Matrix Games Forums

Are there any good threads regarding the thoughts of experienced players on the best military upgrades for certain nations?

Things like:

Best all around upgrades for all nations
Best upgrades for certain nations to compliment the upgrades they start with
Best upgrades to get in combination over the long term

I wasnt able to find anything like this through searches but I cant believe this kind of thing hasnt been discussed in depth before.

So far the only no brainer upgrade IMO is formation drilling. I would like some guidance on other choices. Organized foraging seems like one that might be really good.

Organised Foraging :p

Responses to your enquiry depend partly on which of inf, cav, or art you would get most and focus on.

Right I was just wondering if there were threads about those factors with people making elaborate comments regarding the upgrades and those factors.

Here will be. [:'(]

OK, fair enough. Let hear some thoughts COG gurus!

[&o]

Organized foraging is very useful. Also I like to start getting massed artillery (all 3) after which I put a lot into cav.

Yep, Massed Artillery is a great thing. Get as much as you can get. Playing France or Spain, where you have a fleet that can undertake some tasks, it is usefull to upgrade the cannons and so on. Also the upgrade that allows you to take the other nation some colonies away is quite usefull. Playing france I took Spain and Britain kind of 5 colonies away.

Colony capture is useful, but not so relative to those regimes associated with fighting ability improvement. Naval training often resides in the top portion of my training agenda when I am in the role of France.

Organized foraging comes far down my list. Massed artillery (I-III), all the cavalry upgrades, double-line formation, and the movement upgrades top my list. Also, I'll occasionally go for the morale boost of patriotism. EVentually, no matter who I play, I find myself at war with Britain and am forced to undergo all the naval upgrades.

I've found that while playing France, the Naval upgrades seem to present themselves most rarely...so I jump on them. But since I play France only rarely, it may just be my own personal observation.

Naval upgrades are important, insomuch as you (as France) aspire to rule the Mediterranean Sea.

Should there ever be a game of 8 people that lasts long enough, the diplomatic skill of the English player will be sorely tried. Unlike EIA, English naval supremacy can be ended...a good thing

Target Practice I and II and Divisional Artillery. Since every country fields armies mostly composed of infantry type units, no other upgrades give a better bang for the buck IMHO.

I had not tried Organized Foraging until very recently, since I figured I'd always keep my troops in supply when campaigning. Didn't always turn out that way, gets pretty expensive, even with the looser 1.2 rules.

It had a nice effect on the losses due to foraging (well, 50% less, duh). I like it.

Personally I find myself using lots of Russian infantry so with them I take the double-line firing upgrade when it shows up. A nice add to firepower that really shows (at the expense of movement though).

Also like the upgrades that increase supply caisson movement, but then I seem to be one of those few players who constantly find my caissons strung out all over the place. [;)]

In my view, all Artillery upgrades are a no-brainer, including cannonball standards (as is the formation training mentioned in the first post).

I tend to not take cavalry upgrades, but it has hurt in some battles.

I would always take the "big 6":
- column fighting
- formation drilling
- flanking tactics
- levee en masse
- mixed order
- espirit de corps

Depending on country/situation:
- massed artillery (3) and cannonball standards (great if you have iron)
- winter fighting (if v Russia)
- naval upgrades (if v Britain)
- nationalism (if defending my soil)
- march logistics (esp for Russia)
- cav upgrades

bumped for another poster asking a similar question.

Massed Artillery I, II, and III.

Ian