Favorite units/upgrades and other musings

[Hydro]

I'm exploring the game and have a favorite unit: a Warrior with 2 woodsman upgrades. These puppies move 1 in normal terrain, but 2 in any forest! They just fly across the map! Moreover, they can take out almost any animal and barbarians through archers (and maybe an ax and swordsman). Getting the 2 upgrades is kind of a challenge. I think I got one on a goody hut, and otherwise it is through combat, which eventually they'll lose as the enemies get tougher.

I've also learned the perils of a failed early-mid game rush. Taking out someone who has only Archers isn't too bad, but if they've got much more (bronze or iron) it is a chore. I made the mistake of avoiding crushing my friendly Frenchman neighbor to beat up on the much smaller Japanese. Oops - he was REALLY tough with all his upgrades. I almost took the city with my catapults, swordman, and mace, but not quite. He kept pop-buying new units faster than I could kill them and replace my losses. By the time I could take the city there was nothing left: the size one city would disappear when I captured it so it wasn't worth taking - Japanese scorched earth for real. At least I crippled him due to his pop-buys, though. But all of the diverted wartime construction kind of crippled me and let the other AIs on Pangaea catch up. It was a good lesson, though.

Hydro

[snoopy369]

Oromo Warrior is probably my favorite unit... give a set of them Guerilla II on an adequately hilly map and watch your opponent die a grizzly death

[snoopy369]

Also, if you're having a hard time beating cities in the catapult-maceman era, you need to change your tactics up a bit; that's the easiest era to take cities until at least tanks. (Well, add Trebs to that group I suppose.)

If you're playing pre-BtS, you need a ton of catapults-trebs, and a few macemen. As in, 10+ siege units, and 2 macemen, and a couple of pikemen (or better, elephants) to defend against enemy horses. That's about it

In BtS, it's a bit more complex, but still you need a decent number of siege units. Siege is the name of the game at that stage, and it's a very good tradeoff - sacrifice 3 trebs, of which 1 retreat and 2 die, and generally any city of reasonable size will fall.

Also, if you can, get the AI to attack you with his stack first. Generally the AI is not good at using his stack, so it will be easy to kill off (catapults again, and then just whatever is appropriate); then only 3-4 units/city will remain, and you can roll through. I call this "Rahzing" a civ, after the guy who first posted the idea

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Oromo Warrior is probably my favorite unit... give a set of them Guerilla II on an adequately hilly map and watch your opponent die a grizzly death

Would that be the bears dying a grizzly death?

[snoopy369]

Usually it's longbows

[Hydro]

I came at the Japanese using my ‘victory’ in a previous game as a guide: 6 units, ranging from ax to sword. That worked perfectly well against the Aztek and French. But when I pulled up to the first Japanese city I was stunned that they had as many units as I did, and they had more promotions than I did. I wasn’t fighting archers, I was fighting ax, sword, and chariots. That was the first OOPS – lack of intelligence. I had no open borders so I couldn’t get an idea what he was doing, or the fact he had a huge military. I could have built a spy, which would have saved me a lot of grief.

I tried to lure him out of the city, and it worked – and he killed me. Those dratted promotions for his axmen did me in. When I left the forest to loot and pillage he left his city to kill mine. I then killed his wounded troops, and he sent troops to kill my wounded troops – rinse and repeat. Since he had about as many troops as I had this was a losing proposition since he was close to his production centers.

Time to regroup. I started building barracks, cranked up military production, sent in workers (protected) to build a road to reduce transit time, and then build a nice big stack of 5 catapults, 4 mace, 2 ax, 3 sword (with 2 attack city promotions). My catapults pounded his city bonus to zero. I thought I was all set as the defender had 6 units (other groups were sneaking into my territory to cause trouble).

My attack didn’t work, and although I wrecked his army I depleted mine, too. The city did not fall and I assumed I’d be able to take the city the next turn with my one remaining catapult and relatively intact mace men. He got 2 new troops to the city (the pop went down, so he pop-bought) for the next turn, so now he has as many troops as I do again. The city is size one so when I take it the city will go away, so the whole issue is completely pointless.

Like I said, it was a good lesson.

Hydro

[Willem]

Originally posted by Hydro
They just fly across the map! Moreover, they can take out almost any animal and barbarians through archers (and maybe an ax and swordsman).

There's no way a Woodsman 2 Warrior is going to be able to take on an Axeman or a Swordsman. Even an Archer can take him if he gets lucky.

[Hydro]

Well, the Super Woodsman has a ~40% bonus for being, well, super. Then he is in the forest (obviously) for another defensive bonus. He's also likely to have a fortification bonus of a turn or two (maybe). That at least gives him an attack factor of ~4 (2+1+1+0.5). He can take the archer's attack. Anything more is a stretch, though.

[Fleme]

Favorite unit? Well, I like a whole lot of units to be honest. I like anything that has promotions to begin with, so that the unit it upgrades into will also have those upgrades. Therefore, I like Oromos, Berserkers, Samurais (these guys are particularly funny. CR3/Drill4 isn't as rare as one might think).

I do think I enjoy the Incan Quechua most at the moment, seeing how they make great rushers on Monarch and upwards. I think I'll start a game with them right now actually

As for your brawl with Togugawa: He always has a large military but is often quite backwards. This just doesn't start to show until the middle ages. He's a pain in the butt to rush if he manages to hook up Copper and/or Iron. Agg/Pro means all his units have 1-3 promotions right away (assuming Barracks)

[Seedle]

Originally posted by Hydro
The city is size one so when I take it the city will go away, so the whole issue is completely pointless.
Hydro

I don't think so. I think only cities that have never been bigger than size 1 auto-raze. As long as they were size 2 or bigger at some point, you can keep them. At least I think I saw that somewhere. Regardless, I have taken many size 1 cities in my day, so there is some way to have it not autoraze.

As for favorite unit, Oromo Warrior (I likes the drill), Praetorians (because they are overpowered and that appeals to my inner noob), and Immortals (the bonus vs. archers is good, but what really makes them strong is they get defensive bonuses)

Favorite promotion is leadership. I had a tank (auto blitz) with Lincoln (charismatic) and leadership. I made it drill4, so it rarely took damage and could attack twice every turn in safety. It gained some levels

[Jvstin]

Praetorians and Immortals have been mentioned before.

I also like Cho-ku-Nus.

Keshiks can be nasty...especially with the extra XP that Gers give you.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Hydro
Well, the Super Woodsman has a ~40% bonus for being, well, super. Then he is in the forest (obviously) for another defensive bonus. He's also likely to have a fortification bonus of a turn or two (maybe). That at least gives him an attack factor of ~4 (2+1+1+0.5). He can take the archer's attack. Anything more is a stretch, though.

I've lost enough Woodsman 2 Warriors to Barb Archers on Forest tiles to know that it's not an impossibility.

[Hauptman]

Agressive civ gunpowder units.

"They think they are safe with their sea border. That mote. Thos snobbish english. Well we fine frenchmen shall teach them the error of there snobbishness."

Friggate navy to bombard defenses, followed by amphib promoted grenadiers, its a tasty supprise.

[Krill]

5 star Cav. They have odds on everything up to rifles with 2 promos.

[Krill]

Sorry DP.