24lber howitzers.

[Hitorishizuka]

2 hours ago, dowdpride said:

I have not experimented with the 20 pounders but the 10 pounders are quite nice so long as you dont use them as cannister positions. 

It's specifically the 20pders that seem like garbage for their price/stats IME. I'm half wondering if because they're so rare for most playstyles that they didn't get tested enough and there's something wrong with them.

[Karri]

On 12/22/2016 at 9:53 PM, Andre Bolkonsky said:

But, if the devs are listening, put a priority on incorporating shell selection for artillery asap. Please. Makes it a hell of a lot easier to figure out where to site the batteries. Thanks. 

 

 

I would actually find range more useful than type of shell. Or just allow me to set preference, ie:

1. Always fire canister when you can

2. Favor shells secondly

3. Only fire solid when in x distance(since long range does no damage and uses all supply)

4. Favor targeting units in area x

[sukha]

The range indicator should be easy to implement, just show all 3 ranges on the same indicator divided by color lines.

Check out my paint skillz

[Hitorishizuka]

1 hour ago, Karri said:

I would actually find range more useful than type of shell. Or just allow me to set preference, ie:

1. Always fire canister when you can

2. Favor shells secondly

3. Only fire solid when in x distance(since long range does no damage and uses all supply)

4. Favor targeting units in area x

I think they already do all of that except 3, which is the annoying one. Well, 4, not exactly sure what you mean by area X, like everything else they autotarget closest unless you give them a specific attack command.

[Andre Bolkonsky]

4 hours ago, Karri said:

I would actually find range more useful than type of shell. Or just allow me to set preference, ie:

1. Always fire canister when you can

2. Favor shells secondly

3. Only fire solid when in x distance(since long range does no damage and uses all supply)

4. Favor targeting units in area x

Yes, this is specifically why we need to be able to select shells so we know where to site batteries to the most effective munition possible can be used from the furthest secure range. 

[berwatchey]

I too have noticed 20 pdr parrots not performing. For the price you would think they would be excellent, but they aren't good at counter battery, at least not significantly better than my other rifled guns, and they under-perform at closer range. I suspect they will need looked at, although all the artillery as a whole needs a look. 

[Lillibullero]

I found that 12 pdr whitworth is pretty good arty, because of high accuracy and very good range. And they have increased range of the canister shot, thats helps a lot.

[A. P. Hill]

With regard to the 20lb comments, I have read somewhere, can't recall where, but it was stated that even in real life the 20lb was an almost worthless gun for the field armies.  It was disliked universally  by both sides.

[Hitorishizuka]

Just now, A. P. Hill said:

With regard to the 20lb comments, I have read somewhere, can't recall where, but it was stated that even in real life the 20lb was an almost worthless gun for the field armies.  It was disliked universally  by both sides.

Maybe once weight and such was factored in, but there's nothing to indicate it's a trap gun just from the stats. The problem is the damn thing just doesn't do anything for its cost, you can have 10pders for half the cost that have equal or better performance. While I can't know what the problem is, I half wonder whether its stats are just switched in-game with the 10pder Parrott or something.

[A. P. Hill]

As I said, it was disliked universally by both armies for the same reasons you state.  So, with that said, perhaps the gun is modeled correctly .. and it really is worthless.

[RobWheat61]

1 hour ago, A. P. Hill said:

As I said, it was disliked universally by both armies for the same reasons you state.  So, with that said, perhaps the gun is modeled correctly .. and it really is worthless.

It was disliked by artillerymen because its iron tube was prone to bursting while in action. So it was not only a danger to the enemy but to the men operating the gun too. Unfortunately, reliability of weapons is not included in the game, at least not as an extra category for the player to see.  Furthermore it was very heavy, so more horses were needed and consequently more men, which is reflected - I assume - by the high price in the game.

[Don't Escrow Taxes]

still think 12lb howitzers are underpowered

[clench]

On 12/26/2016 at 2:52 AM, Lillibullero said:

I found that 12 pdr whitworth is pretty good arty, because of high accuracy and very good range. And they have increased range of the canister shot, thats helps a lot.

 

I captured some of these in my CSA campaign and it was my strategy to place as many smaller cannon batteries on the field this campaign as I could so I put them to use.

 

I was shocked to see the range on the cannister for this cannon. I had it placed in the entrenched position for cannons at  Fredericksburg in the opening stage and it was shooting cannister at Union brigades parked well outside the forest. It was incredibly effective. 

Edited December 29, 2016 by clench

[Alavaria]

You know I always wondered if rifled barrel -> longer range -> longer canister range.

 

Does rifling your cannon really make canister go further?

