Barbs ?!? Run away, run -very- far away!

[Makahlua]

See, I thought this barb city was going to be a cake walk after I saw they were still on longbows, so I landed a few rifles and a cannon and brought a frigate along. On landing turn, the barbs were still 2 longbows, one spear. Next turn? I get this (and look at the harbor cloesly for something -really- interesting. )

Yeah. I think I'll be giving the fellas a wide berth for awhile.... And don't get me started on the, uh, ...' fun' I'm having with some American barb cites in the Earth 1000AD scenario (that's what I get for playing the aztecs ... )

PS : Nice job Firaxis

[Gramphos]

You should take care of the barbarians early on you know. Not let them get rifles.

[ashbery]

A taliban type civ.

[LordShiva]

Barbs build wonders?

[Makahlua]

@ Gramphos - that's the breaks of Terra maps for you! ...Probably stole the rifles while my men were sleeping...

@LShiva : Apparently, yes And only if they get left alone long enough to build a nice city like that - my Spanish game yesterday, I quashed 2 barb cities before they got out of hand like this one. The 'other side of the ocean' thing is the only reason these guys got that far..

[NickF]

Did you use the cannon to bombard their fortifications before attempting to send in the rifles?

[Solver]

If you let the Barbarians keep a city for long enough, it will grow into a nice city with the land around it improved, and nice productivity.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Gramphos
You should take care of the barbarians early on you know.

Easier said than done!!

I won a couple of Chieftain games handily, so thought I'd try Emperor, to see how it differed from the other games

Apart from the usual penalties (slower growth, slower tech, more expensive builds), the biggest problem (and the resulting somewhat boring game) was the barbarians.

Here's my HQ (sorry - old smac talk - Capital City) about 70 turns in - and I really can produce nothing but units, 'cos of the incessant barb attacks. I have 3 cities, and all are being attacked simultaneously, but the other two not so aggressively as Washington is. (barbs are red-circled)

As I say, somewhat boring just continuously clicking on "end turn" while another sacrifial lamb is being "trained" in my cities. (Just hoping I can hold out long enough until I can produce barracks-trained archers and warriors)

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Solver
If you let the Barbarians keep a city for long enough, it will grow into a nice city with the land around it improved, and nice productivity.

But... like LordShiva said... they BUILD WONDERS!?

[Gramphos]

Originally posted by Googlie


Easier said than done!!

I won a couple of Chieftain games handily, so thought I'd try Emperor, to see how it differed from the other games

Apart from the usual penalties (slower growth, slower tech, more expensive builds), the biggest problem (and the resulting somewhat boring game) was the barbarians.

Did you put on Raging barbarians? If not, try that, and you'll really have to tackle them. I like the barbarian activity.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Solver
If you let the Barbarians keep a city for long enough, it will grow into a nice city with the land around it improved, and nice productivity.

But then are they really barbs anymore? That sounds downright civilized.

It might might be interesting if over time they could become a full blown civ.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Googlie

Hey, you stole my flag! Oh wait, I stole it from someone else!

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Solver
If you let the Barbarians keep a city for long enough, it will grow into a nice city with the land around it improved, and nice productivity.

And surely that(those?) Wonders would have been built by the civ that lost their city to the Barbs...?

I don't have Civ4 and won't see it before the end of the year....at earliest.

[Makahlua]

Nono, MWIA - Terra maps set up a 'New World' effect by generating 2 continents and putting all the players on one. That continent was totally empty of other civs, so they did indeed build their own Colossus

And now that all those barba are belong to me, I have to smack a pest with a stick ... blasted pillaging AI ...

[Malleus Dei]

Originally posted by Gramphos

Did you put on Raging barbarians? If not, try that, and you'll really have to tackle them. I like the barbarian activity.

That can make for a real nail-biter of an early game, let me tell you.

[Malleus Dei]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt

I don't have Civ4 and won't see it before the end of the year....at earliest.

Go donate blood or something. No way you want to wait that long for this game.

[Malleus Dei]

Originally posted by LordShiva
Barbs build wonders?

Barbs will kick your butt up around your ears in this game if you don't watch out.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Malleus Dei


Go donate blood or something. No way you want to wait that long for this game.

Not all countries give cash for blood. Here in Canada they don't, it's strictly voluntary.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Solver
If you let the Barbarians keep a city for long enough, it will grow into a nice city with the land around it improved, and nice productivity.

Can this be exploited? Let barbarian cities on good spots grow and take them when they are ripe? Or is it better to get rid of them immediately?

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

Well, VetLegion, judging from the first screenshot, doing that is fraught with great danger, 'cause they not only build wonders, they also upgrade their units and can keep pace-technologically-with you!! Yet another feature I am really looking forward to in the game!!!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

[Malleus Dei]

Originally posted by Willem


Not all countries give cash for blood. Here in Canada they don't, it's strictly voluntary.

Yet another reason to live in the U.S.!

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by The_Aussie_Lurker
Well, VetLegion, judging from the first screenshot, doing that is fraught with great danger, 'cause they not only build wonders, they also upgrade their units and can keep pace-technologically-with you!! Yet another feature I am really looking forward to in the game!!!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

Well in that case, what distinguishes them from a normal game faction?

I would expect barbarians to be bent on destruction, not progress?

[asleepathewheel]

Instead of categorizing them as barbs in such a case, perhaps they should be referred to as minor civs.

[Igloodude]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
Instead of categorizing them as barbs in such a case, perhaps they should be referred to as minor civs.

Or barbarians with benefits.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Igloodude


Or barbarians with benefits.

And rifles.

[LongKnife56]

How long do you have to wait in line in Canada to give blood? Just curious.

[archermoo]

Originally posted by Willem


Not all countries give cash for blood. Here in Canada they don't, it's strictly voluntary.

Just as a minor side note, in the US blood products cannot be used for transfusion if they were paid for. Which is to say that while we have for profit plasma centers that'll pay people for their blood plasma, none of it can be used for transfusion. It all gets used either for research or, surprisingly enough, in the cosmetics industry. Anything that is used for transfusions has to have been actually donated, rather than paid for.

[evizaer]

This is the best Civ4 thread yet!

I've never had the barbs capture a city and let it stay theirs in my games. Perhaps it's worth a shot...

[Willem]

Originally posted by LongKnife56
How long do you have to wait in line in Canada to give blood? Just curious.

I wouldn't know, I've never donated. I don't like needles, they make me faint.

[Willem]

Originally posted by evizaer
This is the best Civ4 thread yet!

I've never had the barbs capture a city and let it stay theirs in my games. Perhaps it's worth a shot...

It's nothing new really, that happened all the time in Civ 1. And they were bloody pains to get rid of sometimes when that happened, a real thorn in the side.

One advantage of this now, which I used to encounter in Civ 1. If a barb takes over an AI city in an area you're hoping to expand into, like on another continent say, you can now take it and gain that foothold you wanted. It opens up some new strategic opportunities for the player.