How Do You Open the City Gates

**NobleNick** · March 30, 2006, 02:17 PM

Yes, I know about battering rams, Onagers and sapping. I am talking about opening gates without destroying them.

I have been opening the gates of cities with stone walls (or better) by getting units onto the wall, capturing the gate towers, and then getting a unit onto the ground just inside the gates. Then I give the unit a move command to just outside the gates. As soon as the gate starts to open to let them out, I rush units on the outside to positions inside the gate. Meanwhile, I issue a new move command to the group on the inside, canceling the move to the outside. Since the gates are already open, my outside troops pour through into the city. I repeat the procedure every time I want to get a new set of units inside. I can not just click on a unit outside the gate and then right-click inside the gate to move them in. Something tells me there is an easier way that I am missing.

The Egyption army that creamed my poor town last night did not need to use this technique: As soon as the enemy axe throwers captured the gate towers, the gates opened wide and Pharoah's cavalry galloped up and poured through. How do I do the same thing, when I re-take this settlement in a few turns?

**Lusted** · March 30, 2006, 02:19 PM

Just take the gatehouse, then you can order any unit to move inside the city.

**Somethindarker** · March 30, 2006, 02:21 PM

:wicked i suggest not worrying about the AI's cheats. cuz they tend to do that sometimes. just retake the settlement and next time you play plug EVERY entrance with a phalanx unit to stop any potential invader threw the gate.

edit: also do what i do garrison every city you conquer with 5-6 of your best recruitable phalanx units and 3-4 archers so when you get attacked you can at least hold your own. :wicked :yes

**NobleNick** · March 30, 2006, 02:30 PM

O.K., thanks guys. Maybe I COULD do this before, but I right-clicked to an illegal position; or maybe the software had a temporary glitch. Anyway, the technique you give did not work for me when I first tried it; so I assumed it just didn't work. I will try again.

**Lusted** · March 30, 2006, 02:32 PM

Just make sure you have had the little message come up saying building captured gatehouse. Then you can move any troops you want inside.

**John I Tzimisces** · March 30, 2006, 03:01 PM

What? The AI didn't cheat. Your gates opened because they took the gatehouse, or there was a spy in the settlement!

**NobleNick** · March 30, 2006, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by eXc|Imperator

What? The AI didn't cheat. Your gates opened because they took the gatehouse, or there was a spy in the settlement!

The former. I got the message that the gates had been lost. What I did not understand is that in previous battles, when it was my forces that had captured the gates, I still couldn't seem to get my outside forces inside without some fancy dancing by those already on the inside.

**John I Tzimisces** · March 30, 2006, 03:24 PM

Typically, all you have to do is order them to move inside the settlement, after the gate is taken...

**Scarecrow** · March 30, 2006, 03:57 PM

Use a spy and there will be a chance that the gates will open

**Mvs072593** · April 08, 2006, 06:31 PM

You need to capture the gatehoue. You can't capture woden gatehouses without a ram or the enemy sallies.

They think there wall are enough to stop us thay should think agian.

**Severous** · April 08, 2006, 07:24 PM

Hi NobleNick.

I thought I once had the same problem that you describe. Couldnt order troops through gates even though they were working and I had captured them. Found I needed to give the order to move beyond the gate to a point in the city. The gates opened as troops get to the gate...but not before. They get quite close before the gates open.

When I am assaulting a wooden walled city I now often go in through the wall with ram or artilery. Troops go in through the breach and can run to nearby gates to open them if more access points are required. Those captured gates also work just fine..opening for my troops whether approaching from inside or outside.

Good luck getting it to work NN

**Zuwxiv** · April 08, 2006, 09:14 PM

There are little flags on the gatehouse. Once you capture it, they should be your faction's flags. Also, leave your mouse over the gatehouse for a second. It should say that your faction is the owner. After that, just right clicking inside the settlement, on a valid target should work.

(A valid target would just be telling them to move to the middle of a road, the central plaza, anywhere they can actually be. Something like a building would be an invalid target.)

Should work, you shouldn't need to do that fancy dancing thing.

**NobleNick** · April 10, 2006, 08:48 AM

It works for me. Don't know what I was doing wrong before that made me think I couldn't get in.

Thanks to all for your answers.

**orange slice** · April 10, 2006, 01:15 PM

without breaking them down, your other choice is getting a spy in there settlement and hopeing he opens the gates for you. (more spys in a settlment with give you a better chance of them opening the gates)

**HappeR** · April 10, 2006, 01:24 PM

What I usually do (if there is not some terrible force coming for me) is wait for the enemy to sally out and DEVASTATE their army...when they flee I use cavalry to chase the running troops back into the city and TADAA!!! gates taken.

If the enemy IS coming for you, just put spies in the settlement or use siege towers to capture the gatehouse...

**Severous** · April 10, 2006, 02:18 PM

I was doing what HappeR said.

Against a big walled Rome I had Ballestae. No other seige equipment or spies. Tried to break the reinforced gates but made no damage.

I was all set to chase a routing reinforcement enemy into the the town. But just as I approached the gate the seige ended in a draw. It seems the ineffective Ballestae had ran out of ammo and the game now considered I had no way into the city so ended the battle. Boo.

**Siddyus** · April 10, 2006, 06:52 PM

The boiling oil is a pain however. It killed an entire legion of mine when I chased my enemy inside their settlement and also, those goddamned towers are still active despite the fact that you captured the gates(that includes the wall... correct me if im wrong). which is a pain.

**Aemilianus** · April 11, 2006, 03:05 AM

The towers on other parts of the wall are active, yes, but the gatehouse towers (the main ones that you definitely want to have dealt with) are already yours. All you really need to do at that point is run your infantry up and into a couple of the towers, creating a bridgehead of sorts.

**HappeR** · April 11, 2006, 08:52 AM

Another thing that CAN work (if you have time) is trying to lure the enemy out of the city to attack your force in the field. This means a part of the garrisson rushes out of the city to attack your (annoyingly placed) army sitting somewhere close to the city in their territory. You won't have to deal with towers and stuff so it's easier to win the city.

**~~removeduser_426582376423734~~** · April 11, 2006, 09:32 AM

Remember, just because you take a gate, doesn't mean you've taken the town/city. You have to go around and take all walls and gates to do that, and then the towers will be on your side