Lock Catch Block as Trigger Mechanism

I feel like using lock catch blocks to release our catapults makes more sense than simply severing the rope. The way I see it, this would simply require that rope drums be allowed to spin fast enough to let out slack quickly. Alternatively, if rope drums cannot spin fast enough due to in game physics, perhaps the catapult arms can be allowed to yank out as much rope as they can/need, as fast as possible, and simply let the rope drum spin as fast as it can handle in order to catch up.

 

I thought this was the way they are supposed to work, as a trigger release. The 'lock' is one way on the ratchet teeth, by lifting the lever you would be releasing tension and the catch block should spool out. There is no sense in having a 'lock out' catch block - simply don't turn things you don't want to move.

 

Locking is useful, whenever you want to make an elevator that can go up without going down as soon as you release.
In real life, no matter how fast you can make the rope drum spin, there always will be some friction to the rope, and in medieval engineers, the rope as to "know" when to expand(when the rope is strecthed at its current maximum), and this can't be instantaneous resulting in the same effect: this is hard to code.

IMO, this is so much more badass to cut a rope with a gladius and I don't they're gonna be much expensive in survival...
But that leads me to the point where we could have a "trebuchet like releasing mechanism block" like so:

 

Indeed the fast spinning rope would be too much tension and not authentic. Just built two catchblocks at the arm of your catapult, pulling back, log the second catchblock and reverse the ropedrum. That's the way the Romans did it ;-)

 

Well, first of all, it seems that real world catapults would spool out as described, as can be seen in this illustration of a Roman onager:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onager_%28siege_weapon%29#/media/File:Roman_Onager.jpg

Secondly, allowing this as a trigger mechanism would make designs more workable. For instance, one of my ongoing ballista attempts keeps the projectile guide centered by using two evenly spaced rope drums. It is not possible to have a perfectly centered force pulling back on this ballista using only one drum. As it stands, then, it is impossible to fire this contraption properly, as I cannot release both ropes at once. It would be more realistic and more practical to use the lock mechanism as a trigger.

I don't really know what would be difficult about coding this, to be honest. It simply would be a matter of allowing the rope drum only to rotate as fast as it can without bugging out and destroying its mounting. I wouldn't trust the physics engine otherwise. Why not just make a rope drum some privileged sort of mechanism, where the rope behaves exactly as the in-game physics would dictate, but the rotation of the drum itself, as an individual object, would be limited simply to avoid causing unnecessary damage. Unless the physics can be further refined, I see this as the only viable option.

 

The Loop/Pin trigger design that Ninjaturkey posted above is a feasible trigger. However this type of trigger under heavy load can be difficult to release and also can have a dangerous backlash from the kinetic energy upon release of the pin and could kill the pin puller(s). The "Centre Trigger" is a far superior mechanism that doesn't have either of these problems.

More importantly than all the technical crap... This would be far easier to animate in game as it only needs one part to spin.

 

As this might easily allow multiple ropes to be attached to one point and released simultaneously, I could see that as a viable option.