Pike and Shot II: Total War 0.1 Demo (OBSOLETE) file

1. Exctract data folder to your Shogun 2 folder.

2. Exctract user.script to C:\Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Shogun2\scripts

3. Optionally exctact performance mod and follow instruction (recommended).

4. Read README.

Before you start battles, it's better to set your graphic settings. There is huge variety of unit parts and clothes for every unit, units themselves are high-detailed, so it's highly recommended to install optimization mod. If you don't have powerful PC or laptop, it's better to disable or lower some graphic settings, such as SSAO/HDR, vignette, distortion effect, depth of field, water quality, vertical synchronization, lower Anti-Analising. Texture quality, shaders model, unit details and texture filtering is better to set on ultra.

Units in mod are mostly divided on 3 decades of Thirty Years' War: 1620s, 1630s and 1640s, with their own features. Year next to unit name means which period is it from (ex.: Maradas Kürassier-Regiment, 1640 means that unit is from late (1640s) period. Units from different periods usually have different armour, size and other things, so it's recommended to agree on one period before starting a match. Units without years in names may fit for every period. It's important to remember, that this is PIKE and SHOT mod, so you need to combine different types of units and use them together in a way, how it was in 17th century. Charges are pretty dangerous for attackers, so you need to first exhaust enemy by your musketeers, and then use melee units if needed. Same is about cavalry, their main weapon is carbine/pistol, not sword. (edited)

Many factions have own unique features and required tactics. So far there are two factions.

1. Habsburg Monarchy. Austria has big size of units and rely on heavy pikemen, which are one of the best in mod, especially on early stage. It also has and will have different light infantry units, while ranged infantry is nothing special.

2. United Provinces. Netherlands have smaller size of units, but they are in better quality to compete with Austrians. Dutch ranged infantry is better, while pikemen are pretty weak, so playing as Netherlands you need use different tactics than for Austria.

There is obvious division on pike and shot units, swordsmen, light infantry, carbine cavalry, pistol cavalry and lancers. Most of them are understandable, so we will stop on few.

1. Dragoons. They are mounted musketeers, main purpose - to quickly ride, dismount, use firepower where needed and ride back. In melee dragoons will lose both to cavalry and infantry, use dragoons only as skirmishers!

2. Cuirassers. They are pistol cavalry, but also heavily armoured, so you can use them both to harass enemy and charge detached units. However, remember, that charge is not the main tactic of the mod!

3. Reiters. They are similar to cuirassier, but without armour and with worse melee quality.

4. Harquebusiers/Carabiniers. This cavalry uses carbines and also good for harassing enemy. Melee quality is worse than cuirassier and reiters, but in some circumstances may work.

5. Calivermen. This is light infantry, use it as skirmishers. Same is with jaegers and Vuuroer (for Dutch). To better distinguish between units, we made different background colours for their unit cards: yellow is for light infantry, light brown is ranged infantry, dark brown is melee infantry, red is missile cavalry, dark red is melee cavalry, orange is dragoons.

6. Sappers. Special unit, main purpose is build fortifications and throw grenades. Use them as support on difficult places, not as infantry.

Unit abilities are important part of mod, some of them are experimental.

1. Caracole. This is vanilla cantabrian circle, it's mostly useful against enemy melee units.

2. Fire and advance. Self explanatory for infantry, but it's also available for carbine cavalry. Use it to harass enemy and return back without going into melee, but disable fire at will before enabling ability.

3. Pike wall. This is very useful ability, use it before engaging in melee.

4. Loose formation. For infantry (ranged and melee) it's useful to reduce casualties from cannon fire. Use it carefully.