Ready for some crazy ideas?
Here are my changes related to combat and the Authority tree. Keep in mind, I always play with a small map, overloaded with civs (10) and CS (16), and I've made several changes to Tradition/Progress as well.
Change:
+5 gold / +5 science when you kill a combat unit regardless of branch. This scales with era.
Rationale:
It doesn't scale well purposely, but helps bootstrap the early game for combat focused civs. It's an active reward that requires some planning and risk taking to maximize.
Change:
All civs can hire mercenaries, but they cannot be upgraded and they cost +2 maintenance.
Rationale:
I found myself over optimizing around free companies (and landschnects before). I would delay building units and beeline the tech to hire a whole army instead. I would favor civs that could upgrade from those units and get full XP + 2 carry forward promotions (gold from attacking cities and no movement cost for pillaging). All very gamey and overpowered.
Mercs find their right place now, they are a temporary solution that can help swing a war/battle. I can't find any reason to hide them behind a branch, and they can be useful to any civ, but since they don't upgrade you aren't overly invested in them.
Authority Branch:
Opener
1. Gain culture/production when you kill Units (50% of CS)
2. Remove BarbarianCombatBonus
3. +1 culture per garrison
Rationale:
Barbarians aren't any easier to fight now, but you're getting more out of them. You can opt for a simple +1 culture by keeping a unit home but it's usually not optimal. It's better to be out fighting and getting tributes.
Scaler
1. Remove production / city
2. +10 culture / +10 gold / +5 science per tribute. (50/50/25 from max scaler)
Rationale:
Early game tribute is pretty easy, so this stops it from being game breaking. You have to work through the policies ASAP to get the most out of it, so there is a built in disincentive to trying to mix in
Discipline
1. Remove yields from border expansion.
2. Military units production modifier = -15% and +10xp.
3. New building Palace Stable
- +2 horses
- +2 production and great general points
Rationale:
The passive bonus for each city to border expansion seemed too arbitrary and egalitarian for the branch. In return you get cheaper units with a small boost to XP and a guarantee of 2 horses, boost to production in the capital, and a quicker first general.
Warrior Code -> Spoils of War
1. Remove free settler
2. Remove bonus from settling cities
3. Increase bonus from taking cities (??->100)
4. +75% of CS to culture/production when you kill Units. (with the opener this totals 125% CS to culture/production)
Rationale:
The changes makes the branch directive very clear. It's not an expansionist branch, it's a domination branch. I've removed the free settler from the Pyramids as well, so there is no free cities floating around. I'm still playing with the balance on unit kills, but feels good for my setup right now.
Military Tradition
1. Fort(+1) and citadel(+2) research/production/great general points
2. Replaced heal on kill with +15 max XP on policy promotion
Rationale:
It seems like this would enable incredible amounts of science, but realistically you can't/won't work unlimited forts. I suspect this is what helps the Authority AI keep up in science more than any of the other changes. I've proposed similar changes in VP for removing the magical unit healing, and it plays very well.
Military Caste
1. Reduce culture from +2 -> +1 from garrison (+1 was added to the opener).
2. Unit gold maintenance reduction ??? -> -25%.
Rationale:
Minor changes to keep the branch balanced. The maintenance reduction helps keep the AI from going bankrupt with a large army.
Professional Army
1. Remove conscription (free unit spawning)
2. XP bonus doubled to 100%
Rationale:
I was never a fan of the garbage unit spawning and removed it years ago. I've never looked back. Elite units are fun, and the AI does get into some of the more powerful combos with this.
Finisher
1. Tribute bonuses tripled: + 100/100/50. So we go from 50/50/25 (from the scaler) -> 150/150/75(with scaler + finisher).
2. +10 influence to city state unit gifts.
3. +25 bonus to bully score.
Rationale:
Authority is the ultimate risk/reward branch. I've removed almost all the passive yields from the branch, so you are forced to be active to maximize the potential rewards.