Above: The Catapult in action.

The Catapult, the lowest stage of the unit chain that also includes the Onager and Siege Onager, is the first siege unit that you can build. It is unique in that its attack can bypass most walls, rendering cities protected by static defenses vulnerable. It is buildable from the Siege Shop in Era 2.

The Catapult is modeled in 13 frames of animation, with a complete texture set and 140 polygons.

Vital Statistics:

Health: 400

Range: 160 pixels (10 map squares)

Damage: 100 Crush

Armor:

<P> 90

<S> 40

<C> 20

<F> 20

Move Speed: 0.03 map squares per second

Creation Time: 1:00 (1 minute flat)

Creation Cost: Undetermined.

Strategy notes:

Using this unit: The Catapult is an essential part of any siege, but MUST be adequately protected. A defensive volley of fire arrows will render it worthless, as will a sortie of cavalry or some anti-siege. Reccommend surrounding your Catapults with mantelets and/or pikemen, with backup ballista if possible.

Defending against this unit: Any city that comes under siege by Catapults must be well-prepared to defend against them. If you have fire weapons, use them - wooden siege weapons are extremely vulnerable to fire. Other useful defenses include light cavalry to conduct raids on besieging forces, and wall-mounted Ballista to crush the siege weapons of the enemy.