Barbarians (Again)

[an old man]

It is 150 BC and I just entered the Industrial area. I got lucky and had two iron deposits in my territory with my first two cities. I demolished two rain forests and had a knight three turns later. I'm thinking I'm going to smash the barbarians good this game.

I must have killed at least 6 outposts, and each time I killed one a new one would spawn, as I expected. But then they started spawning line infantry. There is no way I will have anything to fend them off with for many more turns. 150 BC and line infantry!!!!!

I'm not upset. I will start a new game and will no longer play with any barbarians, but it was fun learning how to beat them and I am just curious how this happens? Is it when I entered the Industrial area? Is it because I destroyed too many outposts? Perhaps too many cities? (I build a lot of settlers early since I was only playing against one opponent who was on the other continent.

Does anyone have any theories or understand why this happens? Something triggers those line infantry to spawn.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Tech Osen]

It's connected to how the civilizations are progressing. I think it's related to the average technology, just like the city states. In other words: if the barbarians that spawn are stronger than your units than you lag behind in research compared to the other civilizations.

 

[SaboteurINT]

Remove Hamurrabi from your game.

 

[an old man]

It's connected to how the civilizations are progressing. I think it's related to the average technology, just like the city states. In other words: if the barbarians that spawn are stronger than your units than you lag behind in research compared to the other civilizations.

I suspect you are correct Tech Osen. By stressing settler production in the beginning, my early research lags. I catch up later since with more cities I can have more science districts. So far I have been playing with Gorgo against Roosevelt and I beat him fairly easily at King level my last game since I began to escort my armor with air defense support. I had 27 cities and at least 20 were producing Modern Armor and SAM's. Roosevelt had a dozen cities or less. (I have been playing with large continents at marathon speed).

 

[Linklite]

I can't remember the exact nature of the link, but the units that Barbs get are linked to how advanced the civs are. There is a science bug where the AI goes science crazy and races ahead, which makes the Barbs have crazy advanced units. It's around the point of Narbs getting line infantry when the AI basically breaks from too much science and collapses - the progression of Barb units collapses, and they don't get much better.

Until that point, Barbs are far more of a threat than the AI because they get their units for free. No need to earn the gold to support them means that getting Line Infantry super early doesn't wreck them unlike the AI.

 

[aieeegrunt]

AI science bug plus possibly having the worst designed civ in the history of the game; Babylon

 

[Bostock]

Barbs get the best tech that anyone in the world has - as soon as anyone can build line infantry, the barbs can too.

People keep mentioning Hammurabi because Babylon's very unusual special traits surrounding teching mean he can have advanced tech ridiculously early, even in the hands of the AI. (Getting the eureka for a tech gives them whole tech, not just 40% of it... although in return their normal research is at half speed.)

 

[Linklite]

Barbs get the best tech that anyone in the world has - as soon as anyone can build line infantry, the barbs can too.

I don't know if that's accurate. I've seen Barbs spawning units (of the same type/line) that were less advanced than my own. While it is certainly linked to the technological progression of the world and they can spawn more advanced units than you, I'm not convinced it's a straight "most advanced unit researched by anyone so far".

 

[Chefofrats]

Also, based on my observations, if you have the Barbarian Clans mode on, barbs get better military units than with the mode off. I do not just mean their getting unique units, but more advanced generic units, too.

 

[GrumboMumbo]

My general advice, once you clear early barb camps, make sure to leave units in areas to reveal the fog of war if you don't want more camps spawning there (barb camps will not spawn on tiles that are seen by a unit.)

 

[Dedrytus]

Overpowered barbs are most likely due to Babylon. As SaboteurINT said: Remove Hamurrabi from your game(s).

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

Have a unit that you send quickly once they spawn near a city.
Not necessarily in order to clear the camp (which you can certainly do), but to push the initial scout away.
As long as the scout doesnt spot your city, gets the red exclamation mark and goes back to his camp, the barbs are essentially a non-issue.
Bonus points of you can push the scout into your neighbour or a city state instead.

I play coop with a friend of mine and he always gets this wrong, which ends up costing him a ton of wasted time and resources, while I dont have this issue.
Just a single unit can achieve this for you at next to no cost, as long as you react quickly.
And if you're too late, find the closest forest hill tile between the camp and your city and fortify there, preferably inside your borders for extra healing. Even a barb swordsman will struggle hard if you have a standard warrior fortifying and healing there.
It will be worse with a warrior against a man at arms, but it's doable if you play it correctly and retreat when you have to.

Also you can often ignore barbs early on. They cannot raze your capital, so if you dont have too many improvements there and are busy somewhere else (like invading a neighbour) feel free to just let the barbs repeatedly pound your capital down to 1 health.
They'll eventually kill themselves for free anyway.

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

Overpowered barbs are most likely due to Babylon. As SaboteurINT said: Remove Hamurrabi from your game(s).

Remove Gaul as well, he can rush men at arms just as fast as Babylon can.