What is a Melee Unit

[apollo326]

Ok I feel this was stated somewhere in the Units thread but I couldn't find it so I am asking it here.

What is a melee unit?
The zulu barracks states that it gives unique promotions to pre-gunpowder melee units.

I understand swordsman/Longswordsman/spearman/Pikeman are Melee in this classification.

but are Knights? I feel they are but they do gain the benefit of the Ikanda unique promotions.
Technically some boats are also melee in a sense but obviously they also do not benefit from these unique promotions.

This is not only about the Zulu barracks but if we going to use the term "Melee units" can it be slightly more clear what this means.

 

[Ahriman]

The mod has been changing some unit classes, and there are some consequences for that for civs like the Zulus which have not yet been fixed. So this is mostly in the "known issue, not yet solved" box.

 

[ExpiredReign]

Units in Civ V are assigned a 'CombatClass'.

This means different types of Units are treated differently by the game engine when it comes to how combat, promotions, movement or other bonuses are applied.

Archers == UNITCOMBAT_ARCHER
Swordsmen == UNITCOMBAT_MELEE
Spearmen == UNITCOMBAT_MELEE
Knights == UNITCOMBAT_MOUNTED
Infantry == UNITCOMBAT_GUN
Catapult == UNITCOMBAT_SIEGE

Destroyers == UNITCOMBAT_NAVALMELEE
Battleships == UNITCOMBAT_NAVALRANGED

And so on.

The Zulu 'Impi', as you correctly surmise, is a 'Pikemen' variant and is therefore UNITCOMBAT_MELEE.
The 'Ikanda' grants specific promotions to units of the 'CombatClass' == UNITCOMBAT_MELEE. Therefore once you start producing gunpowder type units these are now of a different 'CombatClass' and don't get the special Zulu promotions.

 

[mystikx21]

We could however set it up to convert special promotions on upgrading such that the bonus is more useful, if desired.

 

[Thalassicus]

The word "melee" ambiguously can refer to three things. I avoid using that word because of this confusion:

• Units who take damage from attacking, which includes aircraft.
• Melee combat strength, which all units have but aircraft.
• Melee combat class, renamed to "soldiers" in the project to reduce ambiguity.

The Leaders update will clarify the Zulu abilities affect soldier and vanguard class units - not Knights or others with melee combat strength.