Some Questions about Naval Aspects of Attila TW Era.

[You_Guess_Who]

1. What kind of ships did the Celts in the 4th to 5th Century used? I heard about Venetian Celts of the Bretonia using sailing ships that resembles something between Viking Knarrs and medieval Cogs, but are they widely used, or even used in the 5th Century?

2. Viking Longships are anachronistic in Attila, correct? If so, what kind of ships did Germanic Peoples used at the time? And what kind of ships the Vandals mainly used at Cape Bon?

3. Ship-borne artillery before the gunpowder age were mainly for anti-personnel purposes. So, why put Onagers? Weren't lots of Cheiroballista more useful on that regards?

4. In ATW, I do not see any Lithobolos Ballista, only Onagers. Is that because onagers are simpler than ballista, so easier to maintain?

5. I understand after the Mediterranean became Roman's Mare Nostrum, heavy galleys were no longer used. So, why did underwater rams not returned into use? In Medieval era up to Renaissance, over-the-water Spurs were used instead. I heard professional, skilled oarsmen were needed to maximize ram tactics. Is that why it disappeared, the lack of professional oarsmen where press-ganged of forced rowers were much cheaper and readily available? So, why use over-the-water Spurs for ramming in the first place?

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

1. What kind of ships did the Celts in the 4th to 5th Century used? I heard about Venetian Celts of the Bretonia using sailing ships that resembles something between Viking Knarrs and medieval Cogs, but are they widely used, or even used in the 5th Century?

They used Curraghs. This is a reconstruction (ignore the crosses).

2. Viking Longships are anachronistic in Attila, correct? If so, what kind of ships did Germanic Peoples used at the time? And what kind of ships the Vandals mainly used at Cape Bon?

Germanic boats from this time looked like this:

http://archeurope.eu/uploads/images/...ders/Nydam.jpg

3. Ship-borne artillery before the gunpowder age were mainly for anti-personnel purposes. So, why put Onagers? Weren't lots of Cheiroballista more useful on that regards?

Onagers, contrary to what CA believes, were small anti-personnel devices. Torsion-powered artiller sacrificed destructive capability for power and accuracy. It wasn't until the invention of the trebuchet by the Chinese and its introduction by the Avars (and improvement by the Medieval Romans) that you had artillery that could take down city walls and stuff. And even then it was very ineffective.

4. In ATW, I do not see any Lithobolos Ballista, only Onagers. Is that because onagers are simpler than ballista, so easier to maintain?

They are simpler, and more powerful. But the ones in Attila are historically inaccurate.

5. I understand after the Mediterranean became Roman's Mare Nostrum, heavy galleys were no longer used. So, why did underwater rams not returned into use? In Medieval era up to Renaissance, over-the-water Spurs were used instead. I heard professional, skilled oarsmen were needed to maximize ram tactics. Is that why it disappeared, the lack of professional oarsmen where press-ganged of forced rowers were much cheaper and readily available? So, why use over-the-water Spurs for ramming in the first place?

The Romans actually invented the spur, we see it as early as the 5th century. It was largely due in part to a change from square to triangular sails and from hull-first to skeleton-first construction.

[You_Guess_Who]

I have several more questions:

1. The models of liburnians in-game seems rather medieval-looking. Are they historically accurate? If not, how do they supposed to look?

2. Did Chelandion, Dromonarion, and lateen sail already used by then?

3. Vandal navy in the mediterranean used existing naval expertise of northern africans, hence they shouldn't used germanic boats, correct?

4. Roman navy shrunk in the era, in overall power and even the size of its individual warships. How large were the shrunken, late Roman galleys could be?

5. How many light bolt-shooting engines could be mounted on Roman warships? Were they only placed on fore and aft castles, or also installed in broadsides, if the ship have an enclosed rowing deck?

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

1. The Liburna in game is wrong. I have to see it to tell you exactly what's wrong, but I can assure you it's wrong.

2. Chelandions, Dromons, etc. did not come into use until the mid-6th century and later.

3. Yes the Vandals would be probably using Roman merchant ships of various types and probably a handful of liburnians and other military warships.

4. There were still some "Triremes" in Constantine's day but by this period you're looking at mostly monoreme and bireme liburnians.

5. Probably one.

[You_Guess_Who]

So the liburnians should look more like the classical galleys, with some little differences?

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

More like a cross between, kind of hard to say we do have the Vergilius Vaticanus but it's unknown whether the depiction is based off of art or actual ships they saw.