Attacko's Guide to Power Scouting

[troytheface]

There are several theories regarding the use of scouts.

However, there are a couple of methods that have shown proven results.
(There are civs that start with a scout- however, this is NOT a prerequisite for the superior Scout manipulator)

Duet of Forever

basically hook your scout up with a warrior and use them in tandom- warrior offering both protection and early hut location.
One draw back of this method is that is negates promotions for the scout which is the premise for an alternative theory.

Medic Eternal

Simple, find wooded hill and an animal (not a bear- too risky) and promote to Combat.
Repeat, promote to Medic. At this point one can either wait for a Great General to
add to the Medic promotion line, or risk yet another animal encounter. However,
at this stage barbarian warriors and archers will begin to appear with more regularity than animals.

Barracks First

A ploy used for civs that do not start with Hunting. First build- a barracks- while teching hunting, wheel, animal husbandry and mining to bronzeworking.
This has the bonus of a Combat promoted Scout from the get go. (heading towards the medic theory above)


Keep in mind that the main objectives for the Scout is to get tech and find the
enemy. After these are accomplished a fast moving Medic can be utilized to support any stack or city in need.

Like-wise any Scout unpromoted or extra should be loaded onto a galley asap.
(Navy Scout) to continue on any unexplored empty land areas including islands.

The issue of "fog breaking" is one that a scout on an isle has nothing to worry about- a scout on the outside of your terrritory is more of a target that will have to run. (which can draw off the enemy but can be tedious)
Scouts upgrade to Explorers which end the recon land based units line. Not much to be said other than upgrade your scouts to them.

 

[PieceOfMind]

This is actually a fairly sensible post.

I usually wouldn't bother upgrading a scout to an explorer though. It's not worth the cost unless you plan to use them on a Terra map or something similar. If you are using them as medics, you don't want them to be defending a stack anyway.

 

[redplague]

I never bother building a scout. I just use the warrior you get at the beginning to discover new territory.

 

[popejubal]

Troy, I actually have a bigger problem with this article than with some of your others. This was a good overview of scouts and even mentions using them as fogbusters to keep down Barbarian spawning near your empire.

If you keep up with articles like this, then people will start taking you seriously and your Attacko joke articles will be taken seriously too. Which is a shame because your Attacko articles would be really funny if it weren't for the fact that you occasionally put worthwhile information in them, scattered among the weirdness.

 

[nbcman]

@ troytheface

I dont think that the 'Duet of Forever' strategy is very applicable. The idea of only moving the scout at the rate of the warrior will mean that you will have less opportunities to discover and pop tribal villages. Plus are you going to wait to scout your surroundings until you have 2 units or will you immediately send off your starting unit and then send the second unit after it is built in your capital or aqcquired in a tribal village?

 

[Earthling]

The best use for scouts is starving out an AI opponent. I'd call it something like "Cow-Tipper Power" They can't attack nor pillage, however scouts are very useful for placing on AI resources to prevent them from being worked. On levels Noble+ you can easily send like 10 scouts to an AI city and prevent it from doing anything, and the AI may sit in its city, or if they try to break out just kill them with the rest of your army supporting the scouts.

 

[Deckhand]

Troy, I actually have a bigger problem with this article than with some of your others. This was a good overview of scouts and even mentions using them as fogbusters to keep down Barbarian spawning near your empire.

If you keep up with articles like this, then people will start taking you seriously and your Attacko joke articles will be taken seriously too. Which is a shame because your Attacko articles would be really funny if it weren't for the fact that you occasionally put worthwhile information in them, scattered among the weirdness.

LOL

yes, as an Attacko article, this was disappointing.
Nothing about spamming scouts and harassing the enemy with them.
<edit, like Earthling said>
Get them woodsman II promotions and lead the AI on a merry chase.
Or harass workers and watch them hide in the city (does this work?)
Feint an attack on one city with your SoS (stack of scouts) while your real SoD sneaks up on another city.
Park those spammed scouts in the jungle/desert/ice and wait for A man called Jed event.

popejubal, actually he advises against using scouts as fogbusters

Seriously, others advise hugging the coasts on high level - no Attacko position on this?

 

[Lone Wolf]

No, you should use the "attack the enemy's Modern Armor with your scouts" tactics. Since that situation is so unusual, the AI programmers obviously didn't taught the AI how to defend from that tactics.

 

[troytheface]

there are other "tactics" which is another issue.

The "Scout Surge" and

"The best use for scouts is starving out an AI opponent. I'd call it something like "Cow-Tipper Power"

are military based. (good ideas)

 

[JonathanStrange]

Blurring the line between eccentricity and practical advice, I cross that line myself too.

 

[PaulisKhan]

But how does the combat promoted scout deal with the woodsman promoted warrior. Surely there must be a compromise.

 

[Negator_UK]

Attacko articles clearly imply that fogging your intent to confuse the enemy is a good thing. A sensible article can only enhance this effect.

The articles no use to me though, all my scouts get eaten by bears.

 

[Antilogic]

The articles no use to me though, all my scouts get eaten by bears.

Same here. My warriors get eaten by bears, even on wooded hills. My people are apparently strong enough to conquer the world, but not Mother Nature.

 

[troytheface]

"But how does the combat promoted scout deal with the woodsman promoted warrior. Surely there must be a compromise."

the Woodsman3 promoted Warrior vs Scout with double Medic is something that has come up in a few posts. The idea is so preposterous that i would not have even have thought to make a comparison.

Fact- Woodsman3 Warrior - terrrain limited

Fact- Scout hyper Medic- terrain less limited

Fact- Guerilla extra promotion (except for Celts?) not available to Woodsman3 Warrior

Fact- Secondary considerations above - primary are - "find enemy" and "find tech"
both of which the Scout does better.

A stealth scout slipping around and looking at stuff as oppossed to a cloddish oaf of a warrior in the woods with a club.

 

[Murky]

Try it, if it works use it.

I tend to favor scouting as much of the landmass and huts popped as time allows in the early game. This tends to mean that I send my first unit in one direction and the next in another. If a scout survives the initial REXing phase you can use it to keep on an eye on your neighbors.

 

[semirami]

Simple, find wooded hill and an animal (not a bear- too risky) and promote to Combat.
Repeat, promote to Medic. At this point one can either wait for a Great General to
add to the Medic promotion line, or risk yet another animal encounter. However,
at this stage barbarian warriors and archers will begin to appear with more regularity than animals.

Troy just for accuracy. You can't get third promotion from animal.

 

[Yamps]

I think that Troy forgot to mention another superior Attacko's scout tactic:

• move on flat terrain only
• use 1 movement point only
• if you see a barb, move back

clearly, power scout>>warrior

 

[Jrrd Tzu]

This makes me think two things:

1. Instead of scout / warrior, probably scout / scout is more advantageous, if you really cared. Seems like scouts are pretty cheap. No movement penalty had with the war, and still pack-safe.

2. Woodsman line of promos has limited benefit, and I might suggest, is only good for early games and largely only for scouts. Gur-line promos might be better, even at this point though! Just saying, you can't chop hills, and keeping those units with woods promos just seems silly late game.

...but thats just me. Am I wrong?