Proposal for slingers

[antisocialmunky]

This would be a very nice game feature.

[Ichon]

Interesting read... the use as direct or plunging fire was already understood I think but does raise an interesting question of 2 different units using slings.

Untrained levees which could attain decent range but were limited in how heavy a projective they could release and low accuracy might be replicated in MTW2 but the more trained professional slingers are difficult to model as they were probably capable of even more extreme range and lethality releasing heavier bullets but also much more accurate in the short range.

Also the ability of slingers to out range archers would seem to be very impractical for game balance. It is easier to set the maximum effective range similar for the elite of both disciplines and let elevation make the largest difference as MTW2 already does with missile weapons.

Also I think the engine assumes slings are a direct fire weapon so using slingers to throw bullets over a wall or other obstacle isn't possible with much efficiency.

It does make me want to go out and try playing with slings again. I only tried using direct fire when I was younger because there was no incentive to try plunging fire and the difficulty of knowing precisely how far a stone in a grassy field had traveled was further disincentive. Now I'd love to try with gluing 4 paintballs together and trying to hit distant ranges. Quite light for a sling bullet even using 4 paintballs, about 14 grams with the heaviest paintballs but might be interesting.

[oudysseos]

That does sound interesting. Can you post a link?

[bobbin]

I think this is the one he's talking about.

http://www.ipna.ie/documents/History...he%20Sling.pdf

[Trve Leveller]

yes, thats it

[Cute Wolf]

slingers could be made into indirect fire unit by merely gave their projectiles lower speed and more maximum angle (but not too low).

[Moros]

This might actually indeed be usefull.

[vartan]

This would be a very nice game feature.

An impossible one, though, unless the engine in M2TW allows for a unit to have both weapon slots filled in as missiles (i.e. no dagger/melee weapon). In that case you could have both trajectories.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

You will notice that in M2 TW archers and other missile units will arc their shots to fire over the top of engaged units. Therefore I think this is easily implemented. And yes, it looks stupid when crossbows fire almost 90 degrees upward to hit units underneath them on walls and such.

[vartan]

You will notice that in M2 TW archers and other missile units will arc their shots to fire over the top of engaged units. Therefore I think this is easily implemented. And yes, it looks stupid when crossbows fire almost 90 degrees upward to hit units underneath them on walls and such.

Poor programming of Newtonian Physics perhaps?

[Trve Leveller]

What about giving all slingers a higher shooting angle. This way they can use indirect fire.
Unprotected, poor slingers now get big units and a projectile "peasant bullet", which has less accuracy.
Shield-bearing "snipers" get smaller, mobile units and a projectile with more accuracy.

So all slingers can use indirect fire but it will be more beneficial to use the "snipers" for direct fire.

This solution seems the most realistic one to me and its also 100% doable with the game's engine

[vartan]

What about giving all slingers a higher shooting angle. This way they can use indirect fire.
Unprotected, poor slingers now get big units and a projectile "peasant bullet", which has less accuracy.
Shield-bearing "snipers" get smaller, mobile units and a projectile with more accuracy.

So all slingers can use indirect fire but it will be more beneficial to use the "snipers" for direct fire.

This solution seems the most realistic one to me and its also 100% doable with the game's engine

First and foremost, we all know that there are always two solutions to a trajectory problem: the higher and the lower. The higher trajectory causes the object to last longer above ground but the destination remains the same point.

I don't think trajectory is tied with accuracy in the Rome engine, especially due to the **** implementation of Newtonian Physics. Even if you're shooting at a moving target the units doing the shooting happen to know exactly where the enemy unit will end up by the time the bullet has reached its target. For this reason, even though the higher trajectory object lasts longer in the air, it still ends up at its target just about the same number of times as it would otherwise. Right?

[antisocialmunky]

I wonder if a skilled slinger could time on target multiple stones(fire many stones at different angles and have them all hit the same target at the same time).