QES
Court Jester
A small thought. What if units as "differing" types were removed for land units?
TOO LONG, WONT READ VERSION:
-Units become generic and varying in size, but with specific "unit-based" upgrades visa vie promotions.
-Technology grants access to unit-type promotions.
-Barracks-line buildings would give free promotions (non-specific so each unit made could be tailored specifically)
-Unit-promotions could be purchased for gold.
-Unit-promotions determine what graphic the unit has when on the map (this can also change if promotions do) to allow for easy identity of "largest" promotion.
-Unit-promotions would become obsolete over time, so that free unit-promotions could be freed up for more combined and modern arms.
The Idea:
Promotions would reflect the technological development, and the graphic of the unit would depend on those promotions.
Units could come in 3 flavors and 3 types.
Infantry, Cavalry (because let's be honest they work independently) and Armored (in the early game this could also be artillery).
Small, Medium or Large.
What was IN the military unit would be defined by it's promotions, and every unit would always have one FREE promotion. The graphics associated with the unit would be whatever was it's highest promotion.
With Bronze working the "Polearms" promotion would be possible. Which would give a bonus against cavalry. With Archery the "Archer" promotion would be given, either giving first strikes (visa vie Civ IV) or a range-1 bombard attack. With Iron Working the "shields" and "swords" promotions would be available, giving the unit defense or attack bonuses. Many unit-promotions would be direct increases to strength.
Each technological development of what used to be a "new unit" in Civ would now represent "new promotions" which would be available. Longswordsmen would now provide the "shields II" and "swords II" promotions. To upgrade what was once Unit-specific advances, players and civs could spend money to upgrade their units. Level-based promotions would be as they are now, and should remain unaffected. Weapons/types modifiers would be purchasable at creation, and buildings could allow for more free purchases of THIS kind of promotion at a unit creation (getting a unit immediately up to swords II for example)
What cities would actually be producing would be 3 generic(ish) sizes of various unit types. Small Infantry, Medium Infantry, and Large Infantry Units. The sizes would affect base strength and base HP (perhaps one thing that bugs me some is how all units have 10 HP, perhaps some should have 30.)
Calvary would also come in 2-3 sizes.
Upon creation, depending on technologies and buildings available, the unit would be created with free unit-promotions. Which in the early eras would represent using spearmen or swordsman, and in the late stages would represent Paratroopers or Infantry.
The promotions themselves should be obsolete-able and prioritize-able. So that the AI in the later stages of the game does not attempt to make infantry with spears. Also, unit types could still be obsolete-able. So "Medium Calvary" might disappear all together once "Medium Armor" came around.
Finally, preexisting units could be upgraded with monetary means to gain other promotions. This is to say, the "upgrade" button would "buy" unit-promotions. The cost of upgrading a unit with new equipment would depend on how many unit-promotions it already had. This would make late game units more expensive to upgrade. The Barracks line of buildings could add the additional (free) unit-promotions to newly created units. This would mean that cities with the barracks line of buildings would not only be producing units with higher experience (general promotions), but also higher grade units (more unit-promotions/modern equipment). Every unit should be able to "upgrade" to gain whatever promotions are available to the civilization at the time. This could mean that a unit which was built with 4 unit promotions might have Swords I,II and Shields I,II, but could also be upgraded with gold to have archer I, and archer II.
This would make upgrading far more common in civ II (and things affecting upgrade costs would be more valuable) as well as giving a higher onus on funding armies. It would also mean that each unit would be an entire combined force unto itself. Promotions would be associated with graphics, and the most common element/graphic would be what the unit looked like on the map. If equal, there could be a priority list given.
This would make the 1upt work very well and represent combined arms very effectively. Each unit would be a mix of archers, spearmen and the like. Which would make each unit it's own little army.
Note: The barracks line of buildings should be able to keep up with giving units promotions akin to the level of technology developed. A city with the barracks line in the late industrial age should be able to produce units which would be the equivalent of "Infantry" upon creation.
