How about units linked to governmental decisions

Something that struck me:
RW, if a nation was building chariots, or knights, or even armoured cars, it was pretty much running Heditary Rule (and arguably Vassalage), with society funnelling resources to a small military elite.

However, to have Hoplites, or Swiss Pike, or the French Revolution Army: for any form of citizen army, there was some variant of Republic.

While Police States have creepy psycho units - the Spartans, Russia's penal battalions, the SS and so on.

What do people think of having units linked to governmental styles? Perhaps appropriate units getting a hammer bonus to being produced under their chosen govt?

If this was implemented, I recommend having the warrior unit linked to Despotism, to reflect the effectiveness of barbarian invasions, and the way their ineffectiveness for the period when they were 'civilized' enough to lose their combat skills but weren't developed enough to gain the bonuses of established civilizations.
And rather than having unit directly linked to democracy, make the most expensive units more efficient to hurry with gold.

Thoughts?

Well, it's easily possible in python to make a unit or units be only buildable under ceratin civics (check Slave modcomps for example).

However, making many units have this may affect performance.

The only drawback I can see is that Spiritual civs, with or without the Pyramids, would have a distinct advantage because they could pop into the required Civic to produce the special unit (Even if it wasn't the best Civic for advancing their victory strategy) and then pop right back out to the better Civic when they'd produced enough of them.

While I can see having certain unique units tied to civics, I think it would really unbalance things if you tried doing it with the regular ones.

Reminds me of Fanatics from Civ2

Interesting points. So:
Assuming unique units only, and overpriced without the bonus? Would that prevent them being overbalanced without nerfing the units?

whitelaughter said:

Would that prevent them being overbalanced without nerfing the units?

Click to expand...

If you did it right I don't see why not. You could even make them a National unit so you can only make so many of them.That would prevent the AI from going crazy when building them. In my game I've added a couple of non-nationality land units which the AI really seems to like building. But the fact that they can only build so many adds some control over that.