Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Friendly Fire

  1. #1
    Member Member Bigwig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Quebec
    Posts
    45

    Angry Friendly Fire

    I'm kind of getting tired of my own guys killing themselves with their pila. Whenever I tell my hastati/pila troops to throw their stuff at the enemy, they always bunch up and then massacre each other! Is it so hard to just not throw your spear right into the skull of the guy standing in front of you? As it is right now I usually lose more troops to friendly fire than the enemy. For instance: I had about 4 hastati units bunched up together in a narrow alley facing some greeks, when I had the great idea to throw some sticks at them! My hastatis each raised their pila, threw, and I was suddenly down by about 30 guys. Now that's just stupid.

    I think that in the next patch there should be a fix that makes is so friendly units overlapping each other or in extreme proximity can't kill each other.

  2. #2
    Member Member Del Arroyo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    noyb
    Posts
    1,009

    Thumbs down Re: Friendly Fire

    This goes back to STW. It always pissed me off when an archer unit standing on a hill firing upwards would always kill off at least three or four men FROM ITS OWN UNIT!!

    Friendly fire is certainly a realistic aspect of missle fire during any time period-- but to have archers (or javelineers) "miss" and "accidentally" hit a comrade who's two feet in front of them, is just plain silly.

    DA

  3. #3
    Senior Member Senior Member Oaty's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    2,863

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    So far I think slingers are the worst at hitting friendlies.(they have a tremendous upkeep considering the status of a lowly peasant) and if your havimg an uphill fight try not to march in front ofmissle units
    When a fox kills your chickens, do you kill the pigs for seeing what happened? No you go out and hunt the fox.
    Cry havoc and let slip the HOGS of war

  4. #4
    The Maiden Member Jeanne d'arc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    belgie
    Posts
    190

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    hmmm, it issent a surprise that when packed up closely together in a raging battle that friendly casualties fall.
    If thats the case i would put them on loose formation to throw the pila's and close the formation when they are finished.It might help, try it.
    En nom Dieu!

  5. #5
    Member Member galingula1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Royal Oak, MI USA
    Posts
    69

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Turn off "Fire at Will?"

  6. #6
    Pet Idiot Member Soulflame's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    The Abyss - Formerly known as 'The Netherlands'
    Posts
    293

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    He tells his units to throw the pila, so I'm sure turning of fire at will doesn't help .

    To me it seems like pila are not for close combat anyway, particuarly when your own units are crowding. I'm not sure even 'loose formation' would help in the streets if you have 4 units cramped up a street. I think I heard people say that even a single units needs to cram itself through streets, let alone 4 of them.
    And pila are just dangerous... I back in highschool gym we were fairly warned that you shouldn't stand in front of someone chucking a spear...
    Download version 1.2 of my RomeUnitGuide (PDF format) here;
    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...do=file&id=108
    It has over 32.000 downloads. Thanks for the kind words I got over the years :).

    Download version 1.1 of my RomeTempleGuide (PDF format) here;
    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...do=file&id=107
    It has over 5.000 downloads. Thanks for the kind words I got over the years :).

  7. #7
    Member Member Thoros of Myr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    605

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    I like to save my pila for when they route and shoot them down as they are running

  8. #8
    robotica erotica Member Colovion's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Victoria, Canada
    Posts
    2,295

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Quote Originally Posted by Thoros of Myr
    I like to save my pila for when they route and shoot them down as they are running
    yeah or wait until they reform and then make them route one final time with a pila volley

    I don't think this will be addressed but I hate it how you never have time to launch your Pila before engaging the enemy unless the enemy are taking a nap and don't realize your units are almost upon them. If the enemy is charging your direction you haven't a chance of throwing your pila before your men, pila in hand, get slaughtered by the enemy charge.

    Run up.

    Pause.

    Take out pila and aim.

    Pause - smile for the cameras 1.2.3 *clik*

    Throw Pila.
    robotica erotica

  9. #9
    Member Member Thoros of Myr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    605

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Strangly enough I have had some good use for velite's. I have one right now that is Exp lvl 4 and regularly takes out 25+ guals before they hit my front line. The timing in which you send them out to hit the enemy is crucial.

