SP - Battles & Sieges Shield equity, the method

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With the current low arrow damage you could probably survive the climb while taking hits anyways.
Have you seen the stress test of siege in the Beta yesterday? No, you can't survive the climb. Yes it is a moment of voulnerability even with the freehand shield shown in the video, because without it, if you try to hold your shield upwards, an archer just standing at the end of the ladders can shoot you straight in the head. THAT'S why we need freehand shields. Low arrow damage? I don't think i can agree, depending on the class, it can be as low as 2-3 arrows for a kill.
 
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After yesterday's Siege test, I wish to renew my support for this simple suggestion.

It's obvious, but I dare say that its implementation, at least for the pvp mode, can lead to an increase of tactical possibilities. I said it before; with organized (human) players you could arrange much more complex and interesting formations than you can do right now. :fruity:
 
Climbing ladders should be a moment of vulnerability imo. Friendly archers are an answer to defenders peeking over the wall to shoot at the climbers. Being able to block any arrows while climbing trivialises ladder assaults while they should be the most risky attack route. With the current low arrow damage you could probably survive the climb while taking hits anyways.
From what I’ve seen, ladders are a death trap for attackers either way. Archers can shoot you as you climb, and once you’re up you are swarmed by the defenders who hack you down.
Being able to use a shield properly on ladders is the least they can have.
Archers will still trash ladders as long as they have multiple angles of fire, which they will if the walls are logically designed (which from what I’ve seen, they are).
 
Climbing ladders should be a moment of vulnerability imo. Friendly archers are an answer to defenders peeking over the wall to shoot at the climbers. Being able to block any arrows while climbing trivialises ladder assaults while they should be the most risky attack route. With the current low arrow damage you could probably survive the climb while taking hits anyways.

If you have the possibility to use your shield and move it in the opposite direction to the projectiles, it increases your chances of surviving the climb/assault. Vulnerability appears when you have no shield to use...

Here are several pictorial examples:

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siege-of-a-fortified-city-granger-canvas-print.jpg
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Not that it's a film with a high degree of historical accuracy; however even here you can see that the holder of a shield uses it properly.



 
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I'm in favor of more handy shields and the dynamic blocking but:

Towers protrude from the walls so archers can shoot from both sides at troops climbing the walls, no shield can block arrows from both sides.

I think ladders were used as a surprise maneuver. Say there are siege towers assaulting one section of the perimeter, and defenders are focusing on it, then another group which was hidden in another area grabs their ladders and runs to the walls. They have a chance because there are fewer defenders in that section. But it's risky and it may end badly if they are spotted early and the walls are manned quickly.
 
One of the rare suggestions that is not only sensible and practical, but elegant and relatively simple.

That first person cam and ladder test both won me over. If the concern is that it’d be too complex for noobs like me, then it can always be disabled in options. Warband had plenty of granularity when it came to block options after all.

if nothing else, I’d be curious to know why TW chose not to enable it for the non-Sturgian shields.

edit: nvm, creeped on some of Armagan’s posts about the subject and I guess the justification is they want some shields to be an idiot-proof button that always blocks an incoming attack? I understand the position, but I’m not sure I agree with or understand it. Dont All shields already have directional inputs? I know Vlandia’s Sargeants do, and they have big Heater shields. Is the issue that they don’t want to increase the angle/range for fear of making it too easy to get hit if you plug in the wrong directional input? Feel like that’s something that could be tweaked on/off in Options then. Or at the very least, perhaps making the upwards angle a little more extreme to assist with advancing up a ladder? Or maybe theres just something I’m not getting here.
 
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Most of the shields should behave like the sturgian ones, besides tower shields like the pavise.

It would be also convenient if there was a way to fix the hitboxes (feedback sent to them about it)

Here a test with a round sturgian shield:Here a shield provided with the modification shield use (freehand) +info here.
 
Something I didn't see mentioned in the thread, is that the hand-shields are center-grip shields, while the non-hand ones are arm-strapped shields. You can put an arm strapped shield over your head, but it should have a different animation for it.

Presently, when you raise them above your head, you're holding it in a center grip, which looks quite janky. I hope TW add in the animations, and allow you to pull strapped shields over your head soon. This workaround is good until then.
 
Something I didn't see mentioned in the thread, is that the hand-shields are center-grip shields, while the non-hand ones are arm-strapped shields. You can put an arm strapped shield over your head, but it should have a different animation for it.

Presently, when you raise them above your head, you're holding it in a center grip, which looks quite janky. I hope TW add in the animations, and allow you to pull strapped shields over your head soon. This workaround is good until then.

Actually, when this parameter is set, there's just a little bit of clipping on the straps. Sacrifice a little clipping (similar to what can come from the movement of a sword at the waist) for maneuverability; I sign it.

Moreover, my SP is being played this way. If anyone wants to try it out-----> tweak link
 
Yes, I admit it; I love fiddling with the parameters. This time I thought about mixing animations in an experimental way to obtain a hybrid blocking system (a Shield Equity 2.0 ? ):

L-PxU.jpg


The round Sturgian (Viking style) and Battanian (Germanic style) shields will continue to have the default manoeuvrability (Blue). On the other hand, all other shields using the default manoeuvrability system (Red)(kite, oval, no viking rounded, wicker square, etc...) will all be converted to the manoeuvrability of the hybrid system.


By pure necessity I created the mod; you can download it here:
 
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