AI problems and seige weapons

[Jessekill]

Why do none of my troops do what I say in a seige? Am I doing something wrong? Every time I am defending I will spend time creating control groups, then carefully place them strategically according to how I want to defend. THEN, as soon as I press start, they immediately CHANGE their ****ing grouping, and then proceed to all do whatever the **** they want and run all over the place like chickens. (turning off the "delegate command" option seems to change nothing). Then mid battle, the order system does nothing. They just stay in their spot, and new reinforcements that spawn make it worse by immediately trying to run to their allocated positions up on the wall, even if all the enemies are already in the castle and inside the gate. So frustrating and stupid.

Secondly. I dont understand the point of catapults? Is there a way to direct troops to use them against a target? There is never a time in which I have found them even slightly useful, especially when you cant control how the others are used by troops in a seige. It takes several hits to even get close to taking out a tower or ram.

rant over.

 

[archaicwarrior]

What would happen if you used TROY tactics to defend your "Troy" settlement by placing HI infront of the gate ? Would the AI know what to do ? I bet not, I bet they'd push the ram through the HI . Maybe you're not allowed to place troops infront of gate / walls ?

 

[Kegeyn]

I think since siege requires actually quite complicated AI and simply putting them on walls on Def would not do the trick (constatn LOS problems if they stay stationary) maybe a better solution is to be able to assign troop to specific "Roles" during siege

Def:
1. Walls
2. Towers
3. Siege engines
4. Gate and detroyed wall parts defend

Attack:
1. Siege engines
2. Ranged support
3. Assault sides
4. Assault gate

This way we would be able to streamline unit's behaviour instead of it constantly looking for its place across ALL variables
What do you think?

 

[hruza]

Right now it's pretty much pointless to order troops in siege defense. It's more or less pointless to do it in siege attacks too. Just let AI do it's AI stuff. If you try to interfere, you're more likely then not just making things worst and AI seems to be set to overwrite lot of your commands anyway.

Sieges still needs quit a bit of polishing.

 

[Jessekill]

It just seems like so much layout of the battlefield and new mechanics is set up for the use of siege engines, and as it is they are kinda pointless. You can take out a handful of enemies with the ballista, but other than that not much use on either side. What does the fire aspect even do?

 

[Razdv]

At assault you need to order your archers to charge, or them won't enter

 

[Maraxus]

In siege battles there is this "delegate on" by default. Also some of your troops get assigned to special groups for lifting ladders and so on. But the solders will do that anyway when they are close.

One option to have some control (that I did not realize in the first sieges, too) is to Shout 0-> F6; F1->F2 at the beginning of the battle for "Everybody: Delegate off and follow me!" and once you are in good position you can order them around with hold location / follow / charge orders.

That alone did not really make sieges enjoyable for me but better at least.