Slings

In history, holders such as the catapult holders currently in ME were almost never used. They were much, much less powerful than a sling (which, contrary to popular belief, was not just used for trebuchets). Slings were used in everything from trebuchets, to ballistae, to onagers (a "regular catapult"). Unless Keen wants to completely throw realism out the window, slings have to be added to the game-- they also allow for significantly more powerful designs. Below is a diagram of how they work:

As the trebuchet or onager arm lifts, the top string rises up the finger due to centripetal force. Once the ring of that string reaches the top, it is released:


This same design was frequently used for other siege engines as well, not just the trebuchet:


So, in short: this is a necessary mechanic-- for all engines, not just trebuchets.

 

If a specialized feature is added, it must support any kind of projectiles, not just [Standard rock projectile object]

I want to be able to launch anything with a trebuchet, not just rocks.


We already can connect the projectile with the catapult arm using rope.

All that is missing is a controlled way of cutting the rope at the right moment.


For that we will probably get different types of rope ends, like the hook one that basically cuts the rope if it goes in a certain direction. Would be nice to have other types as well, like a rope end that cuts the rope in all but one direction, or a rope end that cuts the rope if theres too much tension etc.


(You can already make a system that releases the rope at some point by not connecting it directly to the catapult arm, but making a small pit to place the rope end in without actually attaching it to anything, but these systems end up launching the rope and the rope end together with the projectile which isnt very nice)

 

Yes, it does not need to be an exact replica. I'm fine if it's simply a process of having some way to cut the rope at the right time. But a sling can hold any object, not just a rock.

 

Slings :|

A cloth renderer holding a variable object, attached via a rope to a moving grid. That's going to go down well.

 

It could really just be a fancy graphic. But anyways, it doesn't actually have to be a real sling, it can be like waterlimon said, just attaching the rope to an object and having it release at the right time.

 

I'd say something like what watermelon suggested would be the best solution. Because any kind of graphic designed to hold variable objects will suffer from clipping issues unless it itself is variable.

 

Brilliant idea! I love it!

Imagine throwing cows into your opponent's castle on a siege. Or chickens... Or yourself for that matter.

On a more serious note, I really think it is a good idea. The mechanics of the sling is irreplaceable for that era.

 

I think the best solution is to have a breaking angle on a specialized rope end. So, when the rope gets directly above that rope end, it releases. It would work exactly like a real trebuchet.