Star Forts

**Sabuti** · 10-24-2008, 17:02

I read up on them and they were very expensive to construct. Do you think the price in the game will reflect this so you can't simply encircle your core area in star forts? Also, since star forts had a number of batteries as part of their design, do you think they are cannon included or will you have to put them in yourself?

**rajpoot** · 10-24-2008, 17:19

Ought to be very costly. The batteries must be there, that is the player must not be required to garrison or deploy guns specially for that purpose.

**GMaximus** · 10-24-2008, 17:39

If CA do make them expensive to build, I hope they'll stop them from disintegrating after a turn of being empty...

And yes, artillery should definately be included.

**Mailman653** · 10-24-2008, 18:21

Surely they might include different kinds of forts of varying prices, the star forts being at the top and maybe some kind of wooden palisade at the very bottom. It would be unfair if your natural resources (or towns) get plundered constantly because you can't afford a top of the line fort.

**Sir Beane** · 10-24-2008, 19:53

Originally Posted by Mailman653

Surely they might include different kinds of forts of varying prices, the star forts being at the top and maybe some kind of wooden palisade at the very bottom. It would be unfair if your natural resources (or towns) get plundered constantly because you can't afford a top of the line fort.

If you check out the summary of the viedo I posted in the new video discussion thread I mention that it looks like there are several options for forts. The ones I could see were stockade and wooden fort.

**Martok** · 10-25-2008, 21:55

Well I would certainly hope that at least a certain amount of artillery will be included with forts. It would be much like castles and cities in the earlier games including arrow towers and whatnot.

**Megas Methuselah** · 10-27-2008, 00:24

They should have nearby units on/in the wall/tower, though, in order to be able to fire.

**Sheogorath** · 10-27-2008, 00:41

I think it would be great if forts had a sort of 'minimum garrison', IE: just the people required to man the forts guns and keep it operational and in good condition. This would be represented by an upkeep and men manning the cannons in/on the walls (as I believe forts generally had heavier cannons designed specifically for the fortification role, as well as additional smaller guns).
Additional units could be brought in as needed to man the walls and all that.

It would also be great if forts could be abandoned as needed, and, again, as needed, refurbished. Whether by you or your enemy, for a lower cost.

**Megas Methuselah** · 10-27-2008, 05:37

That would be sweet. However, there should also be the option to raze a fort...

**Sheogorath** · 10-27-2008, 06:03

Originally Posted by Methuselah

That would be sweet. However, there should also be the option to raze a fort...

Of course, but I imagine it would be rather expensive and time consuming. After all, the general idea behind fortifications is that they're very hard to destroy ;)

**Caliburn** · 10-27-2008, 12:33

I hope they've accommodated the fact that not all fortifications used were "modern". Many castles were modernized to some degree, but retained many of the older features. A modernized castle turned into a star-fort might still retain older rondells and even medieval round towers modified to accommodate artillery.

One thing that's missing from all the sieges in the series: incomplete castles in sieges. After all, there were often makeshift elements added when a complete rehaul hadn't been done or finished (due to lack of money), like temporary wooden artillery embankments and such on top of the old stone walls.

Another thing: water. That would give the chance to build new cool siege equipment and make things more interesting and difficult. Moats and natural rivers etc.

I would've loved coastal fort battles, they're in a key position in the period's warfare. It can probably be modded.

**Alerion** · 10-27-2008, 13:55

well it would be nice if things like that were in there, but I highly doubt it...

**Megas Methuselah** · 10-28-2008, 03:21

Keep hoping, grasshopper. I'm liking the game so far...

**Caliburn** · 10-28-2008, 08:46

Naturally, these "dreams" aren't in a super key position in the main game. After all, they can be added later, if there is someone who happens to have the time and interest in the community.

It would be logical if the "basic level" castles would be older types of castles, with some limited modernization (temporary wooden artillery posts etc), and that could be updated to having first earthen bastions and later with stone bastions, with stone curtain walls and casemates, plus batteries built into older parts of the walls.

Another logical thing would be to have these castles only in a limited number of regions, i.e. in certain logical strategic points (controlling inland/water trade, in the present day border, etc).

I doubt they will be implemented, but this is not that important, as we aren't looking into fighting 70 % sieges anyway (I hope).

I would like to see castles have a limited role in field battles as well. After all, the scale *would* realistically be too large for armies to fit into old-style castles anyways. A small castle with the maximum garrison of 300 and 800 defenders will limit the usefullness of it, when we're talking about division-to-army-group level battles etc.

Naturally, the scale will be a lot smaller typical to Total War in general, but small castles can still be implemented. There is another post somewhere conjecturing about temporary field positions, and that would be a step towards this.

The dynamics of the game will dictate a lot, and these would be interesting features, not at all nessessary, especially if they disturb the balance and make it more difficult for the AI. After all, nothing's more important than the AI.