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[Rex Tyrannus]

Hi all.

I'm about two weeks new to DF and my fortress (the one I'm determined to let live for a while) just survived its first siege. 48 goblins, 8 trolls, many evil animals. My infantry (and drawbridges) performed admirably so I only lost four soldiers and two civilians caught outside. 27 dead goblins. 8 dead trolls. Win.

But I'm growing exceedingly frustrated with my marksdwarfs; largely spectators. My problem is this: I have fortifications along both sides of the deathtrap 3 x 30 aisle that leads into my fort. Drawbridges on each end and a little nice timing serve to bottle enemies into this area while marksdwarfs are *supposed* to riddle them with holes. But the idiots just SIT THERE WAVING like those french guys in Monty Python's Holy Grail.

They're in the right place (because I set them to defend the burrow). They have ammo (iron bolts for combat, bone for training). They have crossbows, quarrels, and enemies right in front of them. I've messed with burrows and alerts and schedules and status in just about every combination I can think of. The only time I can ever get marksdwarfs to participate in combat is when I give them a direct attack command on a group of enemies and that almost always results in them using their crossbows as bludgeons and running into melee combat--where they die horribly.

Can someone please point me in the right direction for how to get them to fire on enemies from behind fortifications?

Thanks,
-Rex

[AutomataKittay]

Make sure there're only one tile floor between fortification and whatever the other side is. They won't be able to shoot through fortification if they're not skilled enough, unless they're pressed up against it.

My usual tactic for such is to have an armor stand ( or weapon rack ) and set them up to train up there in the fortification, in that one-tile wide path so they're always up against the fortification.

Another thing that might help is deallocating hunters' bolt allocations, if you're not using any.

[Dutchling]

They have ammo (iron bolts for combat, bone for training)

That is likely a part of the problem, because dwarves are retarded and don't know what to do if they don't have the right bolts in their quiver.
You should probably use iron bolts for training (or bone for combat ofc)

[loose nut]

Marksdwarves work fine for me, since I don't ever ever touch how bolts are allocated. After the bolt-allocation fiascoes of previous versions, I've grown allergic to messing with that part of the military screen, and I am rewarded with marksdwarves that shoot. They shoot whatever they have at whatever they're ordered to, but they shoot. Bone and wood bolts do well enough against most goblins anyway.

Otherwise I do all the same things you're doing.

When I run low on ammo, I disable the shooting ranges.

[AutomataKittay]

Marksdwarves work fine for me, since I don't ever ever touch how bolts are allocated. After the bolt-allocation fiascoes of previous versions, I've grown allergic to messing with that part of the military screen, and I am rewarded with marksdwarves that shoot. They shoot whatever they have at whatever they're ordered to, but they shoot. Bone and wood bolts do well enough against most goblins anyway.

Otherwise I do all the same things you're doing.

When I run low on ammo, I disable the shooting ranges.

Wood works? They always seem to be about as effective against goblins as throwing feathers at them, to me. Bones definitely works from what I've worked with ( and are a lot easier for me to get with all the butchering )

[nomad_delta]

I've found that assigning a 1-tile-wide burrow along the inside of the fortifications you want to defend, then ordering your marksdwarves to "Defend Burrow" that works well for getting them to line up in the right spot. 

[loose nut]

Wood works? They always seem to be about as effective against goblins as throwing feathers at them, to me. Bones definitely works from what I've worked with ( and are a lot easier for me to get with all the butchering )

Honestly, I don't make a ton of wood bolts, so I haven't checked very carefully Bone bolts do work, though.

[Aspgren]

I was disheartened recently when my marksdwarves had trouble firing from my fortifications.

 but then I was very happy when the goblins didn't return fire! they didnt seem to be able to get a lock on my dwarves (1 z level up, behind fortification) and that just shows i made a good wall

[greycat]

I build an above-ground rectangular castle-type thingy, with a solid wall (and a drawbridge) on ground level, and then fortifications on the next level up, with a 1-tile-wide floor inside.  When dwarves are ordered to Station on the 1-tile-wide floor, they are by necessity next to a fortification, and can fire out at whatever's in range.  Works for me, at least until the elite goblin archers show up and decimate everyone....

I also do not make archery ranges any more.  All target practice is against live targets.

[Rex Tyrannus]

Thanks all for the advice. I've got some things to try. I'm pretty sure the distances are my problem. Either they're too far from the fortifications or too close to the enemy. I think I'll need to release some prisoners to test.

[Halo]

I build an above-ground rectangular castle-type thingy, with a solid wall (and a drawbridge) on ground level, and then fortifications on the next level up, with a 1-tile-wide floor inside.  When dwarves are ordered to Station on the 1-tile-wide floor, they are by necessity next to a fortification, and can fire out at whatever's in range.  Works for me, at least until the elite goblin archers show up and decimate everyone....

I also do not make archery ranges any more.  All target practice is against live targets.

Do you put anything behind them? It probably doesn't matter if they're only 1 zlevel up, but I've had marksdwarves "dodge" an incoming arrow by jumping right off the tower. In her defense, that arrow totally missed her. Of course she shattered her spine, and then drowned in her own blood, but by Armok there wasn't a single arrow in her when it happened!