Friendly Fire

[Bigwig]

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.

[Del Arroyo]

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

[Oaty]

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

[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.

[galingula1]

Turn off "Fire at Will?"

[Soulflame]

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...

[Thoros of Myr]

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

[Colovion]

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.

[Thoros of Myr]

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.

[Red Harvest]

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.

[Hamburglar]

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.

[metatron]

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. :/

[Jacque Schtrapp]

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.

[Colovion]

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

[d6veteran]

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.

[Del Arroyo]

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