Timed appearances
-Catapult method
Use: Catapult, Stone Thrower, Heavy Catapult, Juggernaut, Catapult Trireme, Flying Dutchman
Used by: Ingo, Phill, Andrea, tongrhj
Using the fact that a gaia unit will run if attacked by a catapult you can have a run on effect. I have used it in my scenario "Exodus" in Forgotten Memories. The way I used it the catapult damages you (simulating a fight after the lights go out), kills a bowman (I say he was a mythical creature called a Falconyr, you never see him, just his body so who can tell?) and damages two trade workshops on either side.
Ingo used it in the third scenario of Two Brothers, I never figured out how and so I used the CPN Extractor. I think that scenario was called "The Magic Triangle"
Andrea used it in "The Hatti Archive" and I haven't played it yet, but there is some description of how he made the timer in his website under dynamics
Tongrhj used it in "The Fall of Jerusalem", a recent submission. He used it nicely in the fourth scenario and brilliantly in the fifth. The fifth scenario has an intro you really must see, I think it's amazing.
So download all those campaigns and the CPN extractor and you're set.
Other Methods:
Timer - Uses a timer by having tame lions get killed by alligators, and more lions means longer timer. Once they all get killed alligator eats man, catapult attacks alligator, unit appears (see Andreas article like I said)
Diplomacy: Used by Ingo and others a lot. Attack a unit (eg wall etc) and units appear elsewhere
Area and Line of Sight: The location can effect timers, diplomacy etc using the right tricks
Heavy Cats: You can use heavy cats/juggs/flying d's to break open a forest, or you can have villagers do it by cutting wood. Then the reinforcements are available
Gaia Carnivores: Priests will run from them, use that instead of a catapult (just made that up actually, I presume it works though)
Mercenaries: Use writing or alliance change/tribute to set off the ability to see ally LOS and hence be able to take control of your mercenaries. Also use mercenaries to walk over discoveries, and you will light up anything on it (Mercenaries have no LOS and can only uncover discoveries and not gaia units). The discovery flag will uncover the unit.
Some of these are untested, but that should pretty much tell you all you need
This is a very very cool trick in any form, don't hesistate to use it, that goes for everyone
Edit: Gaia units don't get attacked at all by crocs, wierd. You could use ally LOS to have a Gaia priest that was "Friendly" with them (one you never get control of)
Also there is the BLP trick
Use a Blind Lame Priest or a mercenary at the start and have them get attacked by a Gaia tower. Gaia towers attack enemies based on distance, not anything else. Closer ones get attacked first. Once the Gaia tower runs out of targets, it attacks the priest, tower is flared, and you own it and all else it reveals (which may be a huge city)
Also you can have the Mago style run on where you change diplomacy so Blind Lame Priests convert a clubman, and the "Darkness" or "Sleep" disappears. In my scenario "Exodus" I have a new variation on this where you must change diplomacy twice.
Stick all those in a scenario and it will be pretty spectacular huh? [This message has been edited by Richard Ames (edited 11-28-2004 @ 05:21 AM).]