Overview
This is a general tactics guide for newbies and veterans alike. I’ve gone through all the books I own on the subject of Civil War tactics to support these concepts. With the game fully released, I’m resuming work on the guide.
Introduction
Generals,
I’ve composed this tactical guide in light of the lack thereof for UG:CW. I had recently gone through an entire playthrough on the easiest difficulty, but it wasn’t to test my tactics. The idea was to learn what the game mechanics were, how they were designed, what had an effect and what didn’t, and thus I could compile the applicable tactics regarding those mechanics. For instance, I didn’t notice any noticable penalties to moving through forests, so the fact that broken ground causes disorder in formations isn’t included in this guide, because that effect doesn’t happen in the game.
I’ve read quite a few books about the tactics used by generals of the period, including Attack and Die (G. McWhiney, P.D. Jamieson), Battle Tactics of the Civil War (Paddy Griffith), and the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion (Craighill).
If you want quick tips and walkthroughs for the missions, Koro’s FAQ and YouTube channel is definately the place to go. He did a good job with those guides. This guide is an in depth run-through of the tactical and strategic fundamentals that will help keep your army intact and help you win battles. Now, because the game is in early access, there might be features that apply to other fundamentals in the future, and this guide will be updated. Let me know, too, if there are any discrepencies you encounter in-game.
Note for Devs: This could be a good resource to improve the AI even further, too. I hope you guys find some useful information in here.
So, without further adue, here we go.
Basic Fundamentals
So, before we get into the meat of the guide, there are a few things you need to know:
-Because the game has a time limit in battles, which is realistic, victory depends upon proper positioning of troops before the fight begins. You’ve got to set yourself for success, because you’re not usually going to have enough time to reset after taking heavy losses or failing in an attack, especially in the minor engagements between grand battles. You’ve got to get it right the first time, if possible, in order to get the best results.
-Though there is a certain amount of risk in keeping your commanding general’s unit close to the fight, his influence is still important. The circle around his position when you select him is his command radius, that section of space that receives his leadership bonuses more intensely. As long as the general stays safely behind the line, you should be fine. As Longstreet said, in the film Gettysburg, you can’t lead from behind.
-Morale is the bread and butter of your fighting force. It doesn’t matter how many veterans you have, how many troops you have, anything. Once a unit’s morale fails, they’re going to be less useful for the rest of the battle. Yes, their condition and morale will eventually come back to normal levels, but they’re less effective until that point, and they’re more likely to break again because of the lesser morale until they have their composure back.
-Cover and concealment are important. Cover is going to reduce the amount of damage your troops take, and concealment is going to hide your movements from the enemy. These are very important considerations in your battle plan. You don’t want to give the enemy advantages and keep stacking the odds against you, and definately don’t want him to know where your troops are if you can avoid it.
-High ground is extremely valuable. Even a slight rise in terrain can give you the edge you need to win. If you can secure the high ground, do it. Don’t attack high ground if you don’t have to, as you’ll be at a great disadvantage. It’s easier to aim and shoot downhill than it is to do so uphill. Plus, realistically speaking, an individual on higher ground can place fire onto multiple ranks of the enemy, rather than just the front rank that’s silhouetted against the crest of the hill.
-Don’t stay in a fight if you’re losing. Like Koro said, make the decision to get outta dodge if you’re taking too many losses. You’ve got an entire war to fight, and not just one engagement. Look at the long term implications of the outcome of the battle. Subsequently, think about the size of the enemy army compared to yours. Is it better to adopt an offensive strategy, or a defensive one? Obviously, sometimes the game is going to force you to attack, and if you do so the other sections of the guide will give you some tools to increase your odds.
-The flanks and rear of troops are very vulnerable, especially in Napoleonic style tactics. Flanks are not only a morale hit based on human nature. Flanks are priority targets because of a concept called enfilade fire. The thing about striking the flank of an enemy is that your fire is going to run down the line, wiping out swaths of enemy at a time, rather than just striking the front rank of a formation. The rear is especially vulnerable, because it’s a surprise to the enemy troops, because they’re receiving fire from a place they wouldn’t expect it to be from, their attention fixated on what’s ahead of them. If you manage to get some good damage to the rear, the enemy morale is going to drop like an anvil.
-Exhaustion is very bad. A unit with bad condition is going to get wrecked. They won’t last in a furious engagement, especially if they’re outnumbered and taking heavy losses. Plus, being exhausted reduces the effectiveness of your troops. They can’t shoot as accurately, and their reload speed is reduced. Keep your troops well rested, and they’ll remain in peak performance as can be permitted by morale.
