An idea I had, resulting from a discussion of Denmark's berserker, which comes early, with lower CS. I suggested an upgrade to its base combat strength, upon reaching the tech that would ordinarily unlock Longswords. So there wasn't a base 22 Combat strength melee unit in the Classic era, but Denmark isn't unfairly penalised later once Steel has been researched.
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/denmark.562171/page-25#post-15892537
But this got me thinking. Some UU don't really have fixed places in the tech tree. For example, Impis are Pikeman in Basic Civ5, and Terico in VP, and really could go anywhere on the spear line since they effectively were spearman, who fought as such and staked beating gunpowder units by effectively only doing bayonet charges, which sometimes worked, but also sometimes failed disastrously.
Aztec Jaguars are a warrior replacement, but people have often suggested moving them back, because they turn into spearman so fast, and it doesn't quite mesh with the time period. Maori Warrior is the reverse since they are similarly lower-tech melee warriors, but instead replace Pikeman, a much later unit.
Mandekalu Cavalry are currently horseman, but for balance reasons in 3rd and 4th Uniques, they are knights. Winged Hussars are Lancers, but could really be Knights. Cataphracts are knights, but arguable could also be Horsemans (and could also arguable belong to Persia).
French Musketeers are Tercio replacements, even though they often got their ass kicked by Spanish Tercio, and their famed infantry came a tad later, and so could be a Fusilier replacement. Swedish Caroleans are also in a similar spot, though they came a tad earlier than French, and were a modified and evolved Terioco.
Greece has the Hoplite, which is fine, but their real conquering came with the Macedonian phalanx, a formation of pikeman which fought differently from the traditional hoplites. So they could fit a spearman and an early Pikeman replacement.
The Shoshone have the Comanche Rider, which could really fit earlier in the mounted archer, gunpowder line. Berber cavalry could definitely fit much earlier on the tree, and also where they are as well, since Berber cavalry raiders deterred European conquest of the Maghreb much earlier than that.
Janissaries could fit as crossbowman since they started as archers and later adopted firearms.
etc. Clearly a lot of units have wider tech level ranges, and could easily be pushed around, or extended.
The final piece reason for my idea is that some UU doesn't have a lot of useful playtime, and also a preference for extending the flavour time of having a unique model on the map. and getting rid of the somewhat silly tactic of building UUs, that you immediately upgrade to a non-UU, in order to access their promotions.
So my idea is that many Civs should have their UUs extended in time, and would have their usefulness extended by base CS strength tech unlocks, and shadow upgrades.
Base Combat strength tech unlocks, is just as mentioned above. Early unlocks upon reaching appropriate techs get a base combat strength upgrade, so they will match the appropriate tech level/unit.
Shadow Upgrade is an idea I had, where you upgrade the unit as normal, but the unit just becomes the next stage of the UU. The only thing that would change is the CS and possibly the unit model. So it isn't an extra UU, just an extension of one. Like how Venice has two different ships in 3rd and 4th Uniques as 1 unique, or how the Russian Pogost has upgradable stages.
So for example. The Zulu has spearman Impi. They unlock the tech for Pikeman, and they now upgrade their Impis to Pikeman. But these new Impi Pikeman, still retain the Spear Throw. It isn't lost. But say later in the tree when they upgrade from the spear line to the gunpowder melee line, they do lose the spear throw like they normally do.
Or the Aztec Jaguar upgrade from Warrior to Spearman and just get a small CS boost while retaining the model. They don't have promotions to lose.
The unit model change could come into play for example with the Greek. They could have their existing Hoplite model for their Spearman replacement. Then, later on, they could upgrade them to Phalanxes. Which have Great Generals II, and Discipline just like Hoplites, just with an adjustment to CS, an upgrade cost and a new unit model. Could nick it from this mod (which I haven't used, but I assume is a different model on the map)
The unit models could also be used with say Berber Cavalry, so that earlier versions aren't using guns. Stuff like that.
Now, this, of course, would need a lot of CS and UU rebalancing, since having some units and their special abilities available for longer could be broken, at their current rates. But I think the idea would be a great improvement on a not that well-planned out feature of basic Civ5. VP already fixed part of the UU problem from normal civ, by adding lines of units, like mounted ranged units, and making most promotions upgradeable.
