What do you do with Great Generals?

Oerdin · November 19, 2009, 22:32

I find myself not putting them at the head of armies and instead telling them to join cities. In fact I will usually keep stacking them all in my unit producing city (which ever has high hammer production I will specialize by putting the heroic wonder in it, etc...). All of them keep joining the same city and sometimes I'll get four or even five in one city so that every unit produced in that city gets 6-10 experience as soon as they are made.

What do you folks do with Great Generals?

Ming · November 19, 2009, 23:29

My first is usually a Healer/melee unit. That early, a few extra experience points per unit is nice, but it's more a matter of the number of the units. After that, like you, my best production city becomes a military production city (not that other cities aren't cranking out military as well) It will usually get Heroic and West Point, as well as more generals in the future. However, I will build additional healer generals as my number of SoD's increase.

Later, I may also spare a few GG's for a costal city, so that I can build faster transports if I'm playing on a world where quick sea travel is needed.

Theben · November 20, 2009, 01:12

1st is usually in my Heroic Epic city b/c at that stage I'm probably not running Vassalage or Theocracy and I want to be able to build either CR II or Com I/Cover swordsmen. I try to get 2-3 in a given military city but not more than that, as the chance of building more than lvl 4 units is highly unlikely. One or 2 in a port city is good... adding a drydocks puts you in a good position to build COM 3 ships.

I'll want 1 or 2 Generals leading an army as healers and if I get a lot perhaps a military academy in a military city that's not HE or Ironworks.

That said, captured AI capitals will often have 1-5 settled GGs in them.

trev · November 20, 2009, 02:05

Generally all generals are settled in my capital where I build the HE and run beauracracy most of the game along with representation, particularly if I build the pyramids. Nearly all other great people are also settled here with cities generally biased towards generating engineers or prophets. This way I end up with a very high production city producing well promoted units.
In my current game units from my capital are built with 29 exp points and with a charismatic civ that is 6 promotions. Makes for a lot of very powerful armies, garrisoned infantry regularly see off tanks etc andwith a few wins under their belts I have a substantial number of units over 50 exp points winning battles comfortably against a more advanced AI.

rah · November 20, 2009, 09:19

One healer for each SOD, settle the rest in military cities. I'm with thebs on limiting the number for a city. But every now an then I'll pour them all into one city. And yes, AI caps with 5 GG, juicy.

Hauptman · November 20, 2009, 17:18

Depends on wich civ im playing, and thus how many will i get throught the game. Imperialistic types (double GG), and charismatic, I'll plop the first into my cap then the rest into my heroic epic city. By the end of the game those units come out shiney. Non special civs, usually spread 2 or 3 around to my most productive cities then start making generaled units.

However, with the Japanese, 98% of them will get attached to Samurai. I play jap games very diferent than any other civ. Its all about racing to Samies and then marching non stop with a super army until gunpowder. Conquest drives my economy. I've gotten general units with well over 200xp.

wodan11 · November 21, 2009, 06:36

Often depends on whether I'm planning to run Representation.

Second, is how I intend to make war. By spamming tons of units? Then settle is good. By technological superiority with few units? Then warlords are good.

Remember also that warlords keep XP as well as upgrade for free.

Sarco · November 21, 2009, 15:22

My first goes to a unit (if i had a bit of luck in the beginning, my woodsman III-warrior) and becomes a healer.

I used to settle more, but I'm changing to attaching in order to be more mobile on the attack.

Theben · November 21, 2009, 15:26

I've discovered it's better to have 2 separate units in a stack for the Woods III/Medic III combo. Only 10 exp required for the Woods unit and it increases its attack strength (thru 1st strikes) and only 10 or 17 for the Medic III general.

Oerdin · November 21, 2009, 21:42

Originally Posted by Sarco

My first goes to a unit (if i had a bit of luck in the beginning, my woodsman III-warrior) and becomes a healer.

I used to settle more, but I'm changing to attaching in order to be more mobile on the attack.

I've never really understood why people go for the woodsman upgrade. Yes, +20% woods or jungle defense sounds nice but human players always chop down virtually all the forests ASAP so what is the point?

Felch · November 21, 2009, 21:49

There's a healing bonus at the third level.

trev · November 21, 2009, 21:56

I think the decision what to do depends a lot on the type of map that is played. In sp games lately I play marathon pangaea huge maps, emperor level which tends to lead to long sustained wars right through to the spaceship era. I settle them in one city with HE etc so that I can build super units from scratch, currently I am building units with 35 exp points, so with 16 generals in the city, and the power of the modern armour now and mech infantry which I will tech for within several turns is beginning to overwhelm the opposition.
Generally being a little behind in tech in this game, it has been a real struggle at times, particularly the latest war which has been truly global, Willem declared on me with vassals, I had 4 vassals, later Liz joined against me with 1 vassal. After 200 turns of constant war, the power of my units is finally turning the corner, and I and my vassals now have a net gain of about 12 cities and rising steadily after initial losses of about a dozen cities, all of which have been regained. Alexander deserted Willem and now is my vassal too.
With smaller maps, and maps with more landmasses the benefits gained from settling GG's would be significantly less and other options for their use should be considered.

fed1943 · November 22, 2009, 06:21

Just one medic III healer, all others in HE city.

