Musketeer
The Musketeer is a ranged unit from the Renaissance faction. They are equipped with the Musket. |
Characteristics
The Musketeer serves as one of the Renaissance Faction's ranged units, the other being the Balloon Archer. Whereas the latter is used more for delaying tactics, the musket is all about delivering powerful long-range shots at the cost of a long reload time, similar to a real musket.
Appearance
The musketeer wears the typical Conquistador armor: A chestplate, a blouse, ruffled pants, boots, and a morion helmet. It also wields a matchlock musket. He also has a black mustache.
Unit Voice
Behavior
Musketeers, like all other units, have improved A.I. from the 0.8.7 update. At the start of the battle, it will stand still, getting ready to fire at the closest enemy unit. It will walk forward if out of range.
Once the Musket has entered its range, it will come to a complete stop and aim its weapon. The Musket will fire a single shot from its gun. dealing slightly more damage than a regular arrow, raises its gun and then spends 12 seconds reloading. It will have its musket raised while it's still reloading; when it's ready to fire, it will briefly pause to aim at the nearest enemy. It will not retreat or attempt any melee attack if confronted at close range.
Musket shots, while somewhat inaccurate at long range, are highly effective against most enemy units, often killing most low health enemies in just one shot. Musket shots can also pierce through a Unit's shield or armor and deal maximum damage.
The unit creator actually has a version of the Musketeer's weapon that has a bayonet on the end, which allows it stab enemies that get too close.
Usage
- Muskets are generally effective ranged units when used in a line formation, though Archers are arguably better for engaging large hordes of unarmored units.
- Muskets are the best counter to armored units such as Shields; musket shots penetrate armor with ease, and a battle line of Muskets can easily devastate an attacking phalanx of Shields.
- The only units that can successfully defend against them are the deflecting units(Samurai, Thor, Samurai Giant, Lady Red Jade, and the Shogun); in which case, staggered fire is necessary. To do this, space out the musketeers such that they will be in firing range at different points of time.
- The long barrel of the Musket's flintlock means that one can organize a formation of two to three ranks deep. In this case, Muskets will usually stick their barrels through the line when coming to a stop, and all rows can fire.
- The now scrapped formation bonus of the Musket (moving into an aforementioned battle line) would have lowered their firing intervals to just 3–4 seconds, making the Musket far more effective against unarmored hordes.
- Musket lines are vulnerable to flanking by rapid units such as Chariots; a dense line, especially one multiple ranks deep, often cannot turn more than 85 degrees to each side without each unit's gun catching on another, or worse each Musket lining itself up to shoot another in the back. Supporting the flanks of a Musket line with melee units or heavy weapons is important if the enemy may flank.
- Muskets work well with Cannons, which can soften up enemy charges with explosive shells, and which have a relatively fast reloading time of 5 seconds, making them excellent at targeting closing groups of enemies while the line is reloading. They do not synergize well with large hordes of melee units unless the player is willing to sacrifice a few to friendly fire, as Muskets will shoot straight for a target regardless of whether an ally is in front of it or not.
- Muskets are fairly accurate, though at long range they frequently miss. One can exploit this and use small, discrete squads as "snipers", positioning them behind rocks or terrain to serve as cover from incoming attacks. This, however, forfeits the Musket's formation bonus, making them less effective at defending against attacking enemies by themselves.
- During the game's Alpha, the musket was originally part of the now-defunct Napoleon faction all it wore was a Shako hat.
Trivia
- The type of musket used by this Musketeer is a Matchlock Arquebus. The armor worn by the Musketeer resembles that of the Spanish Tercio, who excelled in their Arquebusier formations and strategies.
- It can kill and pierce up to 4 units with one shot.
- Despite popular stereotype, the "line formation" of the Napoleonic era was not something of chivalry and fairness. It was simply the most practical way to go about organizing and commanding units in battle, given the communication and technological limits of the era- muskets were inaccurate beyond 50 yards' range, and to get good results at up to three times that distance the best way was to simply mass-fire in volleys, which the line formation was excellent for.
- One can easily see the difference between organized units and unorganized ones even in TABS; Muskets not only gain reload speed bonuses from staying in formation, but are capable of grouping their fire at the general area of enemy units approaching them, much in the same way as real-life soldiers.
- The Musketeer holds its weapon somewhat strangely- it grips its stock too far back and holds it left arm closer to it body than it should. This causes the long barrel of the gun to slightly angle downward, but this does not affect firing accuracy.
- This can even be evidenced by a glitch that clips the weapon's cross through its body.
- Muskets in the Pre-Alpha cost 70 points and had no headgear, just like the rest of the units. They were somewhat poorer in accuracy, and commonly killed their own allies. Their shots' impact effects were cruder.
- In the closed alpha, their heads bob left and right while alive and aiming up their target. This appears to be a result of them rapidly stopping when preparing to aim.
- In the public version of the Pre-Alpha, their fire rate is greatly increased, similar to the ones in this video.
- Before an update patch, Hay balers were able to survive being shot by a Musketeer's bullet. Now they are killed normally.
- Both the Musketeer and Chu Ko Nu have the same voices.
- Musketeer was a unit of the original Napoleon faction until it was moved.
- The Musketeer is one of the only two units in the game with firearms that can penetrate shields, the other being Deadeye.
Gallery
- Pages using Tabber parser tag
- Renaissance
- Wobbler
- Ranged Units
- Units
- Early Access
- Full Version
- TABS