I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I love it when the enemy sallies out to fight since I'm more adept to tackling them without a ladder to bottleneck my troops and me. However, due to some silly bugs, some castles have entrances wide enough that defenders feel like getting some air. This is great if you're the one besieging, but seems like your drawbridge is open if you're defending.
You can fiddle with the F-commands as much as you'd like--maybe having them alternate between following you and charging, or making them stand ground on that narrow strip of wall. It might work out for you, maybe, maybe not. I have an easier solution for defense: reverse the ladder.
Much like you don't like your troops inadvertently sallying out, you can change the defending scenario such that the enemy sallies in to you. So they will be coming downward to meet you in the bailey, rather than meeting you at the top of the walls.
Commands
Archers, Stand Ground on the far side of the courtyard facing the ladder, spread out
Infantry/Cavalry, Stand Ground at the foot of the stairs, stand closer
For archery, you typically think of shooting upwards as much harder, but that's because we're used to doing it from outside a wall where defender heads are the only thing showing--no body. When you're in the courtyard like that picture, your arrows can hit anywhere on the enemies' bodies.
The bottleneck is still there--the ladder is just as narrow as it was before. Also a new 'top of the ladder area' is formed on the right side of the picture at the bottom of the stairs where you see my infantry standing ground. It's the staircase of death
The main tactic here is to not worry about ranged enemy attackers as your archers can handle them. Instead you need to assist your infantry in clearing out the front line of enemies at the foot of the stairs. You can do this meele or ranged--and it's much more spacious than that deadbeat ladder area.
Enemy reinforcement waves take a while to reach you so that gives you time to sweep whatever's currently in the castle. You can also refill your quivers in that time
This works with any faction. It works better with fast projectiles, so archers will fare better than crossbowmen, but that doesn't mean bolts won't work well.
Had a rough start here since I comfortably positioned myself on the archer tower then wondered why only archers spawned--turns out everyone else already ran out x_X
You can fiddle with the F-commands as much as you'd like--maybe having them alternate between following you and charging, or making them stand ground on that narrow strip of wall. It might work out for you, maybe, maybe not. I have an easier solution for defense: reverse the ladder.
Much like you don't like your troops inadvertently sallying out, you can change the defending scenario such that the enemy sallies in to you. So they will be coming downward to meet you in the bailey, rather than meeting you at the top of the walls.
Commands
Archers, Stand Ground on the far side of the courtyard facing the ladder, spread out
Infantry/Cavalry, Stand Ground at the foot of the stairs, stand closer
For archery, you typically think of shooting upwards as much harder, but that's because we're used to doing it from outside a wall where defender heads are the only thing showing--no body. When you're in the courtyard like that picture, your arrows can hit anywhere on the enemies' bodies.
The bottleneck is still there--the ladder is just as narrow as it was before. Also a new 'top of the ladder area' is formed on the right side of the picture at the bottom of the stairs where you see my infantry standing ground. It's the staircase of death
The main tactic here is to not worry about ranged enemy attackers as your archers can handle them. Instead you need to assist your infantry in clearing out the front line of enemies at the foot of the stairs. You can do this meele or ranged--and it's much more spacious than that deadbeat ladder area.
Enemy reinforcement waves take a while to reach you so that gives you time to sweep whatever's currently in the castle. You can also refill your quivers in that time
This works with any faction. It works better with fast projectiles, so archers will fare better than crossbowmen, but that doesn't mean bolts won't work well.