With the news of the new release there was mention of using pre-designed units for now, instead of a unit workshop.
Scrap the "for now".
One consequence of predesigned units, is that using combinations of chassis and weapons as the basis of units becomes unworkable. That many variations would be a nightmate to put in XML. Also it isn't good to have all units concentrated in a few techs. Units should be spread all over the tech tree.
So naming units after weapons, eg Laser Infantry, Laser Rover, Laser Foil... won't work. Unless you can come up with some reason why a weapon only works on a specific chassis. Eg a Mass Driver gives heavy recoil,therefore it can only be used as heavy artillery, not for an infantry unit.
Another option is naming units after special abilities/promotions. The Drop Trooper is an example. It also saves the trouble of coding in the ability for promotions to increase drop range.
The question then becomes which abilities to keep as promotions, and which one to turn into a full unit. Eg should there be a Marines unit with inherent amphibious ability? Depends on the tech tree I suppose, whether or not there are already enough units enabled in that part of the tech tree.
Anyway, here are some preliminary thoughts I've been having. There still needs to be much more ideas for certain domains, eg naval units.
Impact Squad/Gauss Riflemen
Scout Patrol->Infantry->Marines->Drop Troops->Skinsuit Trooper/Mobile Infantry
This line of infantry could get increasing special abilities. Marine get amphibious. Drop Troops marine *and* drop ability...
Flame Thrower->Plasma Thrower
These could get a bonus against mind worms and other infantry. But what after Plasma Thrower? This line needs some more tiers to fill the entire tech tree. Antimatter Thrower is kinda stretching believability. A single soldier carrying an antimatter producer?
Armor->?
Unity Rover->Recon Rover->Rover/Speeder->Hovertank
Chopper->Gravship
Perhaps the Hovertank could further upgrade into a Gravship. This line would have a logical evolution to more speed and abilities (hovertank ignores terrain movement cost, gravship can in addition cross water).
Penetrator->Solar Power Transmitter->Gravity Lens
Interceptor
Not really happy with this one. I'd kinda miss my needlejets. But perhaps needlejets could simply be the first air unit. To be replaced by stuff like Solar Power Transmitters which, instead of throwing bombs on you, simply shoot laser rays from space.
Coastal Guard->Foil
Cruiser
Submarine
Naval unit ideas lacking.
Artillery->Mass Driver
Land Artillery. Needs some more tiers to fill the entire tech tree.
Cyborg->Gravebringer
Perhaps, being robotic units, these could not cause war exhaustion? Cyborg wasn't a combat unit in SMAC, but they are of course a part of the SMAC universe. Re Gravebringer, it would be a waste not to use their graphics somehow. Could be renamed to something more SMACish of course.
Walker->Spider->Battle Ogre
This line would be the biggest deviation from SMAC. But Battle Ogres are part of SMAC of course, so one can imagine some earlier technology which culminates in them. Perhaps only as unique Progenitor units. In any case, real reason for including the Walker unit, is because it's a perfect fit for the Mind/Machine Interface technology, which has been kinda a useless tech until now.
Force Field ->Photon Wall-> Tachyon Field
Tachyon Field is a base facility of course, but perhaps it could also be a mobile shield generator unit. This unit line could have air interception ability.
Perhaps an 'AAA Garrison' or SAM Infantry could preceed a Force Field unit.
psi adept ->empath->archon->transcend
Could be a line of 'spellcasters'.
Unity Foil->Transport Foil->Transport cruiser
We need transport ships of course. But the transport cruiser is already available relatively early in the tech tree of course. I'm not sure if there need to be further transport upgrades. There are only so many variations of the word 'transport' one can think of.
Further units. These don't need upgrades:
Carrier
Cloudbase
Planet Buster
Leviathan
Fungal Tower
Mind Worms
Spore Launcher
Locust
IoD
Sealurk
Here are some SMAC names from alphax.txt which could be used for unit names. But of course there needs to be some reason to connect a unit to a certain technology.
Sentinels, Garrison, Speeder, Skirmisher, Dragon, Enforcer, Skimmer,
Behemoth, Guardian, Skimship, Hoverboat, Coastal, Destroyer, Cutter,
Gunboat, Battleship, Monitor, Thunderbolt, Sovereign, Rotor, Lifter,
Gunship, Warbird, Deathsphere, Doomwall