Units and Promotions
Axemen bonus against melee units has reduced to 25% (was 50%), strength reduced to 4 (was 5), and have a 25% bonus against swordsmen. This brings their strength in line with other units of the era, and as an aside, makes the Sumerian Vulture able to defeat a regular Axeman due to the equalized melee bonus.
Praetorians have 7 strength instead of 8, but their cost has been reduced to 40 and they have a +10% city attack bonus (i.e, they are regular Swordsmen with +1 strength in all regards).
Spearmen require Bronze Working. Since Spearmen already need metal anyway, this change doesn't affect the player much, but it does delay the appearance of barbarian Spearmen and make the early game a little more manageable.
Scouts ignore terrain costs.
Explorers begin with March and Sentry instead of Woodsman and Guerilla. They also have the ability to attack enemy units (allowing them to capture guarded goody huts), though they cant pillage. Hopefully theyre a little more useful now.
Ironclads have 3 moves instead of 2.
Musketmen start with 1 first strike, like archery units.
The Drill line of promtions has been expanded and revised:
◦ Drill I: +1 First Strike
◦ Drill II: +1 First Strike, -20% collateral damage
◦ Drill III: +2 First Strike chances, -20% collateral damage
◦ Drill IV: +1 First Strike, +1 First Strike chance -20% collateral damage, +10% against Mounted Units
◦ Drill V: +2 First Strikes, -30% collateral damage, requires Great General
◦ All promotions that list Combat as a prerequisite will now accept Drill as well.
Turning a Great General into a warlord grants 26 XP to units on the same tile (up from 20), which is enough to bring an unpromoted unit to level 6. This, along with the new Drill V promotion, makes it a little more feasible to create a warlord unit instead of a Great Military Instructor.
Buildings and Wonders
The Customs House increases the commerce of local water tiles by +1 (this increase stacks with the Feitoria unique building).
The Drydock increases the production of local water tiles by +1.
Nuclear Plants no longer cause meltdowns (their high cost and late position in the tech tree are plenty to balance them against the other power plants).
The Carthaginian Cothon has a cost of 80 (down from 100), just like regular Harbors.
The Byzantine Hippodrome allows 2 artist specialists, just like regular theaters.
The Roman Forum increases great person rate by 50% (up from 25%).
Monuments no longer go obsolete with Astronomy. The Ethiopian Steles culture bonus has been reduced to +15% (was +25%).
Terrain, Resources, and Improvements
Lumbermills are available with Machinery instead of Replaceable Parts. Replaceable Parts increases production by +1, but railroads no longer affect lumbermills.
Aluminum and oil can now appear on grassland, forest, and jungle tiles.
Coal, copper, and iron can now appeat on forest and jungle tiles.
Horses no longer appear in tundra.
Rice gives +2 food with a farm, up from +1. This gives it a value equal to that of wheat and corn.
Oil increases production/commerce by 3/3 when improved, up from 2/1.
Uranium increases production/commerce by 2/3 when improved, up from 0/3.
Sugar provides +2 commerce when improved; all other Plantation resources provide +1 commerce when improved.
Deer increases production by 1 when improved.
Crab and clam receive +1 commerce when improved.
Misc
Divine Right now grants a free Great Prophet to the first civ to discover it.