Favorite UU?

[vulture]

I've only played a few games as the Iriquois, but somehow the MW never seems to work very well for me. Perhaps I have too high expectations for it. Favourtie UU's tha't Ive used (which isn't all of them) are the Samurai, Siphai, and Rider. Jag warriors are fun, but have to be played in a different style to other UUs and of course are an almost total waste of a golden age. Gallic swordsmen are great, but its hard to get enough of them. Immortals are pretty good, and don't really become obsolete until cavalry - a pretty long shelf life. Quite like the panzer too.


Pointless UUs: Man-o-war, F15, war elephant.

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

The Immortal does have a long shelf life, but not a long shelf life where they remain very useful. Even the IMPI can outpace the immortal.

[gunkulator]

Rider has it all: good attack, defense, retreat capability and the best movement rate until cavalry comes along. Use them to raid deep into enemy territory and steal workers.

[Catt]

Rider, Immortals, Legionaries. That list takes into account the civ traits.

The Riders mobility and deep penetration just screams blitzkreig.

The Immortals, powered by an industrious road network, means neighbors fall hard and fast (the start with Bronze Working helps a lot).

And the Legionaries, with cheap barracks, mean an all around monster war machine and seemingly leaders galore! I believe I generate more leaders with Legionaries than other attackers, and I believe that this perception stems from the fact that they so often serve as offense and defense, and so enjoy promotions to elite on defense far more often than some of the other UUs available -- seems like I always have a hoard of elite Legionaries whereas with other UUs I have to husband my elites much more carefully in searching for leaders. But, the Legionaries are much more map dependent for me -- my current game as Rome I enjoyed a lot of room to REX and had a decent settler pump; the Legionaries only participated in eliminating one weaker neighbor that didn't have iron for pikes -- if I had had a more robust neighbor that was as far away as I have in this game, the Legionaries would have been a lot less useful in the circumstances.

I feel I'm shortchanging the Mounted Warrior, but I just don't like the trait / UU synergy.

Catt

[Blaupanzer]

The berserk and conquistador are the coolest by far. Great animation and a dog barking too! How can you beat it? Chinese rider is one of the best in terms of use.

[Arrian]

And the Legionaries, with cheap barracks, mean an all around monster war machine and seemingly leaders galore! I believe I generate more leaders with Legionaries than other attackers, and I believe that this perception stems from the fact that they so often serve as offense and defense, and so enjoy promotions to elite on defense far more often than some of the other UUs available -- seems like I always have a hoard of elite Legionaries whereas with other UUs I have to husband my elites much more carefully in searching for leaders.

Funny. I've played the Romans quite a bit lately, and that hasn't been my experience. The AI seems too scared to actually attack my Legionaries in the ancient era, so their extra defense doesn't mean all that much there. Though I did once get a leader from a defending legionary very early in a game once, so sometimes the AI will attack. But in my most successful Roman game, it was my mounted units that produced most of my leaders. I still don't like the swordsman UUs because I think they're a little early, and also because (aside from the Gallic Swordsman, who has other issues) they're slow. Plus, the legionary has an added defense point on an offensive unit, which I'm not too fond of (Samurai is somewhat different, due to their prevention-of-retreat by enemy mounted units). Speaking of Samurai, that's the unit that I find provides me with ungodly numbers of elites (for the same reasons you state you get lots of elite legionaries).

Oddly enough, the most leaders I've gotten in a game was just recently, using a non-militaristic civ (Carthage) and the UU played no part whatsoever. Ah, the fickle RNG It giveth, it taketh away.

-Arrian

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

For the record, my first 11-leader game was with Japan, using those unholy Samurai.

I think I'm still with the Rider, but man! those Samurai! Usuable well into the industrial era... mostly because you'll decimate so many enemies that hardly any will make it to the industrial era...

[Catt]

Originally posted by Arrian


Funny. I've played the Romans quite a bit lately, and that hasn't been my experience. The AI seems too scared to actually attack my Legionaries in the ancient era, so their extra defense doesn't mean all that much there.

Really? My legionaries get attacked by archers, swords and horsies all the time. I'll have to watch this more closely next time.

Though I did once get a leader from a defending legionary very early in a game once, so sometimes the AI will attack.

Just to be clear (for others, 'cause I think you got my point) -- it's not the possibility for leaders on defense so much as it is veteran legionaries getting promoted to elite while defending -- I still generate virtually all of my leaders on attacks, but the "survive-ability" of the legionary and the absence of a need to bring along defenders on an expedition seems to mean that I get a bunch of elite promotions faster with Rome. Nothing sweeter than a couple of healtly vet legionaries getting counter-attacked while fortified in a newly conquered city, surviving with only an HP or 2 lost, getting promoted to elite, and then feasting on the injured / retreated enemy just outside the city

The Samurai also benefit from this, as you point out. Their attribute of preventing retreat by fast-movers plus the best defense of the era also means more promotions, in my experience. Paradoxically with the Samurai though, their speed at conquest seems to me to reduce the number of "defense promotions" compared to the Legionary -- the "good" of a quick-moving front sometimes seems a bit offset by the "bad" of moving quickly enough so that the counter-attacks are fewer and farther inbetween. Same thing happens to me a bit with the Rider. The speed seems to reduce the number of engagements overall and unless I deliberately plod along, I will often miss the feast of attacks against "1" defense longbowman that comes with a slower conquest and no access to iron for the enemy. Haven't played Japan in a while -- maybe I'll go off "random" and give them a play.

