The way it SHOULD work is lancers beat cavalry, cavalry beats everything else, musketeers beat lancers. So the paper/rock/scissors game of unit selection is a bit messed up. Pikes or lancers should beat cavalry but they don’t. Muskets should be a force multiplier, but they are many times weaker than mortars on attack and no better on defense with same fire rate. Renaud comments: “I’ve come to the conclusion that there are only three viable units: Cavalry, mortars and medics. Your infantry’s task is only to stop the opponents’ masses which will then be shot by the catapults and mortars.” Defeat or victory are mainly decided by the artillery. All ranged testing was tested on flat open ground.”įrom Gamestar (translated by Günter): “Anno 1503 uses the ‘scissors, stone, paper’ principle for the different military types: artillerists beat swordsmen, these beat lancers, who do well against the cavalry, which kills the artillery. So basically the best combination of troops would be Lancers, Cavalry and Marksmen. Cavalry – Can Kill: Everything except for the Lancer.“Musketeer – Can kill: Swordsmen Pikeman and Crew.Tables of Military and Ship Data can be found in the appendices.Īn analysis of ground unit strengths and weaknesses, from Mr Dude: When I was attacking the enemy with my mortars behind my walls, the enemy sent some troops in a large circle around my city to where I hadn’t built a wall, and came into my city and attacked my mortars.” 5.6.2 Ground unit choice I had built walls around my city, but I forgot a spot because I ran out of stones. Wisco writes: “I found out that the AI, in a way, isn’t that stupid. Therefore newly trained troops which have not been ‘deployed’ (or put on patrol which the AI can do but we can’t yet), are in the courtyard behind the flag – not stationed in the fortress.” I have never seen the computer make musketeers, archers, medics, crew or scouts.” BaldJim comments: “The AI does not move the Rally Point Flag. Not sure about the war machines, but this seems about right. … It was not difficult to beat him.”įrom Renaud: “A fully maxed AI will have (in order of building): 12 pikemen, 12 crossbowmen, 12 cavalry, 6(?) catapults, 12 lancers, 6(?) cannon, 12 musketeers, and 6(?) mortars. writes: “Sometimes it seemed that he wanted to fight against me but his City Gates were closed and his troops couldn’t go out. It attacks with only 6 soldiers and often these guys just stand around instead of attacking my market houses.” Don Enrico comments: “If an island has been attacked, guard that very spot with cannon towers and walls – the next attack will probably happen there again.” Jini writes: “When the AI attacks my island, it always unloads its soldiers on the same spot. Wiles adds: “I usually use cavalry if I am going to be baiting from a more inland point, as they are a little quicker.” This technique can be ineffective when the enemy produces replacement troops very rapidly, the main enemy settlement is some distance from the coast, or you are faced with many units that stay out of cannon range (Mortars mostly). Some enemy troops can fire back at your ships, but even if they do serious damage (which is unlikely) one can normally retreat ships relatively quickly. You need naval supremacy close to the enemy’s island. Your ships will kill his army easily.” This trick worked in 1602 too, and allows almost any AI army to be destroyed with a handful of units. Unload your cannon and when the enemy army come load it back quick. From FaithRaven: “Put a cannon on one of your ships and go with all ships near his buildings.