Natives to Soldiers

[Joeexplorer]

Found this out by accident.

You're not suppose to be able to convert a native into a soldier.

Well I made a native an Expert Fisherman. By the time he popped I had gotten a fisherman from somewhere else and didn't need him.

So I cleared his speciality. He turned into a Free Colonist. Hmmm, then I thought maybe he'll change into a soldier. And sure enough he did.

I've done these several times since then.

 

[Wheldrake]

Vanilla Civ4Col does allow you to train natives into specialists. Once you do this, they are just like all other specialists of the same type, and retain no trace of their original "native" status. You can equip them directly as soldiers or dragoons, or clear their specialty, as you like.

Many consider this to be a bug. Why would you ever *not* train a native as a specialist?
Many mods, like the excellent Age of Discovery II, disable this "feature". You can still give natives horses, but you can't make them into soldiers or dragoons.

Cheers, --- Wheldrake

 

[HermannLombard]

Something like: "You can lead a horse to natives, but you can't make him shoot."

 

[Montjoie]

Indeed, "the converted natives cannot use guns" thing sounds a bit weird to me.
They should remain, well, indians after all and should also be able to wage war under the colonial flag. Seriously, how come they would become peaceful lambs after being converted ?

Besides, the adequate units are already ingame : armed brave and mounted brave.

 

[joelwest]

Indeed, "the converted natives cannot use guns" thing sounds a bit weird to me.
They should remain, well, natives after all and should also be able to wage war under the colonial flag. Seriously, how come they would become peaceful lambs after being converted ?

Besides, the adequate units are already ingame : armed brave and mounted brave.

unmodified those two units are deficient wrt to soldiers and dragoons since AI makes the natives defensive only, and the armed brave CANNOT be fortified (nonsensically enough)

I tried to put the native warriors on an even footing in the C4C mini-mod "Native tribes viable 1.0"

link is in my signature

 

[HermannLombard]

the armed brave CANNOT be fortified (nonsensically enough)

Well, the tactics of the natives of the New World did not include fortification, so that part is fairly realistic. Natives sometimes fought as allies of Europeans, as in the French & Indian War and the Tlaxcalans against the Aztecs. AFAIK they didn't fight as colonists in colonial armies.

On the other hand, I don't think they *worked* as colonists, either, except as slaves, especially under the Spanish.

 

[Dryhad]

Indeed, "the converted natives cannot use guns" thing sounds a bit weird to me.

I think the operative word is "converted". These people joined you because of the mission, where they no doubt were told how Christians are loving and peaceful and never fight. That's what I always figured was the reason, anyway.

 

[Dale]

Many consider this to be a bug. Why would you ever *not* train a native as a specialist?
Many mods, like the excellent Age of Discovery II, disable this "feature". You can still give natives horses, but you can't make them into soldiers or dragoons.

Cheers, --- Wheldrake

Actually, in AoD2 you can't train natives in Indian settlements, but you can in schools etc. So you can still educate them in your colonies, and then make them a soldier or dragoon. My theory is that during education they are "Europeanised" and come to enjoy all the warlike benefits of the whiteys.