Game-breaking bug!

Ok, I'm not sure if this is some sort of "Feature" or if it is just a very big bug, but why in the world do all enemy missile troops seem to have infinite ammo?

I had a line of infantry, archers behind them, and some slingers in front. The archers attack the light infantry, the slingers hit the heavy infantry, while my front troops just took the fire from the enemy missile troops. I noticed this: very long after all my archers and slingers were out of ammo, the enemy still had plenty to spare! They started around the same time, but mine ran out much much faster. I finally had to break the formation and charge the missile troops, since they would not run out of ammo. It nearly cost the battle.

This happens with every single enemy in every single faction. While I run out of ammo, the enemy troops seem to have an endless supply, and it's getting on my last nerve! And I see no reason how they can keep firing long after I'm out, even if we started shooting at the same time, and then keep on shooting, until I'm forced to charge their units, since I now see that waiting it out is useless, seeing as how their supply of ammo never ends.

What kind of archers are you using? Different archers have different amounts of ammo. So it just might be that your enemies have units with more ammo than yours.

Slingers and most eastern archers have -alot- of ammo.

Also note that some firing animations take longer, using ammo up slower because of less attacks.

Game-breaking? Just chase them instead of standing around taking their abuse. The AI rarely uses its missile troops effectively, and it's easy to scare it into hardly getting off any shots at all if you have a cavalry unit or two.

Okay so you have a number of options:

1) Commit to battle to remove their firing options.
2) Use your missile troops to target their missile troops and thin them out before you run out of ammo.
3) Use your cavalry to force their missile troops to skirmish and/or commit to melee.
4) Soak up the damage with a single cheap unit in front of your own.
5) Stand around and take the damage.

Congratulations on choosing the worst option.

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Originally Posted by Midnj

Okay so you have a number of options:

1) Commit to battle to remove their firing options.
And then the formation I have them in gets messed up, and the charge is not as effective
2) Use your missile troops to target their missile troops and thin them out before you run out of ammo.
That's the problem! I had slingers and archers as well, but once I ran out of ammo for both, the enemy archers and slingers still had ammo. In fact, not once did they stop firing during the entire battle, they shot every chance they got, even long after I ran out
3) Use your cavalry to force their missile troops to skirmish and/or commit to melee.
Tried that as well. Only problem is that the archers and slingers would run in the middle of the infantry, and would never follow my cavalry. So that only ended with massive causalities for me.
4) Soak up the damage with a single cheap unit in front of your own.
Did that the first time. The first cheap unit (just some levy spearmen) got decimated, so did the one after that, and once I noticed the enemy still had plenty of ammo to spare, I was forced to charge much sooner than I wanted, and was forced to leave my really good position
5) Stand around and take the damage.
I'd love to do that, if I didn't already say that long after my men run out of ammo the enemy were still firing away, never seeming to end.

Congratulations on choosing the worst option.
Yea? They all seem pretty bad options in my case.

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Please see the red lines I added.

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3) Use your cavalry to force their missile troops to skirmish and/or commit to melee.

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Tried that as well. Only problem is that the archers and slingers would run in the middle of the infantry, and would never follow my cavalry. So that only ended with massive causalities for me.

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Why would you follow the missile troops into the infantry? All you need to do is keep them on their toes until you can rout the main enemy line. Keep out of melee with infantry unless they are weak or help up by an anvil.

I didn't follow them into the infantry. They always run right in the middle or right behind them, and stay there. Even if I try to get close, they don't run away. They may turn and run for about a second, but then they come right back, and by then the enemy cavalry (missile cavalry) comes in, throw five volleys of javelins, and charge, before running back to their line.

I guess I'll just have to get used to it. Or just give everyone infinite ammo. It hasn't cost me an actual battle yet, but it certainly has cost me many more men than it should have; which is just as bad in my opinion.

And you were not by any chance playing the Romani?


In any case I don't quite follow. The best option is to either get yourself a nicely elevated position or to duke it out in melee ASAP.

A simple archery duel on a basis of equality is going to hurt; no matter what units or what special tactics you use. You should in fact only succumb to such static/sitting duck style of warfare if you do happen to occupy the elevated position (and I mean seriously elevated) or happen to vastly outpower your enemy on the missile side.

And *never* try to do an archery duel with pesky missile troops who defend a city square... That is not *just* going to hurt; it's going to be a disaster.

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If you are not a nomadic faction. But I gathered you weren't as you complained about the (relative) effectiveness of your own missile troops towards the AI.

Still; for horsearchers widely different tactics apply.

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And then the formation I have them in gets messed up, and the charge is not as effective

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Move-select your infantry _in formation_ just past and parallel to the enemy battle line. Don't select any units to attack until they close to charge distance. Voila, cohesive front-line in an assault.

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That's the problem! I had slingers and archers as well, but once I ran out of ammo for both, the enemy archers and slingers still had ammo. In fact, not once did they stop firing during the entire battle, they shot every chance they got, even long after I ran out

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If you're going to turtle you better be heavy on the ranged units. You can't turtle with inferiority in ranged units.

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Tried that as well. Only problem is that the archers and slingers would run in the middle of the infantry, and would never follow my cavalry. So that only ended with massive causalities for me.

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You break off before engaging in melee with anything but the skirmishers. Not hard. While they're moving, they're not firing unless they're horse archers. And if you're fighting horse archers, you have no business bringing an army onto the field without a lot of archers/slingers, horse archers of your own or ample fast-light cav to pin them with. Unless you fancy recreating Carrhae that is. Incidentally, the Parthians did bring in wagon loads of arrows during the battle (unlimited arrows FTW) during that battle to defeat the Romans.

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Did that the first time. The first cheap unit (just some levy spearmen) got decimated, so did the one after that, and once I noticed the enemy still had plenty of ammo to spare, I was forced to charge much sooner than I wanted, and was forced to leave my really good position

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Loose formation. I usually only take 1 ranged in my armies (unless facing horse archers) and it's never died to ranged fire, even with 4-5 enemy slingers/archers shooting at it. And frankly, when the AI attacks it will always initiate the battle for you unless you have your ranged units sitting way in the back. Just put your skirmishers/ranged units in front of your infantry where they belong and the AI will 95% of the time rush units in to engage them, right into your infantry and then shortly thereafter commit everything else.

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I'd love to do that, if I didn't already say that long after my men run out of ammo the enemy were still firing away, never seeming to end.

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Again, if you're going to turtle you better have superiority in ranged units. Or if you really must build that semi-circle of phalanx units in the corner of the map against the invisible map boundaries, shrink it a bit so you can take more ranged units and less infantry.

Thanks, didn't know about a lot of that. Maybe it will help.

It might have been a bug, actually. I just tried a custom battle, and gave a skirmisher unit to the enemy. For some reason, they never attacked. They just stood there in a throwing position, but never threw anything.