AI's use of Seige eqipment and cannons?

**Gaiseric** · 01-02-2009, 22:17

I am looking for some observations on how well the AI uses seige equipment and cannons during seiges and I am wondering if you could share your experiances.

How often does the AI break down your wall or destroy towers when it uses siege equipment and cannons? Have you ever lost a seige battle because of the AI's use of these weapons? For you history buffs, how many feild battles in the middle ages where fought with catapults and other siege equipment? For that matter, how commonly where catapults, trebuchets, and cannons used to attack castles and cities?

Thanks in advance for your observations. I get sick of fighting field battles where the AI uses seige equipment and cannons. I think that these weapons are overpowered on the battlefield and I cringe everytime a well placed shot chews up half of my veteran troops. I am planning on removing these weapons from my game, but I wanted to see if it would hurt the AI or be unrealistic.

**Ramses II CP** · 01-03-2009, 15:21

The vanilla AI is grossly incompetent at pretty much everything, and especially at sieges. If it can manage to knock some holes in your walls treasure that experience, it won't happen often. I don't remember the last time I lost a siege battle.

**CountMRVHS** · 01-03-2009, 16:15

I'm playing M2TW with Kingdoms, no patches beyond that. No mods either. I find the AI regularly uses siege engines in assaults, often sending its catapults forward and waiting until a breach is made before sending in its troops.

Of course, the AI doesn't always have siege engines with its armies, so in those cases it sends in the rams, ladders, and towers that it managed to build before the assault.

Both approaches tend to lead to the same result: the AI losing the assault. It's hard to say which is more effective. Sometimes the AI does use its siege engines to disable towers and the like, which obviously makes for a more effective assault. But overall, if I have a decent amount of troops in the castle/city, I'm going to win the siege regardless of equipment.

I'd actually be more worried about how the loss of siege engines would affect the AI in the open field. You said yourself that siege equipment seems overpowered in open battle. If you remove it, then, you'll be crippling the AI even further!

I tend to agree that it's unrealistic and silly to see the Scots fielding armies with 50-60% catapults, but on the other hand, those battles can be *devastating* for the human player (which is a good thing!), and I'd hate to take away one of the AI's few tricks, even if it is pretty ridiculous.

**retep219** · 01-03-2009, 16:40

Personally, I've found that it has been a while since I have seen a major siege without the AI bringing a catapult. Almost every siege battle in which the AI brought at least a half-stack had at least one catapult! The AI is quite effective too....they will knock down the walls on opposite sides of the gatehouse and then destroy the gatehouse towers. This has lead to some close siege battles (70% casualties on my side) because I was forced to block the AI in the streets. (through schiltrom abuse) If I hadn't gotten lucky and killed the AI general almost immediately after he charged....

Using 1.02 with Kingdoms.

**Ratwar** · 01-03-2009, 19:24

In my opinion the AI uses siege equipment more effectively than any of its other units. For example in one of my more recent games I was assaulting an enemy town that had a ballista in it. The AI deployed the Ballista to the side of the gate and once my troops charged through, they got round after round of ballista shot tearing through their ranks eventually routing them. I've also lost a few of my generals to the long range of a catapult on the open field. In fact, AI siege weapons are one of the few things that the AI can use well enough that I have to fight on their terms to some extent.

Of course, I've also seen them used extremely stupidly. Like the time the AI deployed it's catapults within range of my regular arrow towers. Burn Baby Burn!

**Oaty** · 01-04-2009, 03:37

If you wanna have some fun march yr general within range of the siege equipment then retreat far back.

The AI will then march its siege equipment through pikemen/swordsman or whoever trying to lob a stone on your general

**Gaiseric** · 01-09-2009, 02:06

Thanks for your analysis

I'm still thinking about removing seige weapons and cannons from some of the mods I play. Maybe I'll wait and see how cannons work on the battlefield in TW:Empires, before I make any changes. Lol, I've been avoiding MTW2 and playing RTW because I have a field battle to fight in MTW2 Stainlees Steel that involves balistas and catapults. In TW battles I do everything in my power to save my troops lives, but when a catapult or cannon blast kills half the men in a unit I get pretty angry.

My RTW experiance over the past week has gone great. I am playing the Rome Total Realism EXRM mod, and having alot of fun. If your getting bored of MTW2 I suggest that you try out RTW and this mod. The changes from vanilla are awesome, and, lol, there are no catapults in field battles to worry about.

**oz_wwjd** · 01-17-2009, 15:57

I've had the AI field an all-artillery army apart from some peasant crossbowmen and just about demolish my entire first castle wall-even though they had no hope of winning. Also I've had they frequently manage to take out my general with 1 lucky shot,but I can never seem to return the favour..