Ants in their Pants

[De Bullseye]

Does anyone know how to keep SA's from getting ants in their pants?

I've had this happen before. During the latest outbreak of it, I had 3 groups of archers in a perfect position...they fired a round or two and then start to wander off. They are all honor 2, and aren't under attack when they get wander-itis. They aren't running away, they are just wandering.

If I'm not watching them constantly, they will be half a mile from the spot I posted them. I've tried setting "hold position", but that doesn't do squat. And they are slow to go back to position and will repeatedly wander away.

So how do I get these guys to stay put?

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(o)


Wait until they run, they are easier to kill that way.

[Kurando]

If you click on an enemy unit and target them with your archers the archers will follow the enemy unit to keep it in range.

If this is the case the easiest why to stop it is to hit backspace when they start to wander. This will take the archers out of their direct attack mode and put them back into "fire at will" mode.

The only other thing that would cause your units to wander is if you have 2 of your units too close to one another. In such a case they will move to find breathing room, (but only a very short distance from there original position).

[Forward Observer]

It happens to me too, and always with archers on defense. The units do not have to be touching or overlapping for this to happen, but merely invading another unit's
'space'. Probably having slight gaps between the SA units would prevent this, but if you are like me, you don't like gaps.

It always happens for me just shortly after clicking to start battle, and the wandering SA's movement coincides with the drums starting up. What I have done is this. Immediately after clicking to start battle, move an infantry unit a up or back a few feet. This also cues the drums, and any archers that are going to stray will start do it then, so you can catch them early enough to correct their position. Use the left click and drag to get them back into position quickly.

Usually after the battle is joined, and the SA are firing at the enemy they will not move again.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

[Yoko Kono]

Set your archers to Hold Position and Hold Formation
when an enemy comes into range if you then set your archers to fire on that enemey (provided they ARE within firing range) then the archers will not pivot to face nor move from postiton
If you have the just on skirmish or hold without holding postion they may `wander off` after any units you tell them to fire at who then fall back out of range
hope this helps

Yoko

[Forward Observer]

I should have mentioned that in my case this wandering happens in spite of giving the
archers a hold formation and hold position conmand, and it happens long before the enemy is in view. Sometimes they move foward, sometimes back, and sometimes obliquely.

When on defense, in addition to the two hold commands, I also use the loose formation command. Of course this takes up
a lot more room, and I think that this may
also causes an immaginary 'space' around the unit that comes into conflict when placed next to another expanded unit. Just a theory, but I do know that other people have experienced this phenonenon.

It has caused me some real tense moments
when I didn't catch them at the start, and they wandered so far that I barely had time to get them back in place just as the ememy
came into range.


cheers

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Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.



[This message has been edited by Forward Observer (edited 09-03-2001).]