Missiles in the EBII

[Jurand of Cracow]

Hi Guys,
I've got a few questions on this subject:
1) do they shoot on the arc or you need a clear view? I thought for slingers and javelins a clear path is needed, while for the bows not, but it now seems to me all can shoot over my own soldiers.
2) I've experienced the AI javelins standing behind his lines and shooting over it towards my reserves / archers. So basically the skirmishers behave like the archers. Do you have similar observations?
3) If part of a missile unit is involved in the melee, does it shoot missiles at all? It happens sometimes that a few guys are in melee (eg. they cannot extricate themselves despite the whole unit fell back), what's the rest doing then?
JoC

[Weltschmerz]

Hi Guys,
I've got a few questions on this subject:
1) do they shoot on the arc or you need a clear view? I thought for slingers and javelins a clear path is needed, while for the bows not, but it now seems to me all can shoot over my own soldiers.
2) I've experienced the AI javelins standing behind his lines and shooting over it towards my reserves / archers. So basically the skirmishers behave like the archers. Do you have similar observations?

So far I've seen soldiers throwing all kinds of projectiles over their buddies. Even javelins somehow go over their heads and hit the enemy.

3) If part of a missile unit is involved in the melee, does it shoot missiles at all? It happens sometimes that a few guys are in melee (eg. they cannot extricate themselves despite the whole unit fell back), what's the rest doing then?
JoC

Don't know about field battles, but it happens during sieges. If a unit of archers on the walls is engaged in melee, you can still tell them to shoot. Everyone but those 2-3 men on the front directly involved in the fighting will resume shooting, sometimes in a wide arc and sometimes in a straight line. It might not work with all units, but it does with most of them.

[BailianSteel]

1) do they shoot on the arc or you need a clear view? I thought for slingers and javelins a clear path is needed, while for the bows not, but it now seems to me all can shoot over my own soldiers.

In my experience most ranged units can arc their shots, I've even seen ballistas do it.

2) I've experienced the AI javelins standing behind his lines and shooting over it towards my reserves / archers. So basically the skirmishers behave like the archers. Do you have similar observations?

Yeah, they've done it a fair bit in my campaigns (if I don't get them with my cavalry first.) Though as far as I see they target my melee infantry instead of my skirmishers. Maybe I just keep my skirmishers too far back.

3) If part of a missile unit is involved in the melee, does it shoot missiles at all? It happens sometimes that a few guys are in melee (eg. they cannot extricate themselves despite the whole unit fell back), what's the rest doing then?

Once I saw an AI Roman maniple throw their Pila when I've got them engaged. Never tried it myself.