What do you do with a Great General?

[Cort Haus]

Discuss.

[Ming]

Unless I'm playing the warlord strategy ...

I usually use my first GG for a super healer and to unlock HE. After that, I usually place them in my HE city. I'll add super healers as my attacking SOD's increase.

But after playing the warlord strategy, I may change my thinking on this

[Dubhghlas]

Unless I'm playing the warlord strategy ...

I usually use my first GG for a super healer and to unlock HE. After that, I usually place them in my HE city. I'll add super healers as my attacking SOD's increase.

But after playing the warlord strategy, I may change my thinking on this

As a help to those who may be new to the game, thanks to the Steam sale over Christmas, could you translate that post into English?

[Ming]

Unless I'm playing the warlord strategy ...

A style of play a few of us are trying at the moment. You create a stack of "killer" units, mostly units that have had Great Generals attached to them. Your goal is to create as many great generals as you can and have a stack that can do more but with not as many units as usually needed.

I usually use my first GG (Great General) for a super healer (a unit that use a GG on and give him the heal 3 promotion that is only available to Great Generals - You keep him with your big stack when you attack so it heals the stack faster and allows you to keep moving on the offensive) and to unlock HE. (Heroic Epic - a wonder that doubles production for building units in a single city - you can't build it until you have a unit with enough promotions) After that, I usually place them in my HE city. I'll add super healers as my attacking SOD's increase.

But after playing the warlord strategy, I may change my thinking on this

In playing the warlord strategy, creating the killer units is fun, and I may do it more than I used to do.
However, I like placing my Great Generals in a city so that the city can crank out units with a lot of promotions to start with.

Does that help

[Dubhghlas]

Much more likely to be understood by someone who hasn't been playing the game since its inception, like you and I, yes.

[Ming]

We usually don't get much new blood around here so most of us talk civ shorthand

[Theben]

GG= Great General

super healer= Unit with Medic III and/or Woodsman III promotions.

HE= Heroic Epic

SOD's= Stack of Doom, aka a large stack of units of a mixed type capable of defending against just about anything you can throw at it... normally has several units designed for capturing cities also.

[Boracks]

What do you do with a Great General?
Discuss.

First GG becomes a medic III (leadership, morale next)

Next three become instructors, a coastal city that will provide army and naval units if possible

After that, depends on situation, phase of the moon, colour of socks...

[Brael]

Why three instructors?

[brandonjm8]

drydocks give +4 exp and three instructors give +6 exp for a total of 10 for 3 promos, makes sense.

[Theben]

MY guess would be that he either builds mainly stabled units out of it, or later ships with a drydock, OR that he runs vassalage or theocracy a lot. To get lvl 4 units.

Btw if you're low on healers but have a lot of units AND have AGG or PRO triat it might be better to attach your GG to TWO units... which would allow you to promote 1 to Woodsman III and the other to Medic III.

[Brael]

Whoops, double post

[Brael]

Well, 3 generals and vassalage+theocracy is a level 4 ship. A drydocks would make it 10-14 exp depending on civics, the pentagon 12-16 exp. Since he mentioned a coastal city I'm sure some of it is going to ships, I'm just curious on his reasoning. The city would obviously be a great shipyard, but there's multiple ways to go about it depending on civics, an academy, west point, moai, heroic epic, ironworks, etc placements.

I'm curious in his reasoning more so than the benefits.

Btw, nothing says you can't have medic 3 and woodsman 3. For an aggressive civ you can do it with a level 7 unit. That's only 37 exp. You can have 10 off of barbs or an easy 6 off of barracks+civics, let it fight to 17, then attach the warlord. Instant 37. Technically it only has to win 7 non barb fights. If you're charismatic instead of aggressive you need to goto 37 as well.

[rah]

The extra promotions for ships are nice. You can promote the transports and carriers with extra movement to keep up with your other ships and give your escorts more combat related promotions. It's a bonus when you military city is on the coast since it provides more flexibility. Early in the game you really don't build that many ships but eventually you will.

[brandonjm8]

i dont even like building frigates/ships of the line til i can build drydocks for that reason, nothing like upgrading a frigate to destroyer with no promos unless your running vassalage/theocracy but once i get those built i will start amassing my navy at least with galleons which dont cost much to upgrade to transports.