-Charges, depsite movies and video games, are not gloriuous. Yes, there is a certain pleasure in pushing the enemy back in one fell swoop, bayonet to bayonet. However, it greatly reduces the condition of a unit, and they take a rather large hit to morale, depending on how long the melee lasts and how many troops they lose. Plus, if your troops win they have the tendency to keep going, keep chasing, and they end up in the fury of an enemy volley or get cut off from your lines and break. If you do charge, and win, make sure to have them hold position after the fact. If their condition and morale aren’t too bad, you can keep them there. Even if they aren’t in rough shape, I’d still fall them back if you can to rest them up and repair any morale losses they might have taken, which brings me to my next point.
–Have reserves. Don’t be the general that deploys every single unit he has in the attack or defense. Keep a reserve. No matter how well you plan something, you’re still going to have units that route. Thus, the reserve. Use the reserve to plug the holes in your lines or support areas that are getting hit hard. Use reserves to support weak points if they need it. This, consequently, brings me to another point.
–Use economy of force. Don’t throw your army at the enemy little by little. Use the forces you have. All of them. However, this still goes back to the previous concept about reserves. Use what you’ve got, but don’t put yoursalf in a position where you can’t hold a proper reserve strong enough to support the battle, and your line.
-A battle, no matter the century, is a combined arms effort. It takes a combination of your forces in the right recipe and techniques to get the best result.
-The AI is not as advanced as a human mind. Even so, sometimes the AI is known to use the concepts in this guide. Keep an eye out for those things. Anything you can do, any effect you can have, can also be done to you.
-Lastly, and one of the most important points, have good recon. Skirmishers and cavalry are indispenable in terms of this. That’s why I was so glad when the developers put in the ability to detach skirmishers from infantry. To put it bluntly, you’re going to lose if you don’t have good reconaissance and have enough eyes on the field to find enemy positions and give you enough advanced warning to act accordingly.
Marching and Maneuvers
This is pretty much what the heading says. Here are the fundamentals required to maneuver with safety and security to wherever it is that you’re going. The central idea in this section is you’re protecting the maneuvering troops so that you take as few losses as possible and avoid exposing your flanks.
ADVANCED GUARDS
Something I’d seen on UG:G alot were players moving their troops around without proper security and reconaissance. Granted, Gettysburg didn’t allow you to detach skirmishers, which is a weakness in that particular game, but it illustrates a point.
You should always move your troops around the battlefield with advanced guards, these guards being skirmishers. You can use cavalry, too, but the particulars of cavalry are mentioned later in this guide. As far as placement of skirmishers, you’ll need skirmishers on both wings (flanks) of your line, as well as the front. If you’re moving through a large area of terrain with alot of blocks to line of sight, and you don’t know the general location of the enemy, place skirmishers in the rear, as well. I’ll note, too, that they need to be far enough away from the army to give you enough advanced notice to set up a defensive or offensive line should the skirmishers contact the enemy. Direct your skirmishers to harass the enemy a little bit to give you as much time as possible, but don’t get them killed if you can avoid it. After you’ve got enough information about the enemy force via the skirmishers LOS, pull them out, attach them to their respective brigades, and go from there.
I wouldn’t, however, leave the flanks exposed. The skirmishers on the flanks should stay on the flanks. Get them out of harm’s way, but continue to use them to screen the flanks after you’ve turned parts of your line to address the threat on the flank. Additionally, have some kind of guard to a flanking unit. For example, if you move a brigade to hit the flank of an enemy army, you want to make sure your flank isn’t threatened as well. Put some skirmishers out to watch their back while they attack the flank, and boom, your safe(er), the enemy isn’t.
CONCEALMENT
I mentioned concealment earlier, and it’s especially important as far as flanking maneuvers are concerned. However, it’s also important during normal movements. If you can, march troops in routes where they can be concealed. For example, move around the rim of a hill, instead of walking over the top of it. Or, through a heavily wooded area. That kind of thing. Another key point, too, is that you should take into account those things which block enemy LOS. If the open area you’re about to march through is rimmed with woods, the woods are going to block LOS unless the enemy is close to the edge of the woods. This is also another case where skirmishers and recon is important, but that’s beside the point right now. It’s just important that you know concealment is your friend.
Let’s go back to concealment in flanking maneuvers, though. Which is a more deadly scenario for the enemy? A flanking movement spotted by the enemy, the possibility being that they can adjust and push it back? Or, a concealed maneuver the enemy doesn’t see coming and couldn’t adjust for before their line rolled up like a carpet?
Now, what if you don’t have access to proper concealment? You can go ahead and move through the area anyway, but make sure to lay out your skirmishers ahead and on the flanks to cover your advance through the area. It’s better to be safe than to get caught in open ground by concealed enemies.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
While you’re running around, doing your thing, you gotta make sure your army stays together. I’m not saying you shouldn’t split your army into sections. What I am saying is that the units involved in a given movement should stick together. Have them move in unison, especially in the area of enemy troops. The last thing you want is an isolated brigade getting routed while the rest are trying to catch up to it.
