Does the AI get hidden bonuses not listed on any documentation?

While campaigning in Media as KH, I intercepted a Seleucid force moving northwest of recently captured Ekbatana that was trying to reinforce their garrison in Phraaspa. The battle took place just to the west of the silver mines there and fearing my missile units the AI took up positions in the woods. In an attempt to harass them, expose their positions and cause a diversion while I maneuvered my infantry into place above them, I decided to send my veteran unit (level 4) of lethal Scythian riders (Skuda Baexdzhyntae) into the treeline.

Where they entered the woods my horse archers had a slight height advantage over their outlying skirmishers (Eastern skirmishers, Gund-I Palta) that were now exposed, so I ordered them to close and fire. To my astonishment as soon as my HAs got into range the skirmishers returned fire! This just looked extraordinarily comical to me, so I immediately paused the game and took the camera down to the leading edge of the skirmisher unit to see how far my HAs were and it was at about 100 meters to scale! In the name of Zeus, who can throw a javelin that far in combat?! Last I checked 100m hasn't even been broken in the Olympics.

These skirmishers had 0 experience, but that doesn't make a difference anyway does it? According to the unit guide their missile range is 55, compared to 190.4 for the Scythian riders. Now, I realize this was in the woods and I don't know what limitations the game engine puts on archers other than accuracy when they're in the sticks, but from what I saw in the battle my HAs seemed to be about 1/2 the distance to target that they normally are, but like I said around 100m away to scale.

No matter what bonuses or penalties were being applied though, I find it beyond nutty and incredibly unrealistic that ANY skirmisher unit could throw javelins 100m. And yes, they killed 2 HAs, but one recovered afterwards. Was the AI simply 'cheating' here or was this some kind of bug? Has anyone else experienced this? Campaign date is 231, difficulty M/M, and admittedly I've seen some wackiness recently with AI skirmisher units during some other battles I've had in Iberia that I've never seen before. Stuff that makes you say "yeeeah right!"

I don't know what caused this, but I am pretty sure it's a bug and not a feature.

I vaguely recall some issues with the min. angle setting of projectile weapons that prevented units from shooting downwards. However, it would require a huge height-difference to account for your horse archers being unable to return fire. It would not explain the skirmishers' range, either. AFAIK EB hasn't changed the minimal angle settings, anyway.

My horse archers were actually firing just fine, the problem was that the skirmishers could return their fire as soon as the HAs were at their max range. The height advantage of the HAs may have been ~4m to scale. So far I haven't experienced any problems with missile units firing from a height advantage, but as you explained it appears that the height differential has to be pretty significant. In my experience with the game even a slight height advantage can net huge tactical superiority with archers.

I figured it had to be a bug, but if there's ever a next time I'm getting a screenshot. Thanks for the input.

I´m not sure, but it could be, since the enemy units was in a forest, that one of the men had a pathfinding problem among the trees, and therefore was much closer to your unit than the rest of his comrades.