Longbows

[unmerged(375738)]

In the campaign game in the pre 1500 era the English dont have the option to recruite archers for some reason. Incidentally I dont agree with any suggestion that they are just another componant of a medeval infanrry unit.

Longbowman were a distinctive unit type and one that gave the English a decided battlefield edge throughout the 15th Century

 

[Illanair]

As I recall nations do not have specific unit types? You only have what your culture gives you - Having a higher tech level lets you have better troop types though.

 

[zezeb]

Well you can have those as England and as far as I've seen, other nations do not want to use them. It is like the Gustavian infantry and those, all nations that I have seen use it is Sweden.

 

[unmerged(375738)]

My unit options in 1399 are generic infantry and lots of cevelry types but Iam also new to the game and I may well have missed an option somewhere

 

[przemo_li]

Maybe archers should be province regiment types in England? Like musli regs in greek/orthodox byz provinces

 

[unmerged(242228)]

All western countries get longbows when you reach tech level 5. I don't know why you would use them though, men@arms seems like the better choice (I do however think that the english AI uses em).

 

[zezeb]

All western countries get longbows when you reach tech level 5. I don't know why you would use them though, men@arms seems like the better choice (I do however think that the english AI uses em).

Depends on what general you have

 

[Nessaj]

Maybe archers should be province regiment types in England? Like musli regs in greek/orthodox byz provinces

This could probably be done with some creative modding like creating a new tech group with longbow units and giving them cores in England once England hits land tech 5. Not sure if the AI would use them though.

 

[Felicity]

EU3? Ahistorical?

No way. It's the most historical game ever.

 

[unmerged(375738)]

I would like to see Longbowmen as a province Rgt type. Historicaly they were the cutting edge of English armies in the 15th Century although it was an edge that became progressively blunter after approximatly 1460.

 

[cacra]

I think a mod I played somewhere gives England a triggered modifier for having longbows as its infantry choice which gives it an edge over other european armies.

 

[Dustman]

Lvl 5 Land gives choice of Men-at-Arms or Longbow. First are bit better in defense, second in attack. Western European nations with high Offense benefit from Longbow/Chevalier combo very nice. Higher shock on attack from the units, plus probable bonus from Offense, favors attacker. Since most Europeans use a balanced Latin Knights/Men-at-Arms combo, Longbowmen require bit more attention and favor hit and run tactics.

 

[jdrou]

My unit options in 1399 are generic infantry and lots of cevelry types but Iam also new to the game and I may well have missed an option somewhere

Sounds like you aren't looking at the preferred unit type options, only at the provinces. You can only have a single preferred infantry and a single preferred cavalry type; the other options you see in provinces are from other countries' cores. To build longbowmen you need to select them as your preferred infantry type. This will also convert all infantry of your current preferred type into longbowmen.

 

[unmerged(487181)]

All western countries get longbows when you reach tech level 5. I don't know why you would use them though, men@arms seems like the better choice (I do however think that the english AI uses em).

The extra shock pip > extra morale pip for sure

 

[cuendillar]

The extra shock pip > extra morale pip for sure

Early infantry got pretty bad shock modifiers though, m@a are better at soaking up damage while the cavalry takes care of the killing. Morale wipeouts aren't to be underestimated either.

 

[unmerged(487181)]

Not really, the shock modifier is half an equivalent-tech cavalry unit's shock modifier, and the Longbowmen have 2 pips to the Latin Knights' 1, so unless you have access to other tech groups' units, Longbowmen will deal as much damage as Latin Knights will.

 

[unmerged(242228)]

Not really, the shock modifier is half an equivalent-tech cavalry unit's shock modifier, and the Longbowmen have 2 pips to the Latin Knights' 1, so unless you have access to other tech groups' units, Longbowmen will deal as much damage as Latin Knights will.

Are you sure? I thought it was a factor 4, which is why I'm leaning more towards cuendillar army composition.

Besides I've always felt that morale is the way to go early on

 

[unmerged(375738)]

Since Iam playing as England Iam probably biased.

But all too often England is overwhelmed by alliances of nations that can field armies that in the game in 1399 at least England will lose when it comes down to sheer numbers. Historically England did face adverseries with anything up to a 4 to 1 numerical superority but the longbowmen was the combat equaliser that made war with France feasible. Without them Agincourt fore instance would have been a numbers game and a French walk over.

What Iam saying is that I would like to have seen longbow units available in 1399

 

[Dustman]

Technically, longbow was mostly Welsh, not English. Plus few French major defeats were not due to absolute superiority of 'English' archers, but due to lack in their own chain of command.

 

[unmerged(375738)]

By the Fifteen Century most longbowmen were English and that was due to England having a larger population than Wales thus preportinatly more English archers not that the guys on the recieving end bothered much about who was shooting at them.

Yes the lack of a coherent Franch command structure is a big combat negative for the French but take away the longbow and the French would have probably won by weight of numbers.

To put the leathality of the longbow into perspective its thought that the rate of fire at Agincourt wasnt replicated again by English infantrymen until the Battle of Mons in 1914 thats @ 20 rounds a mineute.

Anyway I wasnt aim to start a thread about the merits of the longbow I humbely think that England should be able to recruite or hire them from 1399