Cavalry and Class ?

[Cyrano~]

Consensus, what's the best way to use Cavalry most effectively ?
Also, how much better is an A unit vs B vs C assuming the same strength and readiness values ?

[hjaco]

The issue about cavalry has not been a busy topic so far.

I sense that most players neglect them so far.

I for one love them [8D]

The obvious choice is to use them to take hexes without paying for offensives, if they are stacked together with infantry. The Entente in the middle east is a good example for that.

If you lack intelligence on enemy stacks and really need that information you can sacrifice 1 SP pr. recon if you try to "take" that hex as above i.e. without activation.

The best use of cavalry in my opinion is to use it as a screening force between the enemy and your main forces especially at setup. If the opponent is attacking on your front, your cavalry will retreat without losses (except when only attacked by cavalry) giving you perfect intelligence about enemy strength.

In the same way you have the option to retreat away from the enemy before an offensive keeping the cavalry screen between the two of you. In GOA it is difficult to disengage from a front and retreat while your opponent is attacking.

This tactic has the added benefit of denying your opponent any hard intelligence on your disposition of forces, where you can choose the time and place for a counterattack by suddenly moving towards the enemy, preferably where you have a good chance of taking a position first and getting the defenders benefit of firing first (i.e. if the enemy comes from woods and you from clear, you are likely to get into position first).

[Cyrano~]

I've been only using them to take ground without using an activation point but I felt there should be more use for them.

Good added stuff. I'll try that.

Thanks.

[hjaco]

Anytime [;)]

By the way regarding your question about quality well that is not so easy to answer because quality within each unit class differs from country to country. Try for example to compare quality in combat for OE units compared to German units.

Another question is whether the difference in quality within a single country is the same for all countries. That is for example the relative difference between A and B units.

Finally the way quality works out in combat is that it adds a bonus to make it easier to make a hit for each modified strength point. Whether that is a percentage bonus i do not know but everything else is measured in percentage so it would make sense to assume so - it is not clearly stated in the manual in 22.0 on page 31.

[EUBanana]

I make pretty heavy use of cavalry on all fronts bar the Western Front.

Against the Ottoman Empire it is pretty much a war winning weapon.  The poor Turks just don't have enough troops to stop overrunning attempts by Entente cavalry.  Note that the cavalry seems to work on the Caucasus rough at the moment - not sure if this is a bug or not!  but in my last game I got the Russians up as far as one hex from Sinope with gratuitous use of cavalry and just two precious HQ activations.  The British can have a go from Egypt along Gaza, though theres not as much space there so its not usually as impressive.

What I do is always, if theres a possibility of cavalry taking an enemy controlled square - always have a go.  If you have three cavalry doing that on a sparse front like in the Ottoman Empire, then chances are one or two of your cavalry probes will actually be successful.  Rinse, repeat. 

You can do likewise on the Eastern Front, and in the Balkans too to an extent but not usually so successfully as against the Turks.  But any hex captured is a Good Thing, so same again, just keep probing, keep on trying, every turn, it forces the enemy to make sure the whole front is garrisoned, and every hex you capture bloodlessly is a good thing, for the cost of the odd cavalry loss.

[j campbell]

The unit quality modifier is a mystery. 

As I understand the combat the defender fires first but the attacker does not take casualties then return fire with "remaining" troops.  The attacker fires second so to speak but with the full attack strength that he entered the hex with-is that not how it works? 

[SMK-at-work]

Cavalry taking mountain hexes is a bug that's being addressed in the patch

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

Cavalry taking mountain hexes is a bug that's being addressed in the patch

What about rough? the Caucasus is, despite appearances, merely rough.

[SMK-at-work]

Frank wrote this in the thread titled "New update in testing":
 

13. Fixed cavalry inability to enter mountain hexes

 
now you know as much as me.[8D]

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

Frank wrote this in the thread titled "New update in testing":

13. Fixed cavalry inability to enter mountain hexes

now you know as much as me.[8D]

I think thats only an issue on the Italian front then, if so.

Too high a troop density for cavalry there anyway. [;)]

[hjaco]

ORIGINAL: j campbell

The unit quality modifier is a mystery.

As I understand the combat the defender fires first but the attacker does not take casualties then return fire with "remaining" troops. The attacker fires second so to speak but with the full attack strength that he entered the hex with-is that not how it works?

Nope - the defender removes losses before his effective strength point and to hit numbers are computed.

But i have raised the question to Frank here:

tm.asp?m=1543582

[hjaco]

Sorry - the attacker removes his losses first of course [:D]