Strategies against Barbarian Attacks

[duke o' york]

I never said I did it!

I'm just trying to help some people out and increase the sum of knowledge on show here.

Although they disappear when you start getting partisans, I'd miss the juicy bonuses you get for barb regicide. That's a cornerstone of the duke economy for most of the early part of the game (plus extortion from AI civs). Partisans are a pain in the bum, but I do love the reports the Defence minister sends you when you send a cruise missile into the heart of a recently-spawned barb army of partisans and artillery:

"43 units lost"

is quite funny!

[-Jrabbit]

Agreed re wuss barbs. (For superhighways, now that's a different story.)

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by duke o' york
Some people think it's a waste of time to road all the squares

Well you can put me down as one of those people...........all those improvements just to avoid some wussy ol' barbs seems insane.

[duke o' york]

Land barbarians will never appear on squares that have been "civilised". Obviously they can't show up on the same square as one of your units, but equally they can't spawn on a tile that has been improved in some way. So if there is a road, railroad, irrigation, etc. on a square then the land barbs cannot spawn there. They can spawn a few squares away and then move onto improved squares (or more likely into fortresses), but they cannot begin in a "civilised" square. This has absolutely no effect whatsoever on pirates, and barbs can still come out of huts because settlers can't fly, but cover your island in roads, ensure that enemy civs don't pillage them and no land barbs will ever appear there.
Some people think it's a waste of time to road all the squares, and most often it is, but if you want to forget about barbs and concentrate on building a massive score then get the army of settlers to civilise the entire planet and barbs will be history.

PS - When I said that settlers can't fly, I meant that you can't road a hut square without popping the hut first. Just in case people don't understand what I was on about there

[rah]

Yes, hahaha, that must be their #1 priority, Fortify in that empty fort.

[Old n Slow]

I'll take a guess that barb leaders hang around longer at lower levels than higher levels -- or at least it seems to to me with the Prince level games that I often play.

But I agree, at the poles, they disappear their next turn without attacking, and at other times, it seems like a percentage chance per turn that they'll wander...and then perhaps beam themselves up. (Except when they discover an empty fort.)

[rah]

I doubt x is important. Form experiences on large worlds after you've uncovered the whole map.

Y is infered in the manual. But I'm wondering if it's a set value or if it's a percentage throw every turn. My experience leads me to believe it's not a set value.

[Elephant]

Conjecture:
(x) distance from nearest city or civ unit?
(y) number of turns after loosing accompanying military unit?

Seems like if I can keep close enough, and chase him into a nearby dead end, I can get him if I'm quick enough. Don't know exactly what the (x) or (y) is, though...

[rah]

After years of chasing kings, just to see them disappear, it would be knice to know the logic for this. ANYONE want to take a stab at it. Or for any other barb vanishing.

I know barbs will dissapear on the artic.

[Ming]

Back on topic would be nice in this thread

[Hydey]

I must agree with rah on that point

[rah]

It is fun to irritate him

[Hydey]

Yes I think they have a little bit too much friendly rivallry going on.

[DrSpike]

You two are well ahead of Mr P now. Perhaps there is more of a battle amongst yourselves than you care to admit.

[rah]

Desperation