Defending Choke Points

**nameless** · 12-22-2006, 05:24

You have to do it carefuly, if your not English it's difficult. As the English I always have some longbowmen around to plant some stakes next to the gates. Does wonders I tell you

This is what I usually do.

I have one infantry guarding the gate with two units supporting each flank.
I'll also have another infantry behind the first one.

Once the enemy breaks in, I wait a little bit and then counter charge with each of these guys slowly. In MTW2 morale and fatigue are major factors so you have to know how to work around it. Timing is everything. If you feel your about to be overwhelmened, send in another unit. I always keep at least 9-15 units as a garrison since in 1.1 there's no such thing as a safe place

In this case, you should have a ratio of 3:7 for every unit engaging.

If you have cavalry or archers, have them go around to the enemy's back. In most cases their still trying to get through the door so your archers can get into the back and pepper them. Unfortunately, the AI is smart enough to counter this and sometimes they'll have a unit counter you but it's not significant from what I've seen. If you have cavalry, have them run in when things seem dire or when the enemy is about to break (Shaken morale) and attack the back, the cavalry will slaughter them and of course, send them in one by one slowly.

A fresh unit has a bigger chance of defeating a unit that is both tired and shakened. Since the AI throws everything, it's all about the timing.

If your defending a castle, let the enemy come in the first wall, that way it allows you to focus your attacks more on them.

**Alden** · 12-22-2006, 05:31

I'm grateful for your suggestions, nameless, but my question wasn't so much about How Do I Defend A Gate. It was "what's up with this super-dense blob of attackers and is there anything I can do about that in particular". I could have asked it more explicitly, I suppose. The answer seems to be "no" ^_^

These Mongols didn't just manifest out of thin air outside my gates. I sure would have *liked* to have more/better troops in the garrison but there are only so many build slots and I was fighting a lot of battles in the turns before. When beseiged, I had what I had.

**BigTex** · 12-22-2006, 05:45

I've noticed that the AI instead of attacking just uses the push mechanism. It will order it's troops through the gate and wont bother to attack you. So the charge is maintained and you are being continually pushed broken and surounded. The best advice anyone can give you is to not put them right on the gates. Back up about 50 yards from the gate or further. Block all all 3 sides of the wall further back in the streets. This will allow the enemy the freedom to move through without gaining that decimating you. But it still provides you with the surounding morale drop for them. When they finally attack you it will be scattered and easily repulsed. After the enemy has settled down, send them in all at once to attack them. You'll quickly rout them.

**Cheetah** · 12-22-2006, 05:49

Actually, have you tried what I suggested? It worked for me ...

**BigTex** · 12-22-2006, 06:09

Originally Posted by Cheetah

Actually, have you tried what I suggested? It worked for me ...

Havent tryed the counter push at the gates. But I usually have horrible infantry in my cities. Spear militia and the like. Don't think they would hold up to well doing a counter push.

**Cheetah** · 12-22-2006, 07:15

Originally Posted by BigTex

Havent tryed the counter push at the gates. But I usually have horrible infantry in my cities. Spear militia and the like. Don't think they would hold up to well doing a counter push.

As I said I defeated boyars not with spear militia but with town militia this way!!! I have to admit I was surprised too.

**BigTex** · 12-22-2006, 07:20

Originally Posted by Cheetah

As I said I defeated boyars not with spear militia but with town militia this way!!! I have to admit I was surprised too.

Never would have thought it possible. Nice going. One question though what was the generals command star's and chivalry rating?

**derfinsterling** · 12-22-2006, 09:44

One thing that seems to always work is to wait for the enemy to pack his 2000 troops into the gate archway, pushing and shoving each other through, while you hold them off as long as possible with a U-shape of 3 or 4 units.
Then, send one units from the outside into the gate - results in an almost instant rout of the enemy army.

Works best if the enemy put ladders to your wall and you already beat them back, since then your guys can just scamper down those same ladders...
If they only came with a ram, you'll need to send a cav unit out through another gate and let them move real quick to the front gate.
Timing's critical, but it works pretty well.

**Alden** · 12-22-2006, 06:50

Originally Posted by BigTex

I've noticed that the AI instead of attacking just uses the push mechanism. It will order it's troops through the gate and wont bother to attack you. So the charge is maintained and you are being continually pushed broken and surounded. The best advice anyone can give you is to not put them right on the gates. Back up about 50 yards from the gate or further. Block all all 3 sides of the wall further back in the streets. This will allow the enemy the freedom to move through without gaining that decimating you. But it still provides you with the surounding morale drop for them. When they finally attack you it will be scattered and easily repulsed. After the enemy has settled down, send them in all at once to attack them. You'll quickly rout them.

That makes perfect sense but it raises the meta-issue (I guess you'd call it) that the Gate of a city is, given game mechanics, the least defensible spot in town! The game is what it is and I guess it just doesn't model battle very well in this particular regard.

I'm no adherant of the "realism" fetish but still, in historical seiges just a handful of soldiers could hold a castle against an army for years. If they were that hard to assault in the game, nobody would assault which would also be lame. But it does seem like these massive fortification should provide more benefit to the defenders than they do.

Against anyone other than the Mongols, I probably would have defended farther back. I've had a lot of good results from just abandoning the walls entirely and deploying the garrison in the town square. But all those horse archers - I was worried they'd fill up the streets and shoot me to bits.