Great Comedians

[Blake]

The AI doesn't really know how to use Great Generals

[MoonWolf]

Beware of the super catapult (please don't smoke near it)!

Hopefully it will be improved in a patch...

[Badtz Maru]

Does he lack metal? That may be the strongest offensive unit he can build if he has no metal, horses, or elephants.

[Solver]

That is very decidedly weird. The AI must have used the Warlord in a square with more than one unit, but attached it to the Catapult. The Catapult only has Combat II, so the very maximum amount of XP it can have is 9. Warlord gives 20, so it was used to give XP to several units in this case.

[Ming]

Uhhhh... maybe he should have used it for one of the two buildings in a city

That's almost as good as the AI's use of carriers in Civ II.
Full of planes, they would self distruct against a city before launching any air attacks

[Solver]

Come on Ming, it's not THAT bad .

When the AI decides to use its General for an Academy or Instructor, it chooses quite wisely where to do so. When it uses its General as a Warlord, it's often less-than-optimal.

[OzzyKP]

I've attached a warlord to a catapult before. You should have seen it, it was a monster.

Of course I gave it more than combat 2, and protected it a bit better than the AI.... heh

[rah]

Some people might think it's not a bad idea to attach to siege unit or scout. Load it up with bombard or medic III and bring it along and only use it to bombard or for cleaning up at 99% odds. It will unlikely ever defend in a stack thereby increasing it's survivability. I have lost a lot of generals since they're usually the strongest and defend first. Eventually it loses one to the odds.

[OzzyKP]

Yea, generally (no pun intended) I settle them now for the XP bonus. Get more use out of them that way.

[Kuciwalker]

As a medic I'd rather put the general on a horse unit, as that's more mobile.

[rah]

but more likely to be defending against melee units.
An explorer is less likely and just as mobile.

[Solver]

Waste of a Warlord that way, IMO. You can just give an early unit Medic I (like a Warrior or Archer or Chariot) and keep it with your army for a long time. I usually have a couple of Medic I Chariots early on, and use them throughout the game in my stacks.

[rah]

yeah, but medic III is much nicer. and eventually it's hard to get those chariots promoted further, even in mopup.

[Solver]

It really depends on whether you want a Medic III unit more than some uber-unit of its time. I'd prefer a City Raider III + Combat II Axeman myself .

[Thrak]

I attached my warlord to a Trebuchet on the barbarian scenario worked out great. He had medic III, Bombard and Accuracy. Good for cleaning up that odd 3% defense that creeps back and for helping out on large stacks, and he never defends cos he is so weeeeeak.