Pikemen

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

Most mornings I try to get as much intellectual work as I can out of the way as I prepare to launch my website. I'll have more information on that as it develops; basically it's going to be a place to post my articles, stories, essays and satires.

Anyway, I've been reading a history of criminal punishments lately and this morning I ran across this line about one of our favorite (or hated) AOE3 units: THE PIKEMAN: "When he becomes a pike-bearer, the soldier will have to march in step in order to have as much grace and gravity as possible, for the pike is an honorable weapon, worthy to be borne with gravity and boldness."

The next time I send my pikemen into battle--skewering hussars or burning down the Toshugu Shrine--I will be sure to remember that they are wielding "honorable weapons..." and I will always tell them to march gracefully! Mastering pike/RI micro is a fine art, and it helps to know that your pikes have both "gravity and boldness" :-P

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]Most mornings I try to get as much intellectual work as I can out of the way as I prepare to launch my website. I'll have more information on that as it develops; basically it's going to be a place to post my articles, stories, essays and satires.

Anyway, I've been reading a history of criminal punishments lately and this morning I ran across this line about one of our favorite (or hated) AOE3 units: THE PIKEMAN: "When he becomes a pike-bearer, the soldier will have to march in step in order to have as much grace and gravity as possible, for the pike is an honorable weapon, worthy to be borne with gravity and boldness."

The next time I send my pikemen into battle--skewering hussars or burning down the Toshugu Shrine--I will be sure to remember that they are wielding "honorable weapons..." and I will always tell them to march gracefully! Mastering pike/RI micro is a fine art, and it helps to know that your pikes have both "gravity and boldness" :-P[/quote]

Is that what happens when you press "cover mode"?

In a related matter, the tercio is not a type of pikemen, but a formation. From wikipedia:

The Tercio (Also known as Tercio Español, literally "Spanish tercio", and from tercio meaning "one-third") was a Renaissance era military formation similar to and derivative of the Swiss Pike square and was a term used to describe a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen and musketeers in a mutually supportive formation; it was also sometimes referred to by other nations as a Spanish Square after its introduction by the Spanish army,[1] and was widely adopted across international lines and dominated formalized field warfare for several centuries.

Another interesting facit is that this is where the arquebusiers came from....they were most effective under the Spanish, not the Chinese, though the Chinese had them, the Spanish used them with pikemen to make a better mix of units. The Japanese also had Arquebusiers.

[Nighthawk22]

You guys are way too smart. Luckily Soccer's my mentor so his "smartness" will help make me almost in a way remotely decent! :twisted:

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

Another interesting facit is that this is where the arquebusiers came from....they were most effective under the Spanish, not the Chinese, though the Chinese had them, the Spanish used them with pikemen to make a better mix of units. The Japanese also had Arquebusiers.[/quote]

Yes, I've read that the Spanish were the first to effectively use muskets in combat around 1500. They slaughtered some Italian mercenaries. Hey, if you want to bring swords to a gun fight, that's your business :twisted:

[Nighthawk22]

yea im fairly certain that a musket > a knife

[IndyBrit]

Pretty sure the first sword/gun fight went badly for the gun guy, and the improper weight given to that first impression has been skewing the data ever since. :roll:

[IndyBrit]

I can just hear the engineer saying - "no, the gun really is way better than the sword, that was just OUNCES not GRAMS" (slapping his forehead), "when you pull that tourniquet off, go try this one"

Yes, working late tonight. OK, going back to work now so you can come back to the forums without being exposed to anymore of this nonsense for a while.

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

[quote=""Nighthawk22""]yea im fairly certain that a musket > a knife[/quote]

Playing AOE3, you get the impression that every shot fired by any soldier actually hits its intended target. With muskets, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, a formation of 500 musketeers would be lucky to hit a few targets at anything more than close range. When it appeared likely that the American colonies were going to have to fight England for independence, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the colonists use longbows rather than muskets. In 1776, at least, a longbow was more accurate and had a faster rate of fire than a musket. The difference was that it took many years to train a skilled longbowman, while any local idiot could pick up a musket and fire it when instructed. So the musket won out in the end because it was "user-friendly." :-P

[36drew]

OP information in this thread.

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""IndyBrit""]I can just hear the engineer saying - "no, the gun really is way better than the sword, that was just OUNCES not GRAMS" (slapping his forehead), "when you pull that tourniquet off, go try this one"

Yes, working late tonight. OK, going back to work now so you can come back to the forums without being exposed to anymore of this nonsense for a while. [/quote]

Actually the engineer (read: soccerman771) would say "the pencil is mightier than the sword". Because I would cut the production budget of the sword and increase the manufacturing capacity of the gun... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[rufio_eht]

[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]

Playing AOE3, you get the impression that every shot fired by any soldier actually hits its intended target.[/quote]

Not at all. I see it as making up for that average, although i think it would be infinitely cooler if it was more realistic int he sense you are talkign about it. Consider it takes waht 5 shots from any thing to kill almost ne units with few exceptions, often times many more. The point is they reduced the amount of actual dmg to represent the likelihood of a hit.

[rufio_eht]

think about what it would do to hit and run micro if every shot went in a more random location.

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

[quote=""rufio_eht""][quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]

Playing AOE3, you get the impression that every shot fired by any soldier actually hits its intended target.[/quote]

Not at all. I see it as making up for that average, although i think it would be infinitely cooler if it was more realistic int he sense you are talkign about it. Consider it takes waht 5 shots from any thing to kill almost ne units with few exceptions, often times many more. The point is they reduced the amount of actual dmg to represent the likelihood of a hit.[/quote]

That is an interesting way of looking at it, Rufio. It takes a lot of fire to one-hit-kill any unit, and I suppose that could represent taking the inaccuracy into account.

Btw, that is an awesome signature... "friends don't let friends play quick search." ROFL! That made my night. :-P You really do run into some despicable types on QS; I join your advice wholeheartedly.

[36drew]

[quote=""rufio_eht""]think about what it would do to hit and run micro if every shot went in a more random location.[/quote]

ROFL ROFL LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LaZy]

out