Terrain Factors

[Parmenio]

I've trying to use the historical army ratios, primiarily for the English and have run into a problem.

English armies should generally be about 2 parts longbow (on the wings) to 1 part dismounted troops (in the centre), but quite simpily the longbows just aren't breaking the enemy as they did historically.

This seems to be due to a lack of the use of emplaced stakes in the game (or similar terrain feature - hedges, muddy terrain and woodland edges don't seem to have any effect.

Additionally the power of massed longbow volleys at point blank (especially against cavalry) seems to be underestimated considerably.

Thoughts?

[solypsist]

you could always try upping the valor of the longbowmen to improve their effectiveness.

but the real answer here is don't expect a game to prefectly reflect your own preferences and biases in how things should operate. this is not history, it's a game loosely built around medieval history as a background.

[Lord De Moray]

I've found the longbows to be outstanding at a more historical rato of 3 to 1, long bows to dismounted bills and men at arms. Given a good postion and in defense and sometimes in attack the enemy just fall before my bows, quite often the enemy will not reach my lines before they rout. Always tell the bows to hold ground.

Try more bows.

P.S. I shoot the English Longbow myself, I really know what it can do

Regards,

De Moray

[ShadesPanther]

Well if you dont like it, Mod it thats what i did http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
For an experement i made them fire faster and gave them loads of arrows and they serriously affect the game. Usualy in a bad way if you are not the English Faction

[Parmenio]

Ideally I'd mod a new unit of emplaced stakes graphics that slowly appears infront of a longbow unit if it's stationary with hold orders, which stalls or slows an enemy charge, or perhaps forces them to have to attack and create gaps in the 'stake' unit before they can reach the archers.

The problem may be solves by simply flattening the trajectory of longbow arrows so they don't keep flying over the enemies' heads. Certainly, arblesters seem to work more like longbows than the longbows do, in terms of direct effect and ammo conservation. (English longbowmen always kept some arrows back for use at point blank range.)