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Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Fri May 30, 2025 7:24 pm
by pavelczv
Why can a trebuchet shoot over friendly units directly in front of it but bombards can not, where is it determined in the files?
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 6:19 am
by rbodleyscott
pavelczv wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 7:24 pm
Why can a trebuchet shoot over friendly units directly in front of it but bombards can not
Because trebuchets fire in a high arc, whereas bombards fire in a much flatter arc.
where is it determined in the files?
In FUNCTION CheckRouteForBlockingUnit(me, checkTerrain) in CombatTools.BSF
Code: Select all
if ((IsArtillery(me) == 1) || (IsArtilleryWagon(me) == 1)) // vM1.2.0 change: Artillery - Non-Gunpowder artillery or artillery wagons can always shoot overhead, Gunpowder artillery and artillery wagons only from higher ground.
{
if (GetAttrib(me, "Gunpowder") == 0)
{
ret = 0;
}
else
{
if (shooter_height > blocker_height)
{
ret = 0;
}
}
}
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 1:03 pm
by Athos1660
Moreover, the projectiles of the gunpowder artillery are fired from a lower height :
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 5:22 pm
by pavelczv
Thank you.
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 5:54 pm
by Athos1660
It seems that this kind of bombards (called 'bombardes-mortiers' in French) that indeed enabled curved shots (that is indirect fire) were used as defensive weapons inside besieged fortresses (to fire over walls), unlike the kind of bombards I posted above (called 'bombardes-canons' made for direct fire) that seemed to have been used as offensive siege weapons (to destroy walls) and on battlefields. See e.g. in French here
an example of bombarde-mortier from late 15th century. This bombard weighs 3,325 metric tons !
I am not a specialist though. (I would welcome any well-researched and documented summary about medieval artillery.)
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2025 5:46 am
by rbodleyscott
As far as I know bombard-mortars did not come in till the late 15th century, and then not in field battles.
Re: Non LOS Artillery modding
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2025 10:46 am
by Athos1660
For example, Robert III de La Marck, Marshal of France and historian, who fought at the battle of Pavia (1525) blames King François 1 about tactical mistakes during this battle :
« Le Roy, voyant qu’il estoyent repoulssez, fit advancer la gensdarmerie de l’advant garde devant l’artillerie, tellement qu’elle ne povoit plus tirer »
meaning :
« The King, seeing that the enemy was repelled, made his MAA move in front of the French artillery, which prevented it from keeping on firing. »
Whether or not this accusation is accurate, it tells something about artilery LOS during pitched battles at the start of the XVIth century.