After about a 7 year break from finishing the original Geneforge game, I started playing Geneforge 2. It is essentially a classic rpg in most respects. However, I am having a couple of problems that I can't seem to find answers for by reading through FAQ's and walkthroughs that I have seen online.

1) I can't seem to figure out how to use ranged weapons, such as a thorn baton. I have placed the thorn baton in my hand on my character outline, and I made sure that I have thorn ammunition. However, when I am in combat, I can't seem to shoot thorns. I've tried right clicking and left clicking on enemies, and no thorns ever shoot out. I must be missing something simple, evidently.

2) The in game help says that if you invest a couple of levels of intelligence in your creations, you will be able to control them in combat, instead of them running around and doing whatever they want. This is important if you want to use certain strategies, such as mentally dazing an enemy and keeping it out of the fight for a while. If your creations aren't under your countrol, they may very well attack the enemy unit, which brings it back into the fight. My problem is that even after I have invested a couple of levels of intelligence, they still don't follow my orders in combat. I am still unable to tell them where to go or what to do during the battles, and they run around willy-nilly.

Help!