Just an idea pops up to my brain. I think the Siege Tower firing arrows is wished by many people, but people also worry about the overpowered attack ability.
The Mule Cart means that a movable building is possible. So if the Siege Tower is be a movable building creatable in the Siege workshop, it can fire arrows “only when garrisoned by archer units”. And then, perhaps we can make it’s DPS be specially 50% or even lower instead of 100% of the garrisoning units as usual. So if you want to fight, you should let your archers volley at outside rather than inside the Siege tower; If you want to protect your archers, you can put them into the Siege tower and its arrow-firing ability would be just kind of little icing on the cake, not a main power for pushing.
I agree with this idea. The idea of the siege tower in history was to bring attackers up to the level of walls so they could fire down at defenders. Once the wall was somewhat cleared they could drop soldiers on the top of them.
The original Forgotten Empires version of the Siege Tower fired arrows. That was its only purpose. However, I’d say it’s more useful than what it currently does.
When coming up with a new unique tech for my Khazars civ, Balanjar Wagon Fort, one of the effects I debated giving to it was causing Siege Towers garrisoned with ranged units to fire arrows. I didn’t end up doing that, but it’s an interesting idea that a future civ can get someday.
A time ago I tried a strat around the siege tower for Arena. Not really a succesfull one, but i find the siege tower behavior surprisingly usefull.
Instead of garrisone units and then unload them throug the wall I just placed the tower in the wall and then order units to garrisone in tower. If the tower is “attacking” a wall, then the units pass through the wall instead of stay garrisoned. Same with military buildings’ rally points.
This is good, but the bad part is that units in the inner side of the wall tend to block the pass and then units out the walls start to stay inside the towers.
Taking this behavior in count I suggest this changes (all of them):
Siege tower no longer has the ability of garrisoning units.
Bye to meme taxi siege towers
Siege tower has deployed and undeployed states (just like trebuchet, packed and unpacked). When you order to “attack” a wall, the siege tower goes to the wall and start to deploy (same as trebs but next to wall). Units commanded to “garrisone” in deployed tower jump the wall like nowdays and go to the rally point*
Reduced the micro needed
Undeployed Siege Tower (packed): Same stats as now. No attack.
Could have very low LOS
Deployed (unpacked): Gain more melee armor. Can’t move but shoots arrows (3 damage, 5 range no affected by BS upgrades like TCs).
The idea of its very low attack is just give the chance of counter the re-walling behind the walls. You will not kill any vil with 3 attack but at least will delay the second wall. 5 range is enough to denay any building, forcing the opponent to wall further away and let an space behind the wall to deploy troops
*Deployed ST gains rally point feature.
Really needed to make the ST use more dynamic and avoid the pass blocking
Siege Tower only can be deployed by “attacking” a wall
This mean that undeployed ST has not the “unpack” button and deployed ST has only the “pack” button.
This is to avoid possible exploits like Siege towers behind woodlines
Or we can make a new siege unit to completely replace siege towers? Leave siege towers to be editor unit and allow it to shoot arrows. Make new siege like springald or cheiroballista
I think the Flamethrower can get a reskin so it looks generic instead of Chinese and can be added to the Siege Workshop. Perhaps the Byzantine bonus and Greek Fire can apply to it.
In it current state, I don’t think the tower deserve that 160 gold cost, since after dropping their cargo, they are more like a glorified rams for tanking arrow, but making them able to shoot arrow might even mess up the ai when they target the wall. For me their use right now is as a bus for Mongol pikes or Teutonic Knight.
I think it’s fine, since its strength would be limited.
Um… I think something like springalds cannot make people cross walls. You cannot replace the Siege Tower with them.
No, personally. They have a Chinese style look exactly because they are aimed to be a potential second UU for the Chinese, or at least to be a untrainable unit that serving the Chinese campaigns and scenarios. Nothing more for the Byzantines if the Greek Fire cannot enable the Fire Tower rather than make the Bombard Tower act a fake Fire Tower.
But anyway this is off topic.
The Siege Tower could simply have a gathering point without be changed to be unable to garrisoned and have to pack/unpack. Like my original post said the Siege Tower can be a movable building, which should allow it to get the function of setting a gathering point.
We already have CA when you want a fast moving arrowfire unit.
I think Siege towers would be much better when they could be constructed by units (like the militia line) and also could bridge 2 tiles in both directions.
No. Only infantry can make the Siege Tower move fast, not archers.
If the archers are able to do so currently, I would make it unable in the changes I proposed.
I just would hate see siege taxi towers making hit and run. This is why a prefer the pack/unpack mechanic, and only deployable next to walls. However, make it a movable building could help to selection units issues, and non desearable movement of the tower.