I just figure that since the game is about developpment and improvement, shouldn't there be more then 1 settler type? The form and how may vary a lot, and again I have no clear and definitive solution, but you are welcome to take and adds from the following ideas.
Colonisateur units. There units are given as a reward to the civ, they cannot be built. They act as Settlers with the following modification;
- they have a combat value and may flee when attacked (opposite dirrection)
- They found outpost rather then settlement, an outpost cannot grow culture (although it gain culture normally, it never grow beyond it immediate adjacent square).
- Outpost cannot build a barrack or any unit that isn't archery or gunpowder.
- Outposts get a free enginer.
- Outposts get a 100% bonus production on market, grocer, bank, lighthouse and courthouse.
- Outposts aren't cities, so they doesn't increase other cities maintenance (although they have a maintenance of their own).
- Outposts cannot be conquered, they are razed. Someone razing an outposts gets 200 gold, a worker and ressources within the outpost border for 25 turns.
- Outposts come with walls, castle and a defensive artillery which may intercept a bombarding unit and fight it.
- Outposts could be upgraded to cities with an upgrade that should take longer then a settler production normally would take.
Anyway, these are ideas. How someone acquire such a special settler unit is unclear, maybe at precise moment, at era change, at the discovery of a special tech. The idea here is to have more then just the basic settler. Some cities in history where developping nicely, while other where Powerhouse of incredible benefits for the owners, but they in turn have a poor developpment and long term envisionmnent.
PS: On a side note, maybe ressources could be planted in the game by some specialists. See, you get a ressource in anyway (trade most likely), a worker can then go on any farm in the plot of a city that has the appropriate building, and upon sacrificing the worker and the building, you get either rice, corn, cow, pig or another such ressources which was imported...you can either allow it to be done unlimitedly or to make it a few national wonders...anyway, just an additional idea for more options.
Colonisateur units. There units are given as a reward to the civ, they cannot be built. They act as Settlers with the following modification;
- they have a combat value and may flee when attacked (opposite dirrection)
- They found outpost rather then settlement, an outpost cannot grow culture (although it gain culture normally, it never grow beyond it immediate adjacent square).
- Outpost cannot build a barrack or any unit that isn't archery or gunpowder.
- Outposts get a free enginer.
- Outposts get a 100% bonus production on market, grocer, bank, lighthouse and courthouse.
- Outposts aren't cities, so they doesn't increase other cities maintenance (although they have a maintenance of their own).
- Outposts cannot be conquered, they are razed. Someone razing an outposts gets 200 gold, a worker and ressources within the outpost border for 25 turns.
- Outposts come with walls, castle and a defensive artillery which may intercept a bombarding unit and fight it.
- Outposts could be upgraded to cities with an upgrade that should take longer then a settler production normally would take.
Anyway, these are ideas. How someone acquire such a special settler unit is unclear, maybe at precise moment, at era change, at the discovery of a special tech. The idea here is to have more then just the basic settler. Some cities in history where developping nicely, while other where Powerhouse of incredible benefits for the owners, but they in turn have a poor developpment and long term envisionmnent.
PS: On a side note, maybe ressources could be planted in the game by some specialists. See, you get a ressource in anyway (trade most likely), a worker can then go on any farm in the plot of a city that has the appropriate building, and upon sacrificing the worker and the building, you get either rice, corn, cow, pig or another such ressources which was imported...you can either allow it to be done unlimitedly or to make it a few national wonders...anyway, just an additional idea for more options.
