Just How Good Are Impis?

[madscientist]

What I like most about IMPIs are those rare times you can get horses and copper within Shaka's first 2 cities and there are nearby civilizations. A stack of chariots and Impis are extremely difficult for the AI to counter until swords, and impossible to track down.

 

[r_rolo1]

"Now 99,76% + 2.91% is not 100% "

yes, in the old archaic systems that some still use and are quaint

Typical response from somone that posts a game suposedly on emperor and gets CoL religion with 2 cities, no oracle, no bulb and no libraries before turn 85....

Anyway, next time you use something newer than the old decimal system with arab/indian algarisms , please make a nice note about that. Otherwise you may be branded as not only a troll , but as a stupid one as well ( not by me, because technically you don't troll in the "classical" sense of the word )

 

[pi-r8]

He's right though, impis own so hard. Especially if you get bronze in the capital, you can get impis into their land ridiculously fast and choke them to death. In MP, you can often take them by surprise and take their capital before they have time to react.

 

[Khan Quest]

Oops, double post

 

[Khan Quest]

I like impis, but if not in the capitol, I have to get copper by the second city. I still mostly use axes for most the city attacks. As said by others, the are good pillagers and can end the turn on hill or in a forest.

A few impis each game will get high promotions. These can often do well vs knights.

 

[mirthadir]

Keshiks are better used for TAKING cities, which they can and should do.

Impi are kind of weak but they do allow you to blitz unsuspecting targets for some easy city captures or razes. They also do complement a pillage + choke strategy in the situations where that is viable.

Other than that, they're not impressive at all, but the zulu can't cry since they have one of the best UB's in the entire game.

I'm not sure how impis are weak outside of deity. They are a better chariot rush than baseline chariots, at worst you get 2 move reinforcements who can do well at cleanup duty for axes. At best you get free CI/cover on them (which makes them equivalent to a War Chariot vs archers), but you also get the best super medic in the game. Running around with a stack of mounted doom and the WIII/MIII impi is good all the way out MechInf.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I'm not sure how impis are weak outside of deity. They are a better chariot rush than baseline chariots, at worst you get 2 move reinforcements who can do well at cleanup duty for axes. At best you get free CI/cover on them (which makes them equivalent to a War Chariot vs archers), but you also get the best super medic in the game. Running around with a stack of mounted doom and the WIII/MIII impi is good all the way out MechInf.

Under normal circumstances I'd take the chariots, because AI incidence of spears is a bit lower than that of axes and chariots cost less . I suppose you're right though: impi can hit the more softly-garrisoned cities easily as mounted. I do recall an emperor game where I cleaned up 2 civs with them a long time back, but that was on epic...however it was also back when I was a lot worse than now. Maybe I should give them another looks as a legit rush unit, especially since they probably choke in the event of a botched rush better than chariots also (I did a partially successful rush then choke against shaka in an IU game, which did lead to plenty of land and eventually victory).

 

[Rusten]

Check out botm 20 in the gotm section. IIRC several players rushed and/or choked the AI with impi there (at least I did).

 

[Fluxx]

Check out botm 20 in the gotm section. IIRC several players rushed and/or choked the AI with impi there (at least I did).

Yes, and Afaicr you had the highest score.

 

[CivIVMonger]

but the zulu can't cry since they have one of the best UB's in the entire game.

Umm would that be the -10% city cost? Not that any of the UB's are that good anyway...

 

[TheWilltoAct]

Hrm. TMiT is an outspoken and seasoned player, I would expect something of a firestorm for that comment CivMonger!

The Ikhanda has -20% city maintenance. With a courthouse it's -70%. It is also exceeding cheap at 25 .
So, you can place lots of cities without having to take as much care with how far away they are placed. In fact I would be tempted to shoot for some far away sites just because it would feel so good to put in an ikhanda and probably "get back" a couple just like that. Once corporations come into play the amount of cash you are saving for that pidly 25 investment is astounding.

I'm not speaking from play experience with that civ, but I've heard as much on these forums and it seems intuitive to me.

