A unit between Caravans and Freight?

[MikeLynch]

So I'm modding Test of Time (again) and I've got some empty unit and tech slots. I've already put a unit between Settlers and Engineers (Pioneers, with a fractional move), which I've playtested extensively and works quite nicely. I also just put one between Diplomat and Spy (Envoy), which is 1/3rd faster than Diplomats and shares the Spy's two-space visibility.

I'm pondering doing something similar with the Caravan and Freight units. The intermediate unit -- let's call it Merchant for lack of a better term right now -- would be faster (Caravans only move .66 in my game), and due the whole Wonder-accelerating thing, I don't want Caravans to go obsolete too soon. I'm thinking the Merchant should appear with one of the later Renaissance advances; Economics feels too soon to me. Maybe even Corporation -- which would mean delaying Freight until a lot later (maybe you get it with Automobile or some new advance beyond it-- Globalization?? ).

I'm interested in hearing your input on:
1) what you would call this unit... I can't think of anything better than Merchant. "Trader" feels too vague.
2) what existing advance you would make as its prereq, or what new advance might make historical sense AND fit nicely into the "vanilla" Civ2 tech tree
3) what a good unit graphic might be
4) how you would handle Freight
and
5) whether this whole notion might unbalance the game in detrimental ways.

[Mercator]

Thinking of such a Merchant unit first reminds me of the 16th century. I think that's where I would place it, around the Age of Discovery. Basically representing the world trade, with people Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English, carrying over into Colonialism and then the arrival of Freight after the Industrialization.

Navigation could be an apt advance, though I've been out of playing too long. So I'm not sure if that advance would actually arrive at the right time in your game.

[MikeLynch]

Basically representing the world trade, with people Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English, carrying over into Colonialism and then the arrival of Freight after the Industrialization.

Well, I *do* have a tech advance called Imperialism -- it represents kind of the same thing, like the whole East India Company era.

Navigation could be an apt advance, though I've been out of playing too long. So I'm not sure if that advance would actually arrive at the right time in your game.

Yeah, that's pretty early-- though Magnetism might be better. But Imperialism has Magnetism as one of its prereqs (Conscription being the other)... hmmm... I wonder what tech advance Imperialism and Leadership could be prereqs for. Maybe Free Market? Or Monopoly?

Still working on finding a unit graphic that's even close to historically appropriate. Suggestions welcome

[Barocca]

Originally Posted by MikeLynch

Still working on finding a unit graphic that's even close to historically appropriate. Suggestions welcome

a wagon?
there are a few wagons floating around in various scenario's

[MikeLynch]

Yeah, I actually found a nice one of a dude in a top hat with a horse-drawn wagon. I gave him a cane to look more "mercantile" and I'm good to go.

Thanks for the input guys

[Barocca]

Originally Posted by MikeLynch

Yeah, I actually found a nice one of a dude in a top hat with a horse-drawn wagon. I gave him a cane to look more "mercantile" and I'm good to go.

Thanks for the input guys

does he sell a cure for warts? headaches? wind? arthritis?
and can i have 2 quarts of snakeoil please...

[temurleng]

Well, I put merchant into thesaurus.com and got the following (alphabetized) list: agent, angel, aristocrat, backer, banker, banker, bankroll, baron, big cheese, big gun, big shot, big wheel, big wheel, biggie, big-timer, bigwig, broker, bursar, businessman, businesswoman, capitalist, chandler, changer, chief, consigner, czar, dealer, dispenser, employer, entrepreneur, executive, exporter, factor, fairy godmother, fat cat, figure, financier, franchiser, go-between, grubstaker, handler, industrialist, interagent, interceder, intercessor, intermediary, intermediate, jobber, king, lady bountiful, leader, lion, magnate, magnifico, manager, manipulator, marketer, mediator, merchandiser, middleman, mogul, money, moneybags, moneylender, nabob, name, negotiator, noble, notable, operator, organization man, peer, personage, plutocrat, prince, retailer, rich man, robber baron, salesman, Santa Claus, seller, sender, shipper, shopkeeper, small potatoes, speculator, sponsor, staker, stockbroker, storekeeper, sugar daddy, suit, trader, tradesman, trafficker, tycoon, usurer, vendor, VIP, wheeler-dealer, wholesaler, worker.

I think some of these won't work (c'mon, a Tycoon just traveling around?!) but I hope this'll give you some more ideas. I think you could also put carpet-bagger in the list.

Ideas on how to use this "Merchant": 1) Move the original Caravan unit earlier, since trading has been going along for much longer than the game seems to think (though this opens a whole new set of play-balance questions); 2) my first thought actually was to have a Globalization advance, and make the Freight unit come from there; 3) Maybe name the "Merchant" as the "Mercantilist" instead, so that this second trade unit is dedicated to trade conducted for the advantage of the nation-state, as oppsed to the corporate-centered Freighter.

[MikeLynch]

What I ended up doing was not moving Caravans earlier, but making the Merchant available with Free Market, which requires Econ and leads to Corporation. Freight is now available much later, with Miniaturization IIRC, but it moves as fast as Mechanized Infantry now.

I may add a Globalization advance... still got some open tech slots. But I haven't even playtested the new Freight yet. I just keep conquering the damn planet before I even get tanks