Military city-states and special units?

[Athenaeum]

I have noticed that some special units (such as Hussars and Comanche Riders) seem to be gifted by military city-states all the time, whereas I have never seen them gift battering rams, slingers, or hoplites.

Does anybody know for certain which special units are eligible for being gifted by military city-states, and if there is perhaps a discrepancy in their respective probabilities of being gifted?

Also, is there some correlation between the real-life history of a military city-state and the special unit it gifts? (For example, maybe military city-states near mongolia gift keshiks).

 

[Plumfairy]

I have noticed that some special units (such as Hussars and Comanche Riders) seem to be gifted by military city-states all the time, whereas I have never seen them gift battering rams, slingers, or hoplites.

Does anybody know for certain which special units are eligible for being gifted by military city-states, and if there is perhaps a discrepancy in their respective probabilities of being gifted?

I'm almost positive I've seen battering rams offered. But I wouldn't be surprised if the game is designed so that the UU from the first era are rarely (or never) offered; I wasn't able to ally with the battering ram city-state before his UU was obsolete, and I imagine that's usually the case for those very early UU.

Also, is there some correlation between the real-life history of a military city-state and the special unit it gifts? (For example, maybe military city-states near mongolia gift keshiks).

As far as I can tell, they're completely random.

 

[Crus8r]

I also recall battering rams (and Hoplites) being offered, so I think spearman UUs are available...

I think the UUs that are not available for city states to offer are those that have no research requirement (Jaguars, Maori, Pathfinders, and Atlatlists)

Crus8r

 

[joncnunn]

Each military city state special unit is set at the beginning of the game. It's selected from the list of UUs of civs that aren't in that particular game.
e.g. If the first city state you encounter offers Legions, you know that Rome isn't in your game.

 

[Illianor123]

It could also be that you are more likely to be friendly with the city states later in the game and so experience the gifting of the mid game UUs more often and so remember these city states. This can be further compounded on non-Pangea maps, where you won't discover some of the city states till later in the game (and past the texh of the UU they offer).

 

[dagriggstar]

Wouldn't be surprised if there is some code in the game where at the time the first major civ meets the militaristic CS, it picks the UU offered from a list of units that have not yet been made obsolete. Would make the early game UU's much less likely to be offered.

 

[ShakaKhan]

Each military city state special unit is set at the beginning of the game. It's selected from the list of UUs of civs that aren't in that particular game.
e.g. If the first city state you encounter offers Legions, you know that Rome isn't in your game.

This is true. Additionally:

1.) If you mouse-over the city-state type (where it says "militaristic") it will tell you which unique unit that city state is specialized in. This is a method of determining which civs are not in the game (see joncnunn's post) well before receiving one of these unique units or seeing another civ with that unique unit.

2.) Supposedly, the militaristic city state will grant you that unit and that unit only from the time you have researched the technology necessary until you have acquired the technology which makes that unit obsolete (you may want to look the UU up in the Civilopedia as some UU's obsolete later than their default counterparts. For example, Berserkers become obsolete with Metallurgy whereas their counterpart, Longswords, become obsolete with Gunpowder.) I say "supposedly because I had a few games where I was trying to maximize the number of Keshiks or Berserkers and they gave me something else instead. It may have been that they give something else if you lack the resource needed, or it may have been before I figured out...

3.)... they only give you that unique unit if you are allied with them. If you are just friendly, they will give you a different random non-unique unit.

4.) Unless something has changed in a patch or mod that I don't have, militaristic city states never specialize in unique units of the ancient era. This is why you never saw the three you had mentioned, rams, slingers, and hoplites, all of which are ancient era units. I've seen many classical era units, ballistas, cataphracts, AFE's, Legions, C-Cavs, Kris, and Mohawks. The one classical era unit that I've NEVER seen are siege towers, and I think they may have been omitted because it would be too advantageous to have them. Similar argument could be made for Keshiks/Camels, but at least they come a bit later.

Hope this helps

 

[sunbeam]

I've gotten siege towers in one game I played. Actually got two or three of them.

That was only one game out of... lots though. Think I may have seen another civ (and not Assyria) with them once, but my memory is hazy on that.

But in the early game, I don't seem to ever prioritize getting city state allies. Unless it comes from a quest, I don't bother with patronage type stuff until the later eras.

 

[beetle]

...they only give you that unique unit if you are allied with them. If you are just friendly, they will give you a different random non-unique unit.

Thanks! All this time, I never picked up on that!

 

[Athenaeum]

Yeah every time I meet a military CS, I always look at what UU they gift first thing. So I would notice if they were set up to gift hoplites, battering rams, etc.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Keshiks and Camel Archers are definitely available from City States, because I have built nice assault forces out of such gifted units. In fact, in the game I just started Almaty has the Camel Archer listed as his 'special gift' - I will certainly prioritize making Almaty an Ally before I research Chivalry!

 

[IkM]

In one of my former games, a CS kept sending me Keshiks and I managed to destroy many enemies

I don't remember which city it was but thank you, lovely CS

 

[Plumfairy]

2.) Supposedly, the militaristic city state will grant you that unit and that unit only from the time you have researched the technology necessary until you have acquired the technology which makes that unit obsolete (you may want to look the UU up in the Civilopedia as some UU's obsolete later than their default counterparts. For example, Berserkers become obsolete with Metallurgy whereas their counterpart, Longswords, become obsolete with Gunpowder.) I say "supposedly because I had a few games where I was trying to maximize the number of Keshiks or Berserkers and they gave me something else instead.

This is explicitly part of how they work: if you don't have enough of the special resource, you won't get the UU.

Similarly, military city-states that are giving you random units will only select from the types of units for which you have the necessary resources. Don't want any more horsemen? Better sell all those spare horses you have.

 

[Athenaeum]

No I have found that military CS will grant you horse units for example to put you at negative horses if you do not have any.

 

[Browd]

But only until you scrap the gifted horse units, which you can do as your first action on your turn. I can conceive of no scenario where receiving gifted units is a bad thing.

 

[whoward69]

No I have found that military CS will grant you horse units for example to put you at negative horses if you do not have any.

This only happens for gifted UUs (which are only checked against prereq/obsolete techs and not resource requirements)

 

[beetle]

This only happens for gifted UUs (which are only checked against prereq/obsolete techs and not resource requirements)

Thanks for this clarification! I have experienced it both ways, but had not picked up on this distinction.

Can you affirm that UU are only gifted if an ally (and not for merely friend status)?

 

[whoward69]

Can you affirm that UU are only gifted if an ally (and not for merely friend status)?

Confirmed. You will only get a UU from a mil CS when you are their ally

 

[ShakaKhan]

This is explicitly part of how they work: if you don't have enough of the special resource, you won't get the UU.

Similarly, military city-states that are giving you random units will only select from the types of units for which you have the necessary resources. Don't want any more horsemen? Better sell all those spare horses you have.

Respectfully requesting verification on this. I have some recollection of mil-CS gifts bringing me to negative resource penalties, though I can't recall if it was related to a UU or not, or (because I'm getting older) if that was 2 months ago or two years ago - may have been something that occurred before BNW or even G+K came out and had been addressed in the expansions or the patches that followed.

 

[Sclb]

Pretty sure military CS will give you UU even if you don't have the resource but they require ally status. If it's not a UU, they won't give you if you don't have resource.