help ref sieges please

[lampshade]

Finally got around to MW2 after playing RTW years ago.

But I've got a problem.

I'm Sicily. I've taken Jeru, Antioch, Acre, and the other one South I can't remember. The Mongols have turned up and attacked Antioch. Two stacks, one with siege, one sitting at the back of the city with no siege.

I've destroyed the first stack, bust up all the siege, and gone to the back of the city to tackle the 2nd stack.

It has no siege, just loads and loads of heavy horse archers and heavy horsemen. They're just sitting there. They won't give up even though they have no way into the city. I organised spearmen inside the gates and put men on the towers and tried to lure them into a fight inside the gates with a suicidal unit. They destroyed it in about 10 seconds with flaming arrows and just sat there. I did it again. Same again. They just sit out of range.

If I throw the entire army out of the gates they'll just circle around and destroy it, but they won't come and tackle the city.

I don't know what to do to end the battle it's been running at 6x for about an hour. It seems a bit cheap that I have to basically fight them in the open (and lose) to end the battle.

Any suggestions. It's running now and I don't mind losing the city but I just feel cheated by the game.

[zcylen]

what I do in such cases,
I put any range units on the wall and then send out my cavalry close enough to the enemy to pick a fight
then after they're coming for me I run back to the city allowing them to be on range and firing from the walls
I kill aroung 50% of enemy trrops, them when I outnumber them I sally and fight them in the field

takes time tough

[John Doe]

Try to destroy every piece of siege equipment, Ram, towers and Ladders. The problem will be with ladder that are on the ground, it's impossible to destroy them and you'll be stuck for ever in that situation.

Another thing to do, reload the autosaved (I know it sucks), but before hiting end of turn, go to the option and switch off the "unlimited batlle time limit". If they get stuck again, push the x6 time, and make yourself a cup of tea.

[painter]

The cannon towers building in such a situation would have been great. Their range would enable them to hit idling armies and while it would take them a long time to destroy everything by themselves, it will eventually happen.

[lampshade]

Thanks for all the advice.

Yeah I'd figured it could be a ladder laid on the ground from the first army I killed - 2nd AI army maybe wouldn't quit while it still has siege on the map that can work. Had sent men out but couldn't destroy it.

Anyway all the advice came too late I suicided the city garrison and kept playing.

The Mongols are a massive pain in the arse. I can't see how those 4 cities have been worth all the treasure I've spent protecting them. Think I'm on about turn 100 and still only have about 12 regions and virtually everyone in the world except the Pope hates me.

Thanks again.

[painter]

The problem is the Mongols and Timurids will start destroying faction after faction until you're forced to deal with the Mongols that may control half the map or greater. But if you don't mind fighting them, they may be useful in taking care of some of the people who hates you.

[Silverheart]

But, sure you can destroy ladders...
I once placed some infantry to attack ladders (which the enemy had left on the ground), and I can bet a whole lot that after a few minutes, the ladders were actually damaged!
The battle ended before the damage reached 100%, but still, that means it IS possible.
Right?

[John Doe]

But, sure you can destroy ladders...
I once placed some infantry to attack ladders (which the enemy had left on the ground), and I can bet a whole lot that after a few minutes, the ladders were actually damaged!
The battle ended before the damage reached 100%, but still, that means it IS possible.
Right?

Using melee infantry, if they are against the wall, it's possible to destroy ladders. But on the ground, there is the animation of the unit hitting the ladder, but the % damage stays at 0 for ever.

[tudor93]

that's why I enable "battle time limit" , the AI is stupid and does things like that;
in RTW (and I think in M2TW too) when I siege a settlement, sometimes the garrison counter attacks before I am able to build siege equipment and he comes outside the walls to fight and after I kill like 70% of his troops he goes back behind the walls and stays there (sometimes I go after the cowards and capture the gates. but not always; also, I think in M2TW the gates won't open for your fleeing troops if the enemy is close enough)

@sorry for the bad english, I'm not english

[Silverheart]

That´s right, if the enemy is too close, the gates won´t open for routing soldiers.
The only way to let them in afterward is to send a unit out through the gate.

[Leaf-Fan-Forever]

As the Byzantines, I besieged a Turk Fortress with a couple cavalry units. They coame out to fight, slaughtered them, ran back inside. I got through the first gate, but wasn't fast enough to get through the second one. After that, I always make sure Time Limit Battles are on.

[Silverheart]

In my case, the ladders WERE lying on the ground.
The carriers had been blown away by flaming arrows and cannon towers, and so they just abandoned them there.
I am 100% sure that the ladders were not stationed towards the walls.

[John Doe]

Weird, I never managed to cause any damages. I tried with swordsman, spearman, xbow, archers, DFK... but never had any luck. I can see the unit forming a line on the ladder and having them move their weapons, but no damage done. May be the ladder need to be on uneven ground so a part of it is reachable? I'll tried that if I have the chance.

[painter]

Perhaps the ladders were damaged by the flaming arrows and cannon towers when the carriers were still carrying it?

[Silverheart]

No, I remember distinctivally that they were undamaged when I sent my infantrymen to attack them.
Jonh does´ theory sounds more likely to me, about the uneven ground.
It would make sense all together, too...

[FootSoldier]

Yes, having canon towers built by the time the Mongols arrive seems essential - agree with painter on that.

Curiously, in one battle with the Timurids over Antioch the battle wouldn't end despite having the time limit on. There were 2 elephants running amok, who wouldn't leave the battle map. They wouldn't come in range of the canon towers, either. Half an hour went by at 3x (my max speed), and the timer didn't change. I was out of missiles.

In the end I had to take all my troops out, and attack the elephants in hand-to-hand combat. I lost 3/4 of my men killing them. The Sultan, defending general, acquired a Dread Knight that turn. The battle lasted for at least 2 hours, despite the timer on. Not pretty, and painful to experience.

[painter]

I might be mistaken, but I think if the only remaining enemy units are elephants running amok, you can quit the battle and you will be granted a win.