Sieging Castles

[Lord DeVeau]

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Hello to All:

Yes, I am another newbee, with a question regarding castles. I used to play Lords of the Realm II, a 2 demensional game that had motes around some castles as well as boiling oil to dump on the attackers. You could also run your archers to all four sides of the castle and direct there arrows at different targets to shoot at the attacking armies. The attackers would have to fill in the mote to access the castle, ram in the large front timber door then run in the front of the castle or blast away with catapults to enter other places. You could also surround other troops and smother them.

Regarding castles, it seems, the computer only puts in about half of the allowed troops that can defend it, regardless if they are mounted troops or foot soldiers.

Also I cannot regulate who goes into the castle and I can not direct fire out of it, just wait to be bombarded and attacked. Do I need to download somthing else to assist with this situation?

What is the best way to defend a castle, not have to use one?

Thank you, all powerfull warriors for your assistance and
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-help.gif in these battle matters. RI-USA

Lord Deveau http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wall.gif

[foop]

Sieges aren't the most fleshed-out aspect of M:TW. In fact, the only military aspect that is covered in less depth is sea battles. As a defender you get to sit inside (or outside, if you like) the castle, waiting for the attackers to breach your defences and try and kill you. You can't control any aspect of the static defences, as they all run on automatic. Arrow towers fire arrows, boiling oil pours from the gates when appropriate and later, more deadly defences deal death without your intervention. The only influence you have over this is building the relevant add-ons to your castle in the strategic map.

The basic tactic as a defender is to wait for a hole in the defences to appear and then stick a spear wall in there. With any luck, the attackers will recklessly charge through the narrow gap and be slaughtered. YMMV, especially if the enemy has lots of missile and siege weapons.

Alternatively, you can sally forth from the castle (hopefully with the aid of another army) and fight an open battle.

Hopefully I haven't forgotten too much - I'm new here too.

[Cazbol]

Quote[/b] (Lord DeVeau @ June 14 2004,20:31)][Snip...]I can not direct fire out of it, just wait to be bombarded and attacked. Do I need to download somthing else to assist with this situation?

You have no control over fire from your castle. Nothing enables you to do that. It's automatic and the only thing to do is to live with it.


Quote[/b] ]What is the best way to defend a castle, not have to use one?

If you're defending a castle and have nice and fast mounted units like horse archers or mounted crossbowmen then send them out of the caste and let the enemy chase them around the castle, taking fire from the castle defenses all the time.

Hold out in the outer courtyard for as long as possible. As long as you maintain some presence there the outer walls will be firing on the enemy, but as soon as your troops there are annihilated the outer walls stop firing.

If you have defensive units like spearmen then you may want to use them as second gate to hold back the attackers and wait for the castle towers to kill more of them. If you have a few units with a good attack rating, like men-at-arms, vikings, ghazis etc. then you may want to allow the attackers inside your gate where you attack their front and both sides at once, putting them at a bad disadvantage.

I'm afraid I don't have the answer to your other questions.

[Lord DeVeau]

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Thank You, foop & Cazbol:

Very good advise. I never thought of takiung the quicker horses out and around the castle although using spearmen to block the gate or blasdted opening sounds right.

Good job, http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-toff.gif

War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is the
sooner it will be over.
-William Tecumseh Sherman

Thank You ALL for the http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-help.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-juggle.gif Those are great
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Lord DeVeau

[motorhead]

check out this siege thread (http://p223.ezboard.com/fshoguntotalwarfrm5.showMessage?topicID=13272.topic) over at the official MTW site.

[katank]

strong defensive troops like halbs are even better than spears.

also, in large castles, keep a half dead peasants unit or ballista in the back of each ring.

often, when the AI busts through your defence, they don't go to the back to wipe out that unit and the outer walls keep firing as all your troops in that section must die before it stops firing.

this is really helpful and can make your castles last a lot longer.

[Lord DeVeau]

Thanks Motorhead & Katank:

Excellent help, nice thread.

The strength of an Army lies in strict discipline and undeviating obedience
to its officers.
- Thucydides, History of The Peloponnesian War, book 2, 404 BC

Keep up the good work.

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Still learning
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[Marquis of Roland]

katank is right halberdiers work quite well. They're pretty impervious to missile fire and have hella good defence.

If the enemy decides to go thru the gate stick a unit of swiss armored pikemen there and nothing will break thru. One time an almhoad army numbering 1000+ attacked my castle with only 300 or so garrison; I stuck my SAP at the door and their whole army was literally killed by one unit. works great on bridges too http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

[BDC]

Get a unit which can hide in the open, and place them in the outer courtyard. They can't be found, so the towers continue to fire. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif