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Difference between revisions of "France (M2TW Faction)"

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{{Faction|image=[[Image:Symbol_france.jpg|Faction Symbol for France]]|Name=Kingdom of France|Game=[[Medieval II: Total War]]|Religion=[[Catholic]]|Culture=[[Northern European]]}}
 
{{Faction|image=[[Image:Symbol_france.jpg|Faction Symbol for France]]|Name=Kingdom of France|Game=[[Medieval II: Total War]]|Religion=[[Catholic]]|Culture=[[Northern European]]}}
  
===Overview===
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==Overview==
 +
 
 
Much like the Holy Roman Empire, France starts with weak units when compared to what other factions get at this time.  However by the late period they have arguably the best unit roster.
 
Much like the Holy Roman Empire, France starts with weak units when compared to what other factions get at this time.  However by the late period they have arguably the best unit roster.
 
In the early period, France is average in terms of troops available but has a very good opportunity to expand in all directions thanks to the large amount of nearby rebel settlements.
 
In the early period, France is average in terms of troops available but has a very good opportunity to expand in all directions thanks to the large amount of nearby rebel settlements.
  
===Infantry===
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==Military==
French melee infantry are mainly defensive, with only dismounted knights being able to fill any real assault role. But defensively French infantry can be a serious hindrance to any attacking army, they have access to voulgiers and pikemen in both cities and castles, both of which can be lethal in the narrow confines of a city.
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The French are also in a position to recruit mercenary Swiss and Flemish pikemen should the need arise.
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'''Infantry'''
 +
 
 +
French melee infantry are primarily defensive, with only dismounted knights being able to fill any real offensive role. During the early periods, France has the standard lineup of units, however, later into the game France gains even more effective defensive troops, such as voulgiers and pikemen trainable from cities and castles. These units are exceptionally effective in the defense of settlements because of the narrow streets and passageways and attacking army has to navigate.
 +
 
 +
If the French have a need for pike infantry early in the game, they can recruit mercenary Swiss and Flemish pikemen.
 +
 
 +
'''Missiles'''
 +
 
 +
Missiles are a glaring weakness in France's military, especially in the early game periods, having only access to peasant archers and crossbowmen.  France's missile capability comes out later in the game, gaining access to the longbow armed Scots Guard and crossbow wielding Aventurier, both of which being capable of serving as effective light nifantry.  Fortunately for France's foes, these elite units require a large amount of development to gain access to and have small recruitment pools.
  
===Missile===
 
French missile troops are not up to the quality that their English or Milanese neighbors can bring to bear, with a few exceptions such as the longbow armed Scots Guard and the crossbow wielding Aventurier, both of which can double as heavy infantry and are possibly the most skilled of the hybrid missile/melee units on the map. Fortunately for France's foes, these elite units require a large amount of development to gain access to and have small recruitment pools.
 
 
The Scots Guard themselves have another weakness - due to their use of a longbow they will be too tired to fight effectively in melee if they use all their ammo, so they require some micromanagement on higher difficulty levels.
 
The Scots Guard themselves have another weakness - due to their use of a longbow they will be too tired to fight effectively in melee if they use all their ammo, so they require some micromanagement on higher difficulty levels.
  
In terms of artillery, France have an excellent selection, being able to recruit Serpentines as well as Basilisks.
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'''Cavalry'''
 +
 
 +
France has the best and largest variety of heavy cavalry of the catholic factions, including the ability to recruit Lancers, described as the "ultimate knights".
 +
 
 +
In the later periods of the campaign, France will -- after a bit of development -- be able to train their own longbow armed missile cavalry.
 +
 
 +
'''Artillery and Gunpowder'''
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France's artillery and gunpowder are at best mediocre.  The best firearm unit France has access to are arquebusiers, which don't stand much of a chance against the gunpowder units of factions such as [[Milan]].
 +
 
 +
==Starting Position and Strategies==
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 +
France's starting position in the campaign map is both good and bad.  The good part is France is surrounded by rebel settlements to take advantage of.  The bad part is, it is unlikely France will be able to take all of these settlements quickly, due to France's mediocre infantry in the early period.  On top of that, France is neighbors with quite a few factions to the east, all of which being potential allies, or, more importantly, enemies.
 +
 
 +
'''Strategies'''
  
===Cavalry===
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Early in the game France has the ability to expand in nearly any direction and being able to ruin the game for another faction simply through denying them extra rebel settlements, if you can put up with the pope an early destruction of the Holy Roman Empire and Milan would be the most beneficial and would knock out the most strong early threats to you. If you want to cut England off quickly, take Rennes and Bruges.  However if you wish to stay in the pope's good graces it might be best to simply eradicate Portugal and Spain while creating a alliance with the Holy Roman Empire which will almost entirely cover the potential eastern threats you can get.  After that you can march on the Moors and southward even reaching Timbuktu which is very merchant-effective. As France's knights and ranged power are very strong in the late game you should literally be able to destroy any other factions left, barring a strong England, Spain, or the Timurids and Mongols.
France in Medieval II: Total War has the best heavy cavalry of the catholic factions, including the ability to recruit Lancers, described as the "ultimate knights".
 
In addition to this, France have the ability to recruit mounted longbowmen as French Archers, available from a military academy.
 
