Attacking castles 101

[TheWay]

If there is one thing the AI is good at, it is attacking those castles. Even if it is 800 going against the blood-soaked walls manned by 500, the kill ratio will be something like 34 - 22; you win! (Where did the rest go? How come there are so many ugly geishas?)

When I tried to attack castles, I usually put my men in one big bunch, make them angry by marching too and fro once in a while and then charge the hill. Once I had a terrific, or terrible, opportunity of seeing the entire enemy force wiped out and my men were left 2 lonely samurai archers. I tried using the AI (booted again) and it did a right dandy job of only losing dozens of men.

So, great veterans, how do you attack a castle like the AI? thanks

[Catiline]

When you take a castle it's assumed everyone in there gets butchered, that's why they all disappear.

Conversly the AI's ability to take castles also means you have to defend them if they get attacked, or it will fall.

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It's not a bug, it's a feature

[BanzaiZAP]

It could also be your tactics. Having your men in a big mob, then charging the main gate is a good way to get your men butchered. Headlong assaults only really work when you have the enemy way outclassed. Also, if they are in a big mob and someone starts to panic, it will often cascade, and your whole army will rout.

Attacking castles is easier with the timer turned off, so you can take your time. Sending in small groups of units at a time will allow you to launch an assault, let your first units engage. After a few moments, send a second assault group up, and have the first group fall back. This allows your men to rest, regain their faltering morale, and you have fresh troops slam into the enemy's troops who are getting tired. Three assaults is usually enough to break the enemy, depending on how many you are dealing with n that castle. Have you missle troops just stand back and shower the enemy castle until they run out. Archers can then be used as backup assault units.

You will probably still lose more men than your enemy, mostly beause you are attacking uphill into fortified troops, but hey, that's all part of taking castles. I personally let the scum starve for a while, then attack in the last possible season.

-- B)

[smeegol]

how do you attack a castle in the campaign? the whole time i have had the game (since the week it came out) i have NEVER found out how to do this. is it in the manual? (the one released in the US?

and does letting them starve for a while make a difference in their morale/stamina (does it make them rout and get tired faster?)

[EricNoFear]

if you wait, then their men will all gradually die, expext highly armored troops defending a castle like nag, so use monks if poss, or shoot them all down with guns

[Hiroshi-O'Duff]

This isn't exactly intuitive, Smeegol, but you cause the battle to occur by dropping your army (which is already in the same region as the castle) directly onto the castle.

It'll ask you if you want to end the siege, and then you go fight a battle that makes river battles seem simple. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

I love how the archers stand right up against the wall, and somehow shoot right over the top of it. Quite interesting, that. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

Duff

[Alastair]

I've found it quite easy to attack castles (even using big mobs), mainly because, at least on Normal, the AI does not come down onto the slope in front of the castle, instead staying just above it, so they lose the height advantage.

[Anssi Hakkinen]

If you haven't got the European manual yet, by all means get it here (http://www.totalwar.com/community/downloads.htm). It's so much better.

The defender's archers are assumed to be firing through slots in the wall; however, the wall does block the attackers' shots, which makes "pre-assault bombardment" a somewhat hopeless endeavor. (I once marched a unit of arquies right in front of the castle gate and blazed away; took more than a dozen casualties from friendly fire and caused practically none.) Better to wait for rain and attack with assault troops.

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"The unhappiest of all unhappy states is the republic or principality which cannot accept peace and cannot tolerate war."
- Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli

[Tone]

The tactic I consider the most important comes in the battle that results in the enemy being holed up in the castle. I make sure I manouvre around behind the enemy on the battlefield or at least surround them. Then when you rout them make damn sure not a single archer or teppo makes it off the field alive. Castle assaults are much easier when the enemy has nothing to shoot you with.

[solypsist]

hardly attack castles,since I prefer to just sit and wait. Call me methodical.
but there is one thing absoulutely necessary to know before attacking, and that is knowing just what's waiting inside. Didn't see anyone mention dropping a ninja/shinobi into the province to spy on just what ingredients the enemy has in his castle, so I thought I'd mention it.
It's not too bright to attack a castle without knowing what enemy troops are going to present, and then tailoring a force (swapping a few units from banner to banner) to minimize damages. What I mean is this:
Enemy: lots of ashi or yari
Your Force: lots of No-Dachi, no Cav.

Enemy: no archers
Yours: lots of archers/muskets before assault.

Enemy: lots of archers, no yari/ashi
Yours: all cavalry (better to just wait, tho)

it's a fairly simple formula. But just marching in against a reasobaly sized enemy without recon will almost ensure high casualties for your army.




[This message has been edited by solypsist (edited 05-03-2001).]

[Nelson]

Here's an incredibly lame castle assault plan that works every time (weather permitting). March right up to the gate with teppo and stop. Your boys will fire through the gate into the defenders with impunity until the castle is empty. I've started this kind of an attack, left to eat dinner, and returned to the victory screen. If the garrison includes archers as it likely will dupe them into going winchester with some ashigaru targets before you try this. So long as you don't cross the gate threshold the garrison will not sortie. They will just shuffle around inside like ducks in a shooting gallery.

This is decidedly unfun and only serves to illustrate how much work the siege portion of the game could use.

[EasyCo]

Quote Emissaries can be used to bribe enemy leaders and
Ninjas can be used to infiltrate enemy castles to break a siege. [/QUOTE]

What do you think that is??The Ninja interfilater...?

EasyCo

[This message has been edited by EasyCo (edited 05-03-2001).]

[This message has been edited by EasyCo (edited 05-03-2001).]

[InterestingTimes]

Nelson, I did the same thing. It was intersting seeing them die in formation.
Also if the enemy in the castle has archers or teppo then bye bye to your muskies