Mercenaries

[problem_child]

I've been playing with the idea of mercs for a couple of weeks, and finally made a scenario containing them, they go like this

6.7.3, Unflagged, Sees Invisible, cost 10 to build, prereq: Flight

Using them in a game that also includes Guerrillas

6.8.3, Invisible, cost 6, prereq Communism.

Let me tell u, the AI caught on immediately, in this game Germany, China and Russia became the significant powers, with Germany an actual Superpower, and they all used mercs brilliantly. They didn't build too many, Germany had ten, some less powerful nations had two or three, and they all used them for low grade warfare, opportunist strikes at colonies and also to pop across the border and kidnap workers and explorers, at one point Germany even tried to take one of my cities guarded by one horseman (don't ask) with their mercs, luckily for me, their little Bay of Pigs invasion attempt failed.

Becouse Guerrillas were in the game, most of the rich nations (which tended to use mercs) were up against guerrillas, which may explain the AIs 'Plausable Deniability' strategy of using mercs.

Guerrillas were fun too, although next time I'll make em even cheaper and one point less powerful then infantry- it was really fun-but-shocking when enemy Guerrillas suddenly captured a city I had thought was safely deep up-country, I hadn't seen any Guerrillas... but then they are invisible. death to complacency.

By the way, if you use guerrillas, set them as upgradable to infantry, to ensure richer nations can't build em (unless they were to capture some 3rd world city that is cut of from the empire, in a kind of 'Yankee Superpower trains Local Oiks in Guerilla warfare techniques ' type situation).

[FNBrown]

Originally posted by problem_child
I've been playing with the idea of mercs for a couple of weeks, and finally made a scenario containing them, they go like this

6.7.3, Unflagged, Sees Invisible, cost 10 to build, prereq: Flight

Using them in a game that also includes Guerrillas

6.8.3, Invisible, cost 6, prereq Communism.

Let me tell u, the AI caught on immediately, in this game Germany, China and Russia became the significant powers, with Germany an actual Superpower, and they all used mercs brilliantly. They didn't build too many, Germany had ten, some less powerful nations had two or three, and they all used them for low grade warfare, opportunist strikes at colonies and also to pop across the border and kidnap workers and explorers, at one point Germany even tried to take one of my cities guarded by one horseman (don't ask) with their mercs, luckily for me, their little Bay of Pigs invasion attempt failed.

Becouse Guerrillas were in the game, most of the rich nations (which tended to use mercs) were up against guerrillas, which may explain the AIs 'Plausable Deniability' strategy of using mercs.

Guerrillas were fun too, although next time I'll make em even cheaper and one point less powerful then infantry- it was really fun-but-shocking when enemy Guerrillas suddenly captured a city I had thought was safely deep up-country, I hadn't seen any Guerrillas... but then they are invisible. death to complacency.

By the way, if you use guerrillas, set them as upgradable to infantry, to ensure richer nations can't build em (unless they were to capture some 3rd world city that is cut of from the empire, in a kind of 'Yankee Superpower trains Local Oiks in Guerilla warfare techniques ' type situation).

Hmm... I'd rather like the idea of using guerrillas even if I'm a wealthy nation... but your suggested restraint is well put... maybe I'll just make them upgradeable to mechanized infantry...

[problem_child]

I disagree, (although Im grateful for your thoughts) I have made Guerrillas very cheap now at 4 points, same price as Longbowmen becouse 3rd world countries should be able to afford loads of em, and their quite powerful for units so cheap, their invisible- very powerful units. For this reason I think rich nations have no right to em, too powerful as it is. If your big enough and or powerful enough to have rubber- then you have no right to the poor mans perks Guerrillas (set as offensive in AI settings) give poorer countries a chance to put up a descent fight for once, just like back in Nam eh?