Friendly Fire Bug?

[BeeSting]

Is it just me or has anyone else notice a unit in front being fired on by a friendly unit directly behind it? and I'm not talking about the artillery.



Note I ordered my units not to fire or their fire at will was off, so AI casualties are sustained from their own in the rear.

You can already see how depleted the unit in front is just from their own friendly fire. It's no surprise since the rear unit was firing volleys into the backs of its own.

[Monk]

If the unit behind is within range of the enemy they will still try to engage even though they can't get a good shot because someone is in the way. Turn off "Fire at will" for the units behind to try and limit friendly fire when you've got two lines.

[Martok]

What Monk said.


Friendly fire has always been a feature of TW battles: If a unit is standing too close to a friendly missile unit (*especially* when it's front of the missile unit), it will take casualties.

[SpencerH]

You'd think they would've/could've fixed this by now!

[Vuk]

It is not a bug. It has happened in real life. A commander needs to be careful. If it seems ridiculous, that is just because the player is being ridiculously careless in his placement of units and his orders thereto.

[SpencerH]

You're right it isnt a "bug". Its bad programming that was eliminated to a large degree with viking invasion but re-emerged in RTW. One unit firing point blank into the back of the unit in front of them is ridiculous and totally unreal.

[Major Robert Dump]

You'd think they would've/could've fixed this by now!

nevermind

[Arasaka]

If you overlap your units then be prepared for friendly-fire casualties.

You really need to micromanage your units. If you select a few units and right-click on an enemy, they will bunch up and start shooting each other. You have to keep them in formation, or redeploy.

The same happens if you have untis in a line formation. the ones in the rear will shoot the unit in front of them, not the enemy unit beyond the friendly one in front. More micomanaging the "Fire at Will" button. I always forget to turn it back on again, especially since I'm trying to manage 20 units involved in 2 or 3 different skirmishes at the same time.

[BeeSting]

If the unit behind is within range of the enemy they will still try to engage even though they can't get a good shot because someone is in the way. Turn off "Fire at will" for the units behind to try and limit friendly fire when you've got two lines.

The problem is not the human player but the AI, I have as you said turn off fire at will (what pain! What micro management!) I witnessed the AI army decimating its own in front with units on the back.

[CBR]

It does seem somewhat bugged. Fire at will should not allow units to fire into friendly units. That should only happen if the player gives a specific target that overrides the "safety"


CBR

[Vuk]

It does seem somewhat bugged. Fire at will should not allow units to fire into friendly units. That should only happen if the player gives a specific target that overrides the "safety"


CBR

Ok, I'll agree with that.

[BeeSting]

It does seem somewhat bugged. Fire at will should not allow units to fire into friendly units. That should only happen if the player gives a specific target that overrides the "safety"


CBR

Exactly my point; thank you!

AI was mowing down its own with musket fire. How realistic is it to mow your own down just because it is in between you and your target?

Although it has been heard of with artillery at long ranges... but shooting into the backs of your friendly soldiers directly in front of you so you can get a clear shot doesn't sound right.

[caravel]

It does seem somewhat bugged. Fire at will should not allow units to fire into friendly units. That should only happen if the player gives a specific target that overrides the "safety"


CBR

Precisely. Friendly fire is one thing but there is no way a friendly unit should shoot at a nearby and visible friendly unit. Most friendly fire during the period came from artillery anyway.

It's a bug and a horrible one at that.

[ArtillerySmoke]

The problem is not the human player but the AI, I have as you said turn off fire at will (what pain! What micro management!) I witnessed the AI army decimating its own in front with units on the back.

Micromanagement is what the battles are all about lol.

[Strategy]

I've seen the AI decimate its own units with its artillery (someone in the way... no matter, just fire at will).

The irritating thing is that since your own artillery will also select its targets automatically, it will happily turn its guns to rake the units just beside it. I actually tried setting up my cannons in position, only to have the cannon pivot right to fire at an enemy, with the result that the rearmost cannon gave the unit to its right a pointblank dose of roundshot. Instant kill. Unless this is fixed, cannons will need constant micro-managing.

