The most annoying Barbarian habits

tonic · September 14, 2000, 18:47

I suppose it depends on the actual game in hand, but in OCC with a minimum of defenders and your mobile units in another continent, you've got to be a masochist to take the nasty habits of the Barbs.

You have only one Warrior defending your city which has all its squares roaded and irrigated thanks to the hard work of your Settler. Then up pop three Barb Archers (one of them stacked with the obligatory Leader) and before you know it the pattern has been stripped of the irrigation before they even think of attacking your invincible sole defender.

So what other nasty habits are in the catalogue?

finbar · September 14, 2000, 19:04

T'other day. Wiped me out before I'd even built a city. Sure, I'd done some wandering in search of a good starting spot. In fact, I'd wandered for a bloody long time, which you can afford to do against the AI. Anyway, along the buggers came and killed not only my two settlers, but also my none unit.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
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Scouse Gits · September 14, 2000, 20:12

Hi there finnie! It is good to hear that other players sometimes lose both the game and their dignity to the Artificial Ignorance - few of us have ever admitted it on these fora.
Good civin'

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Scouse Git[1]

"CARTAGO DELENDA EST" - Cato the Censor
"The Great Library must be built!"

Ming · September 14, 2000, 23:29

The most annoying Barbarian habits... hmmmm...

When they don't show up and I need the money from the kings

Smash · September 14, 2000, 23:42

...when they pop up the turn after founding a city in a beaut 4 special site that I spent 9 turns marching to.

kcbob · September 15, 2000, 08:16

It just absolutely drives me crazy when they don't wash their hands before eating.

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

Longfistking · September 15, 2000, 09:44

When the horny little barb king suddenly disappears after you've wasted your guys on killing his horsemen or elephants-all that work and no pay off!

Chainsaw · September 15, 2000, 14:33

...barb archers having a rather destructive party on your beloved gold/iron mountains...there´s just no way to convince them to leave not having vet catties nearby

Bohlen · September 15, 2000, 15:03

I've been trying to think of some nasty barb habits, but have had a hard time doing so. Although I used to hate barbs, I love them now. The more, the merrier!

I guess one bad habit would be their ability to pop out of the sea and make a landing next to one of your few unwalled cities. If a city does not have walls, the barbs will find it.

kcbob · September 15, 2000, 15:55

quote:

Originally posted by Longfistking on 09-15-2000 09:44 AM
When the horny little barb king suddenly disappears after you've wasted your guys on killing his horsemen or elephants-all that work and no pay off!

Amen, brother! This one is annoying. That and traipsing over the countryside to catch him only to see him use three moves to get away!

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

finbar · September 15, 2000, 21:17

Don't forget their habit of popping up in boats with stupd grins on their faces in landlocked lakes a million miles from the coast.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
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finbar · September 15, 2000, 21:19

quote:

Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 09-14-2000 08:12 PM
Hi there finnie! It is good to hear that other players sometimes lose both the game and their dignity to the Artificial Ignorance - few of us have ever admitted it on these fora.
Good civin'

I didn't so much learn humility, SG1, as have it bludgeoned into me.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
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Jim W · September 16, 2000, 00:11

quote:

Originally posted by finbar on 09-15-2000 09:17 PM
Don't forget their habit of popping up in boats with stupd grins on their faces in landlocked lakes a million miles from the coast.

Beat me top it, fin. I was going to mention this oner. Serves me right for not visiting the site more often.

Jim W

Builder · September 16, 2000, 05:25

quote:

Originally posted by tonic on 09-14-2000 06:47 PM
You have only one Warrior defending your city which has all its squares roaded and irrigated thanks to the hard work of your Settler. Then up pop three Barb Archers (one of them stacked with the obligatory Leader) and before you know it the pattern has been stripped of the irrigation before they even think of attacking your invincible sole defender.

It always happens to me...

geofelt · September 16, 2000, 20:45

I hate it when I am exploring, and end my turn by discovering a barb legionairre.

Chainsaw · September 17, 2000, 09:21

What I do love is finding a lonesome barb city somewhere in the wilderness...Easy to take/cheap to bribe and a perfect starting point for colonization.

Chainsaw · September 17, 2000, 09:23

It´s something like a late payback for all the worries you had with the guys

tonic · September 17, 2000, 17:28

quote:

Originally posted by Longfistking on 09-15-2000 09:44 AM
When the horny little barb king suddenly disappears after you've wasted your guys on killing his horsemen or elephants-all that work and no pay off!

Yes, and yet when the Barb Leader is by himself after losing his attacking units in another continent, he seems to stay around for ages - you could almost hear his taunting "come and get me"!

Ribannah · September 17, 2000, 19:34

The most annoying? When Barbs destroy all those little AI civs you had hoped would become your allies ....

Just played OCC#5, with Canadians in the game which had me worried right from the start, and naturally they were easy prey for the reds

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If you have no feet, don't walk on fire

Longfistking · September 18, 2000, 09:17

quote:

Originally posted by finbar on 09-15-2000 09:17 PM
Don't forget their habit of popping up in boats with stupd grins on their faces in landlocked lakes a million miles from the coast.

