posted 05-18-99 09:42 AM ET         

I'd prefer to see a merger.

Early on in the game, there's really little you can customize. (Hmm, maybe if my Archers wear Samurai outfits they'll spook my enemy and cause him to flee.) But later on you can customize things. So let's say around the late Modern ages and into the Future (if there will be one) age you will be allowed to start customizing units with the discovery of a new tech.

For instance, you could have a Tank (or Armor, if you prefer) chassis and equip it with a SAM Launcher to make it an Mobile SAM or slap a big old turret and some troop pods to make into a pseudo-Bailey troop-tank.

Towards the end in Civ and SMAC, things tend to slow down. CtP failed to do what it promised in that "At the end, things would just get faster and faster!" I'd like to see one other type of customization added. Now the current SMAC system is nice. But at the end and even mid games there's just so much to do and not enough space.

posted 05-18-99 05:01 PM ET            

How about comparing offense to defense in both directions at the same time, thus making a 5-5-x unit better that a 7-1-x unit.

I think unit design should be included from the beginning. Early infantry could have "chassis" of Skirmisher, Light, Heavy, and Phalanx. Then Weapons would be Spears, short swords, javelins, broad swords, axes, pikes, etc. Armor could include none, leather, light (a hardened leather or a breastplate design) heavy, and plate. Differant combinations of these would have differant prices and vastly differant effects. Individual nations would have preset designs, but players could design anything they want. This doesn't even touch on units with differant horse "chassis". Just ideas for early infantry units. It also didn't touch on archers, which could just be included in the weapons category.

posted 05-18-99 09:04 PM ET            

I like the modular aspect of smac and think it should be continued in civ3 especially the ancient part

there were tons of types of units

the time when there were not many types was nopolean/civilwar era (relatively)

I mean think about it

there have been guys in carts with spears, with bows, with swords, trade has been caried in carts, people have been trasmitted, guns were moved arround in carts (several different sizes in several different ages in fact)

yah, I think the modular model should work for civ3

because of how important guns are I think that there should be something that makes older weapons basically ineffectual when attacking or defending against guns

also I think hp should be based on the size of the army not the tech of it (which in turn may be based on the nations population)

I think there should be much more of a certain weapon in certain situations (such as give a pole weapon an additional +1 modifier when the chassis is a cart or horse chassis)

for ancient men and modern machines make armor provide plusses in defense (I'm thinking of units being a base 0-0-0-0-0, and then people adding on things that effect that (like a infantry chassis provides +1 movement)), but gun era men don't carry around armor with them so something else must provide the defense and that would be the guns (ie muskets would provide +3 offense and +3 defense)

heavy weapons and armor should decrease movement (so you might not want the biggest gun, you'd want something light for fighting in the country where the big slower guns would be sitting ducks), this would increase the variety of the troops you would use

the same could be done for old times (ie a light calvary unit with bows would move like a space farther then the more heavily armored night)

the examples could go on and on

training could be differenet from moral

there was basically two different places where armor was used, mondern times and anceint, but the type of armor is way different

this could be done with the gun thing explained earlier with the early, body armor, being ineffectual against guns (basically like it not even being there) and the modern armor is not made to be effectual against ancient arms (therefore a unit with armor but without guns should be vulnerable to ancient arms), its like modern arms ignores ancient armore and anceint arms ignore modern armor. the reason why modern would win every time is that guns provide both defense and ofense (and so do ancient arms) but guns make ancient arms and armor ineffectual so modern troops would always (basically) win against ancient

since carts and inf are different chassis inf should not be able to transport other units (they can carry tools or supplies on there backs though, to carry other inf or armor would be rediculous) but with the stacking into armies idea you could add a cart into the inf stack and carrie things with the inf that way

carrying things should decrease speed too

these are just a few of my ideas (I have millions)

please don't make it corny people, race specific tech on civ's scale is beyond rediculous

also note that most cannot programs AI's very well, even those who think they can, don't be stupid

posted 05-24-99 06:10 AM ET            

Units could take on various formations, which give them bonuses or minuses. For example, a unit could take on the "movement" formation, which allows it to move faster. But if it is attacked while in "movement" formation, it is likely to be destroyed.

Perhaps only certain units can take on certain formations. For example, only infantry units can be "fortified."

Armored units could overrun, i.e., advance into the square previously occupied the defender.

Perhaps all units must move simultanously. Or at least all the units move, and then they attack. Or they attack, and then move. Or they attack during the enemy's movement. Or some other combination.