Good way to get experienced Veterans

[TimHobbit]

I have discovered an good way to get a veteran a bunch of experiance ...

... Make him a scout! If you can get a veteran early in the game make him a scout and send him out exploring.
Scouts tend to gain quite a bit of experiance, and with the veteran's ability to double that value, it addes up in a big hurry.

Just something to think about if your lucky enough to pull a veteran off the docks early.

- Tim

[armyjournalist]

Some native tribes turn units into seasoned scouts, though. I don't know if that will happen to a unit that is already a specialist.

You can also use soldiers/dragoons to meet natives and get experience that way.

[Hermann the Lombard]

I made a veteran into a dragoon to get him quickly to another city, and lost the veteran's bonuses, and they didn't come back when I took away the horses. This doesn't happen as a scout? Am I confused?

[martylessard]

I think you will find that the "foot" and "mounted" units have different experience upgrades. A scout made directly into a dragoon will retain its upgrades.

[TimmyKGB]

Does this work with veteran soldier or do you actually want a "seasoned scout" unit?

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard
I made a veteran into a dragoon to get him quickly to another city, and lost the veteran's bonuses, and they didn't come back when I took away the horses. This doesn't happen as a scout? Am I confused?

I think I was confused here; can someone set me straight? In my current game as the ruthless conquistadors I made all (well, all but one) veteran soldiers into dragoons, and they seem to retain both the Veteran star and the Leadership splat, with the latter being the most important anyway.

[Sir Alkis]

Well, I don't know what you did the first time, but as you already realized, they retain both. You can make them dragoons at the docks, bring them to the new world, give them some other job, make them dragoons again and they will retain all their metals.

The natives cannot turn a unit into a seasoned scout if he already has a specialty.

You can have some nice veteran soldier units with stars and "formation" if you fight an indian tribe (especially with the Spanish conquistador leader). The King will be alarmed of course

[Hermann the Lombard]

My guess is that I encountered a bug...probably in my brain rather than in the program!

The King won't care, he only gets alarmed by the LB produced to date. Apparently he thinks that the pen is mightier than the sword, or at least the guy haranguing in the Town Hall is mightier than the sword.

[Sir Alkis]

I did a test. I loaded a save and bought 500 guns. Then I armed 10 citizents, one dragoon, 9 soldiers. The King didn't increase the size of the REF the next 4 turns.

On the fifth turn I tried something else, I asked him to give me a unit. He gave me a vet soldier for about 600 gold. Now, for the next 5 turns (!) he increased the size of the REF. Every turn. Five turns in a row! Btw it was about turn 70 and my rebel sentiment at 10%

Then I went back and this time I didn't ask for a unit. He didn't increase the size of the REF. Then I bought a vet soldier (from the docks). The King increased the size of the REF but only once this time.

It seems that vet soldiers alarm him a lot more and (note to self) definately don't ask for his assistance cause you gonna pay very dearly.

[TimmyKGB]

Did not arming the civilians in some of your tests affect your liberty bell production?

[Sir Alkis]

I don't know Timmy, my attention was not on the LB production.

On the subject of making a vet soldier a scout the results from ruins etc seem to be worse, therefore it's a trade-off.

My humble opinion is that it's better to explore with a seasoned scout.

[PrinceMyshkin]

In this case, I suppose you don't use the XP upgrades till you make him a dragoon again...

Interesting... but I think better % for a treasure is better.

[Sir Alkis]

No I use them immediately. First promotion he takes is explorer, very good for his job, helps in battle too (sometimes).

[Hermann the Lombard]

[SIZE=1] He gave me a vet soldier for about 600 gold. Now, for the next 5 turns (!) he increased the size of the REF. Every turn. Five turns in a row! Btw it was about turn 70 and my rebel sentiment at 10%

Then I went back and this time I didn't ask for a unit. He didn't increase the size of the REF. Then I bought a vet soldier (from the docks). The King increased the size of the REF but only once this time.

It seems that vet soldiers alarm him a lot more and (note to self) definately don't ask for his assistance cause you gonna pay very dearly.

One of the King's vet soldiers for 600 gold is the equivalent of 600 Liberty Bells for alarming the King, so no surprise that he increased the REF. The next several turns show that you must have been generating some LBs as the King won't add to the REF on a turn when you are not adding to your LB total, however it's the big bump from the vet soldier that primed the pump for the additions.

I don't believe that your vet from the docks had anything to do with that single increase in the REF, that came from your normal LB total.

[Sir Alkis]

Ok thanks for the info

You are probably right about the vet I got from the docks too.