New national wonder idea - unit upgrader

[Strategist83]

So, I'm the kind of player who doesn't like spending fortunes upgrading my antique units to their modern counterparts. At the same time, I also understand one is in danger of ruining game balance if unit upgrading is made too easy. After much contemplation, I've come up with a solution: A national wonder that permits one unit stationed in the city per turn to be upgraded for free (or at a reduced cost).

How about that?

[Son of David]

I'd rather have Leonardo's Workshop as a unique wonder again, halving all unit upgrade costs.

[Rook]

I think that would get monotunous.

[madmaxxam]

Yeah, I was surprised that they cut out the Workshop. Especially since upgrades are so expensive in this game. I find it next to impossible to not have cities on the interior of my empire protected by archers in the modern era, keeping some extra money around just in case an attack comes from an unexepected direction. It's pretty much cheaper to buy a new unit than upgrade after a certain point though.

[Urban Ranger]

I think cities should be able to "refit" units. It allows you to use hammers to improve an old unit. It's taken out of action for a number of turns, then come back as the upgraded unit.

[Sabre2th]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I think cities should be able to "refit" units. It allows you to use hammers to improve an old unit. It's taken out of action for a number of turns, then come back as the upgraded unit.

Agreed

[Nacht]

Spending most of my time sending all of my home defense units to the upgrade city and then moving them back seems very boring to me.

[Willem]

I like my idea better. As soon as a unit reaches 4th level, it gets a free promotion that allows it to upgrade for half price.

[Pythagoras]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I think cities should be able to "refit" units. It allows you to use hammers to improve an old unit. It's taken out of action for a number of turns, then come back as the upgraded unit.

I like this idea. Presently, if you are capable of producing massive, modern troops to replace out of date, yet experienced troops, you lose the xp of the older troops. I find this to be a nuisance when I'm in more of a "builder" mode and am concentrating on hammers.

[Ijuin]

Can you add new wonders by editing the XML? Also, is there a function for controlling the upgrade cost?

If so, I propose adding Leonardo's Workshop as a National Wonder. It would be available with Replacable Parts, and would either cut upgrade costs by 25% nationwide, or by 75% with the requirement that the upgrade take place in the city containing the wonder.

[proviisori]

good idea!

but it wouldn't be called as Leonardo's workshop if it were a national wonder. da Vinci wouldn't make his workshop in every civilization and the time is not correct if it would be available with Replacable Parts.

I like it ...just the name should be something else

[The keeper]

Just like Mt Rushmore?

[Nikolai]

After playing Civ2 again the last two days(for the first time in ages, and for the first time as MP! Never played Civ MP before, congratulate me.), I'm all for the implementation of Leo's Workshop again. Perhaps a little bit tweaked down, but in it should go.

[Yosho]

Eh...Leo's Workshop was a bit overpowered in Civ III, and it's be downright broken in Civ IV, without major modifications.

As for refiting units with production (like in Master of Orion II), that would be neat.

[drsparnum]

They're all tiresome but I think something needs to be changed. Refitting units MOO2 style could be the most tiresome, since I seem to get alot more units in civ than I had ships in MOO2, as a general rule. Still, anything would be an improvement.

What about a button (probably in the military screen) that lets you upgrade all your units en masse. So you could go there and see your 7 cavalry units and click a button to upgrade them all to gunships in one fell swoop. It would be expensive, but in single player action I'm patient enough to just save up and do it. Usually when I get serious about upgrades I drop science down to 10% and do 'em all over a few turns. It would take alot of cash but it's awful easy on the user.

What would be fair and convient (although not terribly realisitic) would be to give you hammers for destroying units. However, these hammers are only usable towards building units, and only in the city where you destroyed your units. So you march all your warriors into the grinder in that city, select delete unit, and you get the hammers they initially cost, and now you can use these stored up hammers for a more hammer intense modern unit (although you wouldn't get as many out as you put of this unit in). The modern units tend to be more cost effective on a hammer for hammer basis so you gain there, but you lose on promotions. You'd still have the choice of upgrading the old way too (with money