Great Leader-how to use?

[Machi]

ok please bear with me as I usually don't take the military route. However in a particularly blood drenched war I did get a GL. I've read in the manual that it can be used to creat an army.

How? I mean I clicked him, right clicked him, re-read the manual, tried everything. I even got him to a nearby city but nothing?!

What do you do to create an army? Please be specific and give details as if explaining to a cabbage. Thanks!

 

[runaway]

Move the great leader to one of your cities. If you have at least four cities, the "make an army" option will appear with his other orders buttons.

In order to make more armies later with additional leaders, keep in mind that the ratio of cities to armies must be at least four to one.

 

[Jay H]

After you build the army, treat that leader like a transport ship. i.e. use the (L)oad command to add units to the army, up to 3 units (4 with the Pentagon minor wonder) can join an army. Now your army is ready to wreak havoc on the enemy!

Units in armies can promoted to Elite level but they can't be ugraded to a new type.

Jay

 

[mcrisler]

I was having the same problem. Just for further clarification, do you rush a wonder the same way? (As a choice from the right click menu.) Thanks.

 

[Daaraa]

To rush a wonder with a Great Leader take him to the city the wonder is being built in. Once he is there there will be two options for him to do. Form an Army or Rush a wonder. Click the wonder one and presto, you've built your wonder at the beginning of the next turn. I use the GLs to rush a wonder that I have just started to maximize his use.

 

[tetley]

Armies suck. There's just too many things you cannot do with them, and you heal too slowly. I'd say build just one army, of something un-upgradable, with the first Leader you get. And that's just to get the Heroic Epic. After that, use all your GL's to hurry wonders.

 

[hailstop]

My question is whether there is any way to get units _out_ of an army?

 

[runaway]

No. They are trapped, like an olive in a jar.

 

[DaEezT]

Originally posted by tetley
Armies suck. There's just too many things you cannot do with them, and you heal too slowly. I'd say build just one army, of something un-upgradable, with the first Leader you get. And that's just to get the Heroic Epic. After that, use all your GL's to hurry wonders.

exactly!
but I still sometimes build armies using my military academy and put defensive units in them to hold conquered cities.

 

[doink66]

I agree that armies need some reworking. I formed one with two knights and a pikeman, but soon realized that it was only useful for attacking cities. First, it moves as slow as the slowest unit... if I had my knights and pikemen seperate, the knights could move out and attack an enemy unit a square or two away, then retreat back to the square the pikeman or into a city for better defence. Second, if my knights were seperate I could attack two different enemy units instead of consolidating on one.

Once I was attacking a city with my army, I was getting beaten and my unit retreated... then it attacked again! It lost all but 1 hp, retreated, and then to my horror it immediately attacked a third time! I lost my whole army when seperate knights would have retreated and lived possibly to get back to my city and recover. Suicidal behavior? whats the use of that.

 

[tetley]

Just MHO, but I think the Military Academy is a waste. Armies are just useless (except for triggering Heroic Epic), until some patch comes out that lets you unload from armies. Shield-for-shield, 3 Riflemen do as good a job defending a city as an army of them.

Anyway, to defend (sort of) new cities, my favorite tool is the draft. It's not like they're going to produce anything any time soon--except babies.

 

[dugout2020]

Hi all.
At least you have had the chance....
I have played 5 games so far. 3 Militaristic and still have not gotten a Great Leader. I was wondering if there are any prerequisites to get one?

 

[doink66]

To get a Great Leader you must have an Elite unit win a battle, and then there is a small chance that a Great Leader will be created.

Try picking out one good unit, build him up to elite by having him take care of any barbarians that wander near you, and then when engaging with an enemy civ try to use that elite unit as often as possible to try to spawn your GL. But again, there is only a small chance with each victory...

 

[ldevich]

Move the great leader to one of your cities. If you have at least four cities, the "make an army" option will appear with his other orders buttons.

________________________

I've done this, I moved a leader to my capitol city, I have way more than 4 cities, yet there is no way to make an army, nor will it give me the option of hurrying a wonder in that city. I'm rather bummed by it really. Does the leader need to be in the city for a time before you can use him or what?