Winning the Archer War (my online woes)

**Prince_of_Macedon** · August 18, 2007, 07:38 PM

When it comes to the archery aspect of battle, I always lose. I'd rather fight against 5 Praetorian Cavalry than 10 Roman Archers.

How do you guys fight battles where there's a significant number of archers on both sides? By significant, I mean 8+ archers. For clarity's sake, let's match 8 Roman Archers vs 8 Roman Archers.

8 Roman Archers vs 8 Roman Archers (coming at each other in line abreast)
1) How do you guys decide where to focus fire?
2) And how many of your friendly units do you focus per enemy unit?
3) And when do you switch to a new target?

**_TubbZ_** · August 18, 2007, 07:50 PM

Well i stick with the same target usually through out the archer battle but i make sure i get off the first volley and also try to use HA to my advantage. Main thing is to make sure you have long lines really as they take less fire then. You also must make sure you don't get caught by cavalry. So if you play a pike/ infantry based army don't be scared to put you archers in very long lines..
so basically:
* try to get first volley off (it really does help alot)
* skirmish the archers if you can afford to (say use HA or Jav cav) with low money archers are the key to victory in alot of battles.
*good long lines and don't over lap your archers else they will get caught by other archers fire when in battle (same with your inf)
* don't use fire on other archers its less effective (and if its set to night battles turn off fire as its auto turned on

)
* If you are facing short ranged archer faction (say seleucids or Pontus) take a long ranged archer to get them to come to you then pull it back to keep it out of range.
* IF you have more superior cavalry play a very wide game as its harder for your opponent to keep track of it.

**Roman Clone** · August 18, 2007, 09:16 PM

No One Ever listen to my friend in the corner, he comes, but you tell him to go.

GET IN HAND TO HAND COMBAT! Get Close, because basically their archers will try to shoot over their men but they end up hitting their men in the fray.

Now Excuse me, Me and the Advisor are going to a bar..........

**guyyug** · August 19, 2007, 03:49 AM

I've never really take more then 5 archers, I get my hands stuck into the messy business. The only time I took more archers then I normally do was in my numidia AAR and I didn't use them much. Archers are only important in 2v2 as usually an ally is reluctant to move, I understand why as it's dificult to keep a battle line when two players control it.

**Oman** · August 19, 2007, 05:33 AM

Hi Prince,

a. Nice long even lines (obviously in loose foramation).
b. i dedide beforehand as to if i put my archers in front or behind my main units. This is usually dicated by how many archers i think my enemy has. Many archers, i will put them in front, not many , behind main units for protection. If i see they have no archers, i will quickly reform in tight formation for added protection and melle ability.
c. I will fire evenly down the enemy archer line until i notice one unit that may have less casulties than another, then i will concentrate maybe a few more units to fire on them. Reasoning behind this is that 20 archers firing on me for the next few minutes, will do less damage than 70. To me, it also makes sense to take out the more lethal (upgraded or better quality) archers 1st, as long as it does involve screwing up your formation and/or leaving them open to attack from horses etc.

d. As soon as i think that i have won the archer war, this may be well before they are all dead, i often switch my arrows to susceptible units. Typically horses (fire arrows naturally), chariots, beserkers etc. When doing this i will most often concentrate all units on one of the enemy. If the enemy has simular stregth horse to you, those 4, 5....10 horses that your archers kill can make a hell of a difference.

e. If im losing the archer war, i will most often charge..tally ho...toward the enemy. Remaining archers, once again will be concentrated on vunerable enemy units in an often vain attempt to improve my chances.

IMO, and i it holds as a general opinion, to play low money battles with few or no archers is most often a losing strategy. Rush armies in low money get shot to death. I like to think that the money has to get to about 25k before the thought even enters my head as to not taking archers, but even then i still often have them. Interested to hear how others view this, ie. when do you stop taking archers. I know its all relative to the faction you are playing etc, so i suppose take boring old Rome as an example. Against some armies, if you dont have archers, or missles rather, its almost paramount to sucicide, Brits and Eygpt being classic examples of this.

