Why dont catapults work?

[stumped]

So I've stacked up 15 catapults outside an iroquois city with my chinese riders encamped in mountains ready to attack once I wear my enemy down, but bombardment after bombardment fails...I dont think it matters if catapults are "veteran" or not. Why are 9 out of 10 bombardments failing? Any one have any ideas?

Stumped

 

[Mrogreturns]

Originally posted by stumped
So I've stacked up 15 catapults outside an iroquois city with my chinese riders encamped in mountains ready to attack once I wear my enemy down, but bombardment after bombardment fails...I dont think it matters if catapults are "veteran" or not. Why are 9 out of 10 bombardments failing? Any one have any ideas?

Stumped

You mean 1 in 10 are actually doing something? Wow- you are having having a lucky streak

 

[Benderino]

Well, in the editor, their stats are just too low...you can fiddle around with them and raise stuff here and there to your heart's desire. Otherwise, Mrogreturns is right, 1/10 is a great job...in fact, I don't think I've ever seen them do any good. You sure seem "stumped". Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I hope this helps.

BTW, welcome to CFC.

 

[JamesL]

In my experience catapults are pretty useless. I don't usually bombard anything until I have cannons and then not very often. Bombardment doesn't become too useful until you have artillery and then it can be very successful if done properly.

 

[Catt]

Catapults are much more effective against units in the open field -- their low attack value means that they are not terribly useful against enemy cities / towns.

 

[warpstorm]

Catapults have an attack of 4. Most things they are likely to hit in a city have a defense of 16. Huge stacks will take down cities and hurt defenders.

 

[nalves]

Originally posted by warpstorm
Catapults have an attack of 4. Most things they are likely to hit in a city have a defense of 16. Huge stacks will take down cities and hurt defenders.

Yes but to build such a huge stack in ancient times is much expencive (GPT). You couldn't suport it ...

 

[WickedSmurf]

I never build catapults, those shields are put to better use elsewhere.

 

[timberwoolf]

Actually in civ I prefer using bombardment only on the enemy units, couse I don't like to destroy all mt enemy sity improvments before invaiding in...

It just don't warth it, when you atack with a tank an infantry in a suty usually the tank win or retreat.
So i better have an injured tank whether a destroyed sity.
I bombard only when there is a mechinfantry...

A catapult it's a real nonsense, I do remember that in civ 2 and one the comp had a lot of them but now playing PTW I don't think that I so even one catapult( probably becouse in PTW everyone have bombard).

Actully bobardment become important only in the modern time, but still not to much.

Couse the tanks are fuster and if you have a lot of them you wiill move quickly and won't wait for the artillery.
In the Industrial age cavalry moves 3 while cannons only one, so once again- you won't wait for them.

In fact catapults were used to crash enemy difensive...So I think they should destroy walls first+ any artillery and cannon should do the same...+ artillery and radar artillery should be able to destroy the building of your choise...

 

[Bozo Erectus]

In my experience, catapults are only useful for defending your cities. A couple of spearmen can hold off a huge stack of enemy units if theyre backed up by a few catapults. The catapults will alow the spearmen to last long enough to become elite, and then things get even easier. In addition, they arent resource dependent so as soon as you research Mathematics you can build them in any small city too far away to reinforce effectively. Also, catapults upgrade to cannon. I used to rely mostly on spearman/archer combos for defense until I discovered the wonders of catapults. So to sum up: theyre attack value is neglible, but for defending cities from stacks of enemy marauders, theyre worth every shield.

edit: almost forgot, the AI quickly "learns" that city X has catapults and will tend to stay away from it. One more reason catapults are good.

 

[WickedSmurf]

Bombardment units are way much better later in the game, starting with the artillery. I don't mind producing those, in fact, I usually have around 100 artillery units when I go to war. But catapults, no way, not even for defense.

 

[nalves]

Originally posted by WickedSmurf
I usually have around 100 artillery units when I go to war.

And when you attack, you have to fire one by one 100 times ... or there are another way like stack bombing...

 

[betazed]

As Catt mentioned above, artillery units are effective in different things in different ages. Cats are great for offensive-defense, i.e. attack units in open ground with cats, reduce their hps and then kill them with attack units like swords and horses. Cats are useless for attacking cities, but worth their weight in gold defending them.

Canons are similar in nature - but I rarely get to build them. By that time offensive units are much better than defensive units and most wars progress at such a fast pace that aritllery cannot keep up. {or maybe I have not learnt the use of cannons yet. }

Artillery on the other hand is a completely different animal. Artillery is great for attack. It is almost impossible to take down a city which is on a hill defended by infantry with Tanks. However, with a stack of 40 artillery units the job can be done with a minimal (if any loss).

radar artillery - I have no idea. I do not remember when my last game reached that stage

 

[stumped]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'll just stuff all these cats away and upgrade them when i get artillery. Just seems like if they're so useless, why have them?

 

[Nad]

I love catapults Great on defence, and great to weaken units in the open. In games such as always war, where you try to minimize casualties above all else, cat's are invaluable.

 

[Tassadar]

Defensive value against bombing is 16 for town,cities and metropolis. In Civ 3 1.07 it was 4, in 1.16 it was 8 and 16 from 1.17.

So it tell you that firaxis have increase this value through patch, i realy dont know why, its the dumbess change they made.

so i suggest to you, to lower back this value to 4. Your catapult will work about 50 % of the time. If you keep it at 16 then even bomber miss their bombing mission most of the time.