Archery in M2 - Analysis from in-game testing

[Lord Condormanius]

Why on earth would you let missle units that are out of ammo stand in range of those who do. That would be a silly test proving only that longbowmen can get killed easier when they are out of ammo.

[dopp]

Then the longbowmen will be even more effective, since they can frontload their damage and run away before the crossbows can take revenge.

[JCoyote]

Then the longbowmen will be even more effective, since they can frontload their damage and run away before the crossbows can take revenge.

Actually I have an issue with the game engine there, in that ALL loading of all units is performed before firing. While this is very true of archers and siege weapons, it shouldn't be true of... just about anything else out there. While even if an archer's got his arrow nocked, he'll still have to draw once he reaches his firing position. Crossbows and firearms should always get off the first volley if other factors like range are equal. Crossbowmen should have their weapon's loaded long before approaching the enemy; they should be able to run up and fire immediately.

After all, the earliest crossbows were small and worthless against armor, they were a way of keeping a bow at ready without tiring out your arm. That advantage needs to be in the engine.

This is also a big issue for the ribault, as an anti-infantry weapon I shouldn't have to wait til an enemy is within firing range before they even start loading the weapon.