If a CS gifts me a mounted unit, does it use one of MY horses?

Well, I would argue that if lack of resource doesn't impair combat effectiveness, it should at least preclude healing. Like oil the need for more horses, or iron, or coal, etc. should be regarded as an ongoing need, for healing purposes, if not operating purposes.

That's true. It's getting a bit complicated now.
 
Actually it could be solved like this: when CS gives you free unit this unit is resource-free as long as you are allied with this CS or the CS have that resource improved. The CS just create and maintain this unit using it's own resource, not yours. But If you are no more ally to CS or someone pillage CS's resource improvement you have to maintain this unit from your own recources since then, unless you are ally with that CS again or it would repair it's resource improvement. But this would really make these things complicated.

except you get units from CS friends as well as allies

They could just make it so the given unit doesn't remove one of your resources. It lasts as long as the unit is alive, if it's killed, that's that. Oil is different, that is something, like gold for food, that's ongoing.

Oil is exactly the same as iron and horses in the game... it is required for maintenance... it may not be realistic... but you get Horses/Iron back when one of your cavalry/longswords are killed.

What it sounds like you are asking for is that Iron/Horses are only used up when the unit is produced.. and that iron mines/horse pastures would slowly produce more over time.
 
Sounds like the OP is breaking an old rule. ;)

All kidding aside...

I prefer to view the resource count as the ability to maintain the unit rather than being directly used to construct the unit. If you build a Swordsman your mine supports the on going maintenance of the Swordsman's equipment. When he dies you don't lose the iron permanently, you just can train another unit. Same goes for horses, your total resource count of horses is not how many horses you have, its how many you can support in your borders. The CS was kind enough to provide you with a trained Horseman (horse included of course), but you need to find a way to support him from here on out.
 
All gifted units cost gold maintenance so what is the problem if they consume a strategic resource as well? It is like complaining that producing/gifted great people is counter productive because it increases the cost of next GP produced. :confused:
 
It is good, unless when you have no more resources required for that unit, after receiving the said unit, your resource bar (iron/horse/oil/etc) will go minus and you will have a huge combat penalty to any unit that requires that resource.

Military city states will only gift you units that you can currently build. If you're currently using all of your iron/horses/aluminum/etc., that means that you could not choose to build a swordsman/horseman/rocket artillery in one of your cities, and it also means that a city-state will not gift you that unit.

The "can you build it right now?" rule also explains how military units that go obsolete stop being gifted to you. For example, if you have discovered Archery but not Construction, you can get gifted Archers; if you have discovered Construction but not Machinery, you can get gifted Composite Bowmen; if you have discovered Machinery but not Industrialization, you can get gifted Crossbowmen; etc.
 
The first part of your post is not my experience (but agree with the part about obsolete units).

For example, I routinely receive horse units when I have no available horses, triggering an immediate negative resource/strategic resource penalty issue. I'm OK with that -- I can either keep the unit and be mindful that it shouldn't be used in combat until the penalty is eliminated, or sell the unit for immediate gold.
 
Eh? So "You've just won a free trip to Hawaii! (Air fare, tips, and gratuities not included.)" Means that it has no value to you? Or you win a raffled automobile, but it has no value to you because it doesn't come with the gas, insurance, and maintenance all prepaid, that makes for no value to you? Or you let an old lady know she just dropped her wallet, so she gives you $20 as a reward, that's bogus because she didn't hand over ALL her cash?

You have a rather narrow view of what constitutes generosity from others.

love it and agree
 
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