Scouting Techniques

[totalnastiness]

I have been trying to refine my scouting methods to be more successful. I was hoping others would share some of their own techniques. I typically play Noble, huge fractal map, medium sea level, random climate, and random civ/ldr. Obviously use of scouts is dependent on Hunting. This happens frequently when I play a team game.

(1) it seems that huts tend to be near virtices of equilateral triangles; so if i mark hut locations 1 and 2, I triangulate to look for hut 3.
(2) unless primarity scouting jungle, I like to use hill upgrades for scouts. Once I reach the Hills II, I can use movement point one to climb a hill, then be able to see / avoid bars / animals with movement point 2.
(3) If the hut gives you a map, I will take my scout through the map area to fill in the missing tiles.
(4) I often build 2+ scouts, the second scout can often find a hut or two before A&I scoops them up.
(5) once finished scouting, I stage my scouts to patrol planned city sites, this technique allows me to send unescorted settler.

 

[vicawoo]

1 sounds awesome if it's true.
I've wondered about the value of a scout. Getting a hut is worth something. I don't mind map so much, because often my warrior/scout dies to a bear. Gold is research.

 

[Steiner-Davion]

When possible I liek to use my scouts are Medics, if I can ge them promoted to level 3.

 

[ElGrillo]

point 1 looks interesting.
I usually used a spyral method from hill to hill to uncover more land possible at first stage and quickly achieve the closest huts around my borders with 1 or 2 scouts.
What I still need to better define is the scouting on far lands as I clearly seem to miss the good points.
For the promotion I always prefered the woodsman I & II to pass quicly the jungle or jungle+hill and survive to the pleasant bears.

 

[IAM]

If I'm playing with raging barbarians or aggressive AI I scout in expanding circles.

Usually go for the woodsman line of promotions.

I like to play noble, huge maps with everyone on the same land mass. In this case I found a religion, get to water, and scout the coast line in both directions to spread my religion. It seems to spread quicker along a coast with the AI coastal cities in site.

I don't like the automated scout sequences. The pattern they use... blah blah blah. I only use automated scouts if I'm on an island or somehow isolated from other players.

"When I come back no more Mr. Nice Guy." Adolf Hitler

 

[Soneji]

I play huge noble but use my first starting scout diferently.

I usually play continents, so it is very important to me to try and find out how big my continent is as my game will differ if I am on large or small continent. I use my first scout to go up x or along y, try and get a gauge of the continent. This is useful for map and hut grabbing, as well as making contact with the futher away civs to start with (and then spreading your religion randomly to them).

If I do get the bredth and length of the island with the original scout, I start to send him around the coastline as far as I can get him until he gets clubbed.

Well by this point I have built the second scout. He does either a hill to hill jump of the surrounding area, or a spyral method from the capitol. This will pick up huts & gold hopefully.

Well, thats the plan anway

 

[Soneji]

Oh and if I get get gifted Archery that is a shear brilliant bonus for barbs pre GW, for not having to research it!

 

[ElGrillo]

I have to say it is very frustrating when I am on the opposite side of the map and receive a settler or a worker from a hut. I have to use the scout to carry them to my area reducing the exploration.

BTW How is the idea of settling a city on the other side of the map? Is it too disadvantaging?

 

[Soneji]

Couldn't say, I don't play the lower levels so can't get a settler from a hut.

It all really depends on the land near, however I would be tempted to send him and scout towards nearer home. (for shear military logistics)

 

[ElGrillo]

I'm currently playing at Noble but I still make many games in Warrior to refine strategies. Always liked to have a second city quite soon because I'm an addicted to land expansion.

About scouting, looking a documentary about ice lands I was thinking about the fact that a scout can still move by 2 on ice. I'd expect some limitation there or so...

 

[NubianMercenary]

: Scouts in warfare FTW!! :/

 

[totalnastiness]

So today I am on huge fractal map normal speed with Kublai Khan and a medium size continent? (3 others found so far). At 2400 BC scouting has yielded 328 gold, Pottery, Writing, 1 scout, 1 warrior. Lucky?

 

[gettingfat]

When you see an AI scout very early, don't be discouraged. See from which direction this scout comes at you.

If you have a scout, turn to the direction the AI scout is heading (if that area still not defogged). The AI scout tends to take some unnecessary moves so you will bust the fog and get to the huts ahead of him.

If you have a warrior, don't try to compete with the speed of the scout because you'll lose. Move in the direction where this scout is coming from. You will most likely see his capital. Because goodies tend to be located surrounding the capital, chance is you'll find some huts that scout missed near the other sides of the AI capital. One time I found 3 huts right next to the back side of it.