Worthless unit

[East Street Trader]

Build just one explorer and watch the pace at which the fog of war is rolled back and you'll start being convinced. He works nearer three times as fast as a two legged unit than twice as fast (because he skips through two and three movement squares). Work him in conjunction with a diplo and a boat to tip huts and you'll:

1. Virtually never lose him;

2. Give up tipping huts any other way.

I described a method in a thread a while back so won't repeat it but if you just try using the three units together it starts being obvious what to do very quickly. Clear the fog away on each continent first, then methodically tip the huts, exploiting the coastline or the inland terrain to keep safe. If you ran into a continent comprising flatlands and nothing with many huts more than two squares from the coast you might need a second diplo for full security. But on ordinarily mixed terrain the three movement points of the explorer and the two movement and bribe ability of the dip will keep them secure.

You get to want some barb outcomes so that you can keep up the stream of good NONE units being sent home.

And when all exploring is finally done his three square movement and ignoring ZOC is still useful.

He is my next favourite after the caravan, the dip, the trireme and the ironclad.

[Like2frolick]

Useless?
Hardly...

[Maelhavok]

Explorers top my list. Why in the world do they have shield upkeep? I use dips and horsemen for exploration. They explore with multiple capabilities. I mostly concur with the rest of the list except fanatics(when I get them AI is doomed) and trierme(early necessity) I hope this doesn't refer to AI's use of units (their explorers bribe, their triermes don't sink).

[Dry]

quote: Originally posted by Blaupanzer on 05-07-2001 02:43 PM Dry, I'm surprised that battleships make your list.

First, sorry for late answer, but I am not here every day.

Yes, battleships are on my list, because the window of usefulness for those queens of the seas is small. Yes, when cruise missiles comes, they cannot exit the harbour anymore. Aegis to escort? yes, but when you got Aegis, why do you need battleship anymore?
I found battleships usefull for:
- costal bombardement. Once the ennemy has coastal defense, they become useless for it, and Aegis can do as good in not harbour hexes.
- sink other battleship. Why should I do that? The AI suicide his battleships against my Alpine troop behind coastal defense.
- sink cruisers. An vet Aegis or a sub can do this as well.

So why should I build battleships?

[Scouse Gits]

EOL - your AI is permitted battleships! - Mine have not had a port city since shortly after I discovered Steam Engine!

------------------
Scouse Git[1] -- git1@scousers.net

"Staring at your screen in horror and disbelief when you open a saved game is one of the fun things of a succession game " - Hueij
"The Great Library has been built!"
"A short cut has to be challenging,
were it not so it would be 'the way'." - Paul Craven

[EOL]

quote: Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 05-11-2001 02:55 PM EOL - your AI is permitted battleships! - Mine have not had a port city since shortly after I discovered Steam Engine!

If I'm player a peaceful planet guardian style game .

EOL

[Scouse Gits]

"Guardian" style game peaceful ... tell that to Neil Hamilton!
------
SGs in something liquid

[EOL]

Having a couple of battleships to protect your transports on the open seas maybe? Wouldn't want mine to run into AI battleships.

EOL

[Blaupanzer]

Okay, I'll bite. Who is Neil Hamilton?

Still think a vet BB is more than adequate to empty a port (with or without coastal fortress) in SP. Then you sail in a transport load or two of land units and obliterate the opponent on his own railroad. Note that "vet comes from earlier efforts prior to ports and cruise missiles. After these come, I sail them home for coastal defense until I have enough AEGIS to defend them and the transports. Bombers just can't do this, and howies have to get on shore to help. Oh well, whatever works for you.