Special effects that most impressed you

[derspiess]

Um, no. Is there any reason why I (or anyone) should know, verbatum, every single sentence ever written by anyone on this site?   

No, but you should be following the Game of Thrones thread because Game of Thrones is awesome.

I think I might start watching that.  I tuned to HBO by mistake late one night last week and there was a cool scene where these dudes were fighting skeletons.  Then that short fella strangled a girl, which was a bit unsettling.

[Ed Anger]

Pinkie Pie is the best pony.

[CountDeMoney]

No, but you should be following the Game of Thrones thread because Game of Thrones is awesome.

I think I might start watching that. 

Heh, I'm watching it now.  Season 1, Episode 1, paused at the :23 minute mark.   

[Ed Anger]

Spoiler:

[spoiler]enjoy watching Daenerys getting railed.[/spoiler]

[Ideologue]

Could you guys please stop arguing about something none of you have any kind of practical experience in? Or move it to it's own thread. There is a limit to inane childish nerdery even here. Jeesh.

Could you for one day stop being such a freaking wet blanket about everything? Jeesh.

Or if you wish to confine discussion about stuff we have "practical experience in", I guess we have to abandon the thread entirely - exactly how much "practical experience" do you have of any "special effects"?

I have professional experience creating CGI (mostly with Maya). 

You can stay. So can Katmai. Hell, he *is* a special effect. 

He means CAD.  He's going to put us all out of work.

[Rex Francorum]

I always liked the Rohan cavalry charge in LOTR: Return of the King.  That's how you use medieval cavalry, baby: like a ten pin bowling ball.

Hell no. This post just proved to me that you don't know crap about cavalry.

1- Charges against more than 4 ranks deep of spear armed infantry in close rank formation are suicidal, if they hold their position and don't turn and run, of course. The orcs of Mordor had countless ranks of infantry, their only weakness, cavalry wise, the shortish spears, but their mass would have stopped cold that charge.

2- Horses go down if theyr hit anything wiyjth their front legs. The rohirrim horses run over infantry, that now sudedenly are not close packed, hit it them with the horses legs. No go.

3- I forgot my third argument, other than you suck.

Funny, I don't recall saying I knew crap about cavalry.

Now go sleep off your "To Catch a Predator" wine cooler before you wake up next to another child victim.

Realk men don't drink wine. we drink BEER.

Go back in 1277 please.

[Siege]

Both pics appear to depict cavalry fighting other masses of cavalry.

Historically, instances of masses of cavalry successfully charging into formed masses of infantry (when the infantry stood its ground) were pretty rare. The physics of the situation are against this working out well for the cavalry.

For one, cavalry of necessity takes up a lot more space than infantry. Each lancer would be facing several enemies on foot.

For another, most horses tend to refuse to impale themselves on pointy sticks for the greater good. They would rather either stop or turn away ... with predictably bad results if the ranks of horsemen are packed tightly together.

The primary impact of a mass charge straight at mass infantry was psychological ... that is, unless discipline and training were good, infantry would tend to run rather than face an avalanche of horseflesh. Running from cavalry is, of course, fatal, as you can't outrun a horse.

If you look carefully at the second first picture there are lancers charging what appears to be pike and shot formations.  I don't know how smart horses are and if they are willing to charge into a people with pointy sticks.  I'm thinking that multiple ranks are there so the they don't turn away, and that the momentum and sheer mass is enough to crash through.  I'm also thinking that horses often get killed in the charge and people get thrown from horses quite a bit.

Dude, the guy painting that crap wasn't a soldier, was probably not there, painted several years later based on other people's descriptions,, and if he was there, there is no way he could see all that happening at the same time.