[JaM]

not really.. rifled guns were terrible canister shooters.. but they could deliver shrapnel with better accuracy... Shrapnel was very effective projectile in Civil war,  it combined the effectivity of canister with range of a shell.. ( around 1000 yards) 

[A. P. Hill]

1 hour ago, Alavaria said:

You know I always wondered if rifled barrel -> longer range -> longer canister range.

 

Does rifling your cannon really make canister go further?

No.  If anything they tried hard to refrain from using canister in rifles.  It bungs up the grooves, making the gun essentially useless.  Not only that reports from the field where they did fire canister from rifles, it put a wicked twist the blast sending it in the direction of the exit grooves, there was really no telling where it would go.  But, no, rifling had no effect on canister.

[Koro]

Would be cool to have this reflected in game and also different gun animations for the various batteries depending on the type used. 

[Sam Grant]

On December 26, 2016 at 2:52 AM, Lillibullero said:

I found that 12 pdr whitworth is pretty good arty, because of high accuracy and very good range. And they have increased range of the canister shot, thats helps a lot.

Good thread, guys.

@Lillibullero: How does one ascertain the canister shot range for the various guns?  Very useful stat, but I don't find it anywhere.

[A. P. Hill]

17 hours ago, Koro said:

Would be cool to have this reflected in game and also different gun animations for the various batteries depending on the type used. 

I asked for something similar and got poo poo'd on the site.   Knowing that a complete artillery unit consists of a team of horses, (depending on the gun, anywhere from 4 to 8,) a limber with the Number 1 Ammo Chest, a caisson with two more ammo chests, it's limber and ammo chest.  In some cases depending on the gun, a pair of limbered caissons were teamed with the gun.  I would like to at least see the correct sprites with artillery.  I'd love to see the Number 6 man running between ammo box and gun barrel delivering the round.

But from everything I've heard, that's far too much for some players.

Also as long as we're on the topic of various animations of vehicles of the time, supply wagons were teamed by 6 mule teams ... and of course of all vehicles, so far there is an absence of ambulances, (4 and 2 horse varieties,) and we have railroad tracks, how about some rolling stock?     (NOTE! I haven't played the Manassas raid yet so I don't know if the last request is fulfilled yet or not.)

[Koro]

1 hour ago, A. P. Hill said:

I asked for something similar and got poo poo'd on the site.   Knowing that a complete artillery unit consists of a team of horses, (depending on the gun, anywhere from 4 to 8,) a limber with the Number 1 Ammo Chest, a caisson with two more ammo chests, it's limber and ammo chest.  In some cases depending on the gun, a pair of limbered caissons were teamed with the gun.  I would like to at least see the correct sprites with artillery.  I'd love to see the Number 6 man running between ammo box and gun barrel delivering the round.

But from everything I've heard, that's far too much for some players.

Also as long as we're on the topic of various animations of vehicles of the time, supply wagons were teamed by 6 mule teams ... and of course of all vehicles, so far there is an absence of ambulances, (4 and 2 horse varieties,) and we have railroad tracks, how about some rolling stock?     (NOTE! I haven't played the Manassas raid yet so I don't know if the last request is fulfilled yet or not.)

Pop pooed on even? That's some tough shit right there. 

I did not notice though I do remember having read about it before now. 

I guess there are pooers in every forum. 

[A. P. Hill]

4 hours ago, A. P. Hill said:

... and since we have railroad tracks, how about some rolling stock?     (NOTE! I haven't played the Manassas raid yet so I don't know if the last request is fulfilled yet or not.)

Okay here's an update.  I just played the Manassas Junction Raid and am sadly disappointed.  Not even the first railroad track on that map!

[GeneralPITA]

2nd Manassas was historically an unfinished railroad, A.P. 

Agree that 20 pdr parrots need a revisit.

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Can we get one 300 pound Parrott gun? Just for the hell of it? 

How many horses is it going to take to pull that behemoth? Can we actually WATCH a 10" shell cross the screen? 

Edited January 5, 2017 by Andre Bolkonsky

[Alavaria]

If they're bad enough to qualify as some sort of newbie trap, maybe remove them from the store etc and instead have them in those units that "visit" in battles (which you command but won't keep after the battle).

[Keepbro]

3 hours ago, Andre Bolkonsky said:

Can we get one 300 pound Parrott gun? Just for the hell of it? 

How many horses is it going to take to pull that behemoth? Can we actually WATCH a 10" shell cross the screen? 

Don't be daft - quantity not quality is what trumps all. Rather than having a battery of 24x10 pounders or 10x24 pounders or 1x240 pounder - you have to be cunning and clever. I would personally have a battery of 2400x0.1 pounders. Of course the logistics would be problematic. You'd have to have a larger command system with the problems of getting 2400 people to fire all at once. Maybe getting them in ranks and having corporals and sergeants would work. Of course the range on 0.1 pounder cannon wouldn't be great but they'd be far more mobile. Something to think about.