If, during your movements, seperation does occur, halt the leading columns and wait for the rest to catch up. Then continue the maneuver.
Skirmishers are exempt from this, however, as their responsibility is to scout for the army. They don’t necessarily need to be with the army at all times.
FATIGUE
Don’t get impatient. Putting a unit on double quick is going to tire it out, especially over an extended period. Unless they have to get to their position quickly, them walking will do just fine. Condition is an important element in the game, and you don’t want your troops tired by the time they get into the fight.
Infantry
Because infantry is the main fighting unit on the game, more details about the particular uses of infantry are detailled later on in other sections of this guide, but here are some general guidelines regarding them.
MASSED INFANTRY
Massed infantry is both a blessing and a curse. You’ve got alot of firepower in one spot, but artillery is unforgiving. Do not attack artillery with massed infantry. A cannon’s canister fire inflicts alot of casualties, and the number of casualties in that one split second is a massive sap to morale. Get into it with a large enough battery, and your infantry will be running for the hills, and you’ll have to run your general over to them to rally the brigade. The worst part about that is in cases where you’re gaining momentum in a fight, only to lose it again because the enemy artillery repulsed the attack.
As far as that’s concerned, too, a general guideline is to avoid bunching your infantry up, anyway. Give them enough seperation to avoid losing more infantry than you can afford to in the event of artillery attacks, and it keeps fresh units ready to rock. The landing of artillery munitions is random, and has an area of effect. Bunched units under the barrage of artillery all receive the same effect. Condition starts to take a toll, and morale starts to fail.
SKIRMISHER BRIGADES
Because you can detach skirmishers from infantry anyway, don’t waste your money and recruits on skirmisher brigades. If you do make a skirmisher brigade, I’d recommend giving them long range sharps rifles or scoped whitworths, something along those lines. Why waste anything on a run of the mill skirmisher unit if you can get them from your infantry brigades?
Cavalry
Cavalry in the Civil War is not what it was in the Napoleonic period. Because of the advance of rifled muskets, glorious charges that route an army are a thing of the past. Now, infantry is your main fighting unit. But, on to the particulars of cavalry.
THE PURPOSE OF CAVALRY
The basic purposes of cavalry are:
-Highly mobile skirmishers
-Reconaissance
-Escorts for weaker forces, artillery, and supply trains
-Protecting the flanks of the army
-Charging broken enemy brigades
Cavalry are generally pretty weak units. They’re not a superhuman force on horseback, regardless of their speed. If you use them as a brute force shock unit, they’re going to route. They may succeed a time or two, but eventually they’re going to take too many casualties to suit that function.
PLACEMENT
Cavalry should be the placed on the wings of your line, and a little bit back from from the infantry. This protects the flanks of the infantry, as well as putting the cavalry in position for flanking the enemy if you had to. Additionally, it allows for easier and quicker access on either side of the army.
Now, if you have two cavalry units, place the stronger brigade (numbers, experience, stats, etc.) on your weaker flank, where more support may be needed. If you only have one cavalry unit, place it in the center of the line, rear of the infantry and artillery. Without the bias to one flank or the other, that one cavalry unit can protect both flanks, though the reaction will be slower due to the increased distance it has to travel.
The weakness of cavalry toward the fire of other units is especially present in open ground. If the cavalry is joining the army in its movements across open ground, place them behind the lines, in the center, to avoid their being exposed.
THE LIMITED ROLE IN RECONAISSANCE, AND MOVEMENT TIPS
I’ll be honest, it’s pretty risky using cavalry as scouts in proximity of the enemy, but generally, you shouldn’t use cavalry for recon in heavily wooded areas. It slows them down too much, and if they get jumped it’s pretty much over. Use them in more open expanses of ground, but beware. The longer the distance, the longer they’re exposed, and the more chances the enemy will have at inflicting casualties if they’re keeping an eye out. If they get caught in open ground, they’re trashed.
FORM FITS FUNCTION
You can outfit your cavalry with two types of weapon systems: a cavalry carbine, or a specialty pistol with a saber.
If you outfit your cavalry with the pistol an saber, don’t use them in a skirmish capacity. Those units are destined for charges, however rare occurence that may be. When you do charge with them, attack the flanks or rear. DO NOT attack the front. Remember, cavalry have almost no chance against infantry, and that’s detailed later in this section under “Charges”.
If you give the cavalry some carbines, use them as mobile skirmishers that will dismount when you’ve got them in position. Whenever I make a dedicated skirmish unit in the army camp, it’s almost always cavalry with carbines. Because of the lower melee stats, I wouldn’t recommend using these units in a charge unless it was an emergency.
