W#@&#@&*#@&*#@* Barbarian axemen

[Heresson]

Hi

I've played Civ4 for a couple of times. Earlier, I achieved great victories. But now, playing at harder levels, I have a serious problem: barbarian axemen. It wasn't a problem earlier, because I had teh Great Wall.
My problem is that as soon as I find bronze or iron working, dozens of barbarian axemen appear. I can easily defend cities with archers, but outside cities they are no match for an axe. I wouldn't mind that, if they weren't destroying my infrastructure. I need my own axemen to defend, but I can't build them, because before I can build them, axemen come and destroy my iron / copper mines. I've learned to deal with that by founding distant cities, kind of turning barbarian wrath away from the centre of my empire, or by fortyfying archers on the hills, but it's still extremly annoying, and hill strategy can't work if +4 barbarian axemen appear each turn.
How do You deal with that?

[marvinkosh]

1. Fogbusting. The less fog there is, the less barbarians there are.
2. Chariots. They get a bonus when attacking axemen, and even if they're getting beat they can withdraw from combat some of the time.
3. Found city on resource. Then you don't need to keep rebuilding a mine, you only have to worry about keeping the city linked up to the rest of the empire.

[Heresson]

thanks, but I usually get iron before I can build chariots. Teh problem is that it's usually a resource next to my capital, so building a city there wouldn't make sense.
i thought it may have something to do with fog. I should be revealing all around myself instead of making distant travels...

[jbp26]

Originally posted by Heresson
thanks, but I usually get iron before I can build chariots.

so research animal husbandry before iron working.

if you're encountering barbarian axemen before you have copper hooked up, you're either not expanding quickly enough, not building workers quickly enough, or research your techs in poor order.

[Theben]

What level are u playing?

[snoopy369]

Playing at prince/monarch, I've never had this problem... I always get AH well before barbs get beyond the Warrior level (even if it's after I get IW, which is rare).

[TriMiro]

Dozens is a lot, Chariots are a must if you are to defend against such a horde. I have never seen a dozen axes on prince. Expand fast and reveal as much of the fog as you can, try playing Creative.

[Theben]

Play as the Native Americans. Not only do they have tough archers, but the Dog Soldiers don't require copper hookup, and will beat a barb axeman more often than not.
When I play them the 1st defenders in my cities are Dogs. With COM1, Cover1, and Medic1, behind (cheap)walls, they can fight off 3 or more attackers in the same round.

[Supr49er]

Heresson,

Did you maybe get the barbarian event that spawns Barbarian units?

I keep several units fortified on forested hills along my borders to give me an early warning for both barbs and any AI incursions. Sometimes a Guerilla or Woodsman promoted Warrior or Archer can hold off several units.

[Blaupanzer]

On raging barbarians I often can count as many as 12 barbarians in the range of my first two or three cities. The axemen appear soon after I research BW, often before I can build a city to hook up the copper. If copper and horses are both too far away for a reasonable hookup between cities, I go for masonry and that Wall. At the least, the walls in each city and a few archers on hills keep me alive long enough to stretch my empire to one of those resources. Can be very bloody with a few real nailbiters at city gates. I have had an uprising take out my capitol before my first settler is built. Those become "0" entries in my Hall of Fame. (I have two of those plus one where my introduction to the presence of Monty was his 4 unit stack taking my capitol.)

[Theben]

Originally posted by Blaupanzer
I have had an uprising take out my capitol before my first settler is built. Those become "0" entries in my Hall of Fame. (I have two of those plus one where my introduction to the presence of Monty was his 4 unit stack taking my capitol.)

Hah! I can beat that. I sent my warrior out to explore and the 2 hut popped 2 barbs. 2nd one killed me and then marched straight to my undefended capitol which couldn't build anything fast enough to defend. I lasted 12 turns total.

[rah]

at least it was quick with little time wasted.

Reminds me of my first game ever of CIV I on NES

Start as Romans. Like turn 4 a greek chariot shows up, game over.
I looked up, and thought, man, this is a tough game.

[Tattila the Hun]

It really isn't the defeating of the barbs I find difficult, it's the fact, that I'm at war 24/7 with them. Every turn, someone marches along... It gets very tiring. Maybe I shouldn't have exterminated all the other civs.

Though, my current game was rather fun, in that regard. Me, safe behind GW, gearing up for war with Vicky next door, send my troops away, only to lose any contact with her few turns before I invade. Turns out, barbs had conquered her empire. Of four cities. That's bad, really. I tooks them all.

[Blaupanzer]

On raging barbs, one empire usually bites the dust. Given the random uprising event, it can be two or more. Have fun facing the same realities as the original civs, many of which we have never heard of because they succumbed before writing. Love this game!

[Theben]

Except at Monarch or higher, the AI starts with archery, so it can handle barbs pretty well from the get-go.