Sidar Plus

The Sidar are a very cool race, and are wonderful to playwith. However, I have found that more oft than not they are neglecting their flavor while under AI command. While this "may" partially be an AI problem I see ways we could use the mechanics to make them favor the assasin theme anyways.

My main Idea is to make assasins more common and melee less common, and tangent ideas are to make hidden and stealth more accessible.

I think for the Sidar axemen, champions, and phalanxes should cost double, while assasins and shadows cost half. My idea to implement this would be to either give more expensive melee UUs or to give a training yard UB that gives -70% productionspeed for axemen, champs, and phalanxes.

For the ghost, simply half its hammer cost, and as for the Shadow, they need a new Shadow UU anyways. Their UU will be Called (its silly for civs to have Knights if their not in a fuedal system. Why are mercenaries not called Ronin?) Mistwalker, and he will automatically start with the explorer promotion, as well as additionally having the waterwalking promotion.

(but for the record using terms like Ninja and Samurai are just as likely as Pirate and Knight)


now for the tangent idea for more use of hidden, stealth, and other uses for these mistwalkers. I think all Sidar units should start with the promotion "Mist" which grants +10% withrdawal rate and +2 first strike chances. A second promo should prereq combat 5 and mist, and be called Haze, which gives an extra 5% (or 20%) withrdrawal and grants the "stealth" ability. Units must buy Haze as a level up, its not an auto-aquire. as assasin units already get stealth, I would ask only those units already with stealth gain the massive 20% extra withrdrawal from Haze, although Im not sure thats possible so a middle ground value may be nessecary.

Mist can allow much more as well. With Shadow II and Mist, arcane units are allowed the Spell "Mistwalker" which gives the hidden promotion to all arcane, recon, archer, and beast units in the stack. It also allows "Unveil" which removes the hidden promotion from these same unitcombat classes within the stack.
The idea is that once in place, its sometimes better for the whole army to be visible rather than just those that have attacked or casted a spell.

With Mist and Nature II a spell is unlocked called "Mist Speak" which reveals a 24 square block (about the size of a city BFC) and reveals any rival invisible and hidden units as well.

Mist also allows any Sidar unit to gain mobility 1 and 2 through unit levelling. If possible without the tech prereq.

With mobility 2, drill IV, and Mist- a unit can buy promo "Explorer" upon level up.
Unit with explorer can move on inaccesible terrain, +10% to resist spells, +10% magic resist, and immune to fear.

Im also thinking of of waned units to be able to "call to arms" in times of dire need. Although this would seem to be a coding nightmare. If it can be implemented, for fear of being inba, perhaps it should be connected to their worldspell or something equally unscammable.

Im thinking the Sidar should have UUs for the ranger and beastmaster.

Im thinking Yamabushi and Ki-master, respectively. They would not use animals (probably) nor have the combat bonus against animals. Instead they would have -1 attack and +1 defense, a bonus vs melee units, and a bonus defending against ranged bombardments. Perhaps Ki-master to also have a flat bonus against archers as well. Also, both units would immune to defensive strkes, and gain an additional first strike. Basically they would use pole combat as well as hand to hand, and use their combined knowledge of nature and the mists to be equally as good at tripping a swordsman as catching an arrow.

Due to their honor I am thinking of giving them the guardsman promotion, and perhaps give them a special unit-specific promotion that lowers withdrawal rate and adds a defensive strike of their own, in ways of clever traps in placed, and skirmish-ambushes that trip up the advancing forces and then dissapear in the mist, only to reappear back to their own front lines in defensive formations.

While the Sidar lore does state that they grow tired of what made them originally happy, their souls are slowly draining away so its hard to say that they even need happiness as much, they are better left to their own devices, as creatures of habit, than new and fancy wares. I suppose it could be represented by their buildings giving extra happiness. For instance, a happy from elder council, a happy from library, I think Alchemy Lab UB would be University, and give one happy for every 20% devoted to science. Of course, the simplest course of action would be to not alter happiness, atlhough not relying on resources may influence the builder style. In that case I would also ask that the Sidar recieve 2 happiness for each world wonder in a city, and we find more mundane ways for the Sidar to gain happiness, from their own buildings rather than religion or expansion.