Goodie Huts Key or Not

[jonny41177]

In my opinion i would have to say that on noble and below they are good like easier to get techs,settlers,workers,gold, but prince and above they give few gold,maps,heal,and most of time hostile. I think that getting the majority is the key to winning the start of the game because of the gold and techs but your ai will also get this 2. Sorry I'm kinda new but this is what I think of the goodie huts......

 

[jimjamss]

I love goody huts It is true that on the higher difficulty levels that the rewards from goody huts is diminished, but this is how it should be. If you are good enough to play emperor than your game probably doesn't depend on lucky tech pops. Even with diminished rewards they still add a lot to the game. The exploration phase of the game is one of my favorites. Is there a hut on the other side of this jungle? Will the AI beat me to it? Will the villagers be hostile? You never know 'till you pop the hut. Its like a scratch and win lottery card! Goody huts make the beginning of the game much more exciting.

 

[oyzar]

I hate goody huts with a passion as they severely unbalance the game on most difficulties. It is not like it is hard to get through the early game without the huts.

 

[alex sword]

Guys, my recommendation - even playing low levels, try to create a strategy which does not rely on huts. It will make your life easier moving higher (when AIs have a tons of units in 4000bc it makes impossible to win huts race at all). Your nearest land exploration is much more important goal.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

There's a line between nice/ok hut luck and too good hut luck. My best pops have included something like BW & HBR before 3000BC on prince level.. i like getting some additional help but not so much that it feels like an exploit. If course it's my own choice to quit or keep playing..

 

[cabert]

I hate goody huts with a passion as they severely unbalance the game on most difficulties. It is not like it is hard to get through the early game without the huts.

It's true but so much fun .

However, to be more related to the OP's question, there is a key to open the huts and get no hostiles, never. Use scouts or cultural border pops.

 

[morchuflex]

The problem with huts is that on higher levels the AI gets most of them (because it starts with extra scouts and archers and has a greater bonus against barbs and animals), and obtains better results from them (because the AI plays on an easier level than you: it plays Noble when you play Emperor, etc.). On Emperor and above, playing with huts ON is little more than giving another advantage to the AI. Since moving to Emperor, I have decided to play without them. And I resent that, because huts are fun... I wish I knew how to edit the game and remove the AI's extra scouts.

 

[nbcman]

The simplest way to get rid of the AI's extra scouts is to open worldbuilder and delete them in the 1st turn-although you will have some knowledge of the map and locations of AIs.

 

[AmazonQueen]

I like having goody huts. They add a bit of unpredictability. The 1 change I would make is that the only free techs you could get would be of the same era. Getting HBR or IW or MC really early is too lucky.

 

[The Rook]

The simplest way to get rid of the AI's extra scouts is to open worldbuilder and delete them in the 1st turn-although you will have some knowledge of the map and locations of AIs.

Even simpler, just play a lower level.

 

[morchuflex]

Even simpler, just play a lower level.

Isn't there a way to remove them permanently by editing some program files? In Civ3, you could easily modify difficulty-related bonuses.

 

[nbcman]

@ morchuflex

If you start a Custom Game, there is a setting for no goody huts (No Tribal Villages). I guess you could also edit out the Tribal Villages in the program files also-but I haven't done that.

 

[Daedal]

The quality of your starting location throws the game off balance a lot more than goodie huts IMO. I don't think they're good or bad, just random.

 

[morchuflex]

@ morchuflex
If you start a Custom Game, there is a setting for no goody huts (No Tribal Villages).

I know, but I'd rather keep them AND be on par with the AI regarding our respective chances to get them. In my opinion, this is one aspect of the game that should NOT be affected by difficulty level. I don't mind the AI building everything at 2/3 price, but I do resent the fact that they get almost all the huts and obtain better stuff from them than me.

 

[kcmarkwell]

what genius wouldnt pop a goodie hut due to being scared of bad reprecussions?

 

[ICNP]

Plus you do get free wins against barbs so that first hostile might not kill you. I play at Warlord and I love seeing a hut and beelining my warrior over too it. I get more annoyed when my scout gets eaten by a bear than a hut that spawns hostiles.

 

[Zanttu]

I hate goody huts with a passion as they severely unbalance the game on most difficulties.

Well, how do you see the map generator then? Doesn't the randomness of maps unbalance the game? I'd say getting superior starting location can be much bigger benefit than a couple of techs from huts. And the map generator is never "even" for everybody, someone always has better starting location than others (assuming you play default map types).

IMHO the randomness is part of the game. With luck you can win a few times, but not constantly. I must admit I'm a poker player though, that may explain my opinion

 

[Revenant27]

i dont see how they could be bad, they can be not good, but not usually bad, even if you get a craptastically small amount of gold your still that much gold ahead

 

[Diamondeye]

Excuse me, but I can't read out of your post what you want us to answer on?

 

[The Rook]

i dont see how they could be bad, they can be not good, but not usually bad, even if you get a craptastically small amount of gold your still that much gold ahead

I don't think it is so much a case that the huts are bad, it is just that they are so much better for the AI. I may pop an average of 2 huts with my Warrior, if I had a Scout it might be 4. The AI starts with 2 Scouts, so is that 8 huts?