Orders problems
 

I have been having a play with Tien Chi Barbarian Kingdoms theme hoping to find some hidden gems amongst an army I have enjoyed playing table top ancients with - Hsuing-nui.

I figured that seeing as all the mounted have lance and bow and the obvious advantage of the theme is better cavalry I should try using it. Maybe I have got something wrong but I couldn't get the cavalry to use their weapons combination in a effective manner.

Attempt 1.

Cavalry deployed under hold and attack intending to shoot at the closing eneme then charge - trouble is they don't shoot.

Attempt 2.

Cavalry on Guard commander, commander of fire, fire, fire, attack. Once again the cavalry fail to use their bows.

Sure you can just put them on fire (precision 8?! So much for skilled horse archers) but then the LC Version will rout the moment something hits them. Sure the HC sort of work this way but it doesn't feel right.

Please allow troops with missile weapons on hold and attack or guard commander to fire their missle weapons. This would enable a huge range of cunning cavalry tactics. You could raise the precision for the Barbarian Kings Version cavalry as well to reflect the superior mounted archery of the steppe nomads who have come in and conquered. As they stand the option doesn't seem over endowed with riches.

Cheers

Keir

Re: Orders problems
 

I think modifying hold and attack so the units in question will fire any ranged weapons they have makes sense. As it is, I don't think an infantry line set to hold and attack will use any javelins it might have on an approaching enemy either.

Right now, I think Tien Chi horse achers have simply to be regarded as archers with a strategic move of 3. Not all that useful, considering how much terrain blocks strategic movement on most maps.

Re: Orders problems
 

As I posted in the strong and weak nations thread, "fire and attack" order would be great. Units fire missile weapons two or three times, then charge in for the melee. It would work great for Tien Chi cavalry and some other units as well.

Re: Orders problems
 

I would love for there to be some way to tell the archers to fire or not once the enemy is engaged.

Unless I'm using ulm with shortbow folks, I don't usually want archers firing into a melee situation where they can do more harm than good. I never want volume arrows to go against less than 10 remaining defenders. Again, because it does more harm than good.

What I would really like them to do is advance to the sides and wait until the enemy starts to retreat. Then fire on them as they run from the battlefield. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I presently use the "fire archers" order. But that is less than ideal. Because they will still fire into melee situations. Even when the enemy is more heavily armored than I am. I have lost quite a number of troops to "friendly fire." And usually it's been a situation so clear...where before they fired I thought..."Oh, no...the archers are about to fire!"

Re: Orders problems
 

Fire closest is a decent one for LI armed with javelins, as they tend to charge the enemy and engage around the same time as the back line gets into range. It also spreads them out a bit which improves survivability against missiles.

Re: Orders problems
 

Graeme,

Good point. I've already been using that one for LI (when I use them at all). I generally only use LI as cannon fodder.

Re: Orders problems
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not only LI. Eg, Pythium legionaries.

Re: Orders problems
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Well, I was actually considering just about everything Pythium has other than the Emerald guards to be LI, as I've been playing too much Ulm. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Orders problems
 

The tactical AI is probably the weakest link in Dominions. It would seem relatively simple to add many capabilities to the AI, and to allow more powerful scripting of units.

In the case of units with melee skills, the AI should check if there are enemies within charging range.

The ability to maneuver, be it by scripting or the AI, is basicly non-existent in the game as it is now. In a game that is centered around tactical battles, this is,.. well, not so good.

But to answer you question, no, there is not to my knowledge any way to make the Tien Chi horse archers use bows and lance/spear in a sensible way. When I saw this new and interesting race, I asked myself the same question, and then decided that it would be virtually impossible to use these mounted troops as they should be.

/Rainbow