Red Harvest
08-25-2004, 21:52
The demo reveals that CA's engine still needs tweaked to make javelin armed skirmishers behave properly. The only way I can get the Carthaginian javelin men to behave as skirmishers is to take them off skirmish ~:pissed: That way I can get them to actually fire at the advancing velites, before manually withdrawing them up the slope for cover. I thought the problem was that they were in a hole, but the same thing happened when they were near the crest of the slope, they just ran away in skirmish mode without throwing any javelins. Looks like STW/MI, MTW/VI all over again. The AI can't use javelins properly (except for some on horseback that are hella fast!) When I made the skirmishers hold their ground and throw they pushed back all the velites, before hitting the advancing legions as well. In this case, the AI didn't use the velites properly either...whereas without my intervention the velites chased off the skirmishers without any missiles being thrown.
CA, this is an area you really need to fix! You need to write special skirmish code for javelin/spear based infantry units. When they are in skirmish they need to have a different "reaction" distance set up. What I envision is something like:
1. Prepare to throw distance X (modified for approaching unit speed/slope/height)
2. Throw distance anything less than Y (modified for slope/height)
3. Withdraw distance at Z (modified for approaching unit speed/slope/height)
4. Perhaps having some modification for coordination with infantry/cav to their rear so they withdraw a bit later when they have support, but run like the dickens vs. cav when they don't have support.
5. Perhaps having them withdraw if they are taking substantial casualties from opposing jav or arrows as well.
The goal is to get skirmishers to behave logically. At present they either require a lot of attention, or they don't participate (in skirmish), or you take them off skirmish and use them as a sacrificial line disruptor or to chase routers.
I think the engine could handle this pretty easily with minor tweaks, but the decision tree for these units does not appear to have been worked out to the same level as for archers, cavalry, and infantry.
CA, this is an area you really need to fix! You need to write special skirmish code for javelin/spear based infantry units. When they are in skirmish they need to have a different "reaction" distance set up. What I envision is something like:
1. Prepare to throw distance X (modified for approaching unit speed/slope/height)
2. Throw distance anything less than Y (modified for slope/height)
3. Withdraw distance at Z (modified for approaching unit speed/slope/height)
4. Perhaps having some modification for coordination with infantry/cav to their rear so they withdraw a bit later when they have support, but run like the dickens vs. cav when they don't have support.
5. Perhaps having them withdraw if they are taking substantial casualties from opposing jav or arrows as well.
The goal is to get skirmishers to behave logically. At present they either require a lot of attention, or they don't participate (in skirmish), or you take them off skirmish and use them as a sacrificial line disruptor or to chase routers.
I think the engine could handle this pretty easily with minor tweaks, but the decision tree for these units does not appear to have been worked out to the same level as for archers, cavalry, and infantry.