For those who play with Raging Barbarians on, how do you all manage to improve your city tiles and/or wage early wars? I've been struggling while playing on Prince. I was lucky to get access to early metal, so I can provide worker/settler escorts. However, I wonder if it's possibly to survive w/o bronze or horses within easy reach, and assuming you've researched the right take path for the resource that you have?
Dealing w/Raging Barbarians?
- Thread starter MickeyD
- Start date
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
I never use raging barbs but if I did I would go mining, bronze working, mysticism and chop/fast build the great wall. Let the AIs deal with them.
If you can't get Spear-/Axemen or Chariots early, and not the Great Wall either, you have to do the unusual thing - and go for Archery. 
Raging Barbs aren't a big problem, you just have to be prepared to build up some military even earlier than usual. But it doesn't take that many units to defend all entry points properly if you make good use of terrain.
Raging Barbs aren't a big problem, you just have to be prepared to build up some military even earlier than usual. But it doesn't take that many units to defend all entry points properly if you make good use of terrain.
dr_s
Prince
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2006
- Messages
- 539
I play Vanilla, and I've been playing raging barbs/Monarch/Epic recently, and I agree with Mesousa. As far as I can tell, on those settings you must have one of axemen, chariots, or archers by about 2500BC. So my early research is confined exclusively to Mining/BW/AH/Hunting/Archery until I get one of those units online. I usually start with BW or AH if I start with the right prerequisite techs. Once I have one (not both) of those done, then if I don't get copper/horses in my BFC (which seems to be most common case), then I go straight to Archery as a backup. Then I build lots and lots of archers. In my current game, I had an isolated start, and probably built 10-12 archers in a row. I eventually discovered iron in my BFC, and was finally able to build some axemen to take a nearby barb city as my second city.
For improving tiles, I station a drill-promoted archer on each improvement until I build up enough archers to push out the fog boundaries.
For improving tiles, I station a drill-promoted archer on each improvement until I build up enough archers to push out the fog boundaries.
Everyone, thanks for the help! I tend to be weak militarily to begin with, so I"m not used to have to build up even more so. I take it htat the AI also has a tough time with raging barbs, too? Also, do the barbarians get worse on higher levels? I know that my bonus vs barbs goes down as you get higher, but do the barbs themselves change?
volfan37132
Chieftain
Mansa Musa's unique unit the skirmisher is a big help on raging
barbarian settings. You can research archery quickly and skirmishers
have no resource dependency. Unlike copper or horses there is no
risk of not having the resource nearby or having the resource pillaged.
barbarian settings. You can research archery quickly and skirmishers
have no resource dependency. Unlike copper or horses there is no
risk of not having the resource nearby or having the resource pillaged.
My most recent game is the first Civ4 Warlords game with raging barbarians I have played (yet I've owned/played it since the day it came out). I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be! To make matters worse, I am on a lone island, so they are all coming for me. I probably had to deal with them far longer than the AI did since the AI must be crammed on the other continent (racing ahead in tech, I might add... Monarch game) with little fog of war.
I was in serious trouble when they stated coming with Axeman and I only had archers - I din't have enough and lost a lot of roads and improvements before getting them under control.
I was in serious trouble when they stated coming with Axeman and I only had archers - I din't have enough and lost a lot of roads and improvements before getting them under control.
Raging Barbarians is a good way to teach (force) yourself not to neglect military and military techs. It sure helped me to learn to heavily prioritize Bronzeworking.
When you've got it under control, make sure to switch your Barb-killing units so you don't waste any of the easy experience.
When you've got it under control, make sure to switch your Barb-killing units so you don't waste any of the easy experience.
vicawoo
Chieftain
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 3,226
If you miss a resource, you have to gamble on teching another one or going straight for archery. As long as I'm not on marathon, raging isn't so bad. I just had to learn to build a large defensive force early.
Oh yeah, and your early warrior becomes super important. You have to replace him if you lose him, so you're set back many turns.
Oh yeah, and your early warrior becomes super important. You have to replace him if you lose him, so you're set back many turns.
IAM
Emperor
I try to use cities as fortified outpost. Then work tiles that are more central to my empire and let the barbs die on my city walls. This has worked nicely. If I do work tiles in a border town I wrok the ones one the freindly side of the city. If I'm playing raging I like to have protective or Charismatic traits.
"When I come back no more Mr. Nice Guy." Adolf Hitler
"When I come back no more Mr. Nice Guy." Adolf Hitler
gettingfat
Emperor
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2003
- Messages
- 1,417
I try to use cities as fortified outpost. Then work tiles that are more central to my empire and let the barbs die on my city walls. This has worked nicely. If I do work tiles in a border town I wrok the ones one the freindly side of the city. If I'm playing raging I like to have protective or Charismatic traits.
"When I come back no more Mr. Nice Guy." Adolf Hitler
If I play raging I'd like to have creative (save some sentry units, get to you sorely wanted copper or horse tile fast, high city cultural defence) and aggressive (warrior with combat I makes a huge difference at the very beginning).
Hook up copper ASAP. Make sure you have plenty of roads through your territory so your axemen can get around. Build axemen and load them up with combat 1 and shock and then combat 2. Maybe one or two with cover. Have them stand on the hills and swoop down on anybody that comes onto a developed tile in the flat (farm, cottage, etc.). Later build a few spearmen to deal with mounted enemies.
In warlords I guess chariots do a good job on axemen. Not so in vanilla; only way to deal with them is other axemen.
In warlords I guess chariots do a good job on axemen. Not so in vanilla; only way to deal with them is other axemen.
AThousandYoung
Prince
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2007
- Messages
- 399
Chariots do ok against Axes in vanilla. They can still get Shock after all.
Worst case, barracks trained archers as fog busters in a good defensive (forest/jungle hill) position work pretty well against barbs. Posted far enough out, the barb isn't likely to just bypass the unit. Against an axeman barb, you've got a 100% bonus for the position, 25% for digging in (if you've been there long enough) and 10% for combat I. That's 3+3(135%)=7.05 vs. 5. Win one fight and you get can get the shock promotion for an additional 25%. That takes up to 7.8 vs. 5. Use this until you get access to horses or copper. I don't like taking a passive role in defense against barbs, but if you only have archers, it's pretty much your only choice.
