close shot

[Maltz]

Don't know if anybody else had the same or similar experience. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

I assault a caslte where there is only YS. I had 2 units of archers, and I moved the archers very very close to the gate (like only 10 man away), forming two lines shooting the guys at gate right in the face.

Guess what, by the time I used up my ammo, only 5 died! (and I accidently shot one of my guys! poor guy http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif)

Is that just a bad luck or the difficulty settings (I was on expert)?

[ShaiHulud]

Sounds like bad luck.... I'dve expected twice that number, but not much more than that.

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Wind fells blossoms, rain
fells steel,yet bamboo bends and drinks

[Maltz]

Provided the gate is wide-open, in such a close shot they should be able to take more than that.

I wonder how the game caculates who got shot. It might be based on some numerical calculation of the heights / difficulty level / weapon / armor / distance. Maybe the game treats unit in a castle as a protected whole, not those standing in front of the opened gate is more vulnerable.

There was one battle against the horde in Shinano. I as usual sit all of my army on the left-hand-side hilltop. The enemy got 1 archer group in the valley in close formation, starting a duel with me who is like 100 meters above. I got roughly the same casaulty as AI! This is really unfair (well it is the expert level). He even kills 10 of my naginata stand behind. I wonder how can the arrows be so powerful to travel 100 meters up and penetrate my thick armor like that.

[Anssi Hakkinen]

The game calculates each arrow's path individually, so the castle's protection should be "correctly modeled". IMHO it's more up to the fact that there is extremely little room for deviation in such a situation: if the archers try to fire directly at the enemies, they hit the castle hill slope: if they try their usual indirect fire stunt, it goes wide over the enemy. I suspect that only those shots that deviate from the AI's primary vector of fire (due to statistical deviation, ie. bad dice rolls) can hit the targets inside the castle. If so, it might be a bug.

Anyway, it is worthwile to observe where the arrows go: this gives you a pretty good picture of where the shots actually land, unlike in some games.

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"5. Makoto: utter sincerity; truthfulness."

[theforce]

Well l hate expert that is why l play normal all the time. The enemy soldiers seem so powerful. Projectile units don't do a think especially if they rush you ass the AI does all the time... full frontal assault with the projectiles firing. But it that range u were you should have killed much more men.


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Don't use only honour, use theforce, too.
http://darksideclan.fateback.com
Enter the Darkside...

[Maltz]

Indeed I saw the archers fire the arrows all over the enemies' heads. I thought it was just a default graphic thing and didn't attribute it to the low hit rate.

So the archers probably don't understand that they can probably ignore the whole gravity issue in such a short distance http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/tongue.gif I should probably try some custum battles and figure out the optimal distance. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Kraellin]

yeah, i've always wondered about the arrow arcing thing and short distances. having used bows myself a time or two in real life, i always thought the arcs were a bit off at short ranges in the game.

be interested is seeing what you find out.

K.

[ShaiHulud]

Maltz... On Shinano try the hill to the far right, back to the wall. Archers kill from GREAT range and it's a monster for the AI to climb. After a long walk to reach you there, getting murdered on the approach, they often break before they ever close. Also, if you have re-inforcements they are very close at hand.

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Wind fells blossoms, rain
fells steel,yet bamboo bends and drinks

[evilc]

Each archer picks a man to fire at, and the computer calculates the EXACT angle he must aim to hit the target. The angle is then
adjusted by a "random percentage" based on shooter's skill,weather conditions, and if he is using a bow or a musket. then if the arrow misses, the game calculates if it will hit anyone else.

this is basicly what shoguns 'lead programmer' said, so im not making it up, but i think there might be a problem with the castles and close range sgooting, u fire straight and not in an arc and 10m range.