Anyone else hate the battle Crossroads?

[Mr. G]

I know this is a relatively small battle, but I have such a hard time being surrounded on three sides and holding a location that is in the wide open.

**How do you guys fight this one?**

I managed to pull it off but I had to give it at least 3 tries. Here is my successful run:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Uol-bDvbs

[Wright29]

Thank you for recording yourself playing and posting it instead of just opening up with a comment on how awful the game/ the Devs are.

A common strategy is to chill in the woods to the south, lose the objective, then flank with the reinforcements to recapture. However, I'm not sure how well this strategy will work after the next patch. From my experience playing it, the AI is very good at not attacking after capturing objectives. Makes Crossroads (USA), Prairie Grove (CSA), Chickamauga (CSA), Antietam (CSA), Parker's Crossroads (USA), Rio Hill (CSA) much harder if you give up the objective.

Anyway, I see you're playing on Normal and this strategy should work fine. This battle gets all kind of difficult on Hard and Legendary like most of the early Union campaign. Good luck!

[Mr. G]

Originally posted by Wright29:

Thank you for recording yourself playing and posting it instead of just opening up with a comment on how awful the game/ the Devs are.

A common strategy is to chill in the woods to the south, lose the objective, then flank with the reinforcements to recapture. However, I'm not sure how well this strategy will work after the next patch. From my experience playing it, the AI is very good at not attacking after capturing objectives. Makes Crossroads (USA), Prairie Grove (CSA), Chickamauga (CSA), Antietam (CSA), Parker's Crossroads (USA), Rio Hill (CSA) much harder if you give up the objective.

Anyway, I see you're playing on Normal and this strategy should work fine. This battle gets all kind of difficult on Hard and Legendary like most of the early Union campaign. Good luck!

I was actually thinking that myself. I felt like a real tool of general waiting out in the open for my men to get surrounded. I may give your strategy a go next time.

Now who is hating on this game? This game is a gem, not perfect but very solid for early access.

[ohener]

This is definitely one of the more difficult battles of the union campaign, although the main thing it punishes you for is low army org. Being able to field all 9 units helps a lot, and having 2000 man brigades unlocked by this point helps even more. It also seems that by this battle you want to have as many of your troops armed with rifles as possible (unless it's the weapon scaling screwing with me, smoothbore brigades always seem to get shot to peices in this battle). Ideally starting before bull run, you want to buy up every single lorenz each time they appear in the armory since it's the only semi-cheap rifle that the union has access to.

Even on hard it is possible to outfight the enemy while staying in the open and not giving up the objective. Usually for this battle I tend to just set up a defensive line along the road, away from any woods that the rebels might use for cover and with one brigade in the farmhouse to hopefully slow down the enemy until reinforcements arive. (Although like many fortifications in this game, it's really hard to tell which way it's supposed to be facing). Once the rest of your troops arrive, spread them out and you can beat the enemy by outmaneuvering and enveloping. Even with good cover bonuses you really don't want to be defending a convex pocket like that if you can help it. It leads to extra casualties, unexpected flanked penalties if a brigade starts to overlap a corner slightly, and if even one enemy brigade charges it can cause disaster since the brigades on either side need to expose their flank to the enemy if they want to turn and help their neighbor.

[Mr. G]

Originally posted by ohener:

This is definitely one of the more difficult battles of the union campaign, although the main thing it punishes you for is low army org. Being able to field all 9 units helps a lot, and having 2000 man brigades unlocked by this point helps even more. It also seems that by this battle you want to have as many of your troops armed with rifles as possible (unless it's the weapon scaling screwing with me, smoothbore brigades always seem to get shot to peices in this battle). Ideally starting before bull run, you want to buy up every single lorenz each time they appear in the armory since it's the only semi-cheap rifle that the union has access to.

