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Privateers: Useful or just bananas?

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  • #1

    Privateers: Useful or just bananas?

    In recent games I've had a blast building privateers, sending them out in a fleet (escorted to prevent attack), and seriously disrupting other civs attempts at colonization, and damaging their navies.
    I kept track of their effectiveness and found that in 4 games, out of 56 privateers, I lost 48, but sunk enough galleys, caravels, and galleons that I figured the loss to the AI was (if each unit carried its maximum load), 101 units. They lost settlers and military, while I lost cheap, easily produced units.
    I searched for 'privateers' in old threads and found a large number of negative comments. How do you feel about them? Are they useless to you, or do you enjoy, as I do, 'issuing letters of marque' and seeking 'prizes'?
    68
    These sweet, little, negelcted units are fine. I use them.
    17.65%
    12
    They have their uses, I suppose. I rarely use them.
    42.65%
    29
    A ridiculous unit--totally pointless. Never use them.
    20.59%
    14
    Banana boats--that's what we REALLY need.
    19.12%
    13
    "We may be in a hallucination here, but that's no excuse for being delusional!." K.S. Robinson, 'The Years Of Rice And Salt.'
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Bananas.
    Because I modded my privateers to be like a frigate except for only 1 RoF. With bombardment capability they not only are good for naval use, but also for land improvements harassment. They are good enough for even the AI to use (and they DO)!

    A.D.M: 2.2.4
    B.R.RoF: 2.1.1

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    • #3
      Privateers feel like a remnant of a design decision that wasn't fleshed out.

      It's a shame that Firaxis went to all that trouble doing the coding for hidden nationality for just one unit.

      I'm not into the mod scene and prefer my PTW/CIV3 games as is (out of the box). And well, it's a shame. Guerilla would have used some hidden nationality functionality.
      AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
      Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
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      • #4
        Rob_S,

        You've intrigued me with your notion of sending out bunches of them. I've built them a few times and they just get sunk. So gave up. How many do you send out in a fleet? What do you mean "escorted" for protection. Does the protector tip off the nationality? Or can it sail right along with them and watch while they do the damage. Wait, I think I'm getting it -- a "friendly" civ can't attack the stack because you do have a nationality boat in it. Is that it?
        Jack

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        • #5
          Stacking Privateers with a friendly? Now thats A Good Thing.
          MyOlde: as far as I know, the ai knows that you own the privateers (just like in real life) but can't declare war on you. You get a rep hit if you use them vanilla, too.
          cIV list: cheats
          Now watch this drive!

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          • #6
            "It's a shame that Firaxis went to all that trouble doing the coding for hidden nationality for just one unit."

            because of that, think of all of the fun we can now have so easily with the editor...
            I use Posturepedic mattresses for a lifetime of temporary relief.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by MyOlde
              Rob_S,

              You've intrigued me with your notion of sending out bunches of them. I've built them a few times and they just get sunk. So gave up. How many do you send out in a fleet? What do you mean "escorted" for protection. Does the protector tip off the nationality? Or can it sail right along with them and watch while they do the damage. Wait, I think I'm getting it -- a "friendly" civ can't attack the stack because you do have a nationality boat in it. Is that it?
              It depends on whether you are technologically ahead of your opponents or behind them. Privateers are great at sinking galleys, so-so at galleons and frigates, but above that they start having real trouble.
              "It's great to be known, but it's even better to be known as strange." --Takeshi Kaga

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              • #8
                Originally posted by MyOlde
                Rob_S,

                You've intrigued me with your notion of sending out bunches of them. I've built them a few times and they just get sunk. So gave up. How many do you send out in a fleet? What do you mean "escorted" for protection. Does the protector tip off the nationality? Or can it sail right along with them and watch while they do the damage. Wait, I think I'm getting it -- a "friendly" civ can't attack the stack because you do have a nationality boat in it. Is that it?
                A normal fleet is 12, sufficient to do a lot of damage to galleys, caravels, and galleons. Eventually the survivors will limp into port damaged and bruised. Repaired and reinforced they go back out on the prowl.
                The escort unit is usually a frigate or ironclad that moves with them as a stack, thus preventing attack from the AI.
                I am assuming that the protector tips off the nationality as experience has shown me that friendly civs get annoyed when I use the privateers. But not enough for the AI to declare war. A good bit of diplomacy (i.e. giving a territory or world map) will usually make the AI kiss and make friends.
                Yes--the escort is there to prevent any attack.
                "We may be in a hallucination here, but that's no excuse for being delusional!." K.S. Robinson, 'The Years Of Rice And Salt.'

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Underseer


                  It depends on whether you are technologically ahead of your opponents or behind them. Privateers are great at sinking galleys, so-so at galleons and frigates, but above that they start having real trouble.
                  Luck of the game is worth a shot. Privateers are pretty much useless after other civs have Cumbustion and Mass Production. There's just a window of opportunity in which to use them. But a few games back I took out the Ottomans' first battleship with 5 privateers (lost 4). Hadn't planned that--just came across it and gave it my best shot.
                  "We may be in a hallucination here, but that's no excuse for being delusional!." K.S. Robinson, 'The Years Of Rice And Salt.'

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                  • #10
                    rubbish
                    Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
                    Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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                    • #11
                      In my opinion the Privateer comes a tad bit late in the game. The others have powerful ships that are tough to sink.

                      If I have nothing getter to build (settlers, workers, buildings) and there is no war going on... yes, I do build privateers.


                      Stinger: making prince anytime soon?

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                      • #12
                        I'm not sure.

                        Are you suggesting my post was soley for the purposes of increasing my post count.

                        I do actually think ther're rubbish
                        Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
                        Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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                        • #13
                          No, hence the

                          Lighten up

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                          • #14
                            They are rubbish. I'd rather have coastal cities building REAL warships or transports, if they have to build ships at all.

                            -Jam
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                            That's like trying to overninja a ninja when you aren't a mammal. CAN'T BE DONE. - Kassi on doublecrossing Ljube-ljcvetko
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                            • #15
                              ok...but imagine having an archipelago map where you`ve already colonized your island. Why not stop the others from colonizing other islands giving you time to organize settlers, protection, workers transports?

                              ...without causing war of course...

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