No, I don't mean graphics modding. The idea came up in the FFT Mod thread: Have multiple versions of graphics for the same unit. The game would choose randomly from the different versions available when the unit gets built, and it wouldn't have any effect on the game other than making your units look a little more diverse. In the example from the FFT mod, you could have male and female versions of wizards. Having multiple versions would be completely optional, and the game would just use the single unit if that was all that was available.

This shouldn't be too difficult to add in for the sake of flavour, I'd think. I recall Age of Kings has male/ female graphics for peasants, for example.

Also, you could have a couple setys for different cultures as well. This means the Asian cultures could end up with European style Knights whiel the Europeans had Middle Eastern heavy cavalry.

The question that comes to my mind is why?

Is this change just for cosmetic changes of is it for practical reasons?

I can see no other reasons other then cosmetic, and am opposed to it. But if graphical differences have different traits, I could be for it.

I think cosmetic differences add to the atmosphere of Civ a lot better than traits do. Its boring to fight the same Swordsmen, whether they are French or Arab. Something more woodsish for the French and Light Garb for the arab would be interesting. You could tell the 'legions of rome' are approaching, whether it be in 0 AD or 1500 AD, whether it be legionaires or Roman Musketeers.

Slight cosmetic differences add a lot to the uniqueness of each player in a particular game. If it was randomized that would increase replyability that much more.

Yeah, the suggestion was purely cosmetic. Having different colors and all is nice, but they still look the same underneath it all.

If you go too over the top you won't know what exactly you are fighting. Then mistakes can be made because you have to identify every single unit in the game. I think cosmetics should not be applied to every civ; instead they should be applied to different cultures in the game.

I didn't intend it as each civ having different units, but all civs would have, say, 3 different versions of the same swordsman.

Oh, okay. Sounds like a good idea.

I think cosmetic differences add to the atmosphere of Civ a lot better than traits do. Its boring to fight the same Swordsmen, whether they are French or Arab. Something more woodsish for the French and Light Garb for the arab would be interesting. You could tell the 'legions of rome' are approaching, whether it be in 0 AD or 1500 AD, whether it be legionaires or Roman Musketeers.

Slight cosmetic differences add a lot to the uniqueness of each player in a particular game. If it was randomized that would increase replyability that much more.

I would be happy to see the units look differently for each nation, but not having 2 tanks from the same nation with the same firepower, movement and defense looking different. That would just be unnecessarily difficult. If each nation has unique looking units - even with the same stats - it would be okay with me. I think they don't do that though for simplicity's sake. The non hardcore players would get confuzzled. :confused:

During conquests, where different graphics are used for the same unit, I often run into the problem of determine what a unit is. In vanilla, I know as soon as a see what the units stats are. In conquests, I frequently have to right click on the unit to see what the unit is called, and sometimes that is not enough becuase they renamed the unit, forcing me to go to the civopedia.

I am against cosmetic changes for the identical units, because of the problems identifying units.

I wasn't thinking anything too drastic though. Maybe two versions of spearmen: One with a square shield, the other with the round one. Things like that. Subtle.

It worked well in MTW, especially since Genoese sailors and Desert ARchers were the same unit.