Even on hard it is possible to outfight the enemy while staying in the open and not giving up the objective. Usually for this battle I tend to just set up a defensive line along the road, away from any woods that the rebels might use for cover and with one brigade in the farmhouse to hopefully slow down the enemy until reinforcements arive. (Although like many fortifications in this game, it's really hard to tell which way it's supposed to be facing). Once the rest of your troops arrive, spread them out and you can beat the enemy by outmaneuvering and enveloping. Even with good cover bonuses you really don't want to be defending a convex pocket like that if you can help it. It leads to extra casualties, unexpected flanked penalties if a brigade starts to overlap a corner slightly, and if even one enemy brigade charges it can cause disaster since the brigades on either side need to expose their flank to the enemy if they want to turn and help their neighbor.

Thanks for the tip. Could you tell me more about your favorite weapon choices as well?

[ohener]

Originally posted by Mr. G:

Thanks for the tip. Could you tell me more about your favorite weapon choices as well?

As the Union you want to be relying on firepower for the most part, which means phasing out smoothbores as quickly as possible. The M1855 is your bread and butter, partly because it's really solid, and partly because it's the only rifle avaliable in large numbers for most of the campaign.

The Lorenz isn't as good as the 1855, but gives you way better bang for your buck; decent firepower at rifle ranges, and it doesn't sacrifice melee power like the springfields do, making it good for less experienced troops and assaults. The main issue is its low availability, which is why it's a good idea to buy up every one in the armory every chance you get.

You can also buy 1853 enfields if they are available.

The Harper's Ferry version of the 1855 is good, but you stop being able to get replacements halfway through the campaign. So I would avoid buying any in the first place.

The 1861 and 1863 Springfields can be bought for elite units if you have extra money, but otherwise the cost isn't really worth it.

[Mr. G]

Originally posted by ohener:

Originally posted by Mr. G:

Thanks for the tip. Could you tell me more about your favorite weapon choices as well?

As the Union you want to be relying on firepower for the most part, which means phasing out smoothbores as quickly as possible. The M1855 is your bread and butter, partly because it's really solid, and partly because it's the only rifle avaliable in large numbers for most of the campaign.

The Lorenz isn't as good as the 1855, but gives you way better bang for your buck; decent firepower at rifle ranges, and it doesn't sacrifice melee power like the springfields do, making it good for less experienced troops and assaults. The main issue is its low availability, which is why it's a good idea to buy up every one in the armory every chance you get.

You can also buy 1853 enfields if they are available.

The Harper's Ferry version of the 1855 is good, but you stop being able to get replacements halfway through the campaign. So I would avoid buying any in the first place.

The 1861 and 1863 Springfields can be bought for elite units if you have extra money, but otherwise the cost isn't really worth it.

Thanks for this.

[SteelBear]

I normally play on normal. Had decent succes last time by using skrimishers to engage confederates at river in the south and along the road to northwest. Supported the skirmisher to northwest with infantry.

Hug cover as much as possible and when reinforcements arrive rush them up.

Try to keep artillery at an optimal distance so they can inflcit more damage on confederates who leave the forest.

[Mr. G]

What is optimal distance for arty?

[morgondag76]

Had to replay that a number of times, the way I remember it I won by positioning artillery in close but still safe locations behind the infantry and beating back attacks with cannister shot.

[Solar Maximus]

Many good ideas here. I play on hard now days. Don't know if since the last couple of patches things are the same on normal as they used to be. However, either way I believe one very important thing in this battle that definitely makes a big difference is holding the woods to the lower part of the screen. These woods are in my mind fairly critical, at least on hard.

From here you can harrass and flank the AI that masses in the open field. Just run up a bit to close the gap, fire, and then return to the woods. Over and over again. Make the AI turn. You get the needed flanking fire from the woods, and if the AI turns enough then you get flanking fire from the fortification area. You get alternating flanking fire between the two.

Also, from the woods you can detach a skirmisher or two to help turn the main AI infantry brigades. They don't like skirmishers on their flanks. If you can lure an AI infantry brigade to chase a detached skirmisher, so much the better. Less fire power threatening your Victory Point. A lot of time can be bought in this way.

Remember, the AI CANNOT fire at you while it is in motion turning. Every time you make it turn to negotiate a threat, it is in a state where it cannot fire at you. The more you can keep it turning, the more bullets is absorbs, and the less bullets your units absorb.

I bunch my arty close to, and behind, my infantry near the fortification. Detach-reattach, or fall back-hold to stop the charges.