**Prince_of_Macedon** · August 19, 2007, 08:46 AM

Good pointers there, everyone. I'll try to keep those tips in mind when I fight this kind of battle again.

Originally Posted by guyyug

Archers are only important in 2v2 as usually an ally is reluctant to move, I understand why as it's dificult to keep a battle line when two players control it.

You're lucky that you haven't fought someone like Colossus who brings every archer from Rome to his battles.

At the denarii level we play, 8+ archers is extremely devastating (if used properly). Most of the opponents I've met online don't bring many archers (and I typically win against them). But when you meet the experienced players, you get absolutely punished for not playing the archer battle.

**Roman Clone** · August 19, 2007, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Barbarian_Prince

Good pointers there, everyone. I'll try to keep those tips in mind when I fight this kind of battle again.

You're lucky that you haven't fought someone like Colossus who brings every archer from Rome to his battles.

I thought Rome got most if it's archers from Syria.......

If you guys are playing as Rome, Use Testudo...

**guyyug** · August 19, 2007, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Barbarian_Prince

You're lucky that you haven't fought someone like Colossus who brings every archer from Rome to his battles.

I've played against Oman and he shot me to peices

**Prince_of_Macedon** · August 19, 2007, 10:22 AM

Yeah, Oman does that too sometimes lol

(see you in a few hours)

**LeonidasOfSparta** · August 20, 2007, 12:39 AM

If i have 8 v 8 ..... I focus on flanks and when one of their units is to 10 archers i go on another

**Lucius Vorenus** · August 20, 2007, 12:10 PM

I want to use Archers, but I find that if they're Rome and bring Urbans, I can barely dent them, even out of Testudo. Same with Greeks and Spartans.

**Roman Clone** · August 20, 2007, 01:09 PM

I used to notice that Phalanxes were impenetrable to arrows. Not anymore....

**Archer of Sparta** · August 20, 2007, 09:09 PM

Yea they have shields you know. Just shoot from behind and they die.

**Lucius Vorenus** · August 20, 2007, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Archer of Sparta

Yea they have shields you know. Just shoot from behind and they die.

Easier said than done. Try running a line of archers to the rear of a unit, watch them get wrecked by cavalry. It's tough to win both the cavalry and archer battle without horribly sacrificing the infantry battle.

**Oman** · August 21, 2007, 07:55 AM

If you are in a position to shoot the testudo, and they will die if shot from behind, you would have already accounted for enemy archers and horses. So horses attacking your archers should not be a problem. If the enemy still has horses, always better to put your archers on them (using fire arrows). When they are dead, then shoot the romans or other armoured units in the back or side. They will die quickly, as said above, even in testudo

**Roman Clone** · August 20, 2007, 09:53 PM

Coming from the Archer^ Especially an archer from the place Arrows were forbidden.......

**RZZZA** · August 20, 2007, 10:15 PM

Archers are fodder for my generals cavalry unit, he always rides right past the infantry and aims directly for the archer units which get cut up like cocaine in half a jiffy.

**Dr. Croccer** · August 21, 2007, 02:42 PM

Well at least you'll fight in the shade. *Gets pierced by an arrow*

**Roshak** · August 21, 2007, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Barbarian_Prince

When it comes to the archery aspect of battle, I always lose. I'd rather fight against 5 Praetorian Cavalry than 10 Roman Archers.

Ahhh, the Barbarian Prince has learned the truth about Roman archers.

How do you guys fight battles where there's a significant number of archers on both sides? By significant, I mean 8+ archers. For clarity's sake, let's match 8 Roman Archers vs 8 Roman Archers.

8 Roman Archers vs 8 Roman Archers (coming at each other in line abreast)
1) How do you guys decide where to focus fire?
2) And how many of your friendly units do you focus per enemy unit?
3) And when do you switch to a new target?

I typically do this I set all my archers to fire at will mode, and select two to hit another single archer unit. I go for either the center or the flanks but usually the flanks so I can scare them off by cavalry. Once an archer unit is down to 10 men I use my 2 archers to target another until they are also 10. When they are 10 they can't hit very well and do little damage and can easily be routed.

However I'm a Rush man. Pontus in particular.