Quote Originally Posted by TogakureOjonin
Yes, Samurai Archers can be very useful in SP campaigns in particular because you end up producing them with good upgrades and base honor. In MP, because of their base cost, it is expensive to upgrade them to the point where they melee well.

Muskies are favored in MP, though many bring 1 or 2 archers to complement their ranged line (of 4 muskets). They can shoot over the heads of units in front of them, whereas muskets cannot, so this can be a handy ability in many situations.
Samurai Archers in original STW were better in melee than what they are in WE/MI. In addition, guns were much weaker in original STW, and they didn't fire at all if it rained. In MP, there were players who were quite good at using Samurai Archers in melee, and they didn't like the weakening of the unit in WE/MI. It had been turned exclusively into a shooter, and had to go up against guns that had increased 300% in firepower.