ferretbacon
Obsessor
I've been a major proponent of improving/reworking Germany for a while now, and with the Zulu in the game, I've never been more so.
Granted, the Zulu essentially lose all of their advantages after the advent of Gunpowder units, but still, the overlap is too much for my taste.
One thing that's really getting on my nerves that hasn't been addressed is the Impi vs. the Landsknecht: there really isn't a comparison.
Before the Impi was introduced, the Landsknecht was the only Pikeman replacement in the game. Now, it is totally eclipsed by the Impi.
Not only does the Impi get the ranged attack before melee, but it also gets the unique promotions from the Ikhanda, and, at the point of the game Civil Service is at, is cheaper to maintain than Germany's UU (25% reduced maintenance vs 50%). Not only that, but the Impi retains its bonus vs. cavalry. In my opinion, the Impi should at least lack that, similar to how the Pictish Warrior loses it despite being a Spearman replacement.
In regards to resolving the issue (and for improving Germany overall) I think that the Landsknecht ought to become a Longsword replacement instead. Heck, the icon for the Landsknecht isn't even a pike, but the hilt of what appears to be a Zweihander, which is even mentioned in the unit's Civilopedia entry (they used them to cut the tips off of enemy pike formations).
The unit model would have to be altered slightly to include some swords, but as a Longsword replacement, this is what I'd like to see:
120 , 21 , no Iron needed --- gets two special promotions; 1. 50% combat bonus against mounted units and 2. earns combat promotions 50% faster.
The production would be the same as the Longsword to reflect their new role as a strong, elite unit, rather than a flimsy, barely unique unit. No more cheap Landsknechts. Iron requirement would go away so that you could still produce a good number of them provided you have a good production base.
The mounted unit bonus would essentially make them similar to the Spanish Tercio. This promotion would disappear, however, on upgrade to the Musketman. The second promotion would stick with them on promotion.
This change to the infantry line would greatly benefit Germany overall, even with their relatively lackluster UA and very late game second UU. The Landsknecht would become Germany's premier feature. By the time the Atomic era rolls around, the German's would have, appropriately, an elite fighting force of infantry (think of the promotions the surviving upgraded Landsknechts would have).
Though I contest the fact that Germany is a straight warmongering civ (production advantages or better Great Person spawning would both be appropriate), if they are going to be warmongerers, they should at least be good at it. The Zulu can dominate the early game, but the Germans should at least dominate late game wars. 25% reduction to maintenance costs, Panzers, and elite Infantry would make the Germans much more dangerous, especially if coupled with the Honor tree and appropriate Autocracy Tenets.
Sorry if this was hard to follow or seemed rambling... just wrote it out in one go. I'm just frustrated by how Germany has been presented in Civ V. They were never that good, and they keep getting watered down.
Granted, the Zulu essentially lose all of their advantages after the advent of Gunpowder units, but still, the overlap is too much for my taste.
One thing that's really getting on my nerves that hasn't been addressed is the Impi vs. the Landsknecht: there really isn't a comparison.
Before the Impi was introduced, the Landsknecht was the only Pikeman replacement in the game. Now, it is totally eclipsed by the Impi.
Not only does the Impi get the ranged attack before melee, but it also gets the unique promotions from the Ikhanda, and, at the point of the game Civil Service is at, is cheaper to maintain than Germany's UU (25% reduced maintenance vs 50%). Not only that, but the Impi retains its bonus vs. cavalry. In my opinion, the Impi should at least lack that, similar to how the Pictish Warrior loses it despite being a Spearman replacement.
In regards to resolving the issue (and for improving Germany overall) I think that the Landsknecht ought to become a Longsword replacement instead. Heck, the icon for the Landsknecht isn't even a pike, but the hilt of what appears to be a Zweihander, which is even mentioned in the unit's Civilopedia entry (they used them to cut the tips off of enemy pike formations).
The unit model would have to be altered slightly to include some swords, but as a Longsword replacement, this is what I'd like to see:
120 , 21 , no Iron needed --- gets two special promotions; 1. 50% combat bonus against mounted units and 2. earns combat promotions 50% faster.
The production would be the same as the Longsword to reflect their new role as a strong, elite unit, rather than a flimsy, barely unique unit. No more cheap Landsknechts. Iron requirement would go away so that you could still produce a good number of them provided you have a good production base.
The mounted unit bonus would essentially make them similar to the Spanish Tercio. This promotion would disappear, however, on upgrade to the Musketman. The second promotion would stick with them on promotion.
This change to the infantry line would greatly benefit Germany overall, even with their relatively lackluster UA and very late game second UU. The Landsknecht would become Germany's premier feature. By the time the Atomic era rolls around, the German's would have, appropriately, an elite fighting force of infantry (think of the promotions the surviving upgraded Landsknechts would have).
Though I contest the fact that Germany is a straight warmongering civ (production advantages or better Great Person spawning would both be appropriate), if they are going to be warmongerers, they should at least be good at it. The Zulu can dominate the early game, but the Germans should at least dominate late game wars. 25% reduction to maintenance costs, Panzers, and elite Infantry would make the Germans much more dangerous, especially if coupled with the Honor tree and appropriate Autocracy Tenets.
Sorry if this was hard to follow or seemed rambling... just wrote it out in one go. I'm just frustrated by how Germany has been presented in Civ V. They were never that good, and they keep getting watered down.