Settlers alone are 99% dead meat, suspicious ?

[gunter]

I know that escorting settlers is a good practice and of course there is a solid chance they could get captured but too many times, not to say always, even if they have to move few tiles only alone, they always get captured by barbarians.

That's suspicious because 8-9 times on 10 it happens just like that.

Is there perhaps an hidden routine to alter a lot the possibility that settlers get into barbarian ambushes if sent alone even just for few tiles with no known camps in the neighborhood ?

Of course Shafer would state there is no such a routine but what's your real opinion ?

[wurstburst]

I've never had that happen to me. Then again, I escort my settlers and continually root out all nearby barbarian camps...

[Cincinnatus C.]

If you actively scout your territory and fogbust it shouldn't be a problem. If your settler is captured you can always take him back.

[Creepy Old Man]

I don't escort settlers, but I do hunt camps. I generally take the first honour policy right away, and there's rarely barbarians any distance away from the camps.

[lissenber]

My hidden routine is to turn barbarians off whenever i set up a new game. Annoying little buggers, add nothing but depression and stress into the game.

[ChaplainDMK]

Not realy, I get annoyed when i blitz-'spand and i get realy streched out and one band of barbarians burns down all the farms I already build and my nearest warrior/spearman is 5 turns away or some effed up distance

[Samuil]

Originally Posted by lissenber

My hidden routine is to turn barbarians off when i set up a new game. Annoying little buggers, add nothing but depression and stress into the game.

well, that's one way of fixing it

I just use my warrior to escort the settler, while leaving my capitol undefended :P (a unit is being built right after the settler)

And I have never lost a settler to a barbarian...

[CarloTheCurious]

I think it's just coincidence.

I rarely escort my settlers, but I do scout around a lot and clear camps pretty aggressively.

[Tylerryan79]

I don't escort my settlers, but I do actively hunt for barbs and their camps. Whenever I am exploring I always see other civs captured settlers and workers, so it's not like it's an exclusive human problem.

[BirraImperial]

Remember the good ol' days from Civ I when a settler could take out a Barbarian invasion? Ahh those were good times!

[Jharii]

I never have this issue. Scout ahead, kill camps, be careful.

[dexters]

I fogbust and have sent settlers out unescorted.

Barb camps will pop before roaming units pop, so there's a window there for you to move your settler.

If you're chancing it, move it step by step, and use high ground-- like hills. That way you can see barb camps if they repop.

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus C.

If you actively scout your territory and fogbust it shouldn't be a problem. If your settler is captured you can always take him back.

I actually like this mechanic, so if you do goof, you just didn't lose a whole bunch of shields. Same goes for workers.

[Pantastic]

I often move settlers unescorted and rarely get caught. You can't just leave areas completely open and hope, though, camps will spawn (sometimes without telling you) and barbs will wander in without camps being present. I generally have 2 scouts out exploring and use my 1-2 warrior/spearmen to wander in a big circle around the capital to hunt barbs.

Remember that you don't need a garrison unit in each city to protect it anymore, early game barbs will typically wander around and let you shoot them up for a while before they start pillaging.

[Ankh]

Wow I want my settlers captured as well!

If OP was playing on raging barbarians I could understand, but on normal settings I never escort settlers and have never had one captured.

[Cincinnatus C.]

If you have stockpiled settlers or workers you can use the barb camps to avoid paying maintenance for them.

[eviltypeguy]

Originally Posted by gunter

I know that escorting settlers is a good practice and of course there is a solid chance they could get captured but too many times, not to say always, even if they have to move few tiles only alone, they always get captured by barbarians.

That's suspicious because 8-9 times on 10 it happens just like that.

Is there perhaps an hidden routine to alter a lot the possibility that settlers get into barbarian ambushes if sent alone even just for few tiles with no known camps in the neighborhood ?

Of course Shafer would state there is no such a routine but what's your real opinion ?

The AI places a heavy priority on capturing unprotected civilian units. So much so that you can 'farm' barbarians for experience this way pretty easily by baiting them over and over with a civilian unit.

[Niptium]

Originally Posted by CarloTheCurious

I think it's just coincidence.

I rarely escort my settlers, but I do scout around a lot and clear camps pretty aggressively.

Me too. It happened to me once (capture). Took it back after a while. But I do scout the surroundings a lot, I won't let a settler venture off in the wild without knowing at first that a barbarians encampment hasn't sprung up in the meantime. That doesn't mean I escort settlers all the time.

[GeneralMayhem]

if any scout, worker, settler comes within attack range of a camp/barb unit, it is 100% certain they will get attacked or captured. I have also found it suspicious that barb's seem to appear near settlers in particular. i usually have a unit scout ahead 1 to 3 tiles to escort, but I have had a couple run ins where inconceivably my settler was captured on a hill and no barbs around whatsoever within sight and on the end turn being captured.

i've also had suspicious movements from barbs where they seemingly call in reinforcements ahead of my units after another barb group has been "shadowing" my unit. smart play? i dunno

i often find that workers, settlers seem to attract barbarians and they even follow them which is annoying as you try to avoid the buggers. I often find barbarians a fun addition to the game, and leaving non combat units un-escorted is at your own peril.

[SuperJay]

Originally Posted by GeneralMayhem

i often find that workers, settlers seem to attract barbarians and they even follow them which is annoying as you try to avoid the buggers. I often find barbarians a fun addition to the game, and leaving non combat units un-escorted is at your own peril.

You can use it to your advantage, though - it's a cheesy way to lure barbarian units out of the camps and smite them with righteous justice. That way they aren't fortified (on a hill, as always) and you can engage them on open ground and turn the terrain penalties to your favor.

The AI is so bloody dumb about it you can get 'em every time. Just dangle a worker near their camp, out comes the brute / spearman / archer and then BAM, dead barbarian. It's like taking candy from a baby.

[gunter]

Originally Posted by eviltypeguy

The AI places a heavy priority on capturing unprotected civilian units. So much so that you can 'farm' barbarians for experience this way pretty easily by baiting them over and over with a civilian unit.

You answered me.

If there is a priority in place , well, that's no more coincidence but the fate again is driven by a routine, a priority routine in this case.

I also bet, this routine triggers itself even if the AI barbarian unit shouldn't " see " my settler due to its fog of war but pretty much all time the AI spawns a barbarian unit or camp just to to freak my settler.

Routine of priority, I knew that and suspected Shafer barbarians were not standard ones....