Combat bonus on expert?

[Dayve]

Another question i have. How can i make my archers behave? They don't follow orders, and when in skirmish mode they seem to run toward an enemy as it charges at them rather than run AWAY from it... They just will NOT do what i tell them to. When i double click for them to run behind my line it is completely ignored and they start to turn and do silly things... Putting them into loose formation is a hazard because they find it even MORE difficult to follow orders then, so i have to leave them in tight formation which is no good for skirmishers.

Is it just me having this problem or does everybody have to suffer with it?

[Martok]

The AI's troops receive a +4 morale bonus in combat, but I think that's it. Of course, that much of a morale bonus can make a pretty huge difference!

As for archers, yeah, I think quite a few of us have that problem (I know I do, anyway). As a rule, most missile/skirmish units in MTW require the player to baby-sit them to at least some extent. Some units are better than others, but you still have to keep an eye on them so that they don't get caught in melee combat.

[naut]

It can be quite anoying. So I just never put them in skirmish mode, always in hold position and behind my line of infantry. This does restrict me, but it stops them from doing half the stupid stuff they do.

[bamff]

I follow the same pattern as Rythmic - I usually put them in a position where they can't really do their own thing....although sometimes you really pay a price for it...

[Csargo]

I do what Rhythmic does. Archers really piss me off the only ones I really like are longbowmen anyways.

[Ironside]

They do get a combat bonus on expert: 30%, wich means slightly less than 1 valour (don't ask me about the numbers , I'm simply qouting).
Hard got a 15% bonus.

Think that the comp getting +1 valour and +2 morale on top on that on expert (simular of having a general with 2 more stars).

But as stated, highlanders are supposed to slaughter spearmen and can do considerble damage to royal knights is those are caught in a bad moment.

[drone]

In MTW skirmish, I believe the unit will only skirmish away from their target unit, so they may blunder into another enemy unit while trying to keep their distance. You will just have to micro them. I don't skirmish archers, I just move them in front of my troops, get a few volleys in, then pull them back when the enemy starts marching quickly.

The Highlanders weakness is a combination of defense and morale. Their low defense (-3) means lots of casualties, and on normal difficulty this will usually make them easy to break after the initial surge since their morale is 0. On expert, you can't rely on this, they will just keep dishing out damage. The ideal solution would be to use missile weapons, but their quickness means you won't get in many volleys before they close. You might have to resort to pinning them with your spears then shooting into melee.

[Ludens]

They do get a combat bonus on expert: 30%, wich means slightly less than 1 valour (don't ask me about the numbers , I'm simply qouting).
Hard got a 15% bonus.

Think that the comp getting +1 valour and +2 morale on top on that on expert (simular of having a general with 2 more stars).

They get +4 morale at expert (and normal morale at hard), but otherwise you are spot on. Still, I did some tests before to see if this combat bonus made a difference, but it is hardly noticable. It's just that an engagement between equal units should turn in the computers favour. It is not like in R:TW were militia units can smash a phalanx just because of increased stats. Off course, my test was done with quality troops (FMAA) so there may be more of an effect with militia and such. The morale bonus at expert does make a big difference though.

[Kommodus]

Another question i have. How can i make my archers behave? They don't follow orders, and when in skirmish mode they seem to run toward an enemy as it charges at them rather than run AWAY from it... They just will NOT do what i tell them to. When i double click for them to run behind my line it is completely ignored and they start to turn and do silly things... Putting them into loose formation is a hazard because they find it even MORE difficult to follow orders then, so i have to leave them in tight formation which is no good for skirmishers.

Is it just me having this problem or does everybody have to suffer with it?

What I do with my archers is this: place them in a long line just in front of the main infantry line. (If the infantry line is short I'll split the archers into two lines, with one line in front of the infantry and the other behind). All are given hold formation/hold position orders.

As the enemy approaches, the archers out in front will start firing at them. Any archers behind the main line will of course wait a bit longer before opening fire. When the enemy gets close, I select the line of archers out in front and ALT-LEFT CLICK on a central point behind the infantry. (Note that alt-left click gives the order to move while retaining formation/facing.) I then press CTL-R to get them to run.

The archers will simply turn around and quickly run behind the infantry for protection. Once they reach their destination, they'll return to their original facing and formation.

Note that you can't wait too long to give the retreat order with this tactic, or your archers will be caught by the charging enemy. This has happened to me quite a bit actually, especially when I was learning how long I could wait before giving the order.

I like having some archers out in front so that I don't give the enemy a range advantage. However, they can be tricky to manage, and you cannot count on the automatic skirmishing.

Finally, I only use loose formation with archers that are in a missile duel. If they are not under fire, close formation is better since it makes them more maneuverable.