Scouting

[BranksDilly]

I wanted to see what the general consensus was on this...

Do you consider it an act of agression when another player is scouting out your area? Not just exploring, I mean purposely keeping a scout near your border to either monitor unit movement or just keep tabs on you.

If you were the player controling this scout would you be angry if someone killed your scout because they didn't enjoy you snooping?

Thoughts?

[Nikolai]

Don't play much MP, but I think I must say no.

[joncnunn]

I don't play MP games.
In SP though, I have no problem with AI using lone units to scout / fog bust near me; their keeping the barbs away.

It's stacks that cause me concern, because that indicates their about to DOW someone.

[Ming]

I want open borders with civs to get the best trade routes possible. I don't have a problem with the scouting most of the time. If I've been at war with a civ, I may deny open borders during the peaceful times... but usually I don't care.

In MP, it depends on the situation. If a player is keeping a unit along the border to monitor troop movememts, I generally don't have a problem with it. If they are using the units to keep me pinned in, that's a different story.

[rah]

Normally not, but sometimes it gets irritating. And when something gets me irritated, I sometime do silly things.

[Jaybe]

Normally not, but sometimes it gets irritating. And when something gets me irritated, I sometime do silly things.

Silly things, indeed! Yesterday (SP game), my only non-vassalized same-continent neighbor sabotaged several turns' production on a wonder I was building, and a few turns later destroyed a factory. The factory was his last mistake, for it made me see red ...

I was more than irritated, and the DoW was instantaneous, without my usual deliberations.

[rah]

Yes, sometimes the smallest things leads to the elimination of a civ.

There are some game where I just want to peacefully expand and then monty discovers iron. This usually happens about 40 turns before the aztecs cease to exist. Always a strange coincidence.

[wodan11]

Monty's fun like that.

[Boracks]

I wanted to see what the general consensus was on this...

Do you consider it an act of agression when another player is scouting out your area? Not just exploring, I mean purposely keeping a scout near your border to either monitor unit movement or just keep tabs on you.

If you were the player controling this scout would you be angry if someone killed your scout because they didn't enjoy you snooping?

Thoughts?

Since I do the same thing, I can hardly object to another doing it. With one or two units, that is.

A scouting force that goes into double digits is generally not allowed to continue. At that point, you know what's coming and might as well pick your timing rather than wait for them.

[rah]

Yes, 12 axemen is not a scouting party.

[Japher]

Scouts are lame. I never make them, if I end up with them they get put on auto until a bear mauls them.

[Ming]

I never build scouts... but I love to get one on the open. You can cover so much more ground early and get far more huts then when you start with a warrior. Later, once chariots are out dated, I will usually put them on auto mode and have them go uncover more of the map that I haven't gotten to yet. Especially after you have some open border agreements.

[Theben]

Every now and then I'll build a scout. They are nice to have when a warrior finds a hut and you let the scout tip it- no barbs to worry about. Or later, like Ming says, to scout after you have an empire running and want to scout thru your open borders agreements.

[Boracks]

I like starting with a scout. They become my first medic (if they survive) saving me from needing to build one and using a combat unit for that.

And later, as noted, they are handy for wandering around other empires you have open borders with. Especially since they can ride on caravels and get information early.

Even so, I rarely build one.

[wodan11]

I prefer to use a warrior for medic, because then I can attach a GG and get him to Medic 3, Woodsman 3.