Gunpower troops, historical referrences based on appearance.

[Lone Cat]

As i've played the game....
1. Musketmen (not 'Mousquetaire du Roi') wears helmet! What IS the historical background behind this outfit?
a white shirt, leather vest and a bit oversized trousers were all renaissance fashions. but what about helmet? Which of the actual nations in this world have musket troops wear helmet? while spain (DLC?) gets Tercio (which a littlebit more archaic, but wear heavier plate armor). In the real history, musket troops rarely wears helmet (or do they? i've heard that Harquebusiers (Which evenmore archaic!) dressed THAT way. I know that Musket troops are trained to fire a few volley and then step back, pikemen do the rest of fight. and i've heard that they value speed over armored protection.
When was the last time musket troos wear helmet, (which .. no footsloggers wear them until the first world war... where shrapnel scores more kills than gunfights)
and why no footsloggers wear it for 200 years or more? does it lost any usefulness during that time?
2. 'modern' Infantry. the civilopedia said they're armed with semiautomatic (or maybe fully auto!!) rifles. but they look ALOT like first world war troops. (which bolt action rifles are common, and VERY long), when watch closely however... the unit wears tommy helmet but wielding AMERICAN weapons... guess what? BAR! ; Browning Automatic Rifle (or anything looks like that..)
... very few nations on earth supply regular troops with semi-automatic rifles on a regular basis. well actually ONLY ONE nation on earth did it. the USA. Germany and Soviet governments do equip their men with such weapons but less common when compared to Joes. (For germans, it might be because of resource shortage... same symptoms that ruined Germany twice, for soviets however, I don't understand why Stalin switched the weapons production from SVT to the less advanced Mosin Nagant? (while increasing the productions of PPSh-41, especially during siege of Stalingrad)

What does this 'infantry' represents? were they 1st World War troops, 2nd World War, or REALLY present day soldiers?
3. Paratroops, the unit portrait says they use MP5, the actual in-game showed that they wield a very powerful sniper rifle.. maybe Barrett .50 cal ?

OK this is BIG SCALE TBS game, the combat is 5-star generals revamped. BUT... what about historical accuracy.. please.

 

[Jaybe]

Everything is sorta generic, so the graphics are general and you should not try to pin them down so. All the troop types went through their historical evolutions.*

In early musket periods (in europe), most armies did not have the budgets to provide uniforms; so the soldiers wore whatever they wanted, could afford, or could steal (particularly when at war). Many would be without hats (and may suffer in winter), some with a wool sock, some with a type of helmet.

* Personally, for a strategic 1 unit/hex TBS I would have preferred the units represent armies with integrated force structure, so 1 unit might have its own proportions of infantry, cavalry/recon/armor, and artillery. The ratios would affect the unit's strength in different situations and environments.

 

[Eyedea]

It's not really a "problem", but it's my problem with all Civ games, you can always nit-pick at it. Almost everything could be made "better". Be it things like graphics and what your troops are wearing, and are armed with or if it's questioning why the men sailing my caravel can't get off the ship to search ruins.. Just gotta roll with it, and be thankful such a beautiful game exist.

 

[Lone Cat]

Everything is sorta generic, so the graphics are general and you should not try to pin them down so. All the troop types went through their historical evolutions.*

In early musket periods (in europe), most armies did not have the budgets to provide uniforms; so the soldiers wore whatever they wanted, could afford, or could steal (particularly when at war). Many would be without hats (and may suffer in winter), some with a wool sock, some with a type of helmet.
.

the helmet musket troops wear was similar to (or maybe EXACTLY the same as) Pikemen.
does Sid Meier tries to say that
- feudal lords of early renaissance REALLY provided musket troops with a helmet (which similar to what 'industrial worker' wears, not quite a morrion which very common in Renaissance era). I believe that Musket troops are recruited EXACTLY the same way as pikemen were. typical peasants being drafted to war (while Knights are still preserved for a higher class i think) so you say that they wear no uniform but they might have markings of a nationstate or their lordship heraldry (much like dark ages spearmen which armed with spear and shield, the shield have a heraldry markings on it)
- musket dudes loot ones, regardless who don that helmet first.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Well, here's a 17th century manual.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I was going to say it looked like an Arquebus or some other matchlock musket. The helmets fit in for that.

Infantry seems to be somewhere around World War I, but arguably to World War II.

 

[Lone Cat]

so 'musket men' was actually based on English Civil War. (and I guess... Royalist troops, in regular game. this unit doesn't remap (to wear a uniform with player's colour) ... or do they?)

now about Rifleman. they looked alot like Civil War Union line inf. but for you. which type of rifle does he uses?
- muzzleloading rifle
- breech loading rifle, singleshot (any!)
- repeating rifle. ... probably bolt action or lever action (??)

 

[nokmirt]

The game is generic, they never have the historical evolution of anything, including firearms displayed properly. It is a game not a history lesson.

BTW early matchlock infantry did wear armor and helmets as the above images display.

 

[TopGearFanatic]

so 'musket men' was actually based on English Civil War. (and I guess... Royalist troops, in regular game. this unit doesn't remap (to wear a uniform with player's colour) ... or do they?)

now about Rifleman. they looked alot like Civil War Union line inf. but for you. which type of rifle does he uses?
- muzzleloading rifle
- breech loading rifle, singleshot (any!)
- repeating rifle. ... probably bolt action or lever action (??)

Does it really matter that much?