  
===Likely expansion===
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Another course of action you can take is to become allies with [[Scotland]]Doing so will have [[England]] fighting on two fronts should you decide to move on its territory.
Early in the game France has the ability to expand in nearly any direction and being able to ruin the game for another faction simply through denying them extra rebel settlements, if you can put up with the pope an early destruction of the Holy Roman Empire and Milan would be the most beneficial and would knock out the most strong early threats to you. If you want to cut England off quickly, take Rennes and Bruges.  However if you wish to stay in the pope's good graces it might be best to simply eradicate Portugal and Spain while creating a alliance with the Holy Roman Empire which will almost entirely cover the potential eastern threats you can getAfter that you can march on the Moors and southward even reaching Timbuktu which is very merchant-effective. As France's knights and ranged power are very strong in the late game you should literally be able to destroy any other factions left, barring a strong England, Spain, or the Timurids and Mongols
 
  
===In conclusion===
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==Conclusion==
France has a very versatile army that can deal with any threat if used properly.  Their pike militia can effectively defend cities at a low cost.
 
France needs these things due to their position, neighbouring two of the greatest powers of the medieval period, both historically and in the game, (the [[Holy Roman Empire (M2TW Faction)|Holy Roman Empire]] and [[England (M2TW Faction)|England]]), and a possible further 3 powers, ([[Milan (M2TW Faction)|Milan]], [[Portugal (M2TW Faction)|Portugal]] and [[Spain (M2TW Faction)|Spain]]).  Despite this France is one of the more rewarding factions due to these challenges.
 
  
===Diplomacy===
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If France can make it through the early periods of the game, it will become a very powerful force once it gets developed enough to train and use the more effective late game units it has access to.
Quickly make an alliance with Scotland, as England will be split, and Scotland needs England destroyed just like France does.  Apart from this your diplomatic options depend on where you intend to attack first.
 
  
 
{{M2 Factions}}
 
{{M2 Factions}}

Revision as of 11:03, 9 September 2008

France (M2TW Faction)
Faction Symbol for France
Name: Kingdom of France
From Game: Medieval II: Total War
Religion:Catholic
Culture: Northern European
Playable:


Overview

Much like the Holy Roman Empire, France starts with weak units when compared to what other factions get at this time. However by the late period they have arguably the best unit roster. In the early period, France is average in terms of troops available but has a very good opportunity to expand in all directions thanks to the large amount of nearby rebel settlements.

Military

Infantry

French melee infantry are primarily defensive, with only dismounted knights being able to fill any real offensive role. During the early periods, France has the standard lineup of units, however, later into the game France gains even more effective defensive troops, such as voulgiers and pikemen trainable from cities and castles. These units are exceptionally effective in the defense of settlements because of the narrow streets and passageways and attacking army has to navigate.

If the French have a need for pike infantry early in the game, they can recruit mercenary Swiss and Flemish pikemen.

Missiles

Missiles are a glaring weakness in France's military, especially in the early game periods, having only access to peasant archers and crossbowmen. France's missile capability comes out later in the game, gaining access to the longbow armed Scots Guard and crossbow wielding Aventurier, both of which being capable of serving as effective light nifantry. Fortunately for France's foes, these elite units require a large amount of development to gain access to and have small recruitment pools.

The Scots Guard themselves have another weakness - due to their use of a longbow they will be too tired to fight effectively in melee if they use all their ammo, so they require some micromanagement on higher difficulty levels.

Cavalry

France has the best and largest variety of heavy cavalry of the catholic factions, including the ability to recruit Lancers, described as the "ultimate knights".

In the later periods of the campaign, France will -- after a bit of development -- be able to train their own longbow armed missile cavalry.

Artillery and Gunpowder

France's artillery and gunpowder are at best mediocre. The best firearm unit France has access to are arquebusiers, which don't stand much of a chance against the gunpowder units of factions such as Milan.

Starting Position and Strategies

France's starting position in the campaign map is both good and bad. The good part is France is surrounded by rebel settlements to take advantage of. The bad part is, it is unlikely France will be able to take all of these settlements quickly, due to France's mediocre infantry in the early period. On top of that, France is neighbors with quite a few factions to the east, all of which being potential allies, or, more importantly, enemies.

Strategies

Early in the game France has the ability to expand in nearly any direction and being able to ruin the game for another faction simply through denying them extra rebel settlements, if you can put up with the pope an early destruction of the Holy Roman Empire and Milan would be the most beneficial and would knock out the most strong early threats to you. If you want to cut England off quickly, take Rennes and Bruges. However if you wish to stay in the pope's good graces it might be best to simply eradicate Portugal and Spain while creating a alliance with the Holy Roman Empire which will almost entirely cover the potential eastern threats you can get. After that you can march on the Moors and southward even reaching Timbuktu which is very merchant-effective. As France's knights and ranged power are very strong in the late game you should literally be able to destroy any other factions left, barring a strong England, Spain, or the Timurids and Mongols.

Another course of action you can take is to become allies with Scotland. Doing so will have England fighting on two fronts should you decide to move on its territory.

Conclusion

If France can make it through the early periods of the game, it will become a very powerful force once it gets developed enough to train and use the more effective late game units it has access to.

Medieval 2: Total War | Factions:
Aztecs | Byzantine Empire | Denmark | Egypt | England | France | Holy Roman Empire | Hungary | Milan | Mongols | Moors | Papal States | Poland | Portugal | Russia | Scotland | Sicily | Spain | Timurids | Turks | Venice | Rebels