Come on CA - Gamedesign, programming or QA bug?

**Callatian** · 11-22-2006, 00:47

Originally Posted by Myrddraal

How can the beta testers possibly have missed this! The mind boggles...

They were probably so used to play RTW that nobody actually fully checked the fact that only archers are active in a siege army when the human does a sally. I think they should have a meeting with their lead testers - this is a gameplay showstopper bug after all. I would have got my butt kicked really hard if I will have missed such a bug or played with the AI code - by this damageing the overall performance - and without proper backup testing.

This is something like a proximity issue attack activation - so they do not react to any projectiles thrown at them even at the most closest ranges ... it's like you are invisible for their melee troops. They only react to you if you engage their archers/troops in close hand-to-hand - but they go back in formation pretty fast.

Any enemy siege is now a good training time for your archers or catapults. Damn - it totally ruins the gameplay.

**Lusted** · 11-22-2006, 00:48

Can someone say passive ai bug?

**Callatian** · 11-22-2006, 01:01

Originally Posted by Lusted

Can someone say passive ai bug?

Not really passive - their archers AIs and artillery are pretty aggressive and fighting like crazy. Just the enemy AI melee and cavalry units react only in 2-3 meters - and only to your melee units.

Also the bug does not apply if you get reinforcements on them map or if the enemy is assaulting your city gates. That’s why they didn't see it. It is only a sally issue in my view. More testing will be needed - so since everyone is playing the game - try different sally combinations and see what is working and what not. A small help for CA QA - I think.

**Spino** · 11-22-2006, 01:40

The beta-testers did catch the passive AI bug but by the time it was brought to the attention of CA the game already went gold. Per the words of one of the developers (Palamedes) in the official forums, this WILL be fixed in the upcoming patch.

So it's just a matter of finding ways to pass the time until the patch is released...

**econ21** · 11-22-2006, 02:02

The only good thing about this is that something will be done in a patch.

But does anyone have any tips for how to minimise "the passive AI bug" until then? When does it kick in? I've heard people say it's related to missile inferiority. Should you then just take, say, one missile unit per stack as I used to do with Romans in RTW/RTR/EB? (This might be ok, perhaps, as the French or some other continentals (Danes, HRE), with a token crossbow unit or two).

I am finding the AI often attacks my English army and then forms up just in range, to get shot to death by my 3-5 units of longbows until my arrows run dry. Not always - not with bridges or siege assaults - but more often than not in field battles. It's forgivable in a defence, when the AI is outnumbered - what's it going to do? (Think Harold at Hastings). But when it attacks me with more melee power, it's a major problem. I don't know if what I observe is actually a bug that will be fixed or whether it is related to this sally issue, but it seems relevant.

**Cataphract_Of_The_City** · 11-22-2006, 04:08

Have you seen any difference in battles that the passive AI bug would not apply? Because I certainly haven't. Same thing as in RTW. Lack of cohesion, nothing even close to a battle plan and the AI certainly not using its advantages. Is anyone else seeing this? It is a major fun killer to realise on the first day that the game was like a mod for RTW.

**Gray_Lensman** · 11-22-2006, 06:19

Much as it disappoints me that the game was released with this passive AI bug, I'm using the time to just get to know the other game features more, while waiting for the fix. I have to admit that excluding the passive AI bug, CA has done a reasonably fine job for the original release.

**Nestor** · 11-22-2006, 06:35

Originally Posted by econ21

...But does anyone have any tips for how to minimise "the passive AI bug" until then? When does it kick in? I've heard people say it's related to missile inferiority. Should you then just take, say, one missile unit per stack as I used to do with Romans in RTW/RTR/EB? (This might be ok, perhaps, as the French or some other continentals (Danes, HRE), with a token crossbow unit or two)....

Yes, you can attack at the passive enemy army and have a look at the charging/engaging bug when half of your soldiers are picking flowers spread out at the back of the formation

Seriously, I don't know exactly when this one kicks in, but I've seen it much too often for my liking.

**Whacker** · 11-22-2006, 14:27

Originally Posted by Nestor

Yes, you can attack at the passive enemy army and have a look at the charging/engaging bug when half of your soldiers are picking flowers spread out at the back of the formation

Seriously, I don't know exactly when this one kicks in, but I've seen it much too often for my liking.

God, don't you people read the manuals???

Double/single click when in range of an enemy unit means "Stop and pick flowers to give to the nice men to your immediate front!"