo addition that could make musketment useful...especially if it is a promo unique to musketmen.

Yes, and perhaps Musketeers (who deserve more attention) should start with that promotion, as well as CGI/II.

 

[azzaman333]

I use Oromos and Janissaries. I CANNOT STAND MUSKETEERS!

You forgot to mention the lack of use for Musketmen.

 

[L4zXX0r]

Musketmen are kinda weak now that I think about it. I might make a few as defenders, but other than that, gunpowder is really just another step to rifling.