With what unit do you like to explore, initially?

[Ming]

Yes DaveV... double production does make a difference in this case. When playing a normal game against the AI, I will always use the "goody hut" strategy. I really don't see any need to rush building my first city against the AI. Once I have found a few huts and non units, then I lay down the first two cities... usually in pretty good places because I have a better idea of where to put them.
On the other hand, I haven't played a single production MP game in ages... so you are probably right

[geofelt]

I go with what I get. I hope for chariot or horse from the first huts. I always explore a bit before founding the first city. I tried researching horse early, but I hate to delay monarchy in any way. Once I have horsemanship, I use horses to explore. If I find NON horses, I send them back home and continue exploring with a supported unit. It does not hurt so much to lose it. At home, I build a phalanx if the city is on defensive terrain such as a river or hill. If not, I build a horse. I use the first warrior to explore near a new city, and try to get it back before it grows to size 2.

[DaveV]

Hawkx9 - I do it the way you do, only more so . My early cities generally alternate between size 1 and 2 as they pump out setttlers. At size 1, the typical city can just barely support a settler, horseman, and a garrison unit. Maybe some of these people that are advocating sending out two warriors are playing 2x production?

[Hawkx9]

For all of you who are in favor of two warriors instead of a horseman... What about the support cost?? This is what always plagues me. I mean, my cities aren't going to be bigger than a 2 or 3 during "exploration" so the 4th unit is always going to demand support. I find this a waste of resources, don't you? Also, huts containing a unit almost always assign themselves to my capital when tipped. Unless you run around with your initial settler, how do you overcome this? The hut can simply be more than 10 spaces away from any city, but this is rarely the case, especially early. I try to avoid going over 3 supported units by any one city early on. I was under the impression that's what everyone did. Am I wrong?

[Steve Clark]

Whatever my settler or warrior can tip from huts. I tend not to build any units for exploring, even though I'm warming to the idea of having 2-movement units help stake out a larger territory.

[Sieve Too]

I usually tip a few huts with my Settlers in the hopes of getting some exploring NON units right from the start. I'll take what I get, usually Archers or Horsemen. Once I have Monarchy, Writing is usually my next goal and so Diplomats are my units of choice for exploration. Since you can always see barbs in the parts of the map that you "know", I send my Diplos right for the barbs to pick up some more cheap recruits. If I find the AI, my Diplo can establish an embassy.

The Explorer unit is off my typical tech path. It also requires support and although it ignores ZOC, the AI can demand that you remove it. Two Diplos can explore AI territory better than any number of Explorers.

[Ming]

I also like using diplos to explore. I do hate sending them out naked (by themselves), but I can usually solve that problem with a few dollars later on, and get a non unit out of the deal.

But, there is nothing worse than having your diplo discover another unit with it's last movement point. Can you say "toast"

[East Street Trader]

1. Haven't tried this yet but in large map games where I've left a lot of unpopped goody huts scattered around I've been wondering whether I could afford at some point to get a settler unit (no doubt raised in the fair town of Dublin or Cork) to act as a gang of navies dedicated to building roads up to and in the vicinity of the huts. Then one of my horsemen explorers could use the roads to complete exploration quicker and the extra speed conferred by the road might allow him to escape emerging barbs when his luck is out on popping a hut. Of course, if the barbs encircle the horseman when they come out (don't you just hate it when that happens!) the tactic will have failed.

In the long run the navies' work invested in the roads will not be wasted either.

A bit elaborate maybe. After all I've probably got diplos and some cash by the time I could do this. But I might give it a go, just to see.

2. Incidentally I've tried and tried to combine legions and horses (from huts) in some way so that the legions can kill emerging barbs before they have time to do any damage. All I've managed so far tho' is to lose a few legions as well as the horseman. Anyone made that idea work?

3. A bit later I quite often explore with diplos but of course that's not going to be an option right at the beginning.

4. In deity the first exploring units are, of necessity, settlers. Even after I've founded, the second settler is sometimes primarily an explorer for quite a while. Especially if i've been blessed with a river site. But the only hut he pops is one on a mountain or in the arctic/antarctic. I've never seen a barb come out of a mountain hut and any which emerge into the cold seem to freeze to death before they can do any damage.


East Street Trader

[SCG]

I explore with whatever is available to start, preferably hut units, if not warriors. Once i get writing, I'll send out a couple diplomats and they become my front line exploration units since they are movement 2, ignore ZOC, use no support and in a pinch can rally the natives to his cause

[Ming]

That combo can also be used to help uncover some of the inland squares every turn too.
I've used that combo before when I have bribed an explorer, but I rarely build them.
I just hate the fact that they are counted as a supported unit!

[jpk]

Explorers are very handy. Put your unit in a ship and explore the coastline. If you find a coastal goodie hut on rugged terrain you can tip the hut and, if necessary, get back to the ship.

[Ming]

I'll explore with any unit that is available, because exploration is key early in the game.

I usually use warriors, because I don't need a new tech to build them. They can be out cruising the board early. They don't take long to build, and who cares if you lose one. If I get a mounted unit from hut... fine, I'll use that.

I don't usually go for Horse early. I'd rather get to monarchy as fast as I can.
But, if the science path is blocked, I might take it... it all depends on the game situation.

Now, I've never been a big fan of explorers.
But in a recent game with Xin Yu, I saw them used in the proper fashion. He sent out a combo of an Alpine unit and an Explorer. What a killer combo. They could both move three squares no matter what the terrain was (and when you play on small worlds, bad terrain is the standard) and the explorer could get the alpine unit past zones of control. The vet alpine unit could usually defend itself against most opposition. I'll be using this combo in the future.

[DaveV]

Horsemen. Tempo is key in the early game - you need to break past the choke points before they're closed off, and find the huts before the other guys do. Sometimes that extra move can make all the difference. And if you run into a lightly defended city, your horse can teach them a lesson.

[Smash]

I start with warriors.They are all you have sometimes and are cheap and expendable.4 warriors can cover more ground than 2 horseman.Both would be 40 sheilds.Hopefully the first group of warriors find units.Preferable 4 legged ones.Archers are sent back to the cities horses continue in the direction the warrior was heading so the warrior can go another way.

Sometimes I explore with diplomats.

I actually use explorers.They are very good on larger maps.Also very good for mapping enemies in MP as they ignore ZOC.Move in,move out.


ME...
The Zeppelin was better when I gave it less attack power and Theory of Gravity as pre-req.

[KhanMan]

This from a fellow Mongol? Hmmm.

Personally, I've started using horsemen a lot more for exploration. I used to used phalanxs almost exclusively, but that lead to me being boxed in, time after time, in mp games.

Horsemen cost the same as phalanxs, and, if the hut is on a plains, river, or grassland square, a horse can at least take down one barb, if you play it right.

Besides, while warriors cost half as much, the upkeep costs are the same, and that adds up fast.

I occaisionally use explorers, if I end up in a heavily-forested area (for instance, northern Europe/Siberia).

Of course, as soon as chivalry is availible, I switch to knights-best of all worlds.

"pax et bellum"
-KhanMan the sayenly lesser Lesser Sayen