I had this happen just yesterday--not only was it a boat in a lake, it was a frigate in a small pond! And nobody got off the frigate! And I couldn't kill the darn thing and it's still sitting there, as if to taunt me!
Other habits, which I've observed in the game I'm playing right now, is when you let them take over a size one city, then let it grow to size two or three so they can build some units, and when you go and bribe the city back (mind you, I've got ironclads and almost to calvary), all you get is . . . a legion! Urrrgggh! What's up with that! And they always seem to pop up near newly built cities or size one cities, and you get a few knights close to getting them, and they take your city with an elephant. I'm going to keep a galleon loaded with diplomats just for this occasion from now on. Another annoying thing--two barbarian kings hiding behind each other and when you go to get them they won't split up, so you have to take just the one for cash. And barb kings hiding behind their horsemen. And barb kings hanging around your big cities after they tried to take them, and you would have to take the only musketeer out of the city to kill him, while the rest of your army is out in the field fighting the AI. And barbs appearing nine times out of ten near your Non settler, and eventually taking a whack at your worker, slowing your road building down. And here's a kicker--this happened yesterday in the game, as well--you blast a barb trireme that's popping in and out of the shadows, only to find it has **seven** units on it. Was that a typo, or what? It must have been either my imagination or something else was stacked underneath.
The barbs in this game sure do make it interesting.
And oh, let's not forget the nasty, nasty habits of those barb partisans. Whew!

[This message has been edited by Longfistking (edited September 18, 2000).]

Laertes · September 18, 2000, 10:03

Bomb the frigate to blazes. Or better still, find the thread where it explains how to move battleships inshore (I'm not kidding!) and give the little red devils a nice surprise.

Deal with the stacking kings by building fortresses in the region where the barbs usually appear, and they will tend to fortify in them, and you can pick them off one by one.

I've never understood how they suddenly make the technology leap from legions to cavalry and artillery. They are quiet for aeons, and then whoa, scary partisans who could actually do some damage.

Edited to hide incompetence with "Edit with quote" function.

[This message has been edited by Fergus Horkan (edited September 18, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Fergus Horkan (edited September 18, 2000).]

September 19, 2000, 09:00

quote:

Originally posted by Ming on 09-14-2000 11:29 PM
The most annoying Barbarian habits... hmmmm...

When they don't show up and I need the money from the kings

This has happened: I get my boats over half the world to get 150 gold and the turn before either the chieftain dissappears or another civ takes it out!!!

Ming · September 19, 2000, 09:20

So true...
It doesn't really bother me when somebody gets to the king before I do... tough luck...

But when they disappear just as you have them cornered and are ready to take them on THAT TURN!!!!!!
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

DaveV · September 19, 2000, 09:33

quote:

Originally posted by Fergus Horkan on 09-18-2000 10:03 AM
I've never understood how they suddenly make the technology leap from legions to cavalry and artillery. They are quiet for aeons, and then whoa, scary partisans who could actually do some damage.

Read "The barbarian paper" by William Keenan, and you'll know everything about the barbarians.
http://sleague.apolyton.net/Guides/sldt_barbtechs.shtml

Mercantile · September 19, 2000, 17:27

i like to use my boats to pick off barb leaders on the ai's continent, easy way to gain vet status with Sun Tzu's as well. The ai is notoriously slow for picking off barbs, preferring IMO to let them attack first. Might explain why when the ai capital is taken by barbs, the whole empire eventually comes crashing down. I saw this happen the other night in a game, Thebes was captured by the barbs and the Egyptians still had 7 more cities and over the course of the next 1000 yrs, each city was conquered? I was laughing.

The barb in the pond thing sucks as does stacked barb kings. The thing i hate the most though is when my vet troops who have routinely crushed barbs all game thus earning their vet status run into the super barbarians. I am supposed to believe that your weak archers can take out my fortified phalanx on a river in my city? All game i rout these red freaks , then all the sudden they punch a hole through my empire and no matter what i build its never good enough

Scouse Gits · September 20, 2000, 05:57

Yes, the Super Barbarian has been discussed in the past on these boards.
Is it real or Urban Legend??
Do we have any documented evidence?
What causes its appearance?
Any answers??

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Scouse Git[1]

"CARTAGO DELENDA EST" - Cato the Censor
"The Great Library must be built!"

DaveV · September 20, 2000, 07:44

quote:

Originally posted by Scouse Gits on 09-20-2000 05:57 AM
Yes, the Super Barbarian has been discussed in the past on these boards.
Is it real or Urban Legend??
Do we have any documented evidence?
What causes its appearance?
Any answers??

My vote: urban legend. I think some of the "super" barbarians people report are actually veterans, due to combat wins. Watch out for vet barbs at Deity level: they attack at an effective strength of 225% (150% deity attack bonus times 150% veteran bonus). So a vet barb archer attacks at 6.75, easily enough to wipe out a non-vet phalanx fortified on a river (defense 4.5).

rah · September 20, 2000, 08:36

My vote is Urban legend also. Probability will eventually make a unit appear to be one.
Once a single barb chariot, took out two phalanx, two settlers and a crusader in a matter of a few turns. Except for one settler, they were all on decent defensive terrain. I kept moving settler/phalanx combos thru the mountain, going no problem, no problem, which quickly changed to big problem, big problem. But it happens so infrequently, it can easily be attributed to long odds finally hitting.

RAH

kcbob · September 20, 2000, 10:05

quote:

Originally posted by Mercantile on 09-19-2000 05:27 PM
The barb in the pond thing sucks as does stacked barb kings.

Last night I stumbled across a barbarian city with a population of 3. I attacked with a horseman and killed a barbarian king. +150 gold and a now a population of 2. I attacked again and... voila!!! Another barbarian king. Another 150 gold! Sweet!

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

[This message has been edited by kcbob (edited September 20, 2000).]

finbar · September 20, 2000, 19:19

Time for an amusing - well, faintly amusing - observation amongst these tirades of invective.

Twice over the Civ-playing years I've had barbs take a city from me and, for various reasons, the city has grown to about size 4 before I've had the means to get it back. Finally, when I move to strike against a barb unit - not in the city - I get a dialogue box on the screen:

quote:

"Do you want to declare war against the Barbarians?"

Well, I murmur to myself rhetorically, "Do bears evacuate their bowels in heavily timbered areas?".

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finbar
Mono Rules!
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