Yeah I think ladders played a pretty significant role though, we didn't have large enough ones. There were spots that if we could get ladders to, we wouldn't have to worry about them going down because the defenders couldn't reach them unless they wasted a ladder themselves.
The overall killer for the battle though was really the terrain around the walls, it was entirely too steep. You'd put a ladder up, and it would appear to be a good one, but by the time the game figured out the incline of the ladder you just put up, it would not let you up (which is funny because ladders are meant to climb, and not just used as ramps).
Oh well, back to the drawing board!