Weapons sales

[Hunter]

Well I didnt see this being mentioned so here it is (sorry if this has aready been said):

Selling units! It is something badly missed in the game, and could start when you discover corporation. In modern times this has been a problem and a solution. Your ally is losing but you have spare tanks, sell/give them to him. This could also fit into the trade embargos area.

 

[GenMarshall]

I remembered that feature from Civ2 where you are able to sell your units to another civ.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Nice.

It opens up a whole new arena of foreign policy - using your overwhelming industrial capacity to supply arms to the enemies of your enemies w/o yourself going to open war.

Shld be implemented carefully though - such as the AI being aware that you're the one supplying their archenemy, and is capable of taking the steps accordingly (such as declaring war on you too).

 

[snowmelk]

Yes, great idea

Basically this would be a great feature.

What do you think: Should you be able to give civilizations units they cannot build themselves because they lack the needed tech?
I think you should, but they shouldn't get the tech with it.

 

[Hunter]

Yes you should be able to sell them ANY weapon you can make but no they should not get the tech. All over the world weapons are sold without teaching them how to build their own. You would eliminate customers if you did that.

I think this could improve the chances of backward nations surviving longer. They buy better weapons then they can build while advancing their tech.

 

[snowmelk]

I think this could improve the chances of backward nations surviving longer. They buy better weapons then they can build while advancing their tech.

Except that backward nations in Civ3 seldom have the money to buy a larger amount of modern weapons...
I guess gifts from friendly modern nations to influence a war between other nations would be the common application of this feature. Just make shure that the AI uses that, too.

 

[Ivan the Kulak]

What if you give nuclear weapons to a small, backward civ and they use them to start a major conflict. Do you take a rep hit?

 

[marceagleye]

It would open the possibility of the more powerful AI demanding your units.... "Pay tribute or die!" But then again you can do the same thing to them.

 

[boobook]

Great idea, u may give a low level country which is fighting a strong empire (which u r afraid to attack by yourself) new units so he may infliict as much damage as possible (just as happened at Vietnam by the ussr and at afganistan by usa)

 

[boobook]

Another idea it to set at the diplomatic options a new option of military embargo...so after getting used to buy new units u may find yourself all of the sudden, on your own...

 

[TerraHero]

i like what i'm hearing and i'm hoping for this.

But selling a nuke or TOO modern stuff should be disabled. Like how on earth can a caveman learn how too use a tank? Advanced weaponry require the tech needed too build

 

[Portuguese]

Great idea.

It could be implemented in 2 parts:
- A part of the menu of the unit: Give it to ally #1, Give it to ally #2,...
- An option in diplo screen.

 

[Colonel Kraken]

A definite must for any expansion pack boldly named "Conquests".

Let's see if Atari pulls through with this long sought after request.

 

[Clown2TheLeft]

I have long wished for the ability to sell units, especially advanced ones, without bestowing up on the buying civ the necessary tech and/or resources to build the things. I would like to see this implimented in some way.


Later!

--The Clown to the Left

 

[Pembroke]

Arms dealing with a twist:

Mercenaries

By moving military units into your capital you are able to rent them as a mercenary force to foreign civs in the trade negotiation window. A mercenary deal lasts for 20 turns and if there are units left (see below) at that point they are automatically returned to your capital.

A mercenary unit is in full control of the receiving civ as long as the deal lasts with the sole exception that it won't attack against its own civ. If a war breaks out between the two civs the mercenary deal is automatically broken with the civ who declared war getting a reputation hit.

The original civ owning the unit pays its upkeep costs if any. Of course, the upkeep costs will usually just be transferred to the rent price. This is mainly to avoid the disbanding problems when there's no gold left to pay for the unit upkeep. The real world explanation is that the owning civ equips the troops (upkeep cost) and the civ that rents them pays a packet price for it.

When a mercenary unit does battle it fights until it is reduced to 1 hit point. At that point it has had enough and surrenders. Afterall it's just a business deal for them and not exactly their war. When a mercenary unit surrenders the owning civ pays X gold as ransom and the red lined unit is returned to its capital. If the owning civ doesn't have the gold then too bad and the unit is disbanded.

The surrender and ransom reflect the lower morale of mercenary troops (effectively a -1hp penalty) and it also eliminates the possible "pseudo mercenary deal" abuse in multiplayer games: two humans switching their troops with each other to get an "instant teleport back when wounded" military.

As the price of the mercenary deal is negotiable it allows you to help other civs without going to war yourself by just giving the mercs for 20 turns as a gift. In fact that would even allow some cold war style things: Aztecs and Zulus fight it out while America equips the one and Russia the other...