Questions regarding Units and Combat

[killedbypropaganda]

I was searching this forum and the agewiki for more details regarding combat and realized how many things I don't fully understand yet. I will group my questions around unit-types. Some of my premises may be totally wrong, please excuse and correct me if that's the case.

Artillery: From what I read it usually is the most sane thing to put artillery in a corps with two infantry divisions so that the infantry can absorb the damage and the precious artillery doesn't get damaged since it's more expensive and can't take much damage. But if one has 4 infantry divisions and 2 artillery brigades, would it be more advisable to make one corps with 2 artillery brigades and one without or 2 corps with 1 arty-brigade each? Which arguments would speak for either of the options? From what i understand units in the same corps target the same targets, so I'd reason that it's better to concentrate the artillery to increase the chance to completly destroy an element because that's more expensive to replace and also affects NM.

A Second question regarding artillery: How would you explain the difference between medium and heavy artillery? Heavy artillery apparently slows the army down by -25% and provides bonuses in sieges. But beyond that Heavy Artillery has higher values in penetration, ranged damage and initiative and lower values in assault and assault damage; does that mean it does more damage and penetrates armor/fortifications better but performs worse when the armies closed distance to each other? Can someone explain all these values or link a page where they are explained? I couldn't find any.

Assault Combat: From what I understood after a few rounds armies change from ranged to assault combat. But how many rounds does it usually take before armies engange in assault combat? It's hard to value the importance of assault combat without knowing to what extend it affects the battle.

Cavalry: This is the unit that confuses me most. If I read the stats correctly they have worse combat values than regular infantry while costing about the same therefore they would be inefficient as a combat unit. But in a thread about Civil War II I read that cavalry inflicts additional hits to an army that retreats respectively protects an army that retreats. I would like to know if that applies to TEAW too and how great the impact actually is. Also they apparently have better detection and patrol values and better mobility. So my question is, what's good use of cavalry? Is it a good idea to make a cavalry-only stack to chase small raiding stacks that sneak behind the lines or to raid yourself? Would you attach some cavalry to your fighting force and if would you rather mix them in a corps with infantry, in a pure cavalry corps or not in a corps at all (just put them loosely in an army stack) and why? What would speak for either of the options? Or is their primary use scouting and if so would you attach them rather to an army or use them in a cavalry-only stack? Or wouldn't you use cavalry at all?

Mountain Brigade: If I understand it correctly you just attach one of them to a stack and it always increases speed of the whole stack by 25%? So it's rather something like a support unit? Would one put it in a corps? Intuitively I'd expect that they only could take full advantage of their cross-country abilities if they aren't mixed with regular troops.

Marine Brigade: Description says they improve amphibious assault. Does it work the same way as Mountain Brigades and boost the whole stack or does their bonus only apply to themselves? If it's only for themselves why can I build only two Marine Brigades as CP? I don't get the thinking behind it, why should it be impossible for a nation to train an army of marines and isn't the use of marines very limited if you can only have that few?

And what exactly is "Zone of Control"?

Really looking forward to some clarification, thanks for any input in advance.

[Stelteck]

Artillery is a support units, so in battle artillery elements are put in second line and take very few damage as long as there is still frontline troops (infantry to covert them).

It think it do not really matter where you put artillery in the stack. The model 2 divisions + 1 or 2 medium arty for corps is very good.
I notice that for frontline troops, corps take overall fewer damage than isolated units. But it is not true for support units.
So you want your frontline troops in corps but artillery can be anywhere.
If i have generals with artillery special ability, i sometimes make a 100% arty corps. The behaviour is not changed, arty hardly take a hit in combat, if you are not too much on the loosing side.

Heavy arty is overall better in combat than medium but is soo much expansive. The stats to look at is firing rate, power and range.

Assaut combat : Each round of combat in Ageod games have a Fire sequence, then a Melee/assaut sequence.
If you have a battle with 3 round of combat, you had 3 fire sequences and 3 melee sequences.
If you play AJE in roman time, the fire sequence hardly do any damage and the melee sequence is the most important.
In End of all war, the battle is won or lost mostly with fire sequences.

In most Ageod game you see how much damage have been done in melee and in fire sequences, but in End of all war, the battle report have been reformated and everything is merged.

[Shri]

Marines and Mountains are specialist troops and tended to cost a lot of TIME and MONEY to train and arm. that is why your numbers are limited.
The Cavalry is useful in early part of 1914 till Trench Warfare Starts (they can cover a lot of ground and capture Northern Belgium or even Northern France on their own if you are willing to take a risk of losing them).

Once, trenches kick in, they are useless and better to "deploy by rail" to the Eastern Front.
Marines are useful where lot of "rough terrain/rivers are present" - Balkans etc. Mountains are excellent in Balkans, Italy and Alsace-Lorraine areas but not so good elsewhere.

Heavy Artillery is really good against Troops in Forts or Trenches, whereas Medium is good in Mobile (i am not too sure, more of a Historical + Personal play experience). If you are attacking a Fort/Trench, you need 2/3 Heavy Artillery at the minimum else you will not win.