(My ideal healer is a chariot, the extra promotion to make it faster).

wodan11 · November 22, 2009, 08:17

Originally Posted by Oerdin

I've never really understood why people go for the woodsman upgrade. Yes, +20% woods or jungle defense sounds nice but human players always chop down virtually all the forests ASAP so what is the point?

I played one game where there was a bunch of forested hills between me and my enemies. It wasn't good territory for a city... no resources and no water. And I didn't feel like invading (was doing a "builder" type strategy).

The hills and woods promos were terrific. I was amazed at how well I could fight while the enemy just floundered.

Ming · November 24, 2009, 20:11

Originally Posted by Oerdin

I've never really understood why people go for the woodsman upgrade. Yes, +20% woods or jungle defense sounds nice but human players always chop down virtually all the forests ASAP so what is the point?

I love going the woodsman path with my initial unit if it's a warrior. Once it gets to WoodsII, it can start moving 2 squares through jungle and woods, making it a faster explorer. Then with any kind of luck, if you can get him to WoodsIII, you have your first good healer to go with your first SoD. Otherwise, yeah, I'm not a big fan of giving it to units.

Plus, they become deadly early in MP games. If the human player isn't paying attention, you can strike unmanned cities from the angle on a single turn if there are woods or jungles. I've seen people eliminated early because of this one...

rah · November 25, 2009, 09:06

Originally Posted by Ming

I
Plus, they become deadly early in MP games. If the human player isn't paying attention, you can strike unmanned cities from the angle on a single turn if there are woods or jungles. I've seen people eliminated early because of this one...

I wasn't paying attention once.

-Jrabbit · November 25, 2009, 10:02

Snoop took me out that way once. I sent my lone unit out from my cap to stop his annoying warrior from trashing my road. Didn't notice the double-movement promotion on the unit and suddenly I was out of the game. That was a fun night.

One_more_turn · November 29, 2009, 01:54

Warlords in early era, settle in later times.

Having 3-4 city busting warlords who can keep experiences and have free upgrades is very useful.

But in later games where increasing number of units makes each warlord less significant, settling GG becomes more attractive.

Ming · November 30, 2009, 12:36

Yeah... it's nice to have some of those city bustin warlords, but unless you don't use them, or like to reset

, they do die. After my first healer, I like to just settle them in a single or few key cities that will be cranking out the units. Later on, I'll do some more generals as needed, and won't feel so bad when they don't beat the odds.
I've seen generals lose those 99% combats, and I always wonder how some people "get Lucky enough" to see their generals eventually get every promotion in the book.

-Jrabbit · November 30, 2009, 14:08

Here's what I've been doing lately:

Super-healer first. After that, it's situational. But I'm starting to like settling them, especially if I'm Aggressive, Protective or Imperialist. Lets me choose promotions based on evolving game situations, so my army is tooled up for the dominant unit type of my next victim.

Also, I hate losing my GG units, and I seem to have a gift for that.

Blaupanzer · November 30, 2009, 15:20

Use one for the unit that permits HE and WP and another for the healer if the first isn't that. All else settle, 5 in the HE/WP city so that 5 Military Instructors = 10 EXP +4 for WP +3 from Barracks = 17 total EXP and thus 4 promos. After that, one to three settled generals in the other high production cities. (One + barracks gives 5 EXP to all new units which is two promos, three gives +6 for mounted units which is 3 promos for horse in city w/stable. A Char leader modifies the numbers per city anf overall general distribution.

rah · November 30, 2009, 15:24

In an MP game the other day, I eliminated a civ (not an early rush) and didn't get a GG. That was the first time I ever did that. I was disappointed, especially when I checked the war screen and saw that I was one point short.

Theben · December 1, 2009, 00:39

Port cities are great destinations for settled GGs. With the WP and a drydocks you only need a few settled generals to build COM 3 + Blitz warships. Always a bargain.

Ming · December 1, 2009, 00:55

Great for fast moving transports and carriers too

brandonjm8 · December 1, 2009, 05:06

dont you love a great locale for your capital on the coast with the most hammers then build your HE their, lol.

rah · December 1, 2009, 09:22

For my cap, I usually go a different way with my 2 national wonders.

Theben · December 1, 2009, 09:28

Cap normally gets NE and Oxford.

rah · December 1, 2009, 09:31

Usually my combo also. Unless I have another better GP farm and got one of the early religions founded in my cap, and then wall street may replace NE.

brandonjm8 · December 1, 2009, 17:43

Originally Posted by rah

Usually my combo also. Unless I have another better GP farm and got one of the early religions founded in my cap, and then wall street may replace NE.

for most of my games i usually get more than one religion, if not WS and OX would go in my cap but if i get more than one religion and my cap's on the coast, HE and WP go into my cap for ground and naval units while my other holy city gets WS and OX, or if i have a huge inland city that will support alot of specialists that one will get my WS and OX.

trev · December 2, 2009, 08:13

Always HE in capital, I often run Beaucracy for the game game, so with most hammers, it gives me most military units, likewise settle all engineers and prophets and most other Great People there along with Generals, so the Beaucracy civic complements well with HE etc. Other building will be Maoa Statute if near sea, otherwise may not get 2nd wonder in capital.