CHARGES
Even though charges can be disasterous to other units, cavalry is somewhat an exception. They still suffer the same effects on their condition and morale, but their speed allows them to get out quickly enough to possibly avoid being cut down. Note, though, that you still shouldn’t expose them to fire. If a charge would expose the cavalry to fire from other units, don’t do it. It isn’t worth losing the cavalry for one charge.
First and foremost, the cavalry’s priority targets are supplies. They can get in, capture or destroy the supply wagons, and then get out. The above notes about exposure to fire still apply.
If you’re going to charge the infantry with your cavalry, do so on the flanks or the rear. The only case where it’s a good idea to charge the front is in cases where the infantry is about to break. You’ll know it when it happens, because the insignia above the unit changes to a lighter shade than normal. If the unit isn’t about to break, the infantry is fit to tear your cavalry apart with a volley. If you did charge the front in that case, you could still win, but the casualties and penalties to morale and condition offset that victory, and afterward the cavalry really isn’t good for much.
The strategy for charging artillery is pretty much the same, but the penalties are even worse because of the canister fire. In experimenting with the game mechanics I found that sometimes it’s enough to route the cavalry off the field completely.
Artillery
The use of artillery is a delicate endeavor. They can deal some serious punishment at range, and with their canister fire, but the general result is that they’re going to get the **** kicked out of them by infantry and cavalry if the enemy uses the right tactics, and they’re probably going to.
THE PURPOSE OF ARTILLERY
The main idea of artillery is to harass the enemy at longer ranges. The effects of artillery against condition is pretty significant, which brings down that unit’s effectiveness. Plus, the game does pretty well at simulating the terror and confusion on the receiving end in the form of morale, and bad condition makes that effect even worse.
It’s important to note, too, that even though artillery is an important aspect of combat in UG:CW, it’s just an accessory. Other units are more important, and you can still have a good amount of success without artillery. Don’t discount artillery’s significance, though. It’s very useful in both the attack and defense.
LINE OF SIGHT
Artillery during the Civil War was still a line of sight system. It was possible to calculate where the rounds would roughly fall, but it was rarely done. I can think of but one or two off the top of my head. Artillery in that period obviously isn’t modern artillery, with the GPS computers and advanced software used in fire missions.
As far as the game is concerned, line of sight is the only method. So, in placing and using the artillery, keep in mind whether or not the artillery can actually see the where you want them to attack. Because advantageous positioning of troops is important in the game, place the artillery well, and with a commanding line of sight to desired fields of fire.
VOLUME OF FIRE
Cannons have a slow rate of fire compared to other units. A battery or two, or smaller amount of cannon, just isn’t going to cut it in a fight. You’ve got to maintain your batteries. If you lost a bunch of cannons in a battle, replenish that battery with new cannons.
The key observation, as it was in the Civil War, is that you’re not going to create much of an effect with low overall numbers of cannons. Artillery can be powerful, but it doesn’t have the amount of overall firepower of an infantry unit at range. Canister is brutal no matter how you look at it, but you need enough guns to otherwise create a noticeable effect ingame.
PLACEMENT
There’s a recent military maxim that rose with the development of tracers.
“Tracers work both ways.”
What it means is that even though tracers help you aim your machine gun and its rapid rate of fire, the enemy can see where the tracers are coming from and find the placed machine gun. It’s like a double edged sword.
The same kind of thing applies to artillery in the game. Artillery draws fire and attention from the enemy. If they start getting hit by your guns, they’re going to try and find your guns, and destroy them if they can. So, this requires a degree of diligence in placing your cannons properly. Place them in a covered position that protects them from counter-battery fire and enemy troops. The edge of a woodline, while maintaining the artillery’s line of sight, is a good place to put them, for example. You’re not always going to be able to, but if you can keep them in cover, do it. They’re going to be in the rear of the fight as a support unit, anyway, so don’t stress is so much if they aren’t in cover, but you’re still going to likely receive counter-battery fire from enemy cannons if they can manage it.
CHOICE OF CANNON
In UG:CW you’ve got a number of choices of cannons to outfit your batteries with. Now, I’m going to hate on ordinance rifles and Parrott guns a little bit. Parrott guns themselves are not very effective. It’s a cheaper option, though, in a pinch. At range, Parrott guns and ordinance rifles are not going to do the job as well as smoothbore, like a Napoleon, is going to. Ordinance rifles are more accurate, but the smoothbores have bigger ammunition, thus more bang for your buck. Again, though, you’ll be sacrificing accuracy for higher effect. The choice is yours.
I wouldn’t use many howitzer, though. Howitzers are destructive cannons, though. They cause a lot of damage, but they’ve got a specialized use. More on that later.
