a few observations on leader generation

[Arrian]

pchang,

I've seen other posts (by you, perhaps?) detailing how the AI will throw human waves of troops at mech infantry on a RR'd mountain. True, huh? If so... does doing what you suggest qualify as somewhat of an exploit?

Thrawn05 - patience, my friend, patience. It's all luck, and can be frustrating. I really wished I could have saved a few of the leaders (total of 4 or 5, I think) I got in one game for later ones

Zedar - As is (bel)Zedar from the Belgariad/Mallorean? If so, cool name.

-Arrian

[zedar]

Hey Sirian,

are you the same Sirian from the Diablo2 lurkerslounge? and Sirians guide to sorceresses?

[pchang]

Reliable Leader Generator

The following is a fairly reliable way to generate leaders, but there is a fair chance that you will not actually be able to use that leader.

1) Wait until the AI has railroads.
2) Sail 1 transport full of the highest defense units (hopefully elites, or at least veterans) you have to the AI and land them on the best defensive terrain you can find that is connected to their railroad.
3) Declare war on the AI.
4) Watch as the AI charges you with every available unit and wait for a leader to emerge.
5) If you survive, load the leader on the transport immediately and try to get home.

I have watched several leaders appear only to be killed when the AI overwhelms my landing force. If you haven't had a leader before, you might use the leader to form an army out of any remaining units. The army will probably die, but not before winning at least one victory which will enable you to build the heroic epic and probably the military academy.

[Sirian]

I've never had a game with less than three leaders. This is in, what? Eight games now? The most I've had is seven, in the second Poly tournament game with the most UNmilitaristic English.

I've had at least thirty total leaders, including half a dozen from defending (though never while defending in a city). I've never had more than one leader at a time. There is a window on the military advisor that says "available leader". Not "leaderS", but singular. It certainly seems to me that only one leader at a time can be had, and as someone else said, barring proof to the contrary (like a screenie showing two leaders at once) that's what I will continue to believe.

- Sirian

[zedar]

I have had 2 leaders at once, actually 2 leaders generated in the same turn very close to each other on the battlefield. It was the only time ive had 2 leaders active at once.

My guess is that it could work something like this.....
16 side dice is rolled before each hit point is determined (12 sided dice if you have militistric or the small wonder for more leaders).
This dice is based on the seed and predictable if you reload.. so a sequence could be
1,4,6,1,10,13,7,16 and so on.....

If your elite unit wins AND the dice is on a set number (say 16) then you get a leader. If your unit wasn't elite then you get an upgrade...

When i stop playing the game so much it will be very interesting to pull out the debugger and have a bit of a poke around... if i ever stop playing it lol.. civ1 took me about 6 years..

zedar

[Thrawn05]

STOP THE PRESSES (or forums in this case )

After THREE WEEKS of play, I have FINALLY gotton my FIRST leader playing as the Americans.

But thats not all!

Those FREAKIN' english killed him before I could get to the nearest city!!!

I want to throw the freaking game out the damn window!!!

I must now refrain from becoming a mad man now.

[Mr. T]

how if at all has the patch changed the equation for leader creation?

[Mr. T]

1) I have seen many AI armies, I was playing a game where there were three AI civs on another continent. I sneaked in a settler/infantry combo and built a city (great technique). I was able to observe the iriquois and germans fight. The Iriquois had an army with inferior units but they managed to force the germans into a peace.

2) if your modem connection is slow and undependable you might want to download a program like Download Accelerator or Flashget, they increase the speed and let you resume downloads if you are cut off.

[Arrian]

Jaybe,

I know about WLTKD helping with shield loss... but I don't have the patch yet, due to the fact that my modem connection is horrible and keeps freezing while attempting to download. Thus, even with the WLTKD in captured cities, I'm still getting 1 shield. Hopefully, the patch will help with that. However, I have a TON of cities now, so the # of cities corruption is probably a big factor too.

-Arrian

[shuttleswo]

Originally posted by MarshalN
I am playing Chinese (usually French is what I choose) and I'm definitely getting more luck with leaders. I've had 3 so far where previously in many games I've only had 1, total.

I saw an AI army too! They were roaring my war, with I suspect a bunch of samurais in them. I decided my city that's closest to the army isn't good enough to defend against the army, and since I already got the cities I wanted in that war, I just declared peace with the Japanese (they still paid me for it) and let them fight the Persians instead

yeah, i've seen an AI army once before (although only once) it was the modern era and it had was comprized of three tanks (it was german i think) needless to say i thought peace was my best option when i saw that. but i've never seen one since. I've never seen an indication of AI hurring a wonder though (not that they haven't i just haven't seen a wonder completed in one or two turns indicating that is what had happened.)

[Jaybe]

Arrian,
WLTKD really helps getting those 1-Shield cities' production. Remember, population of 6 required. Post patch, you could get 10 or 20% of your nominal shield output.

[MarshalN]

I am playing Chinese (usually French is what I choose) and I'm definitely getting more luck with leaders. I've had 3 so far where previously in many games I've only had 1, total.

I saw an AI army too! They were roaring my war, with I suspect a bunch of samurais in them. I decided my city that's closest to the army isn't good enough to defend against the army, and since I already got the cities I wanted in that war, I just declared peace with the Japanese (they still paid me for it) and let them fight the Persians instead

[Arrian]

Last night I was trying out the Germans (to see how "militaristic" helped in war). Normal Map, Continents, Normal/Normal/4billion, Monarch.

I was peaceful for the ancient and most of the medieval eras, quietly building wonders and improvements and such. Toward the end I had built everything available, so I started cranking out knights. These became Cavalry. I then hit the Japanese.

Things started out beautifully. In my first 3 attacks, I got 3 elites. Next turn, Barbarossa! Now I psyched. So I take Barbarossa and turn him into an army, and build the heroic epic. Since then, I have destroyed the Japanese (with the exception of 1 small offshore island city) and English, fighting all sorts of battles with my elite cavalry. No more leaders. I really, really, really need one for the Forbidden Palace. I am giving strong consideration to attacking the French just to try and get a leader (and their rubber, of course). *Sigh* It's just so hit-or-miss.

-Arrian

p.s. I've gotten as many as 4 leaders in one game before... as the Babylonians, in fact!

[Thrawn05]

Originally posted by Slacker
I've been playing as the Germans and Russians and not getting any leaders either. Granted, I've not been overly aggressive, but I've fought a decent number of wars. It also seems the AI doesn't get them or use them either. I've never run across an AI army before.

This might also sound like a stupid question, but can you get a leader fighting barbs? It seems like it wouldn't, but it'd be nice to have confirmation.
Nice holiday themed smilies, btw

I have to side with Pad on this one, you can't get a leader fight barbs.

BTW: I feel you pain for not getting a leader.

[Padmewan]

You definitely cannot generate leaders from fighting barbarians. It would be too easy!