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[RPB]

Just had my first big goblin siege hit with cavalry and trolls and everything, so I pulled everyone inside and drew up the drawbridges. This broke the pathfinding, but that wasn't too unbearable and I think that might be fixed in the next version. Anyhow, I ordered my marksdwarves to the wall to meet the first wave of trolls and cut them down, then just waited. The two groups of goblins weren't showing any signs of rushing the fort, though, so I put the bridges down in order to bait them closer. Well, a kid ran out and I couldn't stop him, and the bridges didn't get back up in time. He ran up north a bit and got part of the goblin army to chase him, so they ran off that direction and killed him. Now I have a group of goblins congregating right out in front of the north side of my battlements, which I don't have manned (the trolls attacked the south side, so all my archers were posted there.) So I order all my marksdwarves to go attack them.

Problem: every time I assign a marksdwarf up there, they walk out into my fortified area, see the goblins... and stop. If they took 3 steps forward they'd be at the fortifications and could mow down the goblins, but they want to go around. So I have half a dozen marksdwarves engaging in a staring contest with the goblin cavalry. They even go into martial trances and everything, but they won't make a move.

[Toady One]

I can't quite visualize the situation...  is this a request for better formation control?

[Aquillion]

I think the issue is that marksdwarves try to maintain a certain distance from the enemy, even when there are safe fortifications between them and this distance keeps them from getting close enough to use the fortifications effectively.

[ September 10, 2006: Message edited by: Aquillion ]

[Toady One]

Do they maintain a distance?  They always seem so stupid.  I thought they just shoot when they can.  If you ask them to station near a point they're usually happy if they get within 3 or so of it.  Is that what's going on?

[RPB]

Ok, here's a picture of the setup involved:  

This is a picture of the fort today, but the general setup hasn't changed. The main difference was that in the situation I'm talking about, the bridges were retracted.

The green X is where my first marksdwarves were stationed. The marksdwarves there were already there at the wall before any monsters arrived, and they had no trouble shooting the monsters up.

The red X is about where the goblins arrived later. Since the fort was all closed up they just stood there. They were out of range of the marksdwarves on the southern fort, so I ordered a few squads up to the wall of the northern fort.

The blue X is where the marksdwarves got to and then stopped. They were trying to attack the goblins, or at least I assume they were because I kept having them go into martial trances, but they just stood there in the few squares around the X not shooting and not moving (yes, they all had bolts). As soon as I brought the bridges back down, they all rushed around into the entry hall and fired from there. None of them on the north fort ever tried shooting through the fortifications.

This issue might have been fixed now that the pathfinding handles channels a little better, but I haven't had this situation come up again so I don't know.

[RPB]

I just had a similar situation with no water involved this time. I had some goblins caged that I decided to use for target practice, so I dug out a two rooms with a row of fortifications between them, placed the cages and hooked them up to a lever. As soon as the goblins are released, all the marskdwarves milling around in the other room freeze. Those that are standing by the fortifications unload their quivers at the freed goblins, the other marksdwarves just freeze in place.

[Toady One]

Okay, this makes sense, I think.  They are probably failing their shot line checks (can't shoot through fortifications) and then don't react at all.  They should move, but I guess it's getting hung up somehow.