PROTECT THE ARTILLERY
Ever had those moments where the AI charges the artillery and you lose the guns? Happened to me a lot, and the generals of the period had a solution for that. Pretty much, you place two units with the artillery, even if they’re just skirmishers. For me, it’s usually skirmishers, because I don’t want to pretty much waste two infantry or cavalry brigades when they could be better used elsewhere.
Anyway, place one unit on each flank. The idea here is to have something to block the enemy if they decide to attack the guns. As I said earlier, though, the other units are more important. Don’t risk large numbers of troops to protect the guns, unless what your protecting is the main line of artillery. In that case, you better stop the enemy before they destroy every gun you’ve got. Cannons are expensive, after all.
Otherwise, if stopping the enemy means death for the units protecting it, cut and run. Hit that withdraw button, and pray the artillery can make it out, too. However, stopping the enemy is only a bide for time. Once the protecting units make contact, the artillery better be on the run. Once the guns are clear, get the units out of there.
I know it might be a wierd, if somewhat ditasteful, concept to some players, but this is a numbers game. Would you prefer to lose a battery of about 100-400 men, or potentially two brigades of 2000-4000 men?
COUNTER-BATTERY FIRE
I hate it when I start taking fire from enemy artillery, especially when there’s alot of it. So, I task some of my artillery to attack the enemy artillery. They’re the only ones, usually, that can touch it.
Right off the bat, depending on the range, howitzers are not your optimum choice. Yes, howitzers inflict alot of damage, but they have shorter range compared to other pieces. If you can reach them, use howitzers. Beyond the range of howitzers, you’re only option is smoothbores or ordinance rifles.
I want to note, though, that it’s unlikely you’ll be pushing the enemy artillery off their position unless you have a big enough battery, inside that perfect position and in a range that’s just right. The main effects you’ll have on the enemy are to their condition and efficiency. If you do it for long enough, eventually the condition, pushed to a bad enough point, is going to force the artillery to break. They probably won’t route, but they will break.
Once you start dropping canister on them, though, the enemy aretillery is screwed. The amount of damage inflicted is enought to get their morale to snap like a twig.
Battlefield Scenarios
Generally, there are three things that can happen in the area of the enemy. Granted, there will be those situations where this varies, but here are the broad scenarios:
ENEMY IN POSITION
As the title heading says, the enemy is already in position by the time you get there. As you will see later, it is important that you use cavalry or skirmishers to ascertain how the enemy has positioned himself, so that you can create a strategy and plan of attack based on that intelligence.
MEETING ENGAGEMENT
The enemy has advanced to meet you. If the enemy outnumbers you, or has better terrain to base his forces, quickly set up a defense using the later defensive concepts and wait. They’re coming, and the defender usually has the advantage. Just let them come.
Conversely, if you perceive that enemy is inferior to your force, get there as soon as is allowable. Be aggressive, because if you can manage to begin your attack before the enemy is properly set up, you’ll be able to inflict quite a blow to his army. Don’t let the enemy breathe, if this is the case. Hit hard. Hit fast. However, keep to the fundamentals laid out earlier, and what you’re about to learn.
THE ENEMY RETREATS
For whatever reason, the enemy is withdrawing. There are two more sub-scenarios in this.
One, you’ve claimed a victory during the action, and the enemy army can no longer withstand you or sustain an attack. Two, the enemy saw your force and got outta dodge before the fight was on.
In option one, get on him. He’s running, and he’ll keep running if you press him. Get the cavalry and the skirmishers on his *** and push him. The idea is that the rest of your army is following, and the harassment of the skirmishers and cavalry keeps him from creating a good defensive line. By the time you’ve reached him with your main force again, he’d been unable to set up a proper defense and the result will be much the same.
In option two, proceed with caution. The AI might’ve fallen back to occupy more favorable ground, and are setting up a defensive line. This has now become a movement to contact, so keep your skirmishers out and looking around, maintain all the fundamentals. Don’t be overly aggressive, or you’ll find yourself being put on the retreat yourself.
Offensive Tactics – General Notes
There’s a few things I want to put out there before I go on. There’s an inherent deadly risk in attacking. I you do it wrong, your army is toast. The Civil War is full of cases where a smaller force wipes out a larger one because it’s on good ground and uses proper defensive techniques.
THE DEFENDER
Even with numerical advantages, and better equipment, higher morale, etc. the enemy has prepared for you in some way or another. Unless you’ve got them significantly surrounded, and they’re in a bad position, they have the advantage, especially in fortified positions and good support. Always.
RIFLED MUSKETS
By far, this one piece of equipment caused more casaulties in the Civil War than any war of its kind before. It was a fallacy to use rifles in Napoleonic formations. The accuracy, the reliability. It’s a recipe for disaster on the part of the attackers.