TOO LONG, WONT READ VERSION:
-Units become generic and varying in size, but with specific "unit-based" upgrades visa vie promotions.
-Technology grants access to unit-type promotions.
-Barracks-line buildings would give free promotions (non-specific so each unit made could be tailored specifically)
-Unit-promotions could be purchased for gold.
-Unit-promotions determine what graphic the unit has when on the map (this can also change if promotions do) to allow for easy identity of "largest" promotion.
-Unit-promotions would become obsolete over time, so that free unit-promotions could be freed up for more combined and modern arms.
The Idea:
Promotions would reflect the technological development, and the graphic of the unit would depend on those promotions.
Units could come in 3 flavors and 3 types.
Infantry, Cavalry (because let's be honest they work independently) and Armored (in the early game this could also be artillery).
Small, Medium or Large.
What was IN the military unit would be defined by it's promotions, and every unit would always have one FREE promotion. The graphics associated with the unit would be whatever was it's highest promotion.
With Bronze working the "Polearms" promotion would be possible. Which would give a bonus against cavalry. With Archery the "Archer" promotion would be given, either giving first strikes (visa vie Civ IV) or a range-1 bombard attack. With Iron Working the "shields" and "swords" promotions would be available, giving the unit defense or attack bonuses. Many unit-promotions would be direct increases to strength.
Each technological development of what used to be a "new unit" in Civ would now represent "new promotions" which would be available. Longswordsmen would now provide the "shields II" and "swords II" promotions. To upgrade what was once Unit-specific advances, players and civs could spend money to upgrade their units. Level-based promotions would be as they are now, and should remain unaffected. Weapons/types modifiers would be purchasable at creation, and buildings could allow for more free purchases of THIS kind of promotion at a unit creation (getting a unit immediately up to swords II for example)
What cities would actually be producing would be 3 generic(ish) sizes of various unit types. Small Infantry, Medium Infantry, and Large Infantry Units. The sizes would affect base strength and base HP (perhaps one thing that bugs me some is how all units have 10 HP, perhaps some should have 30.)
Calvary would also come in 2-3 sizes.
Upon creation, depending on technologies and buildings available, the unit would be created with free unit-promotions. Which in the early eras would represent using spearmen or swordsman, and in the late stages would represent Paratroopers or Infantry.
The promotions themselves should be obsolete-able and prioritize-able. So that the AI in the later stages of the game does not attempt to make infantry with spears. Also, unit types could still be obsolete-able. So "Medium Calvary" might disappear all together once "Medium Armor" came around.
Finally, preexisting units could be upgraded with monetary means to gain other promotions. This is to say, the "upgrade" button would "buy" unit-promotions. The cost of upgrading a unit with new equipment would depend on how many unit-promotions it already had. This would make late game units more expensive to upgrade. The Barracks line of buildings could add the additional (free) unit-promotions to newly created units. This would mean that cities with the barracks line of buildings would not only be producing units with higher experience (general promotions), but also higher grade units (more unit-promotions/modern equipment). Every unit should be able to "upgrade" to gain whatever promotions are available to the civilization at the time. This could mean that a unit which was built with 4 unit promotions might have Swords I,II and Shields I,II, but could also be upgraded with gold to have archer I, and archer II.
This would make upgrading far more common in civ II (and things affecting upgrade costs would be more valuable) as well as giving a higher onus on funding armies. It would also mean that each unit would be an entire combined force unto itself. Promotions would be associated with graphics, and the most common element/graphic would be what the unit looked like on the map. If equal, there could be a priority list given.
This would make the 1upt work very well and represent combined arms very effectively. Each unit would be a mix of archers, spearmen and the like. Which would make each unit it's own little army.
Note: The barracks line of buildings should be able to keep up with giving units promotions akin to the level of technology developed. A city with the barracks line in the late industrial age should be able to produce units which would be the equivalent of "Infantry" upon creation.