New picture at the .com (May 4)

[shifty157]

Pretty impressive visuals. Four smaller catapults launch flaming missiles. Trebuchets. It looks like two seige weapons per unit. Also there are two different types of cannon. Though i dont know the terminology the one to the left i believe is designed for more accurate firing and has a smaller range while the one to the right is designed for long range bombardment. Also notice the flaming arrows, the beautiful sky, and the cliffs in the background.

[Servius]

I hope this is just for display and that the AI won't really take siege weapons like the trebuchet to field battles.

[shifty157]

I hope this is just for display and that the AI won't really take siege weapons like the trebuchet to field battles.

I have no doubt its just for display. Whats more visually impressive than a firing squad of siege weapons? Gladiator anyone?

[edyzmedieval]

Isn't that a bit too much? Okay, for cannons.
But for trebuchets?

[Husar]

Well, if you think about it, this is a game.
And...the purpose of a game in contrast to a movie is...that the player decides what to do.
In this screenshot one could say the player decided to take seige weapons to a field battle.
It has not much to do with the final game, because of a screenshot nobody will force you to make half your army siege weapons, guys.
I just can´t understand why you are always so negative only because a screenshot shows some siege weapons.

And the landscape looks really beautiful to me, the palm-trees, the cliffs and also the ground textures.

[TinCow]

Notice that there are also catapults in the screenshot as well. The "cannons" on the far right look like mortars to me.

[Orda Khan]

Well, if you think about it, this is a game.
And...the purpose of a game in contrast to a movie is...that the player decides what to do.
In this screenshot one could say the player decided to take seige weapons to a field battle.
It has not much to do with the final game, because of a screenshot nobody will force you to make half your army siege weapons, guys.
I just can´t understand why you are always so negative only because a screenshot shows some siege weapons.

And the landscape looks really beautiful to me, the palm-trees, the cliffs and also the ground textures.

The main reason is the AI. If the AI has access it will bring the stupid things to field battles, meaning that your field battles become a joke. While we are on that subject....yet again more flaming arrows

.....Orda

[Joshwa]

I'm sure they're just showing off all the whizzy new graphics and stuff, and it certainly looks very dramatic!

[Dutch_guy]

I hope this is just for display and that the AI won't really take siege weapons like the trebuchet to field battles.

The AI did it in Rome, and it'll probably do it in MTW2 too - I just don't see why not.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

that is a nice looking picture... one thing i don't like about seige weapons however is the HUGE crew behind it when only about 3 crew members are actually working the siege engine, i wish it was a little smaller group (or not there at all)

[Zenicetus]

The main reason is the AI. If the AI has access it will bring the stupid things to field battles, meaning that your field battles become a joke.

I agree that it's a problem if the AI is bringing lots of artillery to a field battle, but can we really jump to that conclusion from a screenshot like this? We don't know anything about the AI yet. Also, as I mentioned in another thread, this could be showing an AI army on the way to taking a city, that's been intercepted by the player. Or vice-versa. I've had plenty of situations where I've had an army intercepted that way. If I have a bunch of artillery in the back line, I'm not going to let it just sit there unused, even if it isn't "historically correct" to use it that way.

Also, screenies like this probably help sell the game ("ooh look... cool artillery"). As long as the AI uses it in a more-or-less historical way in the actual game, I don't mind if CA goes a little overboard with fancy screenshots that show off all the units in the game.

[Taurus]

Very nice picture, visuals looks stunning.

[screwtype]

that is a nice looking picture... one thing i don't like about seige weapons however is the HUGE crew behind it when only about 3 crew members are actually working the siege engine, i wish it was a little smaller group (or not there at all)

Yeah, it looks pretty silly, especially those "crews" lined up behind the cannons like ninepins. This is supposed to be a battle, right? Where are the piles of cannonballs? Where is the gunpowder? Where are the people actually working the gun?

I just hope that the reason these are not there yet is because they haven't got around to putting them in.

[x-dANGEr]

I think they should make it so when increasing the unit scale, you get more siege engines. I really think it is silly when on small unit scare you get 2 onagers, and on huge unit scale you also get 2.

[hoom]

Proper terminology for the ones on the right is that they are Mortars.
Mortars use plunging fire while Cannon fire direct fire.
Plunging fire (ie shooting up at 45+ degrees) is mostly useful for attacking things that are out of visual range ie stuff behind a wall or a ridgeline.
What they are doing in a field battle I don't know but its good to see they will be making an appearance I guess.

[Orda Khan]

I agree that it's a problem if the AI is bringing lots of artillery to a field battle, but can we really jump to that conclusion from a screenshot like this?

I saw it too often in RTW and RTW/BI, the AI had access to seige craft and insisted on bringing them to the field. Of course the AI was pretty shabby and destroying these things was far too easy for the player and that is another reason they fail to impress

......Orda