Stopping rams

[SavageFlyer]

Has anyone else experimented with this?

The other day a settle of mine was being stormed and I knew if I could stop them from battering the gates that I could win pretty easily. If they took down the gates, I was in trouble.

I had one catapault unit in the settlement so as soon as the battle started i sent it outside to in attempt to get a shot off at the ram before it got to me. Well...the gates didnt shut...so i moved the cat's farther out and out of curiosity I sent them marching straight into the oncoming ram.

Wouldnt ya knwo it? it stopped the damn thing dead in its tracks. They pushed against eachother for a few moments, then the crews just started going at it.

Now I didnt accomplish my goal of stopped them from coming through the gates because for whatever reason my gates never closed. Nor was the ram ever set ablaze. It short it didnt work out perfectly, but I think some further experimentation is to be done. Anyone else seen this or tried it?

[MattErickson]

Sounds like a plan! Or maybe set the Catapults just outside and abandon them? Make like a barricade infront of the gate to prevent the ram. A bit cheap but could work nonetheless.

[T-wester]

try useing an abandoned trebuchet to block the gate, or use alot of archers with flamingarows

[Gary88]

sometimes if the ram gets too close i tell a unit to go out the gates which open, the ram gets confused and they move it to one side then i bring my unit back. you repeat this whilst firing at it with fire arrows, hopefully it goes up.

[Joeaux]

I use a schiltrom (sp?) formation of spearmen just outside the gate to stop rams. (Not my idea, BTW, someone else came up with it) The ram will approach the spearmen, and then stop once the pushers get attacked. The spearmen will eventually die, but by then the computer has long since stopped attampting to ram the gate as the casualties are too high- especially with upgraded towers.

[SavageFlyer]

Abandoned arty...i like that one def gonna have to try it...as long as the gates close again in time

[Elric von Rabenfels]

Moved to Battle planning...

I destroyed emeny siege towers and rams with my own arty quite often..

[MattErickson]

The only problem I have is finding a nice place to set up a trebuchet inside the cities walls that are eithin within strikin distance or have the right shot. With ballistas, I just roll them out and have a skirmish with the enemy ballistas, it's really funny until they give up and shoot my walls and I aim for their general, but he's always standing there by himself hidden in another group . Anyways I think catapults would be easier because they're smaller (height wise) so they can fit through the gate easier. There's been times where my trebuchet wouldn't go through the gate to enter an enemy citadel.

[ProneStar!]

the thing i wish was that some arty(especially mortars) had the ability to attack ground. That way i wouldnt have to worry as much about my arty inside the walls actually taking out my own walls/defenders, and i could just wait then unleash a barrage at enemy siege engines.

[johnny5000]

I was defending a castle last night and the enemy had two rams.

They brought the first one and I managed to kill every peasant that was pushing the thing, and it was sitting abandoned in front of my gate.

Then they started pushing the second ram, and I was wondering what would happen when it bumped into the first ram...
well, they pushed and pushed and managed to push ram #2 straight through ram #1... kinda funny to watch

[Valdamar]

Send a unit with good morale to attack the ram which is always out front. The crew will engage your men, your men will die or run. If they run the crew will follow them. If a siege tower or ladders have reached your walls all infantry will flock to it. Once you destroy their infantry you win. Don't try to burn the ram after it's abandon, focus on the infantry. If they do pick it back up they'll be depleted and easy cheezy for your archers/towers or another crack suicide squad. Towers burn easy but focus on the ram.

[delra]

I never ever in M2TW managed to set a ram in fire. Even with concentrated fire of half a stack of longbowmen. How do you guys do it? Pure luck? I can't be SO unlucky...

[MattErickson]

Yeah.., I've stopped seing siege equiptment burn, the only way I would ever see them was from fire arrows coming from enemy towers when I push a ram

[delra]

I believe it's one of the biggest bugs of M2TW...

[PaulusCliftus]

Only time I've seen them burn is from tower defences, I dont recall this being the case in RTW, I'm pretty sure archers did a good job off setting stuff ablaze.

[johnny5000]

I've been noticing that in siege defense, ballista towers are great for taking out rams and pretty good at setting the siege towers on fire.

Cannon towers have been great at blowing up the siege towers, but ever since upgrading to cannon towers, they rarely stop the rams.

Since my primary enemy at this point is the Mongols, I think I'd rather stop the rams (and keep their horses out of my castles) and just fight their foot soldiers on the walls.

So I think I'm better off sticking with ballista towers, and not upgrading to cannons.

Anyone else notice this?

[Trajan]

I love cannon towers. I've had awesome siege defenses against the Mongols where they tried storming the walls with siege towers and breaking down the gates with rams but were always unsuccessful because of the cannons and of course, my archers and musket troops. Though every ram was destroyed, they have managed to reach the walls with their siege towers a few times but my infantry were always able to push them back. With cannon towers and the right units, I don't even bother sallying out. I just let them come.

[Chipp]

The reason your gates don't close is because you may have some units that are too close to the gate. Every time I move something out through the gates I make sure all units are as far back as possible in the settlement.

[Gabriel A]

I never ever in M2TW managed to set a ram in fire. Even with concentrated fire of half a stack of longbowmen. How do you guys do it? Pure luck? I can't be SO unlucky...

+1

My siege equipment is lit a flame regularly - however I have had 4 or 5 regiments of archers on the walls raining fire arrows on a single ram and not once,,,,not a single time,,,have I lit up an enemy ram or siege tower.

[Xenomorph]

i know its cheating on the AI, but defending with cannon towers is easy if you break the siege before they attack; the enemy will never go to a safe distance and will get massacred by cannon fire. 100% certain.