Longbowmen's stakes in sieges...

**Zatoichi** · 12-24-2006, 01:27

Yeah, I found out I could do this in my first English campaign, and couldn't have held onto my Middle East crusade holdings without it - the Mongols just love to be turned into kebabs!

In fact I actually raised an issue about this in the original pre-update 1 bug thread, requesting that the stake option be disabled during siege battles. However, this was not implemented in patch 1 but personally I've decided that it is a cheese tactic, and have vowed not to use it again.

Well, unless I really have to...

Mind you, I did lose my king to this tactic as he chased routers out of the gates, and when I unthinkingly ordered him to return inside the city he managed to impale himself on the spikes - oh the irony! Hoisted by his own petard, no less.

**Ice** · 12-24-2006, 01:37

It seems reasonable. It makes sense defenders woud block the only entrance into the city with sharpened wooden stakes.

**Zatoichi** · 12-24-2006, 01:42

Yes, but as there's only a very small minority of factions which can do it, it makes for a somewhat unbalanced advantage when defending in sieges.

On top of this, it's not a tactic the AI ever employs, suggesting even more that it is an unintentional bonus for the human player.

The trouble is, cheesy tactic or not, it's so darn tempting!

**katank** · 12-24-2006, 02:21

Originally Posted by Zatoichi

he managed to impale himself on the spikes

Cav can actually get impaled by the stakes? I thought it was purely area denial.

**Zatoichi** · 12-24-2006, 02:26

Originally Posted by katank

Cav can actually get impaled by the stakes? I thought it was purely area denial.

Oh yes indeedy - it can get quite messy. A lot of micro-managing can be required to avoid some serious 'friendly impaling' casualties.

**Shahed** · 12-24-2006, 02:42

Yes cavalry get killed on the stakes. I've deployed a nice box of stakes around my army in custom using Jani Archers. Once the enemy army was decimated by missile, I gloriously charged out my cavalry over my own stakes and ohhh my freakin goat .......... ..... it hurt !

If enemy cavalry charge into them, they're done. Horse steak for dinner.

**Bijo** · 12-24-2006, 02:46

I find it particularly funny to see how they fall off their horse in a nice 360 jump. Well, maybe not all the way 360 :P

**katank** · 12-24-2006, 02:51

Can anyone confirm if they hurt eles then? I see elephants simply walk over them and they disappear.

I'm wondering if producing a dense thicket of stakes is actually a viable anti-ele strategy.