Destroying Watch Towers ?

**rasputin753** · February 10, 2009, 03:03 AM

just a quick question, does anybody know a way to destroy watch towers ? even if by changing files.
i hate it when the enemiy has placed a watch tower right in front of a river crossing so i can´t block it anymore with a fort.

**seriousbusiness** · February 10, 2009, 06:40 AM

Because the AI is nothing short of retarded in strategy blocking off key points (mountain passes and bridges/crossings particularly) can make a practically impossible campaign for some factions quite manageable. Sticking a tiny 20 person unit (for low, low upkeep) in a fort that will hold them back 2-3 turns while you bring troops to deal with it - or just rebuilding the fort the turn after they take it if they don't attack the town etc... often, maybe even usually, they don't even take the fort. Then you can layer them up so even if they take a fort they'll be delayed, and delayed, and delayed, and delayed, and delayed a grand total of at least 20+ turns to get through some arrangements. Madness. The fort system is stupid and since it cannot be fixed with the AI being so very, very stupid I think it would be best to abolish them altogether, considering how exploitable they are.

I hadn't even thought to use them in rio's (although I used them extensively in my vanilla IBFD campaigns). They are really a cheapass faggot tactic as far as I'm concerned. The AI is just too retarded.

As for fixing it, I don't know. Editing your save is risky, it might become unstable (and be a big waste of time!) if you did something wrong.

**margio** · February 10, 2009, 09:55 AM

Not everytime and everywhere useful, but I employ forts to hold incoming enemies, while involved to "adjust" my economy or in others lands with my troops... With WRE to stop Vandals I build a fort on actual Elba Island, with Limitanei and Archers inside: not too much expensive and leave time to recall eventually my Legions

...
Concerning the watch towers, they can be built anyway outside your lands, and if blocking a river or mountain pass, a fort can be built on your side...
BTW what I don't like is that if an enemy units it's under my watch tower the area become "unwatchable"... and even when the enemy walk away it remain so... only fighting and defeating it the area become visible again :hmmm:...

ayeaye Sirs

**seriousbusiness** · February 10, 2009, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by margio

BTW what I don't like is that if an enemy units it's under my watch tower the area become "unwatchable"... and even when the enemy walk away it remain so... only fighting and defeating it the area become visible again :hmmm:...

That's what you would expect, right?

Forts are way too exploitable (although most people don't think to use them at all) and should really be disabled - I doubt many people would seriously miss them that much and it is contrary to the purpose of the mod. Any fool can win easily by building forts and blitzkreiging everything on one front. Managing your troops across different areas should necessarily be part of your strategic thinking and for what I've said above it really is a huge exploit at some parts of the map

**rasputin753** · February 11, 2009, 03:10 AM

actually, there are two reasons why i am using forts.

1. i can´t be bothered to fight every single border conflict myself. it just would be very boring figthing full stack after full stack of franks running against the rhine. although it would be easy. so using the forts i can autoresolve, retrain the troops and fight the next stack and don´t have to fight myself all the time. so it´s is for the fun.

2. the flavor. regarding borders the romans were the communists of the antiquity and were fortifying there borders heavily. so i usually even rebuild the useless and money wasting limes between rhine and danube, with watchtowers and forts. giving you the athmospherical feeling of reestablishing the borders.

but anyhow, completly different discusssion here, to my topic once again. i got it right, nobody knows a way to destroy watch towers?

**Riothamus** · February 11, 2009, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by rasputin753

actually, there are two reasons why i am using forts.

1. i can´t be bothered to fight every single border conflict myself. it just would be very boring figthing full stack after full stack of franks running against the rhine. although it would be easy. so using the forts i can autoresolve, retrain the troops and fight the next stack and don´t have to fight myself all the time. so it´s is for the fun.

2. the flavor. regarding borders the romans were the communists of the antiquity and were fortifying there borders heavily. so i usually even rebuild the useless and money wasting limes between rhine and danube, with watchtowers and forts. giving you the athmospherical feeling of reestablishing the borders.

but anyhow, completly different discusssion here, to my topic once again. i got it right, nobody knows a way to destroy watch towers?

They can't be destroyed unfortunately