[rah]

For me the upgrade cost to destroyers is so high that unless it was a privateer that had sucked the enemy caravel teet and has tons of promotions, I find it better not to upgrade.

[brandonjm8]

i dont even like upgrading privateers since they are the only naval unit that is hidden nationality, now they are very weak late game but you can still plunder trade routes for extra gold and to slow down your rivals. stacking them with your ships (destroyers ect) can keep them alive longer. but i hear ya on the upgrading, frigates/SOTL cost 500+ gold each to upgrade, usually i upgrade them all since they all usually have promos and some of my frigates/SOTL get to lvl 4 prior to getting combustion.

[rah]

Once frigate are avail, privateers don't last long. Stacking with your units doesn't not provide them any protection.

[Ming]

If you are at war with the person attacking, stacking does help. But if you aren't at war, a friendly neighbors frigate can walk up to your stack of ships (destroyers, SOL, Frigates) and just target the privateers since they are fair game.

[rah]

I was assuming at peace. Otherwise you don't need the privateer because you can use your regular units.

[Boracks]

I have found 3 GG in a city gives me a good shot at units with at least 3 promotions. And, as mentioned, depending on buildings (shipyard, stable), civics and traits, getting out with 4 promotions is quite doable.

Three just seems to give me most flexibility without putting all in one spot.

And i do like a few privateers to promote to destroyers, since privateers start with the extra range on visibility. Means you get destroyers that can look into ports even if borders are pushed out and not open.

[Ming]

If I get some super privateers, Ill promote them. But at 350 or so a crack, it's an expensive proposition. So visibility alone isn't enough, since a new two promotion ship can get visibility.

[brandonjm8]

I have found 3 GG in a city gives me a good shot at units with at least 3 promotions. And, as mentioned, depending on buildings (shipyard, stable), civics and traits, getting out with 4 promotions is quite doable.

Three just seems to give me most flexibility without putting all in one spot.

And i do like a few privateers to promote to destroyers, since privateers start with the extra range on visibility. Means you get destroyers that can look into ports even if borders are pushed out and not open.

with WP and barracks and 5 GG's (or 4 w/ vassalage or theo) gives ground units 17 exp, thats 4 promos.

WP and drydocks with same is 18 exp for 4 promos on your ships.

same thing with airports if you wanted, and if you get the pentagon you wont need that 5th or 4th GG to get lvl 4 units .

one game i had like 7 or 8 GG's and barracks/drydocks with pentagon and WP in my capital running vassalge and theo making super strong lvl 6 units, it was awesome, that game didnt last long.

[wodan11]

I often use a GG to assign a Warlord to my highest privateer unit. That makes the upgrade free (and I totally agree that upgrading to destroyers is usually a suboptimal decision vs simply building anew) and also gives me a 70+XP destroyer out of the gate.

[Theben]

Last night I lost a GG at 95.6% success rate, so add me to the group angry conquerors...

[Ming]

95.6%, what do you expect. You are going to lose roughly 1 out of 20 combats at those odds. I hate when you lose the 99.9% ones

[Theben]

What kills me is that I had that gut feeling that said, "wait for better odds, don't do it", but went ahead anyway.

[Brael]

I often use a GG to assign a Warlord to my highest privateer unit. That makes the upgrade free (and I totally agree that upgrading to destroyers is usually a suboptimal decision vs simply building anew) and also gives me a 70+XP destroyer out of the gate.

Do you get much use out of that destroyer? I avoid naval combat in civ like the plague. I find it to be absolutely devoid of the rock/paper/scissors stuff that makes land combat so good.

[Theben]

Com3 + Blitz warships are very nice. Tend to clean up the oceans in a short period of time.

[wodan11]

Do you get much use out of that destroyer? I avoid naval combat in civ like the plague. I find it to be absolutely devoid of the rock/paper/scissors stuff that makes land combat so good.

Try mods Legends of Revolution or WolfRevolutions (I'd suggest the latter in particular for the issue you mention). If you don't like the Revolutions aspect you can turn it off on the custom game screen and just be left with the extra naval units etc.