AI Archer amunition

[GMT]

Recently I was ambushed by a bunch of ershenar dudes (sp?) and some Indian longbowman in my Baktrian campaign.

Luckily there was some big rock on the battlemap so I hide behind it

They were still firing at me but they could hardly hit me (they killed 5 men by the time we were like 3/4 trough the battletime.)

Anyway, the plan was to let them waste their ammo on the rock and then when they were out of ammo and exhausted I could take 'em out easily.

The problem was however that these guys kept on firing missiles even after 3/4 of the battletime.

Is it possible that there's some kind of bug that gives the AI unlimited ammo? It sure looks that way.

I still managed to kill them though since they were exhausted of firing all those missiles.


GMT

[Malrubius]

No, they do eventually run out, I believe. A tactic I recently had some success with against Arshtbara was to march a phalanx towards them--they'll score very few hits and get worn out. Eventually, they'll start to pull back, tired and without ammunition, and then my own Arshtbara can fire.

[O'ETAIPOS]

archers firing into obstacke seems to regain theire arrows/ bullets. you could check this by shooting on enemy behind building in siege battle - arrows that do not reach target (blocked by wall) are treated as if they were not shot. In fact maybe only soliders with clear path shoot actually, and others are only "acting" - animation is played but no shooting.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Wow. If that's correct that's pretty weird.

[Kralizec]

I think he's right, I noticed that myself a couple of times. Maybe it's meant to represent individual archers trying to aim, but realize that they can't fire in the right trajectory so save their arrows instead.

[NightStar]

Yep....sometimes they aim but do not shoot...just like in medieval during castle sieges where crossbowmen inside the battlements seemed to be shooting but weren't

I always think it is funny when people write Fire an arrow....a term that came after the developement of gunpowder

[Bar Kochba]

what other should u say other wise let fly

[Ano2]

You could say loose.

[GMT]

You could say loose.

[stufer]

The correct term is *shoot*. You shoot and arrow and fire a gun. Of course you do fire an arrow if you set light to it, but when you release it, it is to shoot it.

[pezhetairoi]

I experience the same thing when I'm in a city siege, trying to tempt the square defenders into my phalanxes. As Baktria, I piled up 6 units of eranshar/thanvabara in the rear of my pantodapoi, drawn up one phalanx in front of the other across a narrow street opening onto the square. I commanded the archers to loose a salvo on the defenders (which should bring them crashing into my spearwall while my generals crash into their rear from another street). A salvo that should have annihilated a third of the defenders (after all, this was the archer force that just a few minutes ago wiped out completely 6 of the 7 units defending the city) instead didn't even get the defenders' attention. I counted only 5 arrows making their way to the target. I think overcrowding does something to your archers, because after I removed 5 of the units to rear out of range, the one remaining unit shot perfectly fine. And fyi, they shot into the wall even when it was blocking them.

[Tricon]

Overcrowding definately hampers archers in EB. In vanilla as well, I think, but not that much (from what I remember). It could be meant that way....

[jebes]

It is definitely meant that way. Obviously you don't remember the wailing and nashing of teeth on the forums before CA fixed the friendly fire bug. Back when an archer unit would kill half it's own members unless you put them in line and then they would shoot your infantry in the back to hit the one guy they were surrounding. Oh, it brings back such terrible memories.