Embarkation?

[Helmling]

Okay, I haven't seen a thread just on this so forgive me if this has been well covered, but I wanted to ask if anyone's seen in the videos that have been going or in the play-throughs posted on the web how this embarkation thing works.

I mean, does the unit just magically turn into a boat when it steps into the water? Is the movement on the water the same as the unit's lang movement points? Can they be stacked with naval combat units? Can they defend themselves at sea?

 

[Fin]

It "magically" turns into a boat, yes.
I think it's 2 moves per turn.
Not sure if they can be stacked.
The Songhai embarked units can defend themselves, but no other ones, AFAIK.

Also, embarkation is a promotion for units, just adding that in.

 

[Helmling]

It "magically" turns into a boat, yes.
I think it's 2 moves per turn.
Not sure if they can be stacked.
The Songhai embarked units can defend themselves, but no other ones, AFAIK.

Also, embarkation is a promotion for units, just adding that in.

I noticed that. That makes it all the more important to build a barracks up front, I guess. You can't go a-sailing without some XP's.

If they can't defend themselves and only move at 2 squares...how the hell could you ever launch an invasion across the sea? Of course, I would like to see that capability reduced somewhat. I was always annoyed how some stupid AI halfway across the globe would throw some units on a couple of galleons and send them at me. Large forces like that have not, historically, been sent as far as they would routinely be sent in Civ 4. There should be support costs based on range from your empire, if you ask me.

I know, I know. Go mod it.

 

[Fin]

That would actually be a cool mod, I think. And you would have to send support navy with them, of course.

 

[mattcrwi]

rtfm

 

[Helmling]

That would actually be a cool mod, I think. And you would have to send support navy with them, of course.

I'm really getting tempted to mod and unit support would be one thing I'd mod the hell out of. The whole thing where you can send a warrior or a scout all over the map at the beginning is kind of ridiculous from a historical point of view. History celebrates a few such explorers as extraordinary, but every unit is capable of the feat in Civ. I'd make unit support much more complicated. Without currency, units should have to live off the land, pillaging and using movement points to supply themselves from the terrain or improvements on their tile. After currency, you could fund units but those support costs would grow the farther they got from your borders--becoming prohibitively expensive when sending fleets across the world without direct support from friendly powers overseas.

Um, not that I've, um...given this any thought. {cough}

 

[Bibor]

History celebrates a few such explorers as extraordinary, but every unit is capable of the feat in Civ.

Don't buy that Bears and Lions Union propaganda. I was in this Monarch game and...

 

[Sphinx]

Has anyone even thought about what "can defend themselves" means for the Songhai boats? You cant fire back, ships cant do melee combat. It most likely means that they will not die so easy, have the units(inside the boats) defense?

Why do ships need the melee strength rating anyway? I would guess its for defending purposes?

 

[Saragon]

If embarkation is a unit promotion, how do you move a unit like a settler or great merchant across the water?

 

[Schuesseled]

we literally don't know the manual says that civilains unit don't earn xp, so maybe they just get it for free if built after optics.

@ sphinx, yes combat strength is for defence purposes on ranged units, we don't know yet what the songhai ability actually does. Can they attack, are they just given a defense strength??????? dont know

 

[Toranth]

If embarkation is a unit promotion, how do you move a unit like a settler or great merchant across the water?

I suspect it won't be a promotion in the normal sense, but rather an indicator of an embarked unit (to differentiate it from a real Naval unit). Similarly, the Himeji Castle and Discipline promotions aren't normal promotions, but indicators of status.

 

[asix79]

I thought embarkation required Optics. The manual doesn't list any prerequisites for it.

 

[homan1983]

If embarkation is a promotion... it sounds really, well strange... There's no way they'd do that. It would be so unrealistic to say "ok you can't EVER transport these units to another continent".

 

[Scaramanga]

I thought embarkation required Optics. The manual doesn't list any prerequisites for it.

This. Pretty sure Optics grants the embarkation promotion to all land units.

 

[rastak]

Agree with Scaramanga, that would make perfect sense.

 

[Schuesseled]

there have been so many different reports on how this works, guess we'll find out for sure next week.

 

[Pragmatic]

It would be nice if different era's units have different embarkation movement rates, to match the old galley/galleon/transport groupings.

 

[12agnar0k]

Embark is available as a promotion, from when I'm not sure, but at optics all units have it. And at astronomy Embarked units can enter the ocean.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Does anyone know if England's unique ability applies to embarked units?

 

[stealth_nsk]

yes combat strength is for defence purposes on ranged units, we don't know yet what the songhai ability actually does. Can they attack, are they just given a defense strength??????? dont know

I think they aren't destroyed in one turn as regular embarked units, but take damage after regular attack check against their strength. They can't attack.

Everyone remember Greg's game where French without strong navy decided not to go with sea invasion since Greg had archers on his coast? For Songhai that wouldn't be a problem at all.