AI Planting stakes mid-battle

**RabidSheepLegion** · September 07, 2010, 04:40 PM

They do do that right? Or just before I end deployment? If they are doing it mid-battle though, is there a way I could do it?

**Gogolometro** · September 07, 2010, 05:12 PM

Ai deploy after you start the game already.

**Gogolometro** · September 07, 2010, 05:20 PM

Must think like that, before SS, stakes was for England only. But because is popular like forts for example was implement to many more. I not see any need of them. When play with factions without stakes asign to archer and not feel any need of them understand why stakes are just a thing who remember about franc-english wars.
In my opinion the bows are too much attention offerend. Except England in europe and steppe people in other angle, archery was a representation on war but not significant like effect. I think is at least wrong to see knights killed buy arrows.
Why I say that, a longbowman need very much training. Is not a joke, his muscles look like muscles of a knight. He train years after years to be a good marksman.
Steppe people work with composite bows all their life.
Archers are expensive and trained like a knight, but will not do real damage. That is achived by heavy infantry and especially cavalry.
I look what i can do with peasent archers and "normal" archers. That is apocaliptic. 1 damage is significant in battle if are 4 units of peasents with bows.
I say this because other skirmishers achive in fact many kills, and played a big role in medieval battles, that are the crossbows.

**campbela** · September 07, 2010, 11:22 PM

Yes, they do plant stakes mid battle. Or at least Lithuanian Archers do.

**Arker** · September 08, 2010, 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by campbela

Yes, they do plant stakes mid battle. Or at least Lithuanian Archers do.

And the english longbow men. I was charging down some of them with a few cavalry, and right before they hit, a bunch of stake popped out of the ground. Ouch.

**robbo** · September 08, 2010, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Arker

And the english longbow men. I was charging down some of them with a few cavalry, and right before they hit, a bunch of stake popped out of the ground. Ouch.

Exactly the same happened to me. Except I happened to be charging them down with a 7 command 6 dread faction heir I'd been working on for about 20 turns...

**philipjd** · September 08, 2010, 04:20 AM

Originally Posted by RabidSheepLegion

They do do that right? Or just before I end deployment? If they are doing it mid-battle though, is there a way I could do it?

Short answer - no.

Long answer - the player must deploy any 'stakes' as they deploy their forces in the set up phase, check the 'special' ability button for your archers (where the 'flame arrow' button is), if there is something that looks like sticks on it then you can use stakes. The AI can deploy their stakes during the actual battle, so you need to be wary of them.. but it does not do them in a sensible manner, they can face all sorts of weird directions and in strange locations. Need to take special care during night battles... especially in woods... learnt that myself the hard way

**Derikari** · September 08, 2010, 09:27 AM

The AI can deploy their stakes during the actual battle, so you need to be wary of them.. but it does not do them in a sensible manner

They deployed it just outside the third gate while I was defending one of my citidels. Needless to say, when I sent out my knights and general to ride down the routing Byzantines I had quite a shock... 200 riders annihilated by a trap hidden in a mass of fleeing bodies.

**Alavaria** · September 08, 2010, 10:37 AM

Well the stakes "surprise" only works once, right? I seem to recall that if the AI uses its magic mid-battle stake skill, you can get it to waste the stakes by running at them but breaking off once they use it (well then you should wait until they move before attacking them for real).

I'm wondering if a stakes -> Followers of Perkunas combo would work well in my Lithuanian campaign.

**PerXX** · September 08, 2010, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Alavaria

Well the stakes "surprise" only works once, right?

Correct, just like your archers, they can only place stakes once during a battle.

**k/t** · September 08, 2010, 12:51 PM

This is because of Germanicu5's Stakes Script. You can remove it.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=292161

**Epzilon** · September 08, 2010, 01:03 PM

Stakes Script
a.k.a WAI DID MAH JENERAL FLAI 50 FIT THRU DA AIR?!1?!!?@?!?!

Haha. Spot on!

**Alavaria** · September 09, 2010, 05:51 AM

It is believed this happens due to the fact that mordor invented "instant stakes", that only require them to add water over a magic powder.

I suppose the english had to resort to magic due to all the french heavy cavalry. Still amused that gendarmes etc can blow though pikes and probably halberds, but the magic stakes gets them every time! Lithuania too, I guess, whenever they have to fight crusading knights?

(Planning to abuse stakes by having archers stand just a little behind them and taunt cavalry >.>)

**RabidSheepLegion** · September 09, 2010, 07:08 AM

lol when i played mp vanilla i would plant stakes then quickly move my inf over them so not as visable, that way when skirmished finished, if they tried to cav my inf, they paid for it alright

**Alavaria** · September 09, 2010, 08:01 AM

Hmm, does that work? I was always pretty sure the AI knew where the stakes were and wouldn't run into them. Until it charged at a group of my spearmen (bad idea generally) who were set on lose formation, 2 deep behind some stakes.

Placing archers (levys work) on loose just behind the stakes also probably makes the AI go "oooh archers!!" and forget that the stakes are magical >.> and can kill infinite numbers of knights.

**JorisofHolland** · September 10, 2010, 01:28 AM

Originally Posted by Alavaria

Hmm, does that work? I was always pretty sure the AI knew where the stakes were and wouldn't run into them. Until it charged at a group of my spearmen (bad idea generally) who were set on lose formation, 2 deep behind some stakes.

The AI can't even see stakes, it has no clue at all that they even exist.

**robbo** · September 10, 2010, 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by JorisofHolland

The AI can't even see stakes, it has no clue at all that they even exist.

Not sure that's entirely true. If I create a custom battle with stakes all along my front line but leave a gap somewhere the enemy cavalry nearly always goes for the gap and that's with the battle AI set to just medium.

**JorisofHolland** · September 10, 2010, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by robbo

Not sure that's entirely true. If I create a custom battle with stakes all along my front line but leave a gap somewhere the enemy cavalry nearly always goes for the gap and that's with the battle AI set to just medium.

The modders say it doesn't, and I'm with them. It's probably just coincidence.

Oh, and by the way: battle difficulty has no effect at all on AI skills, it just affects morale (and perhaps strenght as well, I don't know).

**newt** · September 09, 2010, 10:54 AM

I've noticed they go "ooooh flanks!!" and attack the end unit. My cavalry has been caught off guard a couple of times when I wasn't paying attention. I've got to keep them behind my line until I'm ready to move them.

**Alavaria** · September 10, 2010, 12:27 AM

I myself tend to place stakes on the flanks, at an angle.

Putting the frontal stakes at wierd angles (eg: ////) or such with small gaps can convince the AI that it can indeed get men through. Therefore, instead of moving around your stakes (the smart move) it'll charge in and get maybe 10 horsemen in between the sets of stakes, with the other 50 or so impaled on the magical barricades.

Recalling that the general is at the end of the unit, if the AI tries to move him in between two sets of stakes, chances are he'll hit one of them and be instagibbed by the inanimate pikemen wannabe sticks.