Why are barbarians so pathetic in Civ 3?

[msosa01]

This topic has probably been discussed before but since I can't search...

Why are barbarian tribes so weak in Civ III? I remember in Civ 2 there were a real menace, rampaging through the countryside, raiding the coasts, taking over cities and popping units. Also later in the game I would sometimes get large peasant rebellions that required significant military force to put down.

But in Civ III barbarians are a joke, even set at raging and playing at Monarch. They do not off load units from their ships, thus no raiding. Their only significant presence is in the ancient age, and then only until most of the world has been settled. What ever happened to rebellions? Or just have pirates appearing from nowhere to terrorize coastal cities and shipping?

I'm playing another game, EU 2, where rebellions are a constant threat. Is there a way to making barbarians more aggressive? I'd like to have them at the level of the Vikings for example, or the Vandals, or the Huns ....

 

[Hellfire]

I believe the real reason is three fold. #1 as of the latest patches the real estate in Civ3 is 98% prime for cities. #2 the AI aggressively settles in any area it can find. #3 Barbarians need lots of settleed land in order to spawn.

I don't find them all that pathetic as you call them, because they can be a real pain if I don't properly maintain a defense, or an uprising hits a city with only one spearman in it. They can be quite annoying.

I see your point about civ2 barbarians. There were often uprisings of units that advanced beyond warriors and horsemen, well into cavalry and riflemen in the modern eras of Civ2.

I found that for all the advancements of Civ3, a lot of things were also left behind at the same time and weren't finished.

 

[msosa01]

Originally posted by Hellfire
I believe the real reason is three fold. #1 as of the latest patches the real estate in Civ3 is 98% prime for cities. #2 the AI aggressively settles in any area it can find. #3 Barbarians need lots of settleed land in order to spawn.

Unless you meant barbarians need a lot of unsettled land in order to spawn, the above paragraph is illogical. The makers of this game should realize that barbarians (representing nomadic tribes, pirates, and rebellions) were a significant problem for most of human history and they were frequent in settled lands. The issue wasn't that the land was sparsely settled but rather that there was lax enforcement. I suggest making barbarians / pirates more prevalent at least until nearby cities have built courthouses.

Currently barbarians in Civ 3 are a minor nuisance. When I willingly select Raging Hordes, I expect raging hordes dammit! Not a few wimpy warriors! Or the occassional 30+ horsemen who wipe out against a city and disappear as soon as it is captured! That's what I mean by a joke.

 

[Trabpukcip]

May be you could change some things in the editor, like what type of units barbs can be... that way they'll at least hit you hard...

 

[dojoboy]

I personally hate barbarians, to the nth degree. In fact, the only type of barbarian I like is a dead barbarian!

I'm currently wrapping up an EU2 Grand Campaign as Spain and rebels have been quite the scourge. Despise them I do!

 

[Trabpukcip]

Actually I think barbarians as they are now are trully great cause they give you ease target to improve units and ease money to improve... well... anything...