Catt

[Frank Johnson]

I guess its all in how you use the legionaries.

Personally I rush for iron working, then use Legionaries as my only military unit untill feudalism. ^_^ At which point I switch to pikemen solely so the legions guarding the rear can move to the front.

The trick to getting the AI to attack a city is not to have alot of legions in it. ^_^ It sounds weird, but if you have a stack of 10 in a city of course they won't attack, but when I took over a city with just 2 once, I got a early leader and poof! Forbidden place on another continent. I won that game with space race keeping all my opponents in the industrial age on monarch. It was weird.....

[Arrian]

Just to be clear (for others, 'cause I think you got my point) -- it's not the possibility for leaders on defense so much as it is veteran legionaries getting promoted to elite while defending -- I still generate virtually all of my leaders on attacks, but the "survive-ability" of the legionary and the absence of a need to bring along defenders on an expedition seems to mean that I get a bunch of elite promotions faster with Rome.

Oh, I knew what you meant.

Paradoxically with the Samurai though, their speed at conquest seems to me to reduce the number of "defense promotions" compared to the Legionary -- the "good" of a quick-moving front sometimes seems a bit offset by the "bad" of moving quickly enough so that the counter-attacks are fewer and farther inbetween. Same thing happens to me a bit with the Rider.

This is why I tell people "Take your time. Break things. Slowly. Carefully." I'm not (just) being psychotic. There is method to the madness.

The way I combat the "speed = faster war = less battles = less promotions/leaders" phenomenon is I force myself to allow all of my troops to heal before advancing further. This has 3 effects: 1) I can bring all of my elites to bear in my next attack. 2) While my troops are healing, any piecemeal AI counterattack can be wiped out by my healthy elites. 3) It gives the AI more time to build units for me to kill.

I don't always do it. I surely don't do it if I'm at all concerned with winning the war.

-Arrian

[Catt]

Originally posted by Arrian

This is why I tell people "Take your time. Break things. Slowly. Carefully."

Good ol' "Lazy War" -- even harkening back to Theseus' "Care and Feeding" thread.

EDIT: Also much easier with a religious civ (Samurai ) or a despotic attack (Legionary ) since war weariness concerns are largely nonexistant.

Catt

[Arrian]

I forgot about "Lazy War." Though it isn't actually lazy. It's actually pretty carefully set up to get my elites into as many battles that they are likely to win as possible.

14 leaders as Carthage on a standard map (pre-tanks). The RNG was kind, yes, but I did something right.

Edit: Yes, much easier with a Religious civ (or Despotism). But well-timed oscillation can make it work for a republic too (if said republic has some happiness wonders & access to lots of luxuries).

-Arrian

[Cort Haus]

I think the Impi deserves a special mention - not for being a super-powerful UU, but for its ...

1. boing-boing elastic defense
2. barb-busting bouncy exploration
3. because it looks cool in yellow
4. unparalled early pillaging fun.
5. cheap barracks
6. er,
7. that's it

[Zero]

MWs, JWs, Samurai, Riders



JW is my personal favorite, I love having ultra early leads and never mind having early GAs. People get so caught up in "wasting a GA" by having it too soon. If I can trigger a "too early" GA but use it to outproduce 5-6 units and that clinches my rank, I'm happy enough. Besides, Aztecs are the only non exp civ that can build "scouts". And theyre even armed to. What more would you want?

But JWs upgrade path really sucks. Swordsmen is not what I want to upgrade to. Also I hate the fact that its in the a 1 movement offensive unit(guerilla route) tree. The mech inf tree is lot nicer, but I hate having defensive UUs (n.m are just ok at offense so it doesnt really count) So ideal tree is the mounted unit tree which leads me to...

MW for same reason most ppl like
Samurai = I like building these guys instead of musketmen. I dont upgrade pikes until way later and use them as MPs until at least riflemen comes in. I can have an army composed of just one type of unit and actually perform various task with it extremly well for quite some time. Building an army of these guys is always awesome.

Riders - basically faster samurais, less defense on a civ with industrious trait. (or you can ook at it as faster knights with no penalty like most ppl do but eh)

Legion is nice. Its defintely cost effective (n.m costs 30, and so does legion for price of requring iron... its basically a +1 att req iron merc) and is lot better than persian immortal (4v3 when immortal attack VS 3v2 when legion attacks). and can last longer both as attacker and defender IMO. Its even an ultra early UU, which I love, but for same reason that I gave to JW about being one mov unit makes me rank this one low.

[HeadHoncho]

I think if we had a poll of most worthless UUs it would be between the F-15, Man O War and Conquistador.

With all due respect, Mr. Zen, have you ever really played with the Conquistador? (I agree with you on the F-15 and the Man-o-War.)

I just tried it, and I think it is an amazing UU. The ability to cut through enemy territory 6 squares at a time (yes, the 1/3 move cost does apply there, too) is unbelievable. I stuck three in an army, and the AI didn't attack it, even though the world had progressed all the way to Infantry by that time.

I penetrated to the enemy's capital in one turn and captured a stack of workers. Then I pillaged the capital so that it was completely disconnected (oh yeah, in one turn you can pillage, move, pillage with the Conquistador army).

Then I roved all over his country, picking off workers and weak units.

It was DAMN fun! I highly recommend it to anyone.

HH