In spring, I regularly get some appetite for AGEOD-games. I'd really like to continue to work on my ("small war and supply"-centered) mod for the 1741-scenario in Rise of Prussia. Unfortunately, there are still two big issues that prevent me from doing so: 1) intransparent siege-resolution (essential for this scenario), 2) local supply/foraging-resolution.
In this thread, I'd like to ask if someone could perhaps kindly explain in detail how siege works. As the engine is roughly the same for all games, with only the variables differing, I thought it would be best to post this question here in the general modding forum.
I guess it's a good start to post what is written in the ROP game files (ROP/GameData/Settings/Bombard&Blockade&Siege):
// ***** SIEGE *****
sieValueForSiegeBonus = 10 // How many Artillery Combat Pts needed to get a +1/-1 modifier to siege
sieOutcomeDiceRollSides = 15 // Sides of the Siege Outcome rolls / compared to TQ/Discipline
sieWagonDepotProtectChance = 95 // Chance that a non empty depot/wagon protects against surrender {increased from 50 => 80 March 11, 2010, then from 80 => 95 March 17, 2010}
baseProdCoefLocked = 25 // Percent of base supply when under siege with port unblocked
sieExtraModifier = 1 // Extra Modifier (positive: help the besieger)
sieSurrenderModEndangered = - 3 // If structure breached, lack of supply and weaker than besieger, get this penalty to surrender
Based on this, I've come up with an explanation that is most certainly wrong:
The besieger rolls a d15, and adds points to this roll according to:
1) leader and unit abilities (siege specialist, sappeurs, siege artillery, etc.), the exact amount of these boni are unknown to us players
2) the amount of artillery he can bring (+1 Siege point per 10 points artillery combat power - I guess that there's some kind of cap on this?)
3) & 4) According to the manual, there is also a bonus for having already made breaches (seems to be missing in the formula above), and if the defender is out of supply.
5) According to the formula above, the besieger gets an automatic bonus of +1
The besieged also rolls 1d15, and adds points according to:
1) amount of artillery combat power (as above)
2) special abilities (as above)
3) +1-3 points acoording to fortification level (- breaches already made!)
As described in the manual, the final siege values of besieged and besieger are then compared:
If the besiegers' value is lower than the value of the besieged, the besieged can repair a breach if there's one.
If the besiegers' value is greater than the value of the besieged, then the besieged suffer 5 hits per surplus siege point.
If the besiegers' value is greater by at least 3 points, then a breach is made (additionally to the hits inflicted).
If the difference between the besiegers' and the besieged value is greater (in favour of the besieger) than the average troop quality of the defernders (Discipline/Troop Quality in the element details), then the besieged surrender. If some conditions are met (see sieSurrenderModEndangered) there's an extra penatly for the besieged. If there's a non depleted supply wagon (or those general supply packages) present in the city, however, then there's only a 5% chance that the besieged surrender (if they don't, a breach is made).
I've been changing all kinds of factors last year, but I could only figure out as much to say that the description above is NOT how it works.
This is clear, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work this way. I've tested it by setting the sides of the dice from 15 to 1, to get rid of randomness for singling out the other factors. I've set the artillery Power-points needed for additional siege-resultion-points really high (500) so that no faction should get one. Then I've increased the "bonus for the attacker" step by step. I started at +7 and tested it out by besieging a level 2 fortress (without artillery, with artillery, with siege artillery). What can I say. At +100, the besiegers still didn't manage to inflict hits or cause a breach. I left the bonus for the besieger at 100 and increased the sides of the siege-dice from 1 to 30 and still the same result.
Is there perhaps anyone who can bring light into this once and for all?