Cannon

Prerequisites

Requires:

Machine Tools

Summary

Can Bombard Land Units

Gameplay

With its formidable Ranged Attack, the Cannon is a step above the Catapult in the siege weapons category. Use the Cannon to attack Cities and units from afar, but beware - weak defense and minimal close-range attack capabilities leave it vulnerable. While Cannon can Bombard land based units and cities, they lack the range to Bombard naval vessels.

Historical

As gunpowder revolutionized the world of infantry and melee combat in the 16th century, it revolutionized siege weapons in the mid 1300s. Although the earliest "bombards" were unwieldy, unreliable and relatively weak siege weapons, improvements in metallurgy in the next two centuries dramatically increased the quality of smelted iron and bronze. By the beginning of the 16th century, iron cannon, cast in blast furnaces, began to improve. Cannons accompanied by infantry and cavalry replaced catapults, pikemen and knights on the battlefields of Europe and Asia. Ships also capitalized on the emerging cannon technology to intensify naval combat.