Unit Workshop

[Sark6354201]

Here's the premise of the idea: bring back the SMAC workshop! Wouldn't you like to really have epic armies? Instead of prefab hoplites and legions, design your troops just like SMAC.

So here's how the basic design process would go for an ancient unit:

A.D.M

A= Choose a weapon (Iron Sword, Pick axe whatever).
D= Choose armor (Chainmail, breastplate)
M= Add or take away horse

And you can just imagine how this applies to later eras easily.
Problems: Need more ADM spacing out
Other: Would be nice to customize the unit's helmet, camo pattern and such

 

[warpstorm]

I've said it before every time this is brought up. No. I liked the unit workshop a lot at first in SMAC. I did think it was cool. Eventually, though I realized that I was building the same units nearly every game. At this point it became needless micromanagement. I settled into certain designs because they worked better than the AI designs. I'm afraid that if it were to be applied to CIV, the same would occur.

(This differs from my opinion of MOO1 and MOO2 where I loved the ship builder even though my designs were better. Is this contradictory? On the surface, yes, but digging deeper, no. Why the difference then? Tactical combat.)

 

[Kyllix]

The workshop should be research. Something like Adv. Warfare Tech. and it could only "upgrade" the unit without changing it at all.

Paratrooper
Sand war suit (Semi-stealth in desert)
Medic Paratrooper 0/9/1 (May heal friend in ennemy territory)

Marines
Chemical Unit (Bad marine)
Stormtrooper (10/3/1, heavily armed but less def and hp)

Worker
Work twice faster but cost 4 time the upkeep
Specialist ( Farmer, Road builder, Miner) One job faster


But the WKSP would only be use in modern time. Think about that, a Mounted Longbow Archer 4/2/2 in Ancien Time...

 

[sir_schwick]

Actually, Horse Archers were quite common in the Ancient and Middle Ages. While they were mostly absent from the Catholic armies of Western Europe, Horse Archers and Mounted Crossbowmen were quite popular with the Byzantines(which technical;ly called themselves Romans, so its strange they are their own civ).

Warpstorm, I understand what you mean about same units each game. The big problem was that the AI used the same units over and over. Human players were actually quite ingenious with countering your current military(w/e I got multiplayer to work). Maybe a Unit Designer would be a good feature for multiplayer games.

I think the big reason it worked better in MOO then Civ was that the progression of weapons technology was better paced in MOO. Civ takes huge jumps between weapon levels, rather than gentle evolution. Plus it was designing starships, which kicks ass.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Civ is based on history, and units reflect this. What you could do is design a unit cosmetically (for national identity).