Questions About Defense Tactics / Strategies of a Castle Under Siege
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We have all heard about sieging castles and cities. But, if I am a citizen of that castle, I would think we don’t just don’t sit around strengthening the walls. Moreover, I believe Von Clausewitz uses a ratio of 1:3 defense versus offense. That is, if 100 players are defending, then 300 attackers are an appropriate planning factor when aggressing a fortified position. Also, please consider that some modern doctrine states defense is only a temporary strategy.
If I were baron and had warning of a siege through my spies, there are many ways to undo a campaign to defeat me: 1) Observation posts, pickets, and skirmishers; 2) a significant mobile defense force to degrade opponents far in front of my castle, 3) traps, obstacles, and moats with snipers as overwatch, 4) harassing night raids, 5) scorched earth of surrounding areas denying resources to the oncoming enemy.
In my opinion, it will be significantly difficult to defeat a well defended castle to the point of near impossibility. Hence, I predict the programmers may have to nerf or handicap defenses. Again, from what I have read, we shall see sieges as I plan on being a defender of a castle in Alpha 1: Raid supply depots and burn down siege engines at night.
I have seen a lot of hype on sieges. But I haven’t seen detailed discussion on the awesomeness of a stalwart defense other than ‘hunkering down,’ starved, and bombed out. Please post any significant videos or articles about AOC castle or city defensive tactics (as an answer to the question marker). I’d like to know what tactics you would use if you were baron of your castle pending an approaching siege? Many thanks.
Comments
A way for the attacker to have a better chance of beating the defender in ashes would be to take outposts like farms which would give everyone in the city a debuff. The longer the time without farms the harsher the debuff the same could happen with wells. You could also send it raiders into the city in advance for the siege who would launch terror and sabotage campaign against food stocks or armoury so npc would be debuffed or destroy weapons like a ballista. the opportunities are endless
As for sieges and if they should be easy for the attacker, I say no. Taking a base should be a world-changing event, and it should be long and hard fought, I really could talk about the siege mechanic in the game all day ^^
As players and player characters are a resource, I see that as meaning that if the defenders have 100 players, the attackers could successfully siege the castle with 100 players.
A siege defense requires building up a node for a week and then defending that node in a small scale siege - three times in a row - followed by the siege of the castle proper.
If I am running a guild that has a castle, I'm going to pay very close attention to anyone raiding any caravans that relate to building up that first node, as that is the first thing a potential attacker would target.
If a group attacks one of these caravans, I'm going to go all hell on any caravans belonging to any of the offending guilds or any guilds known to be friendly towards them. If they are planning to attack me, I'm going to do what I can to cut off as many of their resources as I can.
After a week, if I still feel there is a chance of a siege (knowing full well that I still have three weeks until they can siege my castle) I'll declare a siege on any nodes that are important to their war machine. Even if I don't attack them all, they will need to defend them all - taking up precious time and resources.
If they try and fight this plan by declaring a siege on their own nodes in order to trigger the cooldown period, I'll start showing up to these sieges since anyone is able to join in on either side, and even the smallest nodes have a several day declaration period which is long enough to organize a rudimentary attack of a node that is not expecting an attack.
If I still feel like I am going to be sieged, I'll consider declaring a siege on a metropolis that is important to them, and aim to have it happen at the same time as their siege on my castle. Even if I don't show up to siege their metropolis, the fact that anyone can join in on this siege should make them realize they need to defend that metropolis.
All of this is in the build up to a siege - obviously.
Without actual details on the mechanics used in a siege, it's hard to say what specific tactics could be put in to play once it actually begins.
As @Noanni assumes, there is a disconnect between handicapping the defense and real world battle. The premise being, if you show up with a trebuchet hurling rocks at a castle with equal forces, you win. There should be a modicum of reality in-game. I think there is much more at play if the respective leaders can move subordinates to use initiative to stop opponents during their siege campaign. A simplistic formula of strength offense versus defense is a base line - Not the outcome. Thoughts? Cheers!
Until we have a detailed idea of what the actual mechanics and systems will be in regards to a siege, we don't know what is or isn't possible.
That said, I have no doubt there will be some tactics involved. A well organized defense of 50 players will no doubt be able to successfully defend against a disorganized ramble of 100.
I'd like it if the game allowed players to design the defenses of their own castles, but with the one castle preview we've seen, I'm not so sure that will be the case.
If we can't determine the placement of walls, then hopefully Intrepid will at least allow us to deploy traps, defensive siege weapons and such. While not opening things up to the same tactics or strategy as full wall defense placement, it will at least allow something.
I've not played a game that has what I would consider a "good" sieging system, and so I can't personally offer much in the way of what I would or would not want to see - at least not until Intrepid show us the beginnings of their system.
Leadership of the node is based off of the type of node, not who conquered it. Maybe good castles will be different but I haven't found as much about that.
I think it would be easier to raze/loot than to take over so to keep realism in tact we don't need to keep the 3-1 ratio.
Will siege equipment have one health bar or many for it's parts? Could an explosive arrow or fireball knock out a wheel and forever a siege engineer to replace it?
We will have ships, if youre a coastal city how many ships will you be keeping to counter an attack?
Castle ownership is up for grabs when a castle is sieged.