playing BI: onagers, ballistae, scorpions

[M E G A D E T H]

i've never used siege weapons in RTW but im thinking i may have to in the near future when dealing with the hordes.

i used them in a custom battle , and as far as i can tell, the onager is longest range and fires in an arc. the ballistae and scorpions have a flat trajectory so they can't shoot over your troops.

scorpians take very long to reload compared to the other 3.

i know onagers are good for taking down stone walls/towers, and ballistae are good for the gate, but besides using them in sieges, against enemy troops.. when should you use 1 over the other?

[gareeth]

it says in the description of each. Scorpions are better for troops if my memory is correct.

Early on when you are mainly fighting wooden walls the ballastia can easily punch a few extra holes in the wall but the huge benefit you miss by fighting without them is they can take out towers. So no more causulties because you ment no matter how you tell them to move decide to take a break for lunch under the towers on the wall.

Your guys are a bit dumb so even with three other ways in or so they may need reminding as they apporach the wall which way to go.

The other time you won't want to be without them is if you are laying siege and the guys inside decide to try to break it on turn one . Without a ballistaa or onager they think you will break the siege (well the AI has that in mind at harder level of difficulties in battle) With them you can attack as before. Even better you get the chance to decimate their army (or better since technically that is every tenth person. Before taking the city.

This can matter when the senate is being completely unreasonable. You wantt the city in question anyway but it's away from you usual base of operations and the cities taken their recentely get restless fast. If you had to build rams and sap points and towers before taking them you could lose the increasingly useless presents the senate hands out.

Srorpions are best for impaling guys. There arc is handy as the other two are vulnerable as the enemy heavy cavalry will go for them. You can use the ballista as bait that way if ytou have a stomach for the panic of virtual men.

One limitation is while they can be handy to have in fights outside of cities I can't recall right no if the scoprpion can move through woods. I know ballista can't and I don't think onagers can. Trying to be good as having just finished playing it is time to work. Or I would check.

You for sure should be making use of them from when you get them. I usually sail them to where they need to go with some other units so they mret the main army closer or their movement points would drive you insane.

Usually by the time you have them you will have a string of cities that can't build them yet between you and what you want .

When I use them I tend to let them fire until they are done so it is on the fastest speed . So the reload time isn't a bit consideration but they are not something I would go up against a city without once I can build them.

The cries of "we're under attack" by people who were meant to go way past the towers alone not happening would make them worthwhile.

[CHE]

I have used ballistae and scorpions in field battles at the end of my front melee line, firing when the enemy are in range... and then when the enemy melee units got into melee with my own melee units, I moved my ballistae and/or scorpions slightly forward, to fire from the enemy flanks all the way along their line to maximise enemy casualties.