Skirmisher changes

[deeter]

These seem to be working much better, but there is an unattended consequence. LF can face at the end to shoot usually, but LH cannot. They just fire out of arc and maintain their current facing. Lovely. However, this makes the LH less maneuverable than LF. I've had a horse bow unit hounded by LF because it couldn't turn to face them. This, coupled with the inexplicable ability of LF to attack LH in the rear and the LH not being able to evade, really hamstrings the supposedly faster, better mounted troops.

Deeter

[rbodleyscott]

These seem to be working much better, but there is an unattended consequence. LF can face at the end to shoot usually, but LH cannot. They just fire out of arc and maintain their current facing. Lovely. However, this makes the LH less maneuverable than LF. I've had a horse bow unit hounded by LF because it couldn't turn to face them. This, coupled with the inexplicable ability of LF to attack LH in the rear and the LH not being able to evade, really hamstrings the supposedly faster, better mounted troops.

Actually, they mostly can turn to face (effectively) because in most cases the program will allow them to adopt a path that doubles back on itself for the last hex. It does slow their retreat a bit, but that does not seem unreasonable.

[deeter]

On the TT, only mounted bowmen can fire out of arc and even then only to the rear. I've discovered the double back thingy, so that's good.

What about LH being unable to evad a rear attack by LF?

Deeter

[keithmartinsmith]

LH can now shoot all around but take a -1 POA for doing so. We are looking at AI and evade changes for rear attacks.
Keith

[edmuel2000]

In the midst of a post v1.26 patch SOA game (Later Granadine v Later German), I've noticed the tendency of skirmish units to engage in melee more. But on another note, an anomally in evasion has also been repeated, or at least I have seen it. I'd like to know if anyone else has noticed something like this:

Light Foot (handgunners) charge light horse frontally, in the open, no restricting units in the area. The light horse on two occasions, evaded 1 hex back. The light foot then did that odd second, 1 hex charge, and closed with the light horse, locking them in melee.

Light Foot (handgunners again) charge light horse under the same circumstances, and the light horse does not evade at all, but stands and melees. This has also happened at least twice.

On the other hand, light Foot charged by other light foot, or by light horse, takes to its heels and evades well out of range (on the order of 4 hexes).

So, the ultimate effect is that light foot is running down light horse, but light horse cannot catch light foot. I don't mind if the idea was to allow the light screens to engage one another, but then the horse should be able to catch the foot.

The secondary effects, though, are more significant. The light foot pins the light horse, and heavy units are able to come up and close with the light horse that they would otherwise never be able to engage, leading to cheap kills. If what I"m noticing is holding true, then it would have rather strange ramifications for handling light horse, I think.


Best, Ed M