WarKirby
Arty person
I'm presently playing a game as the archos. They're quite fun, and certainly not lacking in power. Their brutes are horrifically good, especially combined with the base 30% strength bonus from Aggressive + Defender. The problem here is not that the Archos race as a whole is underpowered. It's definitely not.
But so far, their unique mechanic is proving somewhat disappointing. I speak, of course, about the army of spiders spawning from Mother's Nest. Or, I wish it was.
I had hopes of leading a vast arachnid swarm across erebus, devouiring all in my path. But that doesn't really seem feasible.
Firstly, the spiders don't benefit from your trait bonuses. They don't start with Combat I or Homeland, which instantly makes them inferior to your regular troops.
Secondly, spiders don't get defensive bonuses. I don't think any animals do. But then, there's a reason why no other civ has an animal-centric army, I think.
Thirdly, their base strength is just too low. Baby spiders are 3 strength, but without your trait bonuses, they're essentially just poor-man's tribesmen, with hidden nationality, not that it helps them much.
Giant spiders are significantly better at strength 5, but considering that your Brutes are strength 5 also (WITHOUT weapons) and they also get defensive bonuses + your trait bonuses, and lack the crippling weakness to recon units, giant spiders seem pointless by comparison. Apparently they get the Strong promotion once the capital is size 20, but by then the enemy is likely to have str 8 iron champions, and str7 rangers (with their 75% animal combat bonus), and a strength increase from 5 to 6 isn't going to make one iota of difference.
As if them being generally weak wasn't enough, there's also the AI's alarming tendancy to spam recon units everywhere. I jut had to fend off no less than 20 bannor hunters.
Hunters, with their 50% strength bonus against animals, eat spiders for breakfast. And that's only a tier II unit. I can't see spiders having any reason to exist when the enemy has rangers, or even beastmasters. And if they're ever smart enough to give their hunters subdue animal, it's just giving them free units.
But Fourth point, they just don't spawn enough. Somewhere around 150 turns in, my capital is size 11 and I have 3 other cities. I've had a sum total of 5 spiders, all of which except the last have died in failed attempts to put them to some meaningful use. Meanwhile, my capital can churn out a fresh new brute every single turn, with Combat I, homeland, 6 str, and my choice of an extra free promotion from running apprenticeship. I'm left wondering why I should even care about spiders.
As far as I can see, the only redeeming quality the spiders have, is their Hidden Nationality. And while it certainly is neat to fight a shadow war and murder your enemies with a veil of peace, spiders just aren't capable of that. Their low strength, lack of defensive bonuses, and low numbers, give them no hope of surviving counterattacks. The thing about sending a unit deep into rival territory, is that it's full of their soldiers, who will easily slaughter your 1 lowly spider. And if you open your borders, a passing AI hunter will happily slay all your spiders for free experience, thinking he's doing you a favor.
Granted, spiders are naturally invisible. But not to hunters. And since the AI builds lots of those, their invisibility doesn't make so much difference.
So I ask, what is the purpose of spiders? I can't find any useful purpose for them, aside from decoration to make my empire more "in character". Compared to the numberless legions of greatly superior brutes, spiders seem to have zero military potential, and they're not even useful as city guards because of the no defence bonus.
But so far, their unique mechanic is proving somewhat disappointing. I speak, of course, about the army of spiders spawning from Mother's Nest. Or, I wish it was.
I had hopes of leading a vast arachnid swarm across erebus, devouiring all in my path. But that doesn't really seem feasible.
Firstly, the spiders don't benefit from your trait bonuses. They don't start with Combat I or Homeland, which instantly makes them inferior to your regular troops.
Secondly, spiders don't get defensive bonuses. I don't think any animals do. But then, there's a reason why no other civ has an animal-centric army, I think.
Thirdly, their base strength is just too low. Baby spiders are 3 strength, but without your trait bonuses, they're essentially just poor-man's tribesmen, with hidden nationality, not that it helps them much.
Giant spiders are significantly better at strength 5, but considering that your Brutes are strength 5 also (WITHOUT weapons) and they also get defensive bonuses + your trait bonuses, and lack the crippling weakness to recon units, giant spiders seem pointless by comparison. Apparently they get the Strong promotion once the capital is size 20, but by then the enemy is likely to have str 8 iron champions, and str7 rangers (with their 75% animal combat bonus), and a strength increase from 5 to 6 isn't going to make one iota of difference.
As if them being generally weak wasn't enough, there's also the AI's alarming tendancy to spam recon units everywhere. I jut had to fend off no less than 20 bannor hunters.
Hunters, with their 50% strength bonus against animals, eat spiders for breakfast. And that's only a tier II unit. I can't see spiders having any reason to exist when the enemy has rangers, or even beastmasters. And if they're ever smart enough to give their hunters subdue animal, it's just giving them free units.
But Fourth point, they just don't spawn enough. Somewhere around 150 turns in, my capital is size 11 and I have 3 other cities. I've had a sum total of 5 spiders, all of which except the last have died in failed attempts to put them to some meaningful use. Meanwhile, my capital can churn out a fresh new brute every single turn, with Combat I, homeland, 6 str, and my choice of an extra free promotion from running apprenticeship. I'm left wondering why I should even care about spiders.
As far as I can see, the only redeeming quality the spiders have, is their Hidden Nationality. And while it certainly is neat to fight a shadow war and murder your enemies with a veil of peace, spiders just aren't capable of that. Their low strength, lack of defensive bonuses, and low numbers, give them no hope of surviving counterattacks. The thing about sending a unit deep into rival territory, is that it's full of their soldiers, who will easily slaughter your 1 lowly spider. And if you open your borders, a passing AI hunter will happily slay all your spiders for free experience, thinking he's doing you a favor.
Granted, spiders are naturally invisible. But not to hunters. And since the AI builds lots of those, their invisibility doesn't make so much difference.
So I ask, what is the purpose of spiders? I can't find any useful purpose for them, aside from decoration to make my empire more "in character". Compared to the numberless legions of greatly superior brutes, spiders seem to have zero military potential, and they're not even useful as city guards because of the no defence bonus.
