Friendly Fire?

**Thrawn808** · March 05, 2015, 02:24 PM

I apologize if this has been brought up before, but I didn't see any threads about it.

Has anyone noticed the friendly fire in this game? I ask because I've fought two different battles where my own units obliterated several of my own regiments. Now granted that didn't cost me the battle, but nonetheless it just seems...really really high. It is much higher than in Rome 2 or Shogun 2. I'm not saying friendly fire is a bad thing either, its good. But has anyone else noticed how HIGH it is in this game?

And I ask because I'm just curious if this intended? Did they design it so there would be very high friendly fire, or is this maybe a bug or something?

**MasterBigAb** · March 05, 2015, 02:39 PM

I also noticed this. I do like friendly fire in general, I just wish I could give the order to "fire at will at clear line of fire" or to fire at all costs...

**Emperor Arcturus Mengsk** · March 05, 2015, 02:44 PM

I think they should just give all ranged units the ability the siege units have to bombard an area and not target a unit, using alt+right click.

The problem is because when a unit attacks it always aims for the center of the enemy unit with this engine and not where you click on the unit and because of the way units blob even if there is a huge blob of enemy units and plenty of space for your archers to shoot in the enemy blob they will still mostly fire towards where the units clash with yours causing friendly fire that could be avoided if we could target the area and not the unit!

**Altimis** · March 05, 2015, 02:54 PM

You supposed to order your men to shoot at enemies not while your men and enemies are deadlocked at that moment, you just do it wrong.

**Humble Warrior** · March 05, 2015, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Altimis

You supposed to order your men to shoot at enemies not while your men and enemies are deadlocked at that moment, you just do it wrong.

Seems obvious doesn`t it.

I always tell my men not to fire when groups are engaged in melee. If I absolutely have to have them fire I always move them behind or to the flanks of the enemy. So simple.

**Cadian Guardsman** · March 05, 2015, 03:29 PM

Wasn't friendly fire removed in Shogun and Rome II due to people complaining it made the game too hard?

The feature is there so you don't pull a King Edward I in Braveheart and just shoot into melee with arrows. They target the entire enemy unit who is facing you with shields up, your unit on the other hand if facing the enemy not expecting their friends to be shooting arrows at them and keep their shields facing the enemy. It will not end well for your men.

**nameless** · March 05, 2015, 03:54 PM

There is an "obstructed view" for missile units but it doesn't work really well.

I use to have slingers and skirmishers behind my guys but when I noticed that my elite swordsmen get wiped out within seconds of battle starting I realized that Skirmishers/missiles have to be either in front or on the sides to actually do any damage and AVOID killing your own guys.

**Thrawn808** · March 05, 2015, 05:10 PM

Well I know the strategy to avoid it. It takes a little micro but it's not hard. I wasn't really talking about that so much as I was curious if anyone noticed that it was higher than it was in Rome 2 or Shogun 2. That's all.

And yes there is friendly fire in S2. Just not as high as it is here.

**Cadian Guardsman** · March 05, 2015, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Thrawn808

Well I know the strategy to avoid it. It takes a little micro but it's not hard. I wasn't really talking about that so much as I was curious if anyone noticed that it was higher than it was in Rome 2 or Shogun 2. That's all.

And yes there is friendly fire in S2. Just not as high as it is here.

Are you sure, I'm doing it with guns at the moment and my Ashigaru are fine, they're not even getting "concerned under friendly fire" in the tool tips.

**PeonKing** · March 05, 2015, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by Cadian Guardsman

Are you sure, I'm doing it with guns at the moment and my Ashigaru are fine, they're not even getting "concerned under friendly fire" in the tool tips.

They definitely do, both in Rome 2 and Shogun 2, particularly apparent in FotS when trying to use line infantry and melee units

**IGdood** · March 06, 2015, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by Cadian Guardsman

Are you sure, I'm doing it with guns at the moment and my Ashigaru are fine, they're not even getting "concerned under friendly fire" in the tool tips.

The unit targeting is more cautious in S2.

**Ritterlichvon86** · March 06, 2015, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Cadian Guardsman

Are you sure, I'm doing it with guns at the moment and my Ashigaru are fine, they're not even getting "concerned under friendly fire" in the tool tips.

Of course there is full friendly fire in S2, and all other TW titles.

**Thrawn808** · March 05, 2015, 05:30 PM

Well I haven't played S2 in about a year, but the last time I did I distinctly remember my units taking FF from my Bow units. I didn't play much with guns in S2 but I sure thought they took FF from that as well. That would make sense at least

**Riekopo** · March 06, 2015, 03:48 AM

FF is much more common in Attila. I think there needs to be an indication when it's happening and also a statistic.

**RHYS4190** · March 06, 2015, 06:34 AM

used to be the Disable fire at will was ctrl+M don't know what it is now, sucks not having a button you can slam in a emergency.

And yeah Friendly fire was not so friendly in all the total war games, the Worst FF was in Napoleon you had to be so careful with cannon placement and troop placement,

**Naked Emperor** · March 06, 2015, 08:54 AM

In Rome 2 I usually have no problem with FF but the trick is not to order your troops to fire into melee just let them pick targets by themselves. I only manually pick targets in melee when I have to target a dangerous unit.

Also I have found it works best to pull archers back abit so they can fire in an arch over your units when they are in melee.
That way I lose maybe 50+ men to FF which is acceptable to me at least. I tend to lose the most men when the enemy breaks and my men start to pursue and my archers are still shooting.

In Attilla I just havent played enough with missiles.