Lack of Leaders?

[Apostle 83]

The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Mine is a lack of leaders. I war constantly (sometimes for 1000 years, until I annhialate nations) but I rarely produce leaders. I've produced two leaders since I've had the game, which was two days after release.

What are good strategies for developing leaders?

[Skanky Burns]

Basically, to get leaders you must win many battles with Elite units.

Your half-way there, fighting (and presumably winning) many battles. Now to increase their quality.
Theres no real easy way to get elite units. Building barracks in ALL unit-production cities will get you to Veteran status, meaning less battles before your units are Elite.
Secondly, keep your units alive. Where possible, attack with fast units so that they can retreat rather than die. If they live longer, their chances of becoming Elite/making a GL will increase. Dont attack with an Elite unit in the red, take it back to a city to heal.
Also, picking the Military civ trait will increase your chances too.

Hope these tips help. In my last game, I got 5 GLs, and wasnt Militeristic

[Magician]

Re: Lack of Leaders?

Originally posted by Apostle 83
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Mine is a lack of leaders. I war constantly (sometimes for 1000 years, until I annhialate nations) but I rarely produce leaders. I've produced two leaders since I've had the game, which was two days after release.

What are good strategies for developing leaders?

Build barrack to produce veteran units (so u are 1 steps away from elite). When your get a elite unit, don't use it to fight unless the enemy HP is very low. Use your non-elite units to reduce the enemys HP to 1, then crush them with your elite unit. I use this method to get 4 leaders in the ancient age (non-militaristic).

Another strategy is to put your elite units with good defence value in a captured city. Normally tons of enemy troops will rush there and tries to get it back. Fortifies them and let the enemy troops to attack them. If you are lucky and the enemy force is large enough, you will get several leaders by this method.

Also someone point out that capturing enemy's capital with elite unit will generate a leader... haven't tried it tho

[DK36]

Yes, what people said. However, taking a capitol doesn't give you a leader from what I've seen. Do you have to burn it down or install a government? Does the unit have to be elite? I always capture the capitol rather than burning it, so maybe that is why.

Oh and by the way, bieng a Militaristic civilization and building the Heroic Epic (?) small wonder helps you out with the chances of getting them.

[rah]

The game I'm currently in. Militaristic, built the Epic and built the war academy. I've already gotten 12 or so leaders. Whenever I saved one for future use, I would stop getting them. Within a few turns of using it, I'd get another one. I think I remember having more than one unused one in a previous game, but that hasn't happened this game.

Taking their cap doesn't guarentee one. If the AI has connected by railroad. Just unload a transport full of elite units on any mountain space that covers a resource in there territory. You'll get a leader from the 100 attacks that will come the next turn. Just keep your transport nearby for the quick escape. (protected by some battleships of course). Nothing worse than getting a leader and losing him before you can move.

And for attacking, don't just attack with your elites. Mop up those units that are damaged with your vet units so you can get more elites. (militaristic real helps there)

RAH

[art_vandelai]

elite units

One thing I've found - when an elite unit (or any unit for that matter) attacks and takes a point or two of damage, it becomes a magnet for AI counterattacks. Therefore it's very hard to keep Elite units alive out on the battlefield. You need to retreat them quite often. Ensuring that your elites are stacked with good defensive units to repel counter-attacks will help you get more leaders.

[Ineffablebob]

About how many battles with an elite unit do you usually go through before a leader appears? I've never had a leader in any game show up, so I'm wondering just how unlucky I am.

[Magician]

Re: elite units

Originally posted by art_vandelai
One thing I've found - when an elite unit (or any unit for that matter) attacks and takes a point or two of damage, it becomes a magnet for AI counterattacks. Therefore it's very hard to keep Elite units alive out on the battlefield. You need to retreat them quite often. Ensuring that your elites are stacked with good defensive units to repel counter-attacks will help you get more leaders.

Yeah.. I notice that too. Seems the AI always select the weakest unit to attack. This become more apparent when they got railroad..

[Padmewan]

Can you get leaders from defense actions too? Did not know that. Also, I thought the "toughness" of the fight has something to do with gaining experience.

Also, I don't think you gain experience if the fight does not conclude (either side withdraws because of higher movement rate).

[Barchan]

Padmewan:

You can get leaders by winning defensive battles. I've gotten at least one that way. My elite archer fought off a couple of knights and created a leader. Too bad the rest of the knights slaughtered both the archer and the leader before I could move him away.

You don't get promoted if you retreat from battle. You have to win.

I've also noted that difficult battles, taking enemy capitals, and eliminating Civs are more likely to create leaders than when cavalry run over warriors.

Militaristic Civs are much more likely to get leaders; I've gotten a lot more with militaristic Civs than non-mil.

Lastly, I've never had two leaders at the same time. Perhaps it just cannot be done....

[ledj]

Playing a military civ (Chinese), I got 10 leaders, and managed a win on space race at 1794 AD, on Monarch level . The strategy I used was to time the golden age (in this case it was triggered by first battle win by a Chinese uu, rider) during the early phase of a war. The increased shield production was critical to sustain war effort. Later on, I tried the same on deity level, but could not win. because by then the AI had became too powerful. To win at deity, you may need a civ capable of getting golden age early.

[Alex 14]

Getting elite units isn't a problem for me, but I still cant get one leader.

My best example is in a large war when I used several tanks against my opponants, for one tank after 3 battles he became elite, after another 50 or so battles and whiping out 2 other civs he still wasn't a great leader.

[rah]

sure fire way to get a leader,'

Take six elite mech infantry, drop them on any resource on a mountain in enemy territory. If everything is connected by rails. after the 30-50 units attack that position, you'll have a leader. It has worked for me EVERY single time that I haven't had a leader unused already. Unfortunately by then, you don't need them. Be sure to have the escape route planned

But doing similar things with more ancient units will work, but it's slower because the enemy has to use roads so the attacks are spread out, but at least it lets you fortify the position.

RAH