Unlimited XP XPloit

[rkade8583]

So I got an upgrade for my opening warrior and I decided to try an idea I had: hit and run a city-state for XP. Hard going but worth it... then I found cover 1 and 2... and found that the city-state only did 10 damage.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

 

[Tabarnak]

Boudicca_0111 BC-2390.Civ5Save

This says it all.

More you play at slow speeds more this trick has some value. Not an exploit btw

 

[rkade8583]

So if it's not an exploit what is it, a training regime on a city-state?

 

[Tabarnak]

So if it's not an exploit what is it, a training regime on a city-state?

Yeah...why not!

 

[Matthew.]

You can do the same thing to an AI. I remember one game in particular where I kept France with one city and left my swordsmen fortified while I continued to play the game.

 

[rkade8583]

It WAS against the AI. I included the save so people could see.

 

[Gort]

Not an exploit btw

Yes it is

 

[Tabarnak]

If it's an exploit it means that a lot of things are too. What i mean is that this trick isn't overpowered at speeds like standard or quick. It has a dependency to a particular kind of setting so it's not an exploit for me.

 

[smallfish]

Maybe nice if you are in lonely island spot on Standard speed... but its way more effective to just worker steal from major civs (you will conquer) than to do silly things to CS, especially if you have those diplo-minded types like Alex as neighbors

 

[Matthew.]

Meh. What keeps it from being an exploit is opportunity cost. It takes a long time to get a decent number of promotions (standard speed). At most you will get one or two heavily upgraded melee units and a few upgrades for range units (ranged can't get exp when city is at zero). What is going to actually "finish" the game isn't those small handful of units, but the mass number of later tech units you will be spamming every 4 or 5 turns.

I suppose it could be useful in a small culture game with a near city-state and you are just waiting for wonders to finish anyway, may as well do something while waiting.

(BTW, frigate exp farming into battleships is much more powerful than a couple of warriors)

 

[Zezima]

Yeah, this isn't so much an exploit as it is a painfully obvious tactic. Think you guys are confusing "exploit" with "imbalance." That whole GPP fiasco had more merit than this.

 

[Furycrab]

Yeah, this isn't so much an exploit as it is a painfully obvious tactic. Think you guys are confusing "exploit" with "imbalance." That whole GPP fiasco had more merit than this.

No, most of the replies are right. It's an AI exploit. Other exploits of this type are like various lump sum and resource trades (the type of deals where you trade before you go to war with someone, or you know a barb is going to pillage your tile).

The line between you exploiting the AI tactics and you just holding your ground to a dumb enemy unit is a bit of a blur, however it's mostly about setup and intention. No one can stop you from doing it, but I personally I never find it fun to win by pulling off AI exploits.

 

[Irkalla]

Honestly though. Let's assumed your pinned down under siege for a thousand years. You mean to tell me that you're not gonna learn how to live under it?

 

[gozpel]

I practised this on an Pangaea map on settler, playing OCC with China.

Just to build the biggest OCC city ever. I got bored after my 15th general and didn't start wars early enough with warriors and archers and stuff.

I'm going back to that approach and will try another game.

The thing is, every unit on the land has to be hurt IT, and there has to be backups for the hurt units. So much micro-management.

But when you have 100point units all over the place, the generals are just swarming in.

I think I could take over a continent this way, not a pangaea though. Also use everything as free great ppl on generals. I had half a pangaea by 1500ad in my best and only try. Small map, so I'll give it go on standard.

Don't frown on Settler difficulty, it can teach you things you never knew.

 

[marioflag]

Combat experience is one of the field where Firaxis hasn't yet balanced well. I honestly don't understand why everything in Marathon is balanced according to the increased turn times but you get the same combat experience rate of other game speeds. In every game i play i always have artillery pieces with no more promotions available; barracks and other XP buildings are also a lot underpowered in Marathon

 

[Xger]

I wouldn't call it an exploit per say, because it is not a bug. Cheap tactic sure, and its not 'unlimited' XP. You get 2 a turn, and generally at some point the CS will get a ranged unit and you will eventually have to back away to heal.

 

[Jacques Lamerde]

If it's an exploit it means that a lot of things are too. What i mean is that this trick isn't overpowered at speeds like standard or quick. It has a dependency to a particular kind of setting so it's not an exploit for me.

I agree with this. Also there are potential drawbacks, including diplo/war monger penalties. Admittedly I only play @ King level, but I don't really find this trick very necessary. I find whatever X.P.'s I pick up from regular wars good enough to win wars against the AI.

 

[mintcandy]

So I got an upgrade for my opening warrior and I decided to try an idea I had: hit and run a city-state for XP. Hard going but worth it... then I found cover 1 and 2... and found that the city-state only did 10 damage.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

:: shrugs ::

It's certainly a safe way to get a highly promoted melee unit, but it's hardly ground breaking. YMMV, of course.

 

[compwiz1202]

Gets easier with both cover and march if you are needing to fight back. One thing I always wondered is do the open/rough terrain bonus promotions protect melee from bombardment if they are in the appropriate terrain or only from other melee?

 

[gozpel]

You also get more xp by having a ranged unit next to the meatshield, doing this in 5 cities at a time, your xp will go crazy. Your Generals will just roll in.

Tried another map on Pangaea, the problem is really, that all those foes are too far away.

Might roll another one on Small pangaea, with extra civs and CS. OCC on Settler is fun, when you try to experience new stuff. Making a city of 60+ tiles isn't good enought for me, I think I have the idea now.

Small map, Settler, more AI and CS and a decent start. Now let those archers out and the meatshields, save every General until your borders are filled out, then go Borg!

Resistance is futile!