Army loss while under siege

[Hieronymus]

Hi, I have a question:

what's the reason my army shrinks while i'm under siege? Is it because of some assassin poisoning their food, because of some particular unit the besieging army brought with them or is there still some other reason?

And what determines how much soldiers I will loose?

I'd expect quite the opposite: the besieging army should shrink, much like Achilles got shot while besieging Troy :beam:

I think I may have posted in the wrong forum category, sorry :P

[anubis88]

It represents the fact that your city is cut from the supplies. Soon food and water would be scarce, and that would be followed by diseases and stuff. In the meantime the besieging army can forage and rob your countryside, and there's nothing you can do about it, so they stay well fed :)

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Simply put, troops in a beseiged city are on rations. And the longer the seige goes on, the shorter the rations get.

The shorter the rations get, the less well fed the troops are, and the more likely it is that they will fall sick due to poor nutrition. Once they are sick they can't fight, and join the civilian population as 'useless mouths'.

The besieging army doesn't shrink because their troops are harvesting your city's fields, and eating the crops. They have access to the fields, you don't. They might be on short rations too, but not as short as you since they get supply wagons and you get nothing at all.

The rate at which units deplete under seige is hardcoded, so I don't know what it is. I know it gets worse and worse the longer you are under seige, the rate at which you lose people gets higher and higher as your rations get shorter and shorter turn by turn.

[Hieronymus]

I see, it makes sense in a way.
Will building a granary make the loss smaller then?


It's kind of boring to break out of a siege again and again on one border while trying to expand your empire at the other end of the world so it would be cosy to keep the siege for a while if it weren't for the losses.

[anubis88]

Well the granary will give you a longer time for the siege to last... You'll be able to hold more turns, but your army will still lose soldiers

[Ludens]

Well the granary will give you a longer time for the siege to last... You'll be able to hold more turns, but your army will still lose soldiers

Does the granary affect siege times? I though only the walls improved the siege duration.

Historically speaking, attrition due to disease, desertion, poor logistical support, etc. was a major problem for any army, even when not besieged. However, the developers decided to spare us this kind of micro-management.

[anubis88]

Does the granary affect siege times? I though only the walls improved the siege duration.


I think we mean the same thing... I just akwardly expressed myself :shame:

[Hieronymus]

Then what's the purpose of a granary anyway?

It increases pupulation growth and reduces trade, two thing you wouldn't usually want anyway, and on top of that it doesn't even help you out when being besieged.

[Ludens]

It's only useful when you do need growth.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Play on huge unit size, and you'll always need growth! ;)

[SillySirius]

Too bad they didn't keep besieger losses in the game from was it plain MTW or VI?

Makes you wonder what the besiegers are actually doing,besides lining up their siege equipment in a nice row in front of the main gate,that they never lose a singleman.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Why should they? Strutting around within missile range of the walls is a stupid thing for a besieging army to do, unless actually carrying out an assault.

[SillySirius]

I don't know ..doing siegey stuff like digging trenches and throwing up berms as they seal off the city or get closer to the walls.Just in case they make an assault.

I know,the game doesn't simulate that.

Wear and tear from the siege.Accidents,illness,injury,the occasional raid to test the sieging army or probe for a weak spot.It just seems odd that a sieging army never losses even a single man since the biesieged losses are not from combat.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

The game engine ensures that all armies NOT under seige get automatic full replacements for sick, injured, and discharged (old age) soldiers, just from normal supply. That's why a unit recruited 50 years ago could still be at full strength if it hadn't seen any action.

But a city under siege is cut off from normal supply, so doesn't get automatic replacements.