Back on the grid (somewhat?)

[gollum]

The ashi xbows are ahistorical, and like all flattrajectory/high reload time units usually poorly used by the AI. I would take them out altogether, however if you must have them, increasing the range will give them more time to shoot, which is essentially the same workaround you did from another end. My worry with decreased reload times is that the player will get again the better of it.

The problem is that the player can use xbows to deliver coordinated volleys(all units fire at once) and this can rout AI units all at once when used properly. The AI can't do the same. Making faster reloads will increase the effectiveness of volleys perhaps quite a lot.

Another weakness of Ai flat trajecory units is that they are hampered by the autoskirmish especially when of short range. A common tactic is to scatter them using fast horses on the flanks - they will autoskirmish away - and then engage the enemy melee troops with your own and flank them with the cavalry. Soon they will all be in a huge rout without the xbows having fired a single shot or otherwise participated in any way.

I don't remember what range ashi-xbows are in SWs, but try leaving the reload as was and increase the range and see how the AI performs with that, or try a middle ground between the two. The AI units, automatically are aware of the range their missile weapon has and you need not update anything else, or so at least i have found. In any case hoewver, the AI uses bows much better, especially bows that can melee somewhat. This is because they can fire overhead and so useful while pretected by their melee troops, they have a decent range and if they can melee can be used by the AI for the occasional flank/reinforcement to win the melee engagement. Ashi xbows are too weak in melee and making them stringer would require making them more expensive and that would be again historically unplausible - these guys aren;t samurai or regulars like say the tough Genoese pavise xbows in the medieval period.

[gaijinalways]

I just reinstalled MTW again, and I have been enjoying playing the historical campaigns (finished one so far). Always enjoy using various tactics, one right now is those longbowmen, gotta love these guys if you have them. Had group of mine rescue my king in one battle, most of the French troops had already done a first retreat, but a tough group of knights was still whittling down my own group of knights. Brought the longbowmen over to the battle, and after surrounding the French knights, eventually drove them off. Then of course the longbowmen kept peppering the other troops whose morale had returned in the mean time, eventually routing them!

[Brandy Blue]

The ashi xbows are ahistorical

Why ahistorical? I thought that the Japanese had crossbows but they were not favored by the samurai. Ashi Xbows sound about right to me. I'm guessing you know something about it I don't know. What is it?

[gollum]

Its from a tag in the Royal Armouries museum, Leeds, UK, that i vistited that the information comes. They have there a Japanese xbow, and the tag said that the few of them (including the one in display) were kept in the Tokugawa (the Shogun) castles just for show and that they were imported from the Westerners. It said that they never were used in battle. The xbow itself seemed to coroborate the account: it was too well decorated to have been a battle weapon.

I also have read/own a book, called "Secrets of the Samurai" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Samu.../dp/0804816840). It does reference all weapons techniques from the Nara period (10th-11th century) to the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615, end of 19th century). Xbows are not mentioned as a battle weapon in Samurai warfare. I doubt its because of conservatism because they did adopt gunpowder weapons.

That's my sources - i am pretty certain about it - but of course i could always be wrong.

[Brandy Blue]

Well, you could also be right. Either way, I'm not crazy about the ashi Xbows in STW

[Togakure]

... I also have read/own a book, called "Secrets of the Samurai" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Samu.../dp/0804816840). It does reference all weapons techniques from the Nara period (10th-11th century) to the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615, end of 19th century). Xbows are not mentioned as a battle weapon in Samurai warfare. I doubt its because of conservatism because they did adopt gunpowder weapons. ...

[tangent] Just my two cents re: Secrets of the Samurai--it's an excellent reference. If I had only one, it would be my choice of the books I own or have seen. On another side note, the authors have also written a superb book on Aikido: Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction [/tangent]