Q: Is Friendly Fire an issue?

[jfp3]

Yeah Mac's can be nice if overpriced toys.

But if we're talking "Game Realistic" it would seem to me that an order for Archers to "fire till the melee starts" would be fairly more realistic.

My guess now is that it's probably more of a balance issue and design choices that had to satisfy both SP & MP with the same combat engine.

Because seriously, it can't be to hard to just turn FF on/off codewise. Just my 2 cents.

Oh and I should probably mention here that I already love the game and think it is mostly superb.

[thejeff]

Actually it might be hard. Does "Friendly Fire" include spells? Just as easily justifiable. Much larger game effects.

Currently the same targeting code is used for arrows and single target missile type spells. They just do damage to whatever happens to be in the target square. I suppose you could check who owns the unit and who owns the attacker and what type of attack it is...
But honestly, it's way down on the list of most requested "simple" changes. And it's not going to happen.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by jfp3

Yeah Mac's can be nice if overpriced toys.

Actually my personal preference is Mac for portables, Windows for desktop, Linux for my servers, and Unix for work.

But if we're talking "Game Realistic" it would seem to me that an order for Archers to "fire till the melee starts" would be fairly more realistic.

But if you lower yourself to the "eye level" of the archers you often dont see melee start. Which would be another reason to test the results with archers on the flanks.

Keep in mind that you get much better control using commanders. Lots of cheap indie commanders with Bows of War might get you the result you want.

Because seriously, it can't be to hard to just turn FF on/off codewise. Just my 2 cents.

Im sure it isnt hard. In fact, it might just boil down to the fact that the people requesting it tended more toward logical argument than saying please.

[thejeff]

Of course, if you lower yourself to eye level you also couldn't target archers behind the lines, which works just fine.

Seriously, a "don't shoot if there's a reasonable chance of hitting your own guys" default is far more realistic than the current system, where the archers will happily target the one closest enemy running away halfway across the field surrounded by your own troops. If you're thinking about line of sight, they shouldn't even be able to see anything other than a cluster of his own guys.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well it wasnt up to me. It was well argued by some expert players against the guy that teaches mytho-religious history of those eras. Now its up to us to make the logic work.

[jfp3]

Ouch! I didn't mean to come off like some whiney "lets gut what's worked for so long and change it drastically" noob. Noooo...I wouldn't be so presumptuous. Seriously, I can see both sides to an FF argument in Dominions. Some races getting overpowered with too many archers, and other not building enough to make up for the "New Sheriff in Town". There are also times of desperation when you actually >want< to chance FF in a desperate situation - yada yada yada. But if it ain't broke....

Yeah my sitting in front of a computer all day working, and then playing games like "Dominions" and "EVE" probably "spins my logic/fantasy wheel" pretty hard on a daily basis :-) But if no one has ever said "Please" about an "FF-option-that-doesn't-break-or-unbalance-the-game", well let me step up to the plate and apologize for my fellow impolite logic-bound lunkheads with a "Purty Please". That's of course assuming I'm not the only one who has ever wondered about the FF thing.

Oh and just in case I didn't get a smile out of anyone with that last paragraph...let me suggest the EVE forums for some SERIOUS laughs. The daily evisceration of noobs making feature or gameplay "improvement" suggestions by the "Old Guard" is legendary :-)

[jfp3]

Oh you guys ninja'd me heheh. Yeah I thought I'd save the "Where's the Elevation?" debate for another time. Wish I could read a pile of old posts here first though so as to see which horses have already been beaten to death :-)

[Gandalf Parker]

No prob. Its not like any final answers have been reached on lots of it.
Thats one of the good points of this game. Ive bought games for as much that lasted less than a month on my machine because the forums had all the answers including the "always works to win" strategies. But after years, all the apparently absolute answers here tend to rely on an unspoken addendum of "depending on your nation, the map, the mods, the game settings, and what nations you are up against" and even then are still in discussion.

[Loren]

Originally Posted by jfp3

Yeah Mac's can be nice if overpriced toys.

But if we're talking "Game Realistic" it would seem to me that an order for Archers to "fire till the melee starts" would be fairly more realistic.

Yeah, that or "Fire but not into melee" order--if melee starts they'll look elsewhere for targets.

[DeathDaemon]

Archers will take a step up and try to get a bit closer before firing when near friendlies.

Generally, your arrow-repellent squad (the one taking fire from the enemy) should request friendly archer support. Crossbows are a different story... learn to avoid FF with archers first