Two scout opening

Marathoner

Warlord
Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
116
Location
Pushing a rock up a hill
In G&K I only ever opened with 2 scouts with Spain. But I found myself always opening with 2 scouts in BnW. Once one gets a ruin upgrade to archer I find the nearest barb camp and farm until I can upgrade to increase visibility. I then park this on my first trade route for protection. The second looks for new CS, civs and huts. Anyone else using a two scout opening as a standard strategy?
 
In G&K I only ever opened with 2 scouts with Spain. But I found myself always opening with 2 scouts in BnW. Once one gets a ruin upgrade to archer I find the nearest barb camp and farm until I can upgrade to increase visibility. I then park this on my first trade route for protection. The second looks for new CS, civs and huts. Anyone else using a two scout opening as a standard strategy?

I have had the opposite reaction. In G&K, I almost always built 2 scouts to open. With BNW, (unless I am Shoshone of course); I rarely build 2 scouts, I build one to start, and then depending on the situation, will build a military unit or monument second. I think the (seemingly) increased barbarian activity is the reason for me getting out a military unit so early, and in fact if I am playing a civ with a warrior UU, I will forgo building a scout until I get 140 gold.

I generally play small maps, and that makes a difference as well. I think the only civs I would open with 2 scouts anymore are Spain(as you mentioned), America, Shoshone and Polynesia (but that is situational, may just build 2 or 3 moai warriors first).
 
What are huts?

Ancient Ruins. They were often called "goodie huts" in Civ IV, and the name's carried through to V.

Personally I almost never go double scout. At high levels (I'm usually on Immortal) the AI's scouting advantage means by the time I crank out a second scout, the huts are pretty much gone already. The benefit of getting the 15 gold a little earlier from City-State or from finding a wonder a little faster are way outstripped bu the earlier monument, shrine, worker, warrior, etc.
 
I find it's map dependent for me. If I'm on a standard or larger map, I'll do it. Same if it's pangaea. The advantages of early access to ruins, thorough knowledge of the terrain for expansion, meeting trading partners, and the happiness bonuses from discovering natural wonders in aggregate make the extra couple of turns worth the effort.

By doing this, I'm able to send out two scouts in two different directions and by turn 25ish, pull my warrior back to handle the inevitable barbarian horde coming may way. It's not uncommon for me to pull down 6-8 ruins or more with it - and all the free tech, free culture, free faith, free gold, and free upgrades that go with it.
 
double scout is alright if you can finish them in about 5 turns each... that way if you teched pottery first then you can start right away on your shrine.

Hell, opener with Shoshone would be the same... you start with the unique scout unit plus your first build. In my last game, I decided to start on a settler right away after getting to 2 pop cause I knew that I would find a hut in no time to go to 3 pop. A pre-20 turn settler was quite a trip!!
 
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