Weird Incident

[Thedrin]

I was wondering if someone could explain an incident that happened in the game I'm currently playing.

Settings:
Normal barbarians,
No goodie huts
Requires Complete Kills
Marathon speed
Monarch

The first city I encountered whilst exploring was a barbarian city. This occured sometime before 2980 BC. It was a few turns before I moved close enough to see the city name (took a detour to explore a small peninsula). The barbarian city turned out to be Delhi.

At this point the only barbarians I had seen were wild animals, since no one was guarding the city. There are no goodie huts so that couldn't be the source for barbarian conquerors. It's currently 2740 BC and I've still not seen a human barbarian.

Since no one was guarding the city I moved my warrior next to it to conquer it in the next turn (lots of seafood and it appears to be occupying a choke point that will block off a large piece of land for my own expansion). A hill on the far side of the city is revealed and a Fast Worker is standing on it. A dialogue with Ragnar (of the Indians) comes up. This is the first contact with an AI civ that I've had. Instead of taking the city I move to take the worker and war is declared in 2980 BC. Ragnar is still in the game at this point so I'm guessing he still has an archer wandering around somewhere.

It's now 2740 BC and I've yet to see a sign of a human unit (aside from the fast worker). I've seen barbarians capture a capital (my capital) in the very early stages of the game before - when a goodie hut on my capitals 0% border was popped by another civ creating barbarians inside my territory - but there are no goodie huts in this game.

Any ideas how Ragnar could have lost Delhi to the barbarians?

[Willem]

I've seen barbarians capture a capital (my capital) in the very early stages of the game before - when a goodie hut on my capitals 0% border was popped by another civ creating barbarians inside my territory - but there are no goodie huts in this game.

Any ideas how Ragnar could have lost Delhi to the barbarians?

You don't need a goodie hut for a barbarian to spawn, they get created anywhere there's a fog of war. Obviously the Indians didn't build up enough city defences to protect themselves from the barbs that spawned nearby.

[Thedrin]

Yes, I'm aware. But this was many centuries before I ever did see a human barbarian or am used to seeing a human barbarian using these game settings. The first human barbarians were sited around 2500BC in this game.

Edit: I'm also not used to the barbarians attempting to enter a civs teritory that early in the game.

[Theben]

Most likely a barb event spawned barbs that took the AI capital. They have a habit of not garrisoning cities they take.

[Lord Avalon]

If that barb event happens early, it can be a killer.

[joncnunn]

Prior to BTS coming out, I once got a report of an AI being wiped out extremely early (in Warlords). Normal Barbs but this was the Great Plains region map script. I was so curious I opened up world builder and saw the barbarians had done it.

[DaShi]

In one game I played, a single barb event wiped out about 4 AIs on the continent.

[Blaupanzer]

I mentioned elsewhere that a very early barb event spawning 4 spearman took my continent from 4 occupants to just me and the barbs. The spears came for me last and my axes despatched 2 bedraggled spearman. The three "barb" cities that had been AI capitols were all nicer than mine for production. Taking them, over time, kept my budget tight on science percentage but made overall income go through the roof. Nice science win in the end despite having no civs to swap techs with until astronomy.

[Willem]

I mentioned elsewhere that a very early barb event spawning 4 spearman took my continent from 4 occupants to just me and the barbs. The spears came for me last and my axes despatched 2 bedraggled spearman. The three "barb" cities that had been AI capitols were all nicer than mine for production. Taking them, over time, kept my budget tight on science percentage but made overall income go through the roof. Nice science win in the end despite having no civs to swap techs with until astronomy.

This is why I've disabled all those uprisings in my games. No matter who bears the brunt of them, they're just overpowered and end up totally unbalancing the game.

[bobbo008]

I once tried playing a slightly modified European map. I was russia and there were no civs east of me. upon reaching the middle ages i had already killed 70 warriors, and about 30 arches and 30 swordsmen and it was getting unbearable. i entered world builder and there were probably 15 or so barbarians east of me all coming towards me. i basically just quit the game because it would have never ended.

oh, and barbarians were just set to wrestless, or the second lowest stage, whatever it is. on noble, no raging barbarians option or anything..

[Lord Avalon]

Why would you quit? Go forth and crush your enemies, drive them before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!

Then, with the experience your troops have gained, go west.

[wodan11]

There comes a point where the barbs aren't that much of a big deal. Since they are pretty much always lone units, you can hit them with the best counter unit. Chariot to kill an axe, etc. Also, as you get the better units the AI starts lagging more and more behind. Maces will kill pretty much any barb, then Knights, Elephants, etc.

So, just a couple of units can protect a pretty large border from barbs. e.g., if you have to cover the whole of the Urals, that should be easily do-able. All you have to do is "get through" the crisis period where you don't have combined arms yet and don't have the more advanced units yet either (Maces, Elephants, etc.)