The ability to man the citadel's walls with archers is one of the cool things from BfME I the Edain Team resurrected for us, and as I was really fond of that option, I can't thank them enough : ).
However, it sometimes looks and gets a little messy with all those people on the walls, archers sometimes abandon their posts to run out of the citadel (despite the S command), sometimes one becomes mad and starts spinning on himself endlessly etc. so I ended up having a little idea : creating a new unit that fits in its stats and layout the need of manning the walls of the citadel, the Garrison Archer.
A Garrison Archer battalion would have the following attributes :
- a single line of units, so as to be easier to place and organize on the wall
- a formation toggle between :
*1 : no effect, or something else, depending on whether it's a good choice to give them a second role. In that formation, the unit's stats are between average and fairly weak, again depending of whether they have to assume a second role
* 2 :
~ can't move anymore
~ units get closer together (how close this gets would be a way to balance their usefulness since the closer they get, the easier it would be to have more of them on the same wall)
~ if it's Gondor Garrison Archers, they take a formation slightly curved inwards, so as to further facilitate their smooth manning of the walls. If it's Rohan Garrison Archers, they keep a straight line, since the Rohan walls are straight
~ units gain a high bonus to armor (so as to simulate the presence of protective parapets), range (so as to simulate the higher ground advantage of shooting from the walls), fire rate and damage (to compensate for their weakness outside this formation, and small numbers) as balance allows
~ maybe, though I'm not sure about this one : give them a bonus to damage against catapults, as balance allows, so that they can punish catapults that get too near (and that way keep the enemy's armies in good order ^^)
- other abilities that would seem befitting for such an unit would be :
* the possibility to have access to flaming arrows
* an active Volley power (allowing them the possibility to shoot a storm of arrows in a small zone once in a while). As I see it, they should only be able to use it a small distance away from them (as it would emulate the archers on the wall showering the assailants below them during a siege) but could be given an additional effect of temporarily lowering the affected enemy units' morale (as balance allows)
The abilities mentioned above should, I believe, allow this unit to be a decent defensive asset while being mostly useless at anything else, and if it isn't sufficient, I can think of a few more measures to keep them in their specific role without making regular archers useless :
- slower base moving speed, so that they have to be deployed carefully if used outside (to defend an outpost, for instance)
- low armour outside of their special formation, maybe with no access to reinforced armour. That one may not be necessary if their special formation really increases their fire power from weak to strong, so that there already would be no incentive to use them without putting them in formation
- no banner-carrier maybe ; it seems a little severe, but it may or may not increase how smoothly they can be deployed on the walls (without the extra unit in front of them)
- their volley ability locked unless they're in the right formation. I think it's logical to have it that way, but I sincerely don't know if it's actually feasible
Other than that, depending on a potential second role, their resource and command points cost as well a possible number of units restriction would have to be chosen for the best balance.
Actually, it's a role I could well see given to the Morthond archers for Gondor, as they already have their regular archers and their rangers. As for Rohan, I haven't played with them enough, but maybe regular archers, through a modified formation toggle could play both roles, so as to emphasize that Rohan is neither a nation of footmen, nor a nation of archers (nor a faction that's strong on defense for that matter ^^) and that would contribute to give mounted archers an even greater role.