1: Change ballista ammunition type to a non stackable item called "Rack of bolts" that isnt type:bolt. Additional change to its firing script would then allow you to load multiple "Rack of Bolts" into the ballistae in one go, and then each time you fire it, it uses up one of the "rack of bolt" items in it's inventory.

This saves opening PC inventory each time to "reload", gets rid of the "stack splitting" for bolt types from 99, and makes it so that ballista are pre set racks of bolts that slot into place in one go to fire it, not time consuming reloads.

2: Catapult aiming. Have a catapult aiming widget which allows you to target a certain ground area for the catapult. Upon firing it, the catapult aims at roughly that position, with a certain randomness and lands as close as the random effect determines.

If each catapult had a way of knowing who had the aiming widget, you could put the catapults in the gate courtyard, and have someone play "spotter" who targets the floor, and a "firer" who fires the catapult via the lever.

This may also allow further ranged targeting with catapults if the spotter scouts out ahead and marks a position. I spoken command could mark the spot, or an item use, depending. If it was spoken, scouts could do it in stealth.

3: keep ballista away from the edges of walls because the aiming pc needs to be close to it, but able to see over the edge of the wall

4: make it so ballistae cant shoot friendlies who are not infront of them. I've noticed they have a tendancy to shoot friendlies if it's "get next Thing" cycles onto a PC. Not sure how to adjust the targeting method to avoid this.

5: Add animation to catapult firing. I couldnt tell when i'd fired the catapult whether it Had fired, until I saw a flamestrike animation in the distance. Perhaps a sound burst expanding radial animation will do.

Thrawn Note: I apologise on editing this. Hit edit instead of quote, and ended up deleting part of the post. Not sure what kind of animation you are looking for. The catapult arm animation isn't bioware, and requires a hak.

Agreed totally, except there is animation already.

Fine fine, scratch that one.

I loathe widgets. If you want to play a siege engineer, get used to handling catapults!

Then can we remove the widget from the ballista then?

I still find it's current reloading technique so sluggish that, using it as quickly as I can, attacking is safer/as efficient.

I'd just suggest "Tracer Rounds" a burst that won't cause damage on a hit, but lights up the area it'll effect with a pillar of light momentarily. Sometimes its hard to tell where the target hit.

They actually exist as an arrow type. I invented them a while ago called Light Arrows. On Hit: Light. You could probably add script to them to make them have that purpose, that would be dandy. Or use them in combination with the catapult to aim it.

I've only done it once, but I thought the tediousness of aiming the catapult wasd cool! That's what it's really like :P

1: Change ballista ammunition type to a non stackable item called "Rack of bolts" that isnt type:bolt. Additional change to its firing script would then allow you to load multiple "Rack of Bolts" into the ballistae in one go, and then each time you fire it, it uses up one of the "rack of bolt" items in it's inventory.

This saves opening PC inventory each time to "reload", gets rid of the "stack splitting" for bolt types from 99, and makes it so that ballista are pre set racks of bolts that slot into place in one go to fire it, not time consuming reloads.

The reason we changed ballista to only load 25 bolts, and then need another reload was to make it a slow manual process. It only works if you are attentive, so you can't just sit and fight while the ballista fires away. It was too strong before we put the limit on it, so multiple stacks at once is out. We used to load 99 at a shot, but a ballista firing 99 at once was harsh.

2: Catapult aiming. Have a catapult aiming widget which allows you to target a certain ground area for the catapult. Upon firing it, the catapult aims at roughly that position, with a certain randomness and lands as close as the random effect determines.

Catapults are hard to aim, true. We don't want them easy to aim. The point is that experience and knowing your environment makes them more useful. I need to look at how aiming is happening to make sure it's working as it is supposed to. If you have craft trap skill, it's easier than without.

If each catapult had a way of knowing who had the aiming widget, you could put the catapults in the gate courtyard, and have someone play "spotter" who targets the floor, and a "firer" who fires the catapult via the lever.

Spotters would be very abusable, and not very realistic. It's not like we have radios to call coordinates to the firer.

This may also allow further ranged targeting with catapults if the spotter scouts out ahead and marks a position. I spoken command could mark the spot, or an item use, depending. If it was spoken, scouts could do it in stealth.

Right now for long range battles, spotters need to go out and come back to tell whether firing is short or not. I think this is more realistic. I actually have a couple @ mapsthat are set up specifically for long range catapult battles.

3: keep ballista away from the edges of walls because the aiming pc needs to be close to it, but able to see over the edge of the wall

This one we can check if you have specific one with the problem.

4: make it so ballistae cant shoot friendlies who are not infront of them. I've noticed they have a tendancy to shoot friendlies if it's "get next Thing" cycles onto a PC. Not sure how to adjust the targeting method to avoid this.

Probably really hard to change. Don't shoot at things close by would be my recommendation. It fires at things in a certain radius of the target.

5: Add animation to catapult firing. I couldnt tell when i'd fired the catapult whether it Had fired, until I saw a flamestrike animation in the distance. Perhaps a sound burst expanding radial animation will do.

Not sure what kind of animation you are looking for. The catapult arm animation isn't bioware, and requires a hak.

First time I ran into these was in the save the ruined stair quest and I was totally confused which was appropriate since my character had never seen such a thing before. I actually ended up with a catapult aiming trigger in my inventory after the quest..I can't seem to get rid of it either not sure what I should do with it. That is another subject though it might be helpful if there was a place to practice IC using these since if instructions on how to use them were just given in the forums that wouldn't realisticly be knowledge that any one would have.

I'm 90% sure that you have catapult instructions that load automatically in your journal.

I'm considering adding in more detailed instructions that will only load for people with X ammount of craft trap skill, although I haven't decided on ranks of X. Probably a minimum of 5.