 

[§L¥ Gµ¥]

Umm would that be the -10% city cost? Not that any of the UB's are that good anyway...

And the firestorm begins!

combine the courthouse and the Zulu UB and you're running towards being organized for a trait as well. Zulus are aggressive, and thus have cheap barracks anyway. Combine that with the warmonger play style and you've got great synergy the grab a lot of land on crowded maps. Every gpt saved on higher levels is potentially another city site, and since you're saving with such a critical building to keeping your power rating up, for a nominal cost, and this equates to a very strong UB.

But back on topic; the Impi rocks. With Shaka, you're almost certain of an early rush if the situation is ripe for it because chances are you'll have or can get copper or horse by your second city. A high movement, serviceable, relatively low-cost unit to conquer the land with. Playing as Shaka will rarely leave you pinned in.

That being said, Kesheiks are still best.

 

[popejubal]

"Now 99,76% + 2.91% is not 100% "

yes, in the old archaic systems that some still use and are quaint

Troy, if you put a % symbol next to some numbers, then you're using the same old, archaic (and exceptionally useful) system too.

Don't try to BS on this one.

per = divided by
cent = 100

The most of any thing that you can have is 100% because that's exactly what per cent means. [Noneuclidian/quantum/complex/anything else that has been created in the last two hundred years] has nothing to do with percent.

 

[mirthadir]

I'm actually highly partial to the Numidians over Keshiks. FII/CI out the door with a quick shot at FII/CII is always good, mass upgrades to curis or cav off a FIN cottage empire; utterly hoses ag mounted units.

TMIT: meh on immortal if I'm facing unburnable metal for a rush I'm already screwed. For a good rush, Impis actually face fewer troops as mobility let's them make two move turns that are impossible for chariots. Impis -> HA (extortion) -> curi/cav is extremely powerful.

 

[Silu]

The Ikhanda has -20% city maintenance. With a courthouse it's -70%. It is also exceeding cheap at 25 .
So, you can place lots of cities without having to take as much care with how far away they are placed. In fact I would be tempted to shoot for some far away sites just because it would feel so good to put in an ikhanda and probably "get back" a couple just like that. Once corporations come into play the amount of cash you are saving for that pidly 25 investment is astounding.

I'm not speaking from play experience with that civ, but I've heard as much on these forums and it seems intuitive to me.

Ikhandas actually cost more than Barracks, but Shaka get's them for a bargain price of 30 of course. Any UB that the leader gets for a discount is good, much more so if it's a building you'd probably build anyway. Shaka's Ikhandas give a much better to maintenance reduction ratio than Courthouses, incidentally. To top that off the synergy of good military, low maintenance and cheap granaries is staggering.

Often it's not the UB by itself that's good, it's synergy with a leader that makes it good. Barays suck partly because Sury is EXP, Rathauses own partly because Charlie is IMP (while being awesome even on their own, though).

 

[Udey1]

Impi's need to pillage that copper! Then they are fine. Chop and whip early for the best effects.

Edit

 

[TheLazyHase]

Impi's need to pillage that copper! Then they are fine. Chop and whip early for the best effects.

Edit

In my book, pillaging copper does not destroy all copper unit of the civ. You need not only to pillage the copper, but to do it FAST, because destroying even 2 axes with impi is really, really expensive.

 

[Silu]

In my book, pillaging copper does not destroy all copper unit of the civ. You need not only to pillage the copper, but to do it FAST, because destroying even 2 axes with impi is really, really expensive.

How about destroying 41 axes and 143 archers?

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Yes, the Ikhanda is -20%, not 10%. It is also a good to maintenance saving building and available the instant you settle your first city through to the end of the game...and a typical build too.

On top of that, it can allow some interestingly powerful corps without breaking the bank. It is part of the reason the Zulu are so effective as an AI.

 

[Kadazzle]

Eh, the Zulus are effective if they're still in the game past 100 AD. (As in they didn't crash their economy by hopelessly whipping units with no returns).