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[Desgeretjin]

So I'd patrol them to get rid of those pesky ravens.
Nadda, ignores them straight out.
So kill order.
=> Soldier can't reach target.
For Armok's sake its just 1 z level above you. What happened to your 50 tile range when the goblins arrive.
So the raven eventually wanders into a cage trap.
Ok, got a fairly full cage full of animals.
So build the cage and released into murder room.
Stationed them next to the murder room fortifications.
So they just stand around.
Kill order.
=> Soldier can't reach target.
they're 3 tiles away in full view...
So i gave up and just sent the stabbers in.
Ugh.

[ThisPlatypus]

Your marksdwarves are probably trying to use a melee attack when you set a kill order - hence their inability to reach a target on the other side of a fortification and/or differing z-levels. Not positive on how to fix this but there's probably a post here on the forums explaining such a problem.

[Finn]

So I'd patrol them to get rid of those pesky ravens.
Nadda, ignores them straight out.
So kill order.
=> Soldier can't reach target.
For Armok's sake its just 1 z level above you. What happened to your 50 tile range when the goblins arrive.
So the raven eventually wanders into a cage trap.
Ok, got a fairly full cage full of animals.
So build the cage and released into murder room.
Stationed them next to the murder room fortifications.
So they just stand around.
Kill order.
=> Soldier can't reach target.
they're 3 tiles away in full view...
So i gave up and just sent the stabbers in.
Ugh.

Sounds like no bolts.  Look in their quivers and see if they have bolts.  If they do, check the ammunition screen and make sure those type of bolts are allocated for combat.

[Laserhead]

My marksdwarfs were pretty busy this year. Just after the elves arrived, zombie elves arrived and killed them. I sealed the gate, and the zombies camped out all summer. I wanted to break the siege before the dwarf caravan, so I set 20 marksdwarfs up over the entrance tunnel and opened the front gates. The zombies wandered in and were treated to a hail of copper bolts. A week later, the dwarf caravan shows up with 7 wagons. Three ticks after that, the goblins. Holding their fortifications wouldn't be enough to save the caravan, so I sent them to the surface. 7 wagons made it in that day, because of their brave sacrifice.

Fortunately captive necromancers make good training for new marksdwarfs.

[Sutremaine]

Try a move order next time.

[Hyndis]

Marksdwaves will shoot at any targets within line of sight and within range so long as they have ammo. If they have no ammo but can still path to the target they will try to club it. If they have no ammo, cannot path to the target, and are not on the same Z level as the target, they will go and fetch more ammo.

A marksdwarf stationed on a tower or wall will happily fire off their ammo and reload, and they will keep doing this until there is nothing left to shoot at. Marksdwarves on the same Z level as a target will attempt to engage in melee once they are out of ammo.

If a marksdwarf still has ammo remaining but is caught up in melee, they will not attempt to melee back. They will still dodge/block if skilled enough, but they will continue to fire their bows until they're out of ammo, then they get to the clubbing.

[Desgeretjin]

Plenty of bolts, 3000 infact.
Allocated and in quiver too.
They'd happily unleash at goblins 50 tiles away, but just won't shoot those damn ravens 3 tiles away.

[SharkForce]

Plenty of bolts, 3000 infact.
Allocated and in quiver too.
They'd happily unleash at goblins 50 tiles away, but just won't shoot those damn ravens 3 tiles away.

make a hunter or two?

[krenshala]

Plenty of bolts, 3000 infact.
Allocated and in quiver too.
They'd happily unleash at goblins 50 tiles away, but just won't shoot those damn ravens 3 tiles away.

Just to verify, the marksdwarves have [C]ombat bolts allocated [m -> f -> select squad] and the 3000 bolts you have match the material type specified? I ask because I've seen posts in the past like this from people that had thousands of wooden and bone bolts, but their marksdwarves were assigned to only use metal bolts for combat, so they never fired a shot at enemies but would practice at the archery range all day long.

[Hyndis]

Its possible the creature may not have been regarded as hostile.

My marksdwarves will aggressively shoot at some animals such as tigers, but other animals will be ignored unless I tell my military to attack them. Creatures like deer are regarded as harmless, so my military will ignore them even if there are deer in range.

In my experience birds are mostly ignored by the military. Hunters will shoot at them, but the military doesn't see them as a threat, and so will ignore them.

[Desgeretjin]

Yes birds. Goddamn Birds.

[Thormgrim]

there is definitely a bug with marksdwarves
i have all but given up on them.
Everybody has a crossbow.   Lots of bolts available.  Nobody picks them up.  First chance they get, the whole squad charges at some invader and 8/10 of them get killed while clubbing away. 

Fail

[Hyndis]

Did you assign bolts to your marksdwarves in the military section? If you didn't then they will not pick up bolts. If bolts are assigned but none are picked up, are your bolts forbidden or behind a locked door?

Do your marksdwarves have quivers? No quiver means they can't carry any bolts.

[CaptApollo12]

I find that allowing use of every bolt to my marksdwarves make them pick up and use them. That means that after every siege you need to pick up and reuse or atomsmash EVERY bolt. Else your dwarves will think that they want those forbidden bolts. Can anyone confirm this? It works for me.

[javierpwn]

Marks dwarves are stupid with kill orders......
However, a station order usually makes them shoot their bolts without issue!
But the kill order tends to make them turn suicidal