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[Subdane]

Hi 

First I would like to say this is a really great game and I having so much fun playing this, Thx Toady

I was wondering if anyone have any new information about this problem?? I realise that there is already a topic regarding this, but the forum suggested i started this as a new topic instead of replying on the old one.

I only have the problem with my marksdwarves
I have learned this much so far.
1. All militia dwarves much have: waterskins, backpacks and if they are marksdwarfs they must also have quivers.
2. Marksdwarfs must have enough ammo.
3. Walkable path to Archery target (not build floor)

Most of the time they will fire at the practice targets but I cannot get them to engage into battle, not even once.... But when they are off duty, and running around hunting they will fire, attack and kill hostile as well as animals.

[Akura]

I've seen issues with not being able to follow orders when ordered to kill something. Usually, ordering them to move to the enemy works.

Also, do you have your marksdwarves on hunting labor when they're off duty? You shouldn't really do that(or with miners or woodcutters), because it causes conflicts with their uniforms.

[Subdane]

I have tried to move them to the enemy (was on the other side of a raised brigde on top of some floor tiles, with direct line of sight to the enemies)

One of them is a hunter... Conflicts with uniforms?

[Girlinhat]

Hunters, Miners, and Woodcutters all get a quasi-uniform, consisting of a crossbow, a pick, or an axe respectively, with the orders "wear over clothing" so that they carry around their tool of trade all the time.  When given a military uniform, such as "spear shield and breastplate" it conflicts with the existing civilian uniform and bugs occur.  In theory, this shouldn't matter a great deal if their weapons are the same, such as if your marksdwarves are hunters, or your militia commander uses a pick as his main weapon and his civilian job is mining, but there's still strange quirks to it.

Also, any civilian holding a crossbow will engage enemies.  This means that hunters or off-duty marksmen will fire at wild animals and goblins if they see any.  This can be good, as they'll fight, but it can be bad, since they will NOT run and will die in battle.  Melee weapons do not cause your dwarves to fight while off-duty.

As for getting them into battle, always give them a move order, not a kill order.  It's usually best to have marksdwarves set on top of a wall or other obstacle, because if they can path their way to an enemy, they will run out of ammo and go bludgeon them, because dwarves are dumb.  It helped to set up a patrol route or burrow on your walls and have the marskdwarves defend it.

[PopeRichardCorey]

I haven't had a problem with Melee combatants and Kill orders, and only a few with ranged combatants and kill orders, basically what you describe; why do you say to always have them move?

[Girlinhat]

Namely the ability to remove orders.  Dwarves ordered to kill will sometimes ignore you when you cancel orders, but when ordered to move they respond to cancellations much better.

[PopeRichardCorey]

Namely the ability to remove orders.  Dwarves ordered to kill will sometimes ignore you when you cancel orders, but when ordered to move they respond to cancellations much better.

Are you sure...?  I have yet to see this since the first 31.xx releases...

[Subdane]

Ok thanks for the info about the uniforms.

But the move/station order didnt work either
I have tried to attack from an elevated position (with no access to the enemy) and just on the "battleground". Neither did the trick

I am thinking about dropping marksdwaves completely and stick with melee.

[Nekudotayim]

Marksdorfs need:

• barracks
• archery targets
• crossbow and bolts

See: http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Soldier#Training

Ok thanks for the info about the uniforms.

But the move/station order didnt work either
I have tried to attack from an elevated position (with no access to the enemy) and just on the "battleground". Neither did the trick

I am thinking about dropping marksdwaves completely and stick with melee.

Move orders will be executed anyways, at least thats happening to me. Even if you cancel them, those who are already on their way, are going to their desired position.
How far away is that elevated position from the enemies? It shouldn't be too far away. Something about 8 (?) tiles but once your marks start shooting at some enemy and this enemy is running away, your marks can shoot very far. Targeting needs seems to be done on low range.

Edit:

Well, it seems only the first shot needs low range, once your dorfs "know" that there are enemies close to them, they start shooting better.

[Fredd]

I think when you order a squad to move, the spot they move towards is classified as a Station. Which is the spot they will defend. When enemies approach, they will fire, or attack at a certain range, but when enemies retreat from that range, the dwarves will return to the original position. Similar to patrol.
 When just doing ordinary stuff, will defend if attacked. Then if assigned defend burrows, no matter how large an area, will move to attack any hostile creature nearing that zone, even if out of sight.(You have a huuuge multi-level burrow.)
 Reminds me of orders you can give your soldiers in C&C.
 
Kill orders are search, and destroy, while defending if attacked on the mission

[obeliab]

I realize this isn't all that helpful, but I have had so much trouble with Marksdwarves that I just don't use them.  An all-melee army is completely viable against almost all threats, so long as you don't engage enemy bowmen in big open spaces and don't swarm willy-nilly around the rare-ish Forgotten Beasts with toxic paralyzing suffocation dust or gas or whatever.  Those two are pretty true anyway, even with ranged dwarves.

[Subdane]

They were not very far away 4-5 tiles I think, I can check but the enemy goblin archer was able to hit my marksman just fine My marksman kept standing there untill I told him to retreat.
Yes all squads have barracks and the marksman squad also have archery targets AND crossbows + bolts.

Perhaps it is because I gave them metal bolts as ammo? I had only steel bolts, but that is metal..... Perhaps it should have been steel bolts instead of just metal?

A little sidenote, when my marksman wouldnt fire, I lovered my bridge right on top of the goblins 
I never seen goblins move that fast, they ran as fast as they could towards the nearest map edge, siege over

Its just I like the idea of having marksdwarves.... Raising my bridge and fire bolts at those pesky goblins standing outside my fortress. Or have them patrolling my fortress on top of walls...

[Fredd]

Sub good job at trying to squish them with the bridge. Very Dwarfy!
 1. Was your dwarf behind fortifications, or out in the open, with the goblin archer.
 2. Check to make sure that your dwarves did not shoot up all your ammo supply.
 3. Do they have a clear path to the ammo stockpile when they run out.
 4. Make sure whatever ammo they are assigned is designated CT, at least. Most marksdwarves if out of ammo will least make a banzai attack with their crossbows used as clubs, if a gobbo is that close and they can path to it.
  Join the long list of Marksdwarf admirers here in the forum. It might take awhile to learn how to utilize and train them, but its worth it.

[Subdane]

Thank you I did kill/crush some of the goblins, and the rest fled

1.He was standing on some build floor, one lvl above the archer and maybe 5 tiles away. I can take a screenshot of the spot if you like?
2.The were steel bolts available.
3.Yes there is a clear path to the ammo stockpile.
4.The wooden bolts were designated T and the steel bolts designated C. Yearly in the game, one of my marksdwarves punched/melee killed a snailman, but later they would not even punch/melee the goblins.

I am gonna try the marksdwarves again on my new map/location. (ver.19)