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/denmark.562171/page-25#post-15892537
But this got me thinking. Some UU don't really have fixed places in the tech tree. For example, Impis are Pikeman in Basic Civ5, and Terico in VP, and really could go anywhere on the spear line since they effectively were spearman, who fought as such and staked beating gunpowder units by effectively only doing bayonet charges, which sometimes worked, but also sometimes failed disastrously.
Aztec Jaguars are a warrior replacement, but people have often suggested moving them back, because they turn into spearman so fast, and it doesn't quite mesh with the time period. Maori Warrior is the reverse since they are similarly lower-tech melee warriors, but instead replace Pikeman, a much later unit.
Mandekalu Cavalry are currently horseman, but for balance reasons in 3rd and 4th Uniques, they are knights. Winged Hussars are Lancers, but could really be Knights. Cataphracts are knights, but arguable could also be Horsemans (and could also arguable belong to Persia).
French Musketeers are Tercio replacements, even though they often got their ass kicked by Spanish Tercio, and their famed infantry came a tad later, and so could be a Fusilier replacement. Swedish Caroleans are also in a similar spot, though they came a tad earlier than French, and were a modified and evolved Terioco.
Greece has the Hoplite, which is fine, but their real conquering came with the Macedonian phalanx, a formation of pikeman which fought differently from the traditional hoplites. So they could fit a spearman and an early Pikeman replacement.
The Shoshone have the Comanche Rider, which could really fit earlier in the mounted archer, gunpowder line. Berber cavalry could definitely fit much earlier on the tree, and also where they are as well, since Berber cavalry raiders deterred European conquest of the Maghreb much earlier than that.
Janissaries could fit as crossbowman since they started as archers and later adopted firearms.
etc. Clearly a lot of units have wider tech level ranges, and could easily be pushed around, or extended.
The final piece reason for my idea is that some UU doesn't have a lot of useful playtime, and also a preference for extending the flavour time of having a unique model on the map. and getting rid of the somewhat silly tactic of building UUs, that you immediately upgrade to a non-UU, in order to access their promotions.
So my idea is that many Civs should have their UUs extended in time, and would have their usefulness extended by base CS strength tech unlocks, and shadow upgrades.
Base Combat strength tech unlocks, is just as mentioned above. Early unlocks upon reaching appropriate techs get a base combat strength upgrade, so they will match the appropriate tech level/unit.
Shadow Upgrade is an idea I had, where you upgrade the unit as normal, but the unit just becomes the next stage of the UU. The only thing that would change is the CS and possibly the unit model. So it isn't an extra UU, just an extension of one. Like how Venice has two different ships in 3rd and 4th Uniques as 1 unique, or how the Russian Pogost has upgradable stages.
So for example. The Zulu has spearman Impi. They unlock the tech for Pikeman, and they now upgrade their Impis to Pikeman. But these new Impi Pikeman, still retain the Spear Throw. It isn't lost. But say later in the tree when they upgrade from the spear line to the gunpowder melee line, they do lose the spear throw like they normally do.
Or the Aztec Jaguar upgrade from Warrior to Spearman and just get a small CS boost while retaining the model. They don't have promotions to lose.
The unit model change could come into play for example with the Greek. They could have their existing Hoplite model for their Spearman replacement. Then, later on, they could upgrade them to Phalanxes. Which have Great Generals II, and Discipline just like Hoplites, just with an adjustment to CS, an upgrade cost and a new unit model. Could nick it from this mod (which I haven't used, but I assume is a different model on the map)
The unit models could also be used with say Berber Cavalry, so that earlier versions aren't using guns. Stuff like that.
Now, this, of course, would need a lot of CS and UU rebalancing, since having some units and their special abilities available for longer could be broken, at their current rates. But I think the idea would be a great improvement on a not that well-planned out feature of basic Civ5. VP already fixed part of the UU problem from normal civ, by adding lines of units, like mounted ranged units, and making most promotions upgradeable.
