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  1. #1

    Default Archer question?

    Hey, I just had a question about keeping my archers properly disciplined. I'm playing through a Greek campgain right now, and have gotten pretty Cretan archer happy. The only trouble is, how do I keep them rooted to one spot? I've mostly been using them to snipe masses of enemies from afar, but the targets have a nasty habit of running back out of range. When they do, my Cretan archers "break ranks" and pursue them, usually ending up either right in the middle of my phalanx formations (whom the archers promptly proceed to friendly fire to death) or hopelessly entagled with another block of Cretan archers (and the two groups of archers take turns friendly firing each other). One of my groups of Cretans, for example, has been with me for almost fifteen years of campaigning. The ONLY casualties they've sustained so far are because of running into other archer formations (well, that, and the time their "Skirmish" script got confused and sent them charging straight into a cavalry charge...)

    I tried setting them to "Defense" mode, and that doesn't seem to help one bit. Setting them to "Fire at Will" helps a little bit... they don't pursue enemies without my consent, but they also tend to attack the wrong ones. I really don't want to be wasting ammo against one block of half-dead peasants when there's a nice, juicy, compact block of four Nile spearmen divisions just begging to be arrowed to death. So is there any way to get around this problem? Or will I just have to keep micro-managing them and pulling them back into formation whenever they get out of line?

  2. #2

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    I'm not sure what you mean by "defense" mode......
    What i do is just fire at will, usually. that works with archer auxillia. they just stand and wait. as to wasting arrows, i don't think that's a problem
    but if u want, u can try guard mode (the shield button). that should work, i'm thinking
    Horse Archers = GOD

  3. #3

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    By "Defense mode", I meant "Guard mode". Sorry!

    Firing at will seems to be my best bet at the moment, but again, the AI is terrible at picking targets. I just finished off the last Egyptian city a minute ago... five rows of archers were converging fire on a routing militia unit while their King's chariots lounged around not twenty yards away!

    Oh, and the same thing goes for artillery. Onagers have the same problem as the archers, but they move so slowly it's relatively easy to catch them in time.

  4. #4
    Slimshoom's Avatar Civitate
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    Default

    Put them into "Guard" mode, and then turn "fire at will" off, and tell them to fire at targets that you want them to, and since they are in Guard mode, when they run out of range the archers wont follow them.
    Under the Patronage of Emperor Dimitricus
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  5. #5

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    Turn off "Skirmish" mode. Archers have a skirmish function like regular skirmishers. Just press the s key.

    If you left Defensive mode on as well, they won't pursue and enemy if charged.

  6. #6

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    Hrm... the Guard mode still isn't working. They pursue the enemies as soon as they move out of range whether Guard mode is on or not...

    Maybe it's my game? I'm patched to v1.3, so maybe the Guard mode script wasn't fixed to prevent archers pursuing enemies until a later patch?

  7. #7

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    If you have Guard mode enable, no matter, if you click on the enemy they will attack that enemy and then they follow that enemy, no matter if they have guard mode or not.

    The same thing apply to any Unit who trhow Pilas first, if u select the target they will throw their pila and then charge, even with guard mode on.

    You will have to select your target and stop them manually... there is no other way.

  8. #8
    Slimshoom's Avatar Civitate
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    well be sure to keep a close eye on you archers and whenever they start to move out of formation give them the "halt" command. This problem, which I have sometimes, is why i dont usually like to have a lot of archers in an army, unless playing as and Eastern faction, where archers are vital to combat horse archers.
    Under the Patronage of Emperor Dimitricus
    Grandson of the Black Prince

  9. #9
    Slimshoom's Avatar Civitate
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    Basically what i said...i forgot before that guard mode only works on infantry, and even then sometimes they will ignore it..
    Under the Patronage of Emperor Dimitricus
    Grandson of the Black Prince

  10. #10

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    This is an easy one, just turn off skirmish mode, and turn on guard mode. That should do it, and welcome morosenoodles, and mastahyee :wink:. Good luck with the forums, you need anything, just gimme a hollar.

    Adnan

  11. #11

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