How important was field artillery to Rome?

[econ21]

Any know how important war machines (ballistas, catapults etc) were to Rome in field battles? In videos from RTW, units of war machines seem more common than archers and appear very effective. But I don't recall remembering much about them in history books. I also don't recall them featuring in any of the historical battles from Time Commanders. I wonder if this is a legacy of the Gladiator movie, with war machines helping to portray the Romans as more civilised warmaker fighting barbarian hordes?

PS: Maybe the machines are largely for show - in MTW, ballistas and catapults are not that great on the battlefield and it has been pointed out that those hit by catapults in the RTW videos often seem to get back up again.

[The_Emperor]

I don't think that siege weapons were used widely in field battles.

I know that the ornager was never really used in Britain because it was too cumbersome and that the Romans mainly relied on the Ballista for its ease of transportation.

You may be right, this seems to reek of Gladiator with its massed siege engines shooting napalm at a bunch of barbarians.

[Rosacrux]

Let's hope it's for shows. Field artillery was practically reduced to a few ballistae - onagros (onager) and above were used in sieges.

BTW does anyone know if they are going to include hellepolis in the siege engines? The huuuuuuge towers constructef for the first time by the diadochoi kingdoms for use in sieges? They are inside the RTW timeframe (give or take a few decades )

[crushinator]

Even if they are quite powerful i can't seem them getting too much use in RTW for the same reasons mentioned above.... they will be to cumbersome.

cause iirc each army can only move as fast as the slowest unit ... I think i would prefer fast moving armies

although i'm making a lot of assumptions here

[Barkhorn1x]

Quote[/b] (crushinator @ July 16 2004,09:14)]Even if they are quite powerful i can't seem them getting too much use in RTW for the same reasons mentioned above.... they will be to cumbersome.

cause iirc each army can only move as fast as the slowest unit ... I think i would prefer fast moving armies

although i'm making a lot of assumptions here

I hope you are right

Barkhorn.

[Catiline]

In the later Empire the Roamns used cheiroballistae. Some of these were mounted on mule carts to move them around the battle field. Mre typically their artilley was used for sieges or camp defence.

i thikni the Phocians once used ther artillery on the battlefield to give Philip of Macedon a bloody nose, but that's the only other battlefield deployment i can think of.

[SeveredSoul]

I saw somewhere that the onagers can be moved in battle.
Albeit, slowly.

And besides I usually have one or 2 armies that I use exclusively for castle and city sieges. A few cats and some onagers and of course the general(s) have good assaulter virtues.

I suppose I'd only use the greek fire onagers for lighting up buildings in the city. More specificly buildings that the AI puts troops in.


-Soul