Question about archery range when seiging

**HotSauce2016** · February 19, 2016, 09:26 AM

Playing a co op campaign with a friend, Im rome, he's Sparta. I watch him use Rhodian archers to decimate defenders on walls again and again without taking any losses. It doesn't make sense to me his archers out ranging tower defences and defending archers high up on walls. Whats with that? It's something close to game breaking. Is there anything to work around this. For example can we encourage AI to build elite archery units? Do towers get better over time?

**FlashHeart07** · February 19, 2016, 09:29 AM

They just have a higher range than other ranged units. The AI cannot build elite archers if the AI does not have access to these units. Close to game Breaking? Or does he just play it smart and make good use of superior troops?

**HotSauce2016** · February 19, 2016, 09:36 AM

he moves one archery position up at a time getting maximum enfilding fire. when the enemy unit breaks, the ai moves another in place to stand their like a suicide squad. he continues this until all his archers are delpeted at which point i have lost the will to live. at no stage can any defender fire back at him due to his 'ICBM of antiquity' range.

**Ivan_Moscavich** · February 19, 2016, 10:41 AM

Rhodian archers?

Do you mean rhodian slingers or Cretan archers? Both have higher than standard range for ranged units and powerful ranged damage with good accuracy, though they are both expensive as well.

The ai fairly often makes use of mercenary rhodian slingers and Cretan archers when passing through hellas or Macedonia. Those units can not be built as a roster unit outside of Knossos (Cretan archers), Rhodes (Rhodian slingers), or Rome as Romanized units, though they only get Romanized Cretan archers, not Romanized Rhodian slingers. So the other ai simply doesn't have access to these elite units outside of mercs.

However this is definitely historically correct, and from a game balance perspective is also ideal because it limits the proliferation of such powerful ranged units.

**HotSauce2016** · February 19, 2016, 11:02 AM

he uses rhodian archers. How can it be historically correct to out range defenders high up on walls and towers? He ends up taking the city with 12 -20 losses. Not my understanding of what siege warfare was all about.

**Ivan_Moscavich** · February 19, 2016, 11:04 AM

There is no unit in the game called Rhodian archers.

**HotSauce2016** · February 19, 2016, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by Ivan_Moscavich

There is no unit in the game called Rhodian archers.

I mean slingers.

**KAM 2150** · February 19, 2016, 11:11 AM

If unit has higer range then it has higher range. As simple as that. There is no range bonus for standing on walls in this game.

BTW, there are even historical depictions of slingers outranging archers on walls...

**HotSauce2016** · February 19, 2016, 11:17 AM

OK, fair enough. shame AI cant counter with decent defending missile units of its own, thats the real issue i guess.

**Ivan_Moscavich** · February 19, 2016, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by HotSauce2016

OK, fair enough. shame AI cant counter with decent defending missile units of its own, thats the real issue i guess.

They can if they are Knossos or Rhodes, or have recruited elite mercenary ranged units.

I've run into several battles in Greece where a garrisoned army had mercenary Cretan archers or rhodian slingers. It made things a bit more difficult on the approach, but since I focused on killing them first with my own ranged units, it wasn't huge problem.