Greek Technology

[Imperator Silas]

Could you perhaps work some of the more advanced(or theoretical) Greek weaponry or other technologies into the mod?

[Sarcasm]

Like what?

[Watchman]

"I call it... 'death ray'."

[Imperator Silas]

All that weaponry and defense mechanisms that Arcimedes(sp?) made at Syracuse for instance.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

If people would make them, we'd love to have them. We have no one who is active who knows how to make the animations for siege equipment work.

[Helgi]

They tried to do a Archimedes death ray on some tv show using a brieme as a target, they couldn't get it to work

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Well, we're not interested in the death ray, but other types of siege equipment - yes. Pretty much everyone who mods RTW knows about us, and all the achievements and improvements we've done for in the game. We'd love to have more help from people who are talented in most areas of the game if they are really interested in helping us. Animations, skinning, modelling, traits, whatever.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

They tried to do a Archimedes death ray on some tv show using a brieme as a target, they couldn't get it to work

Yea! Mythbusters!

I've heard of a steam-powered cannon, proven to work...

Mythbusters again!

[Brightblade]

Ion Cannon Ready.

*cries tears of nostalgia*

[Imperator Silas]

Perhaps you should put out an advertisment for modders that CAN do that?

[Imperator Silas]

I've heard of a steam-powered cannon, proven to work...

[germanpeon]

I heard about that ship burning device (mirrors and some sort of telescope maybe) Archimedes designed and the steam cannon. I saw a show on the History Channel that proved the ship burning device impractical because it took them about 100 mirrors and maybe half an hour to set a pieve of wood on fire. I think the cannon was proven to be unrealistic because of the amount of time it would take to heat the water (steam), and because it wasnt powerful enough to deliver a projectile to a long range target.

[Imperator Silas]

but check out the book Barbarians the next time you visit the Library. it contains all the research that proves this and many other weapons existance.

[Foot]

but check out the book Barbarians the next time you visit the Library. it contains all the research that proves this and many other weapons existance.

What? the Terry Jones' book?

Foot

[McHrozni]

Don't use mythbusters as a refference, particularily when they detemine something "couldn't happen". All too often they equate their own incapability in repeating something as proof it can't be done. Sometimes they're right (especially when they take something which is proven to be impossible beforehand), but much of the time it's just juvenile bravado.

I think, though, that most of inventions of Archimedes weren't all that great. If they were, it is very likely that at least some of the better ones would find their ways into the Roman arsenal - this was, after all, how they got nearly all of their military technology.
But do we see a noticable change in Roman siege or missile technology after the fall of Syracuse? Not really. Though Archimedes was killed in the sacking of the city, much of his devices would have remained, as would people who have seen and operated them survive - at least some of them. If there was indeed as much value as believed to recover, it would be unfantomable for the Romans not to copy it.

My guess is that Archimedes and his siege engines weren't nearly as advanced as we would believe. It was probably, in 99% of the cases, just regular contemporary altillery, just more numerus and better utilised, better deployed, better led and used to a greater effect than contemporary altillery. A few extraordinary engines of limited use - like the Claw - probably cemented the myth.
Not an insignificant feat, but not nearly as special as believed.

McHrozni

[Maeran]

I've seen the principle of the 'death ray' demonstrated ('What the Ancients Did for Us'). He used modern flat mirrors, but talked about 'shiny sheilds'. I'd have thought that a modest array of large flat mirrors, mounted on pivots would be easier to aim at one spot and set fire to, maybe a sail.

By and large, such engines would be one offs and in any case, when do you get a ship in a city battle?

I'd like to see an 'earthen ramp' option, possibly based on mines (because they don't move) or siege towers (because they do the same job, but do move). But I know that even if you did a visual model of a ramp, you may still have to push it up to the wall and the look embarrased as the soldiers walk into it and then levitated vertically up near the wall (it's bad enough with a vanilla tower).

[Brightblade]

It would really suck if it suddenly got cloudy when they were gonna use that on the enemy fleet

[Axelus]

I've also watched the BBC Ancients program. The thing is, that experiment is on a much smaller scale. The mirror is about 10 times bigger than the boat, and I wouldnt think they were able to build such a big mirror. It doesnt have to be alot bigger though, but since the ships IRL will be alot more further away, than in the experiment (where the boat was about an arm's length away from the mirror), it is also alot more difficult to project all the mirrors correctly.