FotS: Using the cannon. Does it provide any advantage?

Overview

In this guide we do not really learn how to use cannons but instead we see what can we do with them.

The Cannons.

So in this game we have 3 different kind of cannons. Every cannon offers a different possibility in terms of usage, positioning and killing. Mostly killing. So let’s get started

The Wooden cannons

• Poor accuracy and low ammunition
• Very low amount of ammunition
• Good damage against buildings
• Very weak in melee
• Low morale

Those cannons as per the encyclopaedia are some “cumbersome” lil things. They will rarely hit anything and if they do they won’t do the damage you would expect of a cannon. They are the epitome of last resort in terms of artillery (aka if you cannot get your hands on parott guns or armstrong guns then at least pick 3 units of these so you can destroy a gate).
Still they are not to be considered completely worthless. If used correctly they can destroy enemy artillery or they can snipe generals or important units (US marines, British marines, French marines or other elite infantry).

TL;DR: If you can spare the cash for parott guns, buy parott guns

The Parott Guns

• Very long range and devastating explosive shells
• Good accuracy and slow reload rate
• Weak in melee
• Average Morale

Shrapnel Shot – This shell explodes mid-air sending deadly metal fragments down upon targeted units. Once activated there will be a cooling-off period before the ability can be used again.

The bread and butter of every good FotS army. Those units can kill more than 750 men if used correctly while also destroying key strategic positions of the enemy providing you a victory even with the odds against you. They fire deadly shells that explode on impact destroying walls in 3 maybe 4 salvos. Those guns, can simply win battles by themselves. However no Parott Gun unit should be left unprotected. Even a levy will buy you time in case of a cavalry counter attack or an infantry charge. There’s also the Shrapnel shot which, mildly put, is like a huge shotgun blast. One well placed shot by the cannon will simply decimate a general unit (15-30 cavalry men or 30-70 infantry men with one shot).

TL;DR : Those guns are essential for winning any battle, no matter the terrain, no matter if you defend or attack.

Armstrong Guns

• Very long range and devastating explosive shells
• Good accuracy and average reload rate
• weak in melee
• Average morale

Shrapnel Shot – This shell explodes mid-air sending deadly metal fragments down upon targeted units. Once activated there will be a cooling-off period before the ability can be used again.

The epitome of a powerful, accurate, fast firing cannon. Those lil things can dish out so much damage in little time making them the perfect killing machine. They can level a fortress in less than 5 minutes and easily kill more than 1.000 men. They are the best cannons that you can find. However they’re still vurnerable to melee attacks and should be protected. But these cannons are hard to get since you have to upgrade your “Cannon maker” building twice giving about 7.500-8.600 in building costs (just to have the building built) and another 14 turns to have the buildings built and the unit made. It may not sound much but when you have to keep taking a city regularly and move your army around, that amount of time and money is crucial. Still it is worth to have 4 or 5 of these in an army and you, for sure, can take every single city without even the need of storming the walls.

First person shooting with cannons.

First of all for those who do not know how to get into the cannon firing mode they have to press their preset button which is H. Then they will get a marker. This marker shows where will the cannonball go depending on the angle you fire it. Do not attempt to fire while having a hill in front of you. The AI can simply fire better than you at this point. Every single cannon has a different behaviour when you fire it. Wooden cannons fire like mortars and they cannot be moved, meaning that it is not worth to even try it. Now for parott guns and armstrong guns it’s the same thing. It’s worth to fire in first person mode only if you aim to kill infantry or cavalry.
If you want to kill infantry simply fire in the middle of the unit. You will have more than 30 people dead and if the unit is firing, it will need to reposition giving you enough time to gun it down with your line infantry. If you however want to kill their general or infantry NEVER FIRE ON THE CENTER. You will rarely kill more than 1 man and it is not worth to waste your cannonballs for one man. Instead aim in front of it or the sides. That way you can kill about 3-7 people or if it is a really well placed shot 10-15.

No. A single pixel difference might mean that you may hit another part of the wall and thus missing your first firing target. I suggest that you let the AI destroy the walls and take over when you want to kill infantry. I rarely use the firing mode during sieges or land battles for the simplest reason: The AI is better at it, especially when you put the cannon in “Killing zone” mode (extra accurate salvos).

Naval Battles. Firing mode with ships!

During the naval battles you will notice that every ship is firing its cannons in turns meaning that they won’t fire at once together. That way there is always one cannon firing when the other one is reloading. Every shot is fired 1 second after the previous cannon has fired, maybe a little less sometimes. However it takes up to 7-8 seconds to reload all the cannons. How can we change that?

Simply put? Firing mode.

Let your ship fire itself the first or the second salvo when it is in close range. THEN immediately get into firing mode. The game won’t register the AI firings as yours and so the guns will act as “loaded” when they are empty. Simply click and fire away, getting two salvos in less than 3 seconds giving the enemy a precious amount of lead and explosions. After you fire the cannons simply leave the firing mode. The cannons will fire again as the “AI” captain reloaded his guns and is firing again. Go into firing mode for a second time and do the same strategy (activate fast reloading for better results). Not all times will that work. Sometimes the guns may still reload, however it’s really important to do that as you can fire 5 salvos in 20 seconds while normally that would take a lot more time (8s average reloading time, 5 salvos = 40 seconds).

Also during firing mode aim at the center where the engine is located. That way you may hit the engine compartment, meaning the ship will explode in a single hit.

Epilogue

Firing mode is a great tool. While having mastered it at sea, I still cannot do that in land battles as I do not find it worth the time. This is my first guide so please comment any faults that you found and rate accordingly.

Game on gents!