  10. #10
    Alienated Senior Member Member Red Harvest's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Searching for the ORG's lost honor
    Posts
    4,657

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Yeah, I 'm finding that if you have two units meshed together throwing pila at an enemy, they kill quite a few of each other, and fewer of the enemy. It is silly and should be fixed. That and units should ANTICIPATE throwing their pila at onrushing enemy. Right now pila are worthless vs. elephants.

    Of course the elephant units have about 3 times as many elephants as they should based on battle scale.
    Rome Total War, it's not a game, it's a do-it-yourself project.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Okay guys: Question.



    Does Fire At Will even work?


    My archers were massacring my own men (it seems every battle I lose more men to friendly arrows than to Gallic troops). I turn Fire At Will off. The archers have no targets yet they keep shooting at these piddling little routing troops which are being chased by some expensive damn Principes. For every router they kill they knock down like 2 of my own guys. Its annoying.

  12. #12
    Fidei Defensor Member metatron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Fora Nostra
    Posts
    390

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    You have to tell them to stop firing. Fire at will means they will find new targets without you, not to stop firing.

    Honestly, it just goes back to what we all learned in Medieval: space your boys out, two-three lines for missile heavy units, and make sure the line of sight isn't blocked by your own men.

    Although, it does seem that Europe became alot more hilly in 1,000 years. :/
    [War's] glory is all moonshine; even success most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families.
    — William Tecumseh Sherman


  13. #13
    Senior Member Senior Member Jacque Schtrapp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    2,543

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeanne d'arc
    hmmm, it issent a surprise that when packed up closely together in a raging battle that friendly casualties fall.
    If thats the case i would put them on loose formation to throw the pila's and close the formation when they are finished.It might help, try it.
    Actually the problem I have with it is when as the Julii fighting the Gauls I have drawn up my battle line opposite the Gauls and placed my Hastati and Principes on "fire at will" and a few individual Warband units charge my line. They engage one or two units in my line and the two or three unengaged units to either side will turn and shower pila on the Gauls and the Roman units they are engaged with. Not too smart that.

  14. #14
    robotica erotica Member Colovion's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Victoria, Canada
    Posts
    2,295

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    Quote Originally Posted by Jacque Schtrapp
    Actually the problem I have with it is when as the Julii fighting the Gauls I have drawn up my battle line opposite the Gauls and placed my Hastati and Principes on "fire at will" and a few individual Warband units charge my line. They engage one or two units in my line and the two or three unengaged units to either side will turn and shower pila on the Gauls and the Roman units they are engaged with. Not too smart that.
    What you say is true. I really like doing that though, the whold positioning your reserve troops behind and being able to toss their Pila over the heads of your own troops. I think that your units just try to hit the FRONT of the enemy units instead of the middle/rear of it like they should to reduce friendlyfire
    robotica erotica

  15. #15
    Member Member d6veteran's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Bainbridge Island, WA.
    Posts
    140

    Default Re: Friendly Fire

    I kinda like the friendly fire. Being a good general means knowing how to position your troops to minimize friendly fire. Targeting an enemy unit that is too close or engaging a friendly unit should have realistic consequences.

    So far I don't see any issues with it.
    Jacta alea est!

  16. #16
    Member Member Del Arroyo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    noyb
    Posts
    1,009

    Talking Re: Friendly Fire

    The problem is that it's NOT realistic. It would be realistic if you had one unit engaging the enemy in melee, and archers a far way off firing into the crowd. Where it DOESN'T make sense it accidentally hitting friendlies that are TWO FEET away from them and often in THEIR OWN UNIT.

    Imagine it-- if your friend's head is in front of your spear, will you intentionally stab him with it? That is basically what is going on here.

    From a distance, friendly fire is realistic. Even if two units were on opposite sides of an enemy tossing javelins from close range, it could make some sense. But you simply don't shoot your buddies through the head at point blank range. It does not happen. Ever. It is ridiculous.

    DA

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO