Use for Explorers?

[HaplessHorde]

I'm new to Civ, only played a handful of games on easy settings, but so far it seems that the Explorer unit becomes available so late in the game that it's useless; there's no free land left to explore.

Maybe if the Explorer were changed into an Ambassador, a single-use unit that could help improve relations with other civs, strengtheing ties or calming down somebody who's aggro toward you...

[Smellycowsquid]

Nice for Terra maps, Explorers are

[Son of David]

Main use is to explore new continents but also to explore rival territory with whom you have open borders, see how their cities are growing and developing etc.

[Willem]

Except that quite often you can get their world map from them, which gives you the same info with less trouble. And if you can't, chances are you won't have Open Borders either. Their use is definitely limited. I think I've only built them two or three times, and the first time was just to see what they were like. The last time I used one was because Bismarck didn't have any borders near the coast so I couldn't make contact with just my Caravel.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Smellycowsquid
Nice for Terra maps, Explorers are

How long do they last against the Barbs though? Not very I'm guessing. I've never played Terra so I don't really know for sure.

[marvinkosh]

Explorers are useful in that they can give you up-to-date information on your opponents, especially if you aren't able to use religion to peek into their territory.

[gilfan]

One odd, unintuitive way to use them is as medics. With their 4 str, they won't ever be the defending unit, unless your stack is already very badly damaged, and they can keep up with mounted units and tanks.

[unamablebuiler]

they last till you see grenadiers and rifles keep them on forrested hils though and ptomoted.

they make excellent sentires is this way

[Adagio]

I've never had any use for explorers. Maybe if map trading was impossible, there would be use for them

[Son of David]

Originally posted by gilfan
One odd, unintuitive way to use them is as medics. With their 4 str, they won't ever be the defending unit, unless your stack is already very badly damaged, and they can keep up with mounted units and tanks.

That, is an excellent suggestion.

[Veritass]

I think that explorers should just be upgradable to something useful, such as infantry or some basic melee unit. Surely if I can upgrade an old warrior/clubman unit to an infantry, I could retrain my explorer to the same? It seems such a waste to just disband them.

[LordShiva]

It's also stupid that explorers are available into the modern age.

[Tattila the Hun]

Maybe, if could keep your explorer alive to certain time, you could upgrade him to a great person...

But that medic idea is good.

[gilfan]

The one annoying thing about it is if you have a non-com unit as part of your stack, like an explorer, worker, settler, etc, then the stack won't attack. You have to deselect the non-coms. It's still totally worth the hassle, though.

[Son of David]

Based on gilfan's suggestion I think explorers should upgrade to some kind of fast-moving but defenceless medic/supply unit, which increases healing more quickly, allows healing while moving, reducing supply cost of having troops in enemy territory etc. They could be like spies - only allowed four of them at any one time.