It seems to me that turning off fire at will doesn't always work; whenever I unlimber the cannons, it always automatically turned on.

[ArtillerySmoke]

I've seen the AI decimate its own units with its artillery (someone in the way... no matter, just fire at will).

The irritating thing is that since your own artillery will also select its targets automatically, it will happily turn its guns to rake the units just beside it. I actually tried setting up my cannons in position, only to have the cannon pivot right to fire at an enemy, with the result that the rearmost cannon gave the unit to its right a pointblank dose of roundshot. Instant kill. Unless this is fixed, cannons will need constant micro-managing.

It seems to me that turning off fire at will doesn't always work; whenever I unlimber the cannons, it always automatically turned on.

Ah ok, I see what you guys mean about micromanagement now. Hopefully this is something that's ironed out before retail ships. I would imagine it's a quick fix on CA's end.

[BeeSting]

Unless CA has already been working on this, I doubt we will see a fix before the release.

[BeeSting]

It is a huge downer... I can't even play the demo anymore and having second thoughts about buying the game.

CA has never mentioned this problem and I don't even know if they are working to solve this issue.

[BeeSting]

I, too, am pretty anxious about this as the release date draws near.

[IlDuce]

Friendly Fire Bug? I swear I got given a book with him in it about playing with matches as kid.

Friendly fire has always got me. Send in my elite troops and I realise they're dying much quicker than they should be. Then I realise it's my own bloody archers. At least my training has turned them into killing machines of sorts.

[Sir Beane]

Friendly Fire Bug? I swear I got given a book with him in it about playing with matches as kid.

Friendly fire has always got me. Send in my elite troops and I realise they're dying much quicker than they should be. Then I realise it's my own bloody archers. At least my training has turned them into killing machines of sorts.

Well at least they were killing someone. It's good practice . Personally I don't mind friendly fire. It's pretty funny when you accidentally blow up your own General just before winning the battle .

[Beskar]

[QUOTE=SpencerH;2148399]

Well at least they were killing someone. It's good practice . Personally I don't mind friendly fire. It's pretty funny when you accidentally blow up your own General just before winning the battle .

I remember that in Rome Total War. I had my Heavy Ongers firing at a group behind the Wall while I was moving my General to get ready to go through the gate and one of the shots miss fired and went flying right into my general, killing him instantly.

Losing him really hurt my army more than I liked.

[CBR]

IIRC RTW demo and first release had horrible friendly fire too but was fixed in a patch. After that individual soldiers refused to fire unless they had a clear LOS to a target.


CBR

[BeeSting]

IIRC RTW demo and first release had horrible friendly fire too but was fixed in a patch. After that individual soldiers refused to fire unless they had a clear LOS to a target.


CBR

This is a serious problem because it gimps the AI big time. I was wondering why AI units were being depleted so fast...

I hope they can get it fixed before the release... I remember in RTW archers were killing archers within its own unit and we had to wait for months before it was patched!

[BeeSting]

The AI is messing up its own; that's the problem... I could manage to micromanage my own to not shoot but the AI is not doing so well with it. I can't believe CA testers didn't pick this out already.

This happens on sea battles too.... the AI does not seem to know that firing when the friendly is in front will not hurt the enemy but its own only!

[BeeSting]

What gets me is that there's not a single thread or anything out there on the web mentioning this issue. So does CA know?

[Sir Beane]

What gets me is that there's not a single thread or anything out there on the web mentioning this issue. So does CA know?

Several staff members read this forum, so it's likely this thread has alerted them.

[ArtillerySmoke]

Several staff members read this forum, so it's likely this thread has alerted them.

Let's hope so...this could be a huge immersion/realism killer.

[ArtillerySmoke]

any further word on this? Is CA aware?

[BeeSting]

I'm thinking maybe we should spread the word till we hear something about this like on other websites.