Scout on autoexplore died attacking a swordsman

[JofOblie]

I'd discovered my continent and just researched optics, so I set my two scouts to auto-explore. A few turns later I got the message "Your Scout has died attacking a swordsman (1 damage)".

Has this ever happened to anyone else? My scout was sailing on the water with full health when it decided (on auto-explore) to attack a full strength barbarian swordsman from the sea, which resulted in suicide. I thought units on auto-explore didn't attack things? And it couldn't have been the swordsmen attacking my scout, as they were embarked. What's going on here?

 

[Walter R]

It will be correct: what happens is that the scout moves to disembark, but there happens to be a barb on the land hex, so it's move is taken as attacking the land unit.

This sort of caper used to drive me nuts (that and embarked scouts endlessly exploring the same bit of ice inlet, back and forth), so like most other aspects of the game I just manage it myself now.

 

[dragonxxx]

actually it probably embarked next to the barbarian and it killed it straight after, as the barbarians act after automated actions and before your next turn.

 

[reddishrecue]

The barbarian most likely killed at first.. Units in autoexplore usually fortify when they can no longer move and are surrounded by enemy units.

 

[SoupJuice]

Scouts, though fast, are never truly safe!

 

[Dedrytus]

It is "normal". Scouts attack barbarians. They like to attack, especially from the sea - after a dosens of turns on auto everybody wants to have a some fun ;-) After you research optics, and most of the map is revealed scouts are going crazy.

 

[Trackmaster]

I think that it was a quirk that somebody mentioned about disembarking. They see disembarking as a nonviolent action, but the reality is that if a unit is occupying that tile, it will be counted as an attack.

 

[Rooftrellen]

I don't think it's that disembarking is a nonviolent action, but they can't see, and the game judges based on sight.

The scout was able to move several space but could only see one. The game decides, based on whatever formula, where it should move, and that happened to end up on a piece of land, that happened to have a barb.

I never had that kind of bad luck, but I'll risk it if it means not getting my scout stopped every other turn as an AI moves to occupy the hex I sent it to or some such nonsense.

Pathfinding is weird in this game...and annoying at times...and obviously deadly to weak units.

 

[OBRkenobi]

never happened to me

 

[OBRkenobi]

actually it probably embarked next to the barbarian and it killed it straight after, as the barbarians act after automated actions and before your next turn.

no because it said the scout had attacked the swordsman

 

[Kirin Rider]

Do people often automate scouts? I have found the automated actions to be worse than useless for scouts, workers, etc. Besides exploration is a big part of the fun of the early game for me.

 

[JofOblie]

Thing is though, once you've explored your continent and know pretty much all you care to know about it can become tedious to micro-manage them every turn.

I'll use them manually for the first ~50 turns or so at the least.

 

[Johnpecan]

That is strange. But automating explorers is not a very good idea.

 

[General Tso]

Basic rule of thumb: Never auto explore when at war.