How come my rams never get to the walls?

[Ojf]

I have notied this for a while now, i can never seem to get my rams to the wall, always set on fire, i think there is a 1/10 chance of getting it to the gates, anyone else have this problem?

[horatius]

In my previous campaigns, it seemed like I set fire to the enemy ram like 90% of the time when I was defending. Because I was so successful (or lucky) defending against rams, I decided they would be pointless to use on walled cities, so I never build them. I also don't like the idea of boiling liquid being poured on my poor soldiers. However, in my current campaign with ExRM, I find that I almost never burn down enemy rams. I don't know if that's a coincidence, or just a change of ExRM versus PE.

[fourganger]

You should be using towers or ladders for stone walls anyway. Leave the Rams at home unless you're up against wooden walls.

[Jamey]

I normally use siege towers. I prefer the missile protection plus the ability to put a beach head on the walls all at once (relative to ladders). I don't use any other siege engines against stone walls. I never use rams - if you haven't captured the gatehouse, the boiling oil going through the gate is lethal, if you have the gate is open anyway.

I also autoresolve a lot of siege battles. The AI tends to under garrison them, and a full stack versus 3 units tends to be a pretty boring fight...

[dharos]

what Jamey said.

[Delvecchio1975]

what dharos said.

also: there is definitely a difference between ExRM and RTRPE; in the latter i simply did not defend the gate anymore, as the rams would most likely be burning - unless it was raining. ExRM is more realistic in that sense. they burn sometimes, but mostly not.

[TheAlchemist]

also: there is definitely a difference between ExRM and RTRPE; in the latter i simply did not defend the gate anymore, as the rams would most likely be burning - unless it was raining. ExRM is more realistic in that sense. they burn sometimes, but mostly not.

Interesting. I never noticed this, but I also haven't defended that many sieges in ExRM so who knows. Is the decreased ram burning just a coincidence or something that was modded in?

[Delvecchio1975]

Where the H*&$%L is Quin when you need him???

[Jamey]

The siege defenses I've done in ExRM I wound up burning the rams short of the stone walls. In my biggest siege, my two units of Cretans plus the towers netted one siege tower, 2 rams, and 2 sap points with fire arrows. The last siege tower, of course, came to the wall perfectly placed so that one of my towers kept shooting me in the back.

The machine gun in the back convinced me to avoid defending further sieges of that settlement (Apollonia, I think).

[AqD]

I have notied this for a while now, i can never seem to get my rams to the wall, always set on fire, i think there is a 1/10 chance of getting it to the gates, anyone else have this problem?

Yep. I think the ladders and siege towers should get burned too, if possible. Assaulting a walled city is very difficult in reality and players should always try to avoid it.
________
Kids Nexium

[Augustus Octavius]

For cities with stone walls or better, I never use the rams. They are sitting ducks coming under fire from the gate towers on approach and the the oil once they finally get there. The best thing to do is use ladders and siege towers, and/or sap points. I try to only build the equipment for one turn so usually I get a siege tower and a few ladders. Put the tower up to a heavily defended area and the ladders on either side to hit the enemy on the walls from both sides. Once you defeat the enemy on the walls, you can usually take control of the gate and open it for the rest of your army. This strategy can be combined with sap points to give your army multiple points of entry(I use the sap points if there is a particularly large garrison)
Note: If you use sap points, make sure your units "can sap". I use skirmishers as most of them can sap and can usually be hired cheap as mercs.

Hope this helps

[horatius]

If the enemy I'm besieging has a large garrison, I usually just try to wait it out. I prefer to fight battles against larger opponents in a field type battle where superior tactics can win the day (not the AI really has any tactics) rather that sending my men in to die fighting in the streets. Of course, if the the enemy garrison is small, then I usually build some ladders, go in and capture the walls (since the AI often doesn't defend them) and gate, allowing my army to come in usually unharmed. In fact, if the enemy is very small (like just a general unit), I may go in with just my own general and have them fight a duel. Of course, since I don't like to lose, I'll make sure that the odds are still in my favor (like taking my faction leader with a huge bodyguard against just a family member from the enemy)

I don't know about you guys, but I hate seeing my men cut down from enemy towers and such. That's why I try to avoid assaults on walled cities with large garrisons.

[Mikail Mengsk]

Rams are for wooden palisades and walls only.

[Delvecchio1975]

Rams are for wooden palisades and walls only.

wooden palisades and walls only? what else is there? thin air?

[horatius]

wooden palisades and walls only? what else is there? thin air?

I think he means wooden palisades and wooden walls, but not stone walls.

[Mikail Mengsk]

I think he means wooden palisades and wooden walls, but not stone walls.

[yelrom18]

After many many hours of sieges I've done, I've always sent in two rams at the same time. This way if you are assaulting stone walls or greater, one of the two rams will make it. Its best to use your javelins for this because you will take casualties from the oil and they can barely reach the walls with their javelins. Its better to use your archers or slingers to fire at the top of the walls. But thats just how I used my rams.