Disguised Units [Idea]

[GeneralZIft]

This is a concept I call Disguised Units.
I'm prefacing this with a notice that it would be ideal to reel in this idea slightly for balance purposes (you don't want AI to be completely ignorant about it for example)

This is primarily relating to Privateers. So for normal ships, those are operating under your official flag.
But these units could be optionally disguised (perhaps for cost or promotion or by default) to appear as "Neutral".

They would only be revealed by another promotion on enemy units, by chance on death, or if a Spy "spots them".

There should be a similar unit for ground operations, and my suggestion would be that it comes as an upgrade to the Scout. (Could be Spy, so they would counter each other so to speak)

Both of these units would be able to enter neutral and enemy territories while Disguised, ignoring Border Control.
If you're found out doing this, you'll get a large diplomatic penalty, especially if you're caught doing damage inside Borders.

---

What is the purpose of this? Well, being able to deal damage anonymously is something that Civ is familiar with but not quite got a handle on.

The problem with Spies as they are in Civ5 and Civ6 is that they are entirely probability based. So if you get caught doing this to a friend or neutral, you're reputation is quite easily ruined, and you basically have no control over that fact.

My suggestion is that, by taking this entire concept and moving it onto the board map, you have some kind of Stealth / Disguise system going on that has both counter and uses for its existence.

It's very common for players to want to deal damage but not risk war, plunder and otherwise hide: this would also add general risk to mid game trade and exploration.

Side note: these units should be able to fight in Neutral territory without consequence as long as they are Disguised.
Privateers were basically... Paid pirates, as I understand it, and on the high seas, at least in the mid game, there should be plenty of slimy plundering that can give losing players ways to sabotage winning players in crucial stages of the game.

Side side note: these units should be like Landsknecht (Civ5) in that they're available only with direct Gold payment. Of which we can add that, they give back that Gold to whoever kills them to add risk.

(except Spies, who could give away Intrigue and cost large production)


Sorry for messy post.
What do you think?

 

[Naokaukodem]

I think it's funny. I mean, the post. Not per se, but because it reminds me of my little thoughts about... about... well, information in general. I often digressed in Notepad.exe to talk about DISGUISED units. Never got to post it because even by my standards, it led to nothing. I don't even remember why I digressed like so, it must have been something related to realism and/or gameplay. Just to say you : I know what you mean ! lol

 

[GeneralZIft]

I think it's funny. I mean, the post. Not per se, but because it reminds me of my little thoughts about... about... well, information in general. I often digressed in Notepad.exe to talk about DISGUISED units. Never got to post it because even by my standards, it led to nothing. I don't even remember why I digressed like so, it must have been something related to realism and/or gameplay. Just to say you : I know what you mean ! lol

Ah nice to hear

Yea in some ways its not realistic, but in other ways, its meant to represent 'secret' actors in countries, hired guns, pirates, unofficial fighting or something.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I believe earlier Civ editions had a Privateer unit that was invisible, and of course Submarines were invisible except to Destroyers in some games, so this is not entirely a new idea at all.

The land equivalent would be 'false flag' operations, and the most common perpetrators of them were Special Forces or Special Operations troops like the Soviet/Russian Spetsnaz, British SAS, Nazi German Brandenburgers, etc.

Guerrillas or Partisans usually do everything they can to appear to be innocuous Civilian Units or even friendly combat units.

I believe Humankind has some units with attributes that make them invisible to enemy units even when adjacent or when they are attacking - the ultimate Guerrillas or Special Ops types, so to speak.

There's even an 'air' equivalent: the Soviets put together an entire Air Division in their Far Eastern Military District, right over the border from Manchuria/North Korea, which flew Mig-15 fighters against the United Nations forces in the Korean War, and as long as there was a Soviet Union they denied that any such thing ever happened, that all MiG-15s were flown by North Korean or Chinese pilots. This even through US intelligence had hours of transcripts and recordings of Russian-speaking pilots talking to each other and their ground control in that division (which, for the most part, the US was reluctant to reveal because it would show just how effective American intelligence was at intercepting enemy radio transmissions). All was revealed after the USSR collapsed, when veterans of the unit and Russian historians wrote about it. But it does show that air, land, or sea units could be used in-game as 'Disguised' or Hidden Units in-game under the right conditions.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

If they introduce a concept called "disguised" units, and do not give Japan a unique Ninja/Shinobi one, we riot.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

If they introduce a concept called "disguised" units, and do not give Japan a unique Ninja/Shinobi one, we riot.

- Or the Hashashim that supposedly gave us the word 'assassin', or the Thugee Cult - a religious-based Disguised para-military unit - there are a bunch of potential candidates for Unique Disguised Units besides Everybody's Privateers or Submarines . .