Sometimes you’ve got enough advantages, and proper knowledge about attacking is going to help you significantly. There’s also scenarios that require you to attack a position. Just know beforehand that you’re going to take casualties. Alot of them.
PICK YOUR BATTLES
Some scenarios are going to require you to attack to get the victory. But, that doesn’t mean you absolutely have to attack. You can’t win every battle. Sometimes you just don’t have the resources to conduct a proper attack that’s going to end favorably. If that’s the case, don’t do it. Yes, on a grand scale, you’re going to get that hit to influence and resources given to you. But, at least your force is still intact. Take what you get from the state after the fact and bolster your force even more.
This doesn’t only apply to attack scenarios during the campaign. It’s also on a smaller scale. If you know you’re going to lose, don’t attack. If it’s going to incur heavier casualties than you can afford, don’t attack, or use a different attack strategy that’s more favorable to you.
Furthermore, if you’re losing you need to fall back. What you’re doing isn’t working, and it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Fall back, regroup, and try something else.
SCENARIO STRATEGIES
Sometimes the attack strategies given to you in scenarios are just plain bad ideas. This detail is short and sweet. If you have a better idea, use it. The beauty about the scenarios is that you can do whatever you want, it just gives you objectives. If you’ve got a better idea about taking a particular piece of ground, or routing an enemy off the field, use that idea. You’re the one with a sentient intelligence, after all, and the game is just lines of scripted code when you get right down to it.
Offensive Tactics
Alright, let’s get into the stuff you guys really wanted to know. What’s the best way to beat the hell out of the enemy? Well, look on.
RECONAISSANCE
Do not attack without having first scouted the target ahead. Recon in the offense if all about figuring out how the enemy has positioned themselves. Where are the strongest deployments of troops? What kind of terrain are they deployed in? Are they entrenched in fortifications? Where are the weakest points in the line? Which type of attack method (more on that later)? You need intelligence on the area to make an informed decision.
Probe the enemy lines with skirmishers, even when the attack is already underway and your troops are in contact. Find weaknesses, terrain advantages, anything, and exploit them. Use them to your advantage. This where things like reserves come in handy. You can use part of your reserve to make a flank at
After you’ve got the information you need, pull the skirmishers and whatever other scouting unit back. Keep the proper skirmishers fundamentals, though. Keep them out of harm’s way as best you can, but don’t leave the area. Things might change by the time your troops get there, and you’ll need to be able to adjust.
Another key aspect of recon is that you still need to watch your flanks and rear while advancing to the enemy positions. Use the same fundamentals as before. Keep an eye out with the skirmishers, and proceed with caution. This applies during the attack as well. Just as your targets are the enemy weak points, their targets are your weak points. An attack can quickly turn against you if they start turning your line or end up on the rear of your army.
ADVANCED POSITIONS
Just as you’ve got recon out, so does the enemy. Get rid of their eyes. Take out the advanced positions and scouts if you can, without sacrificing your plan. Skirmishers will keep enemy skirmishers busy while your crushing them like a bug.
Destroy their skirmishers, or push them back, and take strategic areas in front of the enemy position away from them. These area could be high hills good for recon, or clumps of strategic terrain, etc. But, you’ve got to get them out of there quickly, and once they rout there’s a possibility they’re hanging out somewhere beyond your line of sight. Another good reason to keep good recon around the battlefield.
AXIS OF MOVEMENT
Okay, so you’ve got the location of the enemy and you’re on the march. Normally, you’d want to make sure your route was free of as many obstructions as possible, or had roads. The reason is that broken ground causes disorder and losses to condition fro your brigades entering them. This was the case in UG:G
However, in UG:CW, the idea in this context is to choose a route that gives as much line of sight as possible to the surrounding terrain. No, if that isn’t tactically feasible, or impossible given the ground (as in battles like Bull Run or Shiloh), just move toward the enemy. Per earlier sections, you should already have skirmishers out anyway, but I wanted to reiterate it.
Remember, though, this is on the march, and not necessarily during the attack itself. This brings me to my next point.
OPEN GROUND
On the attack, avoid open expanses of ground if you can. Sometimes, it just isn’t an option, but do it if you can. Not only does it expose your army to fire, but the enemy picks you up in the more open line of sight. Until you get closer to the enemy, artillery is your biggest threat in the open.
THE CHOICE
Given my previous two sections, I noticed that they counter each other, so I want to clarify a little bit. The choice of which fundamentals you use is dependant on the situation. Do I sacrifice safety over open ground for greater visibility? Or do I sacrifice greater visibility for the greater safety of my army?
There is a risk involved in warfare, anyway, so my advice is that you choose a combination of both sections that gives you the most advantages, while restricting the amount of advantages given to the enemy.
