Moral Under Fire????

[Pompey the Great]

Hi Experts,

If a unit is under fire from a unit of bowmen this has a detrimental effect on it's moral rating correct?

If I concentrate a lot of archer units on the same enemy unit, is the units moral even more reduced or does it stay the same.

So can I crack a unit by focussing my archer units on it?

Cheers

C

[CBR]

If hit by fire from archers or crossbows the morale penalty is -2 regardless of of how many units are shooting at it (-6 total from artillery and guns).

But there is also a morale penalty from casualty rate so the faster you are killing soldiers in a unit the bigger the penalty. So yes if you focus a lot of missile(killing) power on a unit it will be easier to rout.

Of course it might not rout by itself if its standing near friendly units but if alone and near enemy units it might be enough, all depending on how good quality unit it is.


CBR

[ichi]

I think that you only get one 'taking missile fire' morale penalty at a time. But I could be wrong.

As I understand it, the morale penalty lasts as long as the little unit icon on the bottom shows the little red arrows. This seems to be almost as long as archers take to reload, but not as long as it takes xbows or pavs to reload. So (and again this is just my recollection - I'm sure someone who truly understands will post) if you can focus two units of missiles in such a way that they keep the morale penalty on all the time then the unit doesn't recover.

The additional missile fire also increases the rate of mortality for the unit - once the unit gets below half strength they incur additional penalties.

By placing the archers (or xbows or arbs or whatever) close enough to the unit's flank or rear you also can get the 'flank or rear threatened' penalty. Most units seem to take heavier losses when shot in the rear.

In SP I have seen lots of AI units break under withering archer fire, usually when surrounded by cav archers, exhausted, outnumbered, and decimated, without ever making melee contact.

ichi

EDIT: damn simul-post

[BAD]

I think that you only get one 'taking missile fire' morale penalty at a time. But I could be wrong.

As I understand it, the morale penalty lasts as long as the little unit icon on the bottom shows the little red arrows. This seems to be almost as long as archers take to reload, but not as long as it takes xbows or pavs to reload. So (and again this is just my recollection - I'm sure someone who truly understands will post) if you can focus two units of missiles in such a way that they keep the morale penalty on all the time then the unit doesn't recover.

The additional missile fire also increases the rate of mortality for the unit - once the unit gets below half strength they incur additional penalties.

By placing the archers (or xbows or arbs or whatever) close enough to the unit's flank or rear you also can get the 'flank or rear threatened' penalty. Most units seem to take heavier losses when shot in the rear.

In SP I have seen lots of AI units break under withering archer fire, usually when surrounded by cav archers, exhausted, outnumbered, and decimated, without ever making melee contact.

ichi

EDIT: damn simul-post

That's why (in single player at least) I still like to use archers even when crossbows and arbalests are avalable. They can keep up a steadier rate of fire and keep that morale penalty on units. Of course it helps if the archers are good at something else aswell, like Nizari's, Futtiwa's or Trebizond Archers.

[Pompey the Great]

Thanks Guys,

I would hate to face you in a Battle.

Cheers

C