What Policy Cards you usually go for in your Games?

[Archon_Wing]

I laughed pretty hard at the Scout Card comment because Germany early game is literally the only time I have ever used it

To make matters worse it expires.... and there is no replacement.

Recon units would be a meme.... but there is no punchline.

 

[aieeegrunt]

To make matters worse it expires.... and there is no replacement.

Recon units would be a meme.... but there is no punchline.

I build one at the start of the game and that is literally it, ever

Which I guess is better than anti-cav

 

[reddishrecue]

I build one at the start of the game and that is literally it, ever

Which I guess is better than anti-cav

I often build one at the start also and that's it. Even the upgrade to spec ops seems useless sometimes. The scout however does come in handy throughout the game sometimes too when the map needs to be explored faster. Some civilizations seem powerful and scouting them out is useful.

 

[rocksinmypath]

I used to also think Survey was pointless, but I've seen The Game Mechanic on YouTube use it extensively and started to use it more often myself. Now, I don't think it compares that badly to Discipline. If you don't see barbarians nearby and have a couple scouts out especially on a larger map with lots of hills and woods, it can be very useful to have your scouts move an extra tile every so often. It's particularly useful when you're trying to hit early golden ages.

I do agree the recon class is pretty lame. For units that are never meant to come back home, not being able to upgrade outside friendly territory seems like a really big oversight. I think they should also be a little less prone to getting ambushed. Maybe extended sight range or ignoring zone of control would help.

 

[aieeegrunt]

I often build one at the start also and that's it. Even the upgrade to spec ops seems useless sometimes. The scout however does come in handy throughout the game sometimes too when the map needs to be explored faster. Some civilizations seem powerful and scouting them out is useful.

Mine often ends up running in circles in the Arctic on Barb Prevention Duty

 

[Abaxial]

No-one mentioning Gunboat Diplomacy? I always look on that as essential.

 

[CoconutTank]

I guess it depends on the circumstances, but I'm usually super friends with the City States that I need to be super friends with anyway. Ever since govs started producing influence points innately, the need to slot in Gunboat Diplomacy has dropped by a lot for me.

The most interesting usage of Gunboat Diplomacy that comes to mind would be to set up another City State as a staging ground for invading another civ, but if that were the case I think I'd rather just be super friends with that City State.

 

[UWHabs]

I used to also think Survey was pointless, but I've seen The Game Mechanic on YouTube use it extensively and started to use it more often myself. Now, I don't think it compares that badly to Discipline. If you don't see barbarians nearby and have a couple scouts out especially on a larger map with lots of hills and woods, it can be very useful to have your scouts move an extra tile every so often. It's particularly useful when you're trying to hit early golden ages.

I do agree the recon class is pretty lame. For units that are never meant to come back home, not being able to upgrade outside friendly territory seems like a really big oversight. I think they should also be a little less prone to getting ambushed. Maybe extended sight range or ignoring zone of control would help.

Part of the issue is that even if I get my scouts levelled up, I'm invariably going to take a wrong turn and have my scout sniped by a barbarian unit. I do use it occasionally if I know my homeland is safe from barbarians, so it's not completely useless. I think Survey would be a lot better if it gave +1 visibility to recon units, and then maybe also gave them some other unique bonus. Maybe even giving them the ability to hide from adjacent non-recon units. That way I can be scouting with them and if I happen upon a barbarian camp, maybe I will stay hidden and they won't attack me. That would be more useful to me than a slightly easier time levelling up.

 

[reddishrecue]

Mine often ends up running in circles in the Arctic on Barb Prevention Duty

Is that when everything is explored?

 

[aieeegrunt]

Is that when everything is explored?

Ya if they survive that long

 

[Beaver79]

When I'm playing on a large highlands map I'll take survey. There is less water on those and thus more land so there is just more goody huts to find. Most tiles are hills so you really need your scouts to get the hills promotion so you can move up to 3 tiles and you can snag a lot of goody huts this way. I'll slam my scouts into barb scouts or let them take hits from a warrior, just anything to get that first level up.