CONCEALMENT
I’m going to reiterate this, as well. If you can do it, attack an area of the battlefield where you can conceal troops. It limits enemy intelligence on the attack, and the AI can’t tell if you have reserve waiting in the woods behind your line.
Another case of its usefulness is in a ruse. Let’s say I sent a good sized attack at an enemy flank. Meanwhile, I’ve got another force on the other flank, that force being concealed and ready to pounce. When the AI moves brigades to support the flank I’m hitting, the hidden force rolls up the other flank like a carpet and the enemy is dilodged from their position, at best completely routed.
As I said earlier, this is applicable to flank manuevers and important movements, too. Refer back to the Marching and Maneuvers section for more information.
ESCAPE ROUTES
This concept it going to be applicable to defensive operations, too, but I’ll start it here. There’s obviously a chance that you’re going to lose. In the event that you do, you need a good escape route. This route keeps your army safe from being trapped and surrounding. It allows for fast movement. An ideal route is free of terrain that slows your troops down. Plus, another good thing to consider is that the escape route leads to, or at least gives you access to, a defensible position. I’ve had the AI chase me down before, so if you have to retreat know that you might have to repulse a counter-attack.
ASSAULTS
I dreaded having to attack fortified enemy positions in this game. It is really difficult to gain and keep ground when assaulting those positions. You push them back, then they put another brigade in. You charged and drove a brigade back, only to to have that brigade broken by enemy artillery or an enemy charge. The list goes on. Attacking fortified positions is a risky endeavor with a high chance of failure.
First and foremost, wait until all of the forces you have on hand are present. Do not attack in small waves or a piece of your army at a time. It’s better to have all of your eggs in one basket than it is to be sending your army to be destroyed piece by piece. That goes for any attack, but it is especially important during assault on fortified positions.
If you can, find ways to flank the fortifications. You need to attack the center, anyway, to keep it in place while you flank, but you’ve got to get around the fortifications. It’s just too good of a position. Refer to the outcomes of the stone walls at Fredericksburg and the tail end of Pickett’s Charge. If you go head on, you’re going to take severe casualties. Don’t do it if you have another option.
SECURITY DURING THE FLANK
If you’re flanking the enemy, it should be among your top priorities to secure your own flanks at the same time. It’d be pretty damn ♥♥♥♥♥♥ if you sent troops to flank the enemy line, only to have them flanked on their way over there.
Use skirmishers or cavalry to screen the wings of your flanking force, or you might find yourself suddenly on the defensive, because the enemy crushed your flanking force, then proceeded to flank you, and now your army is in the retreat.
ARTILLERY DURING THE OFFENSE
It goes without saying that the artillery will need to be placed advantageously, so look to the Artillery section to get more information on this. Either way, here’s a couple things to know:
-If you’re attacking a foritifed position, use howitzers.
-If you can’t safely advance artillery into a range suitable to howitzers, use smoothbores.
Types of Attacks
You’ve got three viable options for attacks.
HOLD IN PLACE
Before we get into it, I want to mention an important piece of the puzzle with these methods of attack. You’ve got to keep the enemy locked in place. What I mean by this is keeping the pressure up in other areas of the fight, so that enemy’s attention is kept there. Or, they can’t afford to move troops elswhere, becasue you’ll punch through their line if they do.
Before you do any of the next three methods I’m about the give you, you need to attack along the rest of the line, too.
So, here we go.
SINGLE ENVELOPMENT
This is an attack on either flank on the enemy army, simple as that. It’s a fancy way of saying “flank attack.” Keep the rest of your army attacking the rest of the enemy line, but the majority of your efforts are against the flank you’re attacking.
Here’s an example of a Single Envelopment:
I’ve met the enemy army in open ground (for ease of explanation) and have committed my attack. I’ve laid out enough of my army parallel to the enemy’s center and left flank (from their point of view). On the right flank (my left flank), I’ve placed the majority of my forces, while still keeping reserves at the rest of the line. This attack should be made against the weakest flank of the enemy army.
The volleys start opening between our armies, and now I’ve got his line occupied. I give it a little bit of time and recon to make sure I wouldn’t be flanking into a death trap, then I go. Most of my artillery is placed against the target flank, while other batteries keep up the bombardment against the rest of the line. The forces on my left flank sweep around and punish the enemy’s flank. The enemy army’s flank rolls up and turns. They flee, and I pursue them.
DOUBLE ENVELOPMENT
This is the same as before, only it’s against both flanks. This is a riskier attack than a Single Envelopment. You’re going to have reduced reserves because of the larger forces you’re going to need to attack both flanks. Because of this, I’m going to recommend that both flanks be weak in order to conduct this sort of attack.
The scenario continued:
The enemy has reformed. They fled to avoid losses, and reconoiter. I press the attack again. My skirmishers showed the enemy had placed most of their strength in the center, and the flanks are weak in comparison. I opt for a Double Envelopment.
I sacrifice a bit of my reserves to have good strength on both of my flanks, but the reserves I do have are strong brigades to avoid my center collapsing if the enemy charges or gets some good volleys in there. I’ve only got a few batteries attacking the center, while the rest of my artillery pounds the flanks. The fight’s on, and the enemy center is busy. I make my attack.
I sweep both of my flanking forces around, surrounding the enemy flanks. It’s not long before the enemy collapses and routs. I’ve won the day.
A note about Double Envelopments:
Your center is at risk in this method of attack. That’s why, in the example, I placed my stronger brigades as reserve in the center. Most of your strength is concentrated on the flanks, and that’s also why I urge you to only use a Double Envelopment is if both of the enemy flanks are weak. If the enemy manages to punch through your center, there’s a good chance your army will be split, and you definitely don’t want that to happen. If you commit to a Double Envelopment, it needs to be over quickly to keep pressure off your center. Sweep around the flanks, crush the enemy. Get it over with quickly. Consequently, a Double Envelopment can turn into a:
FULL ENVELOPMENT
Full Envelopments are usually the result of other methods of attack or tactical circumstances. All of the enemy forces, as a result of being beaten back, have centralized into one location. The idea is simple. Surround the enemy completely and wait until they’re either destroyed or surrender.
As the result of a Double Envelopment, the flanking forces are already there to turn it into a Full Envelopment. Don’t just rush into one, though. It has the tendency to expose the rear of pretty much brigade that’s surrounding the enemy. This can be the most decisive attack in a battle, or the most disastrous one. Keep a clear eye out during the Full Envelopment in case the enemy decides to counter-attack with available forces you didn’t know they had.
UPON THE CENTER
This is an attack that requires alot of reserves, and a force ready to punch through the center. The idea here is not to achieve victory through brute force, although it may seem that way. In this method of attack, you’re trying to weaken the enemy center enough to split the enemy’s line. You’re quite literally splitting it in two, then destroying those halves seperately.
This is a costly attack. You’re going to lose alot of troops, but it has the potential to gain very high rewards. One you’ve seperated the two halves of the enemy army, they’re pretty easy to wipe out if you have the resources to do it.
I want to give you an important tip, though:
If the center is just too damn strong, do not conduct an attack like this on the center. Go for a Single or Double Envelopment. If you weaken your center too much to conduct other attacks, you’re going to get your *** kicked. The AI will punch through that center and chew you up. If any of you watched me play, or played against me in MP, I almost never try to split the center. The AI has the tendency to withdraw before I can manage to do it, and the attack is just too costly to my forces. Now, if the enemy is weak enough, and the AI sticks around long enough for you to pull it off, feel free to try and split the line. Another good oppurtunity to attack the center is if they placed most of their strong troops on the flanks.
A final note about splitting the center is that it can only be achieved if you have reserves ready to rush through the open hole you’ve created.
Here’s an alternate example after my successful Single Envelopment:
The enemy has reformed. They fled to avoid losses, and reconoiter. I press the attack again. My skirmishers showed the enemy had placed great strength on the flanks. I set up to split the center. My artillery begins their bombardment, and I’ve committed my strongest brigades onto the enemy flank, to lock the enemy’s strong troops in place. Then, with my comparably weaker brigades, I attack the center with everything I’ve got. I use careful application of charges, leaving a brigade behind the charging unit to maintain my progress in case the charge fails.
Finally, the enemy center breaks. My reserves rush forward at double quick. The enemy reserves come forward, but the brigades are weak quality and low morale from the previous engagement. They don’t last long. Temporarily, my line is in the shape of a “W” to avoid exposing my flanks.
After I’m sure the enemy reserve has fled, I conduct full envelopments of the two halves of the enemy army. They are destroyed in short order. I take thousands of prisoners.
THE OMITTED OPTION
There’s always the possibility that you can attack with your entire army into the rear of the enemy force. The problem with this in UG:CW is that the scale of the maps is too small to do it. There isn’t enough space on the maps to allow for the careful deceptions and maneuvers in order to end up at the rear of the enemy position. It would otherwise be a great idea, if you had the space to do that scale of movements
Note: I’m not referring to a flank attack around and to the rear. That’s small scale. In this section about types of attacks, I’m referring to the army as a whole, and not individual units you manage to get around to the enemy’s rear.
To Be Continued
Well, that’s it for now, but here’s a list of upcoming subjects:
-Defensive tactics, and types of defenses
-Army composition
-General stuff that doesn’t fit into a particular subject, but that you still need to know