Another delay before to release the game?

[Holdit]

Who wrote that?  It sounds like a British quote.  British authors tend to downplay anything about other troops, even their allies.  Especially their allies, in the case of the Dutch. 

Everything I've read says that your common garden variety cossacks were quite dangerous, mainly due their nature as irregular troops.  While more professional cavalry does things in a predictable manner, these guys might do anything.  They didn't use line formations, but tended to use a "swarm" formation.  By the time professional cavalry had finished dressing their lines in preparation to begin a charge, cossacks would be on top of you already.

Fear them.

Hook

"The fabled cossacks, while present in great numbers in all Russian armies, were not battlefield cavalry. Primarily suited for skirmishing and raiding (...) they would more likely run from rather than deliver a charge against formed infantry or cavalry, much less artillery." - Bob Coggins (American)

"It is true that these [accounts of Russian strength] include about 10,000 cossacks, and 30,000 militia, whose role in the battle would be limited." - Adam Zamoyski (Polish)

"They were excellent at outpost work and reconnaissance; they could mount excellent ambushes, and were merciless in hunting down stragglers. In open combat, however, they did not prove particularly dangerous enemies." - Christopher Duffy (British)

"...if you keep up a bold front and are not intimidated by their deafening cries they will not press home the attack, but stop dead or fall back in orer to prepare a new charge. The moment the artillery starts up they make themselves scarce. Threaten them with a pistol or any kind of firearm and they will keep out of your way. They will never hold their ground or risk a personal combat unless they have odds in their favour of several to one." - General Dumonceau (French)

Holdit

[englishoo7]

The above post pretty much sums up what I have read about cossacks too.

[Franciscus]

Regarding an eventual delay of the game release, for the time being the only "official" timetable was posted by JMM:

The agreement between JMM and Battelfront is canceled.

HW:LH Manual will be consultable on November the 11th...
HW:LH Demo will be released before the end of this month...
HW:LG will be in pre-order on the first week of December...
HW:LG will be released before Christmas...

JMM

[Edit] Update English Version

Until JMM himself says that this is no longer valid, that's what I am expecting - although the first week of December has just passed by.
A delay might be chosen, in order to correct bugs. IMHO the only bug that really should not be present in the released game is the crashing/freezing on the map borders. CTD/freezing bugs are terrible. All the rest - graphic bugs, balancing acts with arty, etc - are inevitable, and no matter how many months or years the game is delayed, rest assured that they will be found by some players when it is finally released.
I can wait, of course. I have been waiting since 2005. Some folks around here have waited longer. Do not forget though that the longer the game is delayed, the more "dated" the graphics and specially the engine will be. Vista and 7 incompatibilities are to be expected (that's why self respecting gamers tend to keep with old XP, BTW), but further down the line the number of players with XP is sure to diminish, and the compatibility problems will only grow worse.
In the end, only JMM is responsible for his decisions and timings.

Until the final game is released, though, I would like to thank JMM very much for a fine free game - also known as LG demo - that will be even patched for free, it seems  

[Hook]

The above post pretty much sums up what I have read about cossacks too.

What others are perceiving as weaknesses, I see as strengths.  The way I use cavalry on the battlefield, cossacks are perfect.  We still need some heavy cavalry for some tasks, but cossacks are good for everything else.

Expecting cossacks to act the same as regular cavalry is like expecting infantry skirmishers to do the job of line infantry. 

While your regular cavalry is bashing itself to death against enemy formations, cossacks are hanging back looking for easy prey, and eventually they find plenty of it.  When you find yourself with a sizable cavalry force that can't be used to attack formed enemy, you start looking for other ways to use them.  I've found many.

Hook

[Holdit]

What others are perceiving as weaknesses, I see as strengths.  The way I use cavalry on the battlefield, cossacks are perfect.  We still need some heavy cavalry for some tasks, but cossacks are good for everything else.

Expecting cossacks to act the same as regular cavalry is like expecting infantry skirmishers to do the job of line infantry. 

While your regular cavalry is bashing itself to death against enemy formations, cossacks are hanging back looking for easy prey, and eventually they find plenty of it.  When you find yourself with a sizable cavalry force that can't be used to attack formed enemy, you start looking for other ways to use them.  I've found many.

Hook

It's not so much that they're being seen as weaknesses, just a recognition that you couldn't expect cossacks to be able to go toe-to-toe with line cavalry or good order infantry - even if they could be persuaded to. Hanging back looking for easy prey is a perfectly valid tactic, but cavalry was valued in this period for its shock value on the battlefield, of which cossacks didn't provide much.

By the way, infantry skirmishers could and did do the job of line infantry.

I've read somewhere that at Eylau the "easy prey" approach accounted for a quite a few French cuirassiers whose horses were blown (and presumably whose units were disordered) after charging. Take a look at where the cossacks were employed at Borodino or Eylau.

If as a commander I wanted a cavalry charge that's going to open a hole in the enemy line, then it's got to be led by the regular heavies. If, on the other hand, I want a screen on campaign, or I want routers ridden down, or an area reconnoitred, then I'd happily pick the cossacks.

Holdit