Quote Originally Posted by maestro
I think you guys aren't using enough archers perchance?

I always try to defend with at least 4-6 units of longbows or above and nearly always successfully burn anything that comes close

I always aim all my archers at a ram first cause I always protect the gate. I can defend the walls easily against towers and ladders with leet troops but I never let cavalry into my cities. I've always been successful so i'm not sure where you're giong wrong
I have had the same experience as you playing the English. I love the longbowmen and so I usually have plenty of them to man the ramparts.

When defending against towers, rams, and ladders I also take them off fire at will and assign targets, which I think you are say that you also do. Mostly the rams and ladders first, and then towers which are usually the slowest and the last to approach.

The good thing about the retenue longbowmen is that they are decent melee troops in a pinch, so if a tower does make the wall they can sometimes hold on their own or at least until you can get stronger melee troops to the rescue.

I'm playing Spain now, and although peasant archers suck in melee, in sufficient quantities they have also managed to set fire to well over half of the rams and towers that they have come up against.

I also park a unit of my best melee troops in the space between the gate towers in such situations. I don't think the area is wide enough for archers to be that effective, but a melee unit is fairly safe there and will be well positioned to rush to the walls on either side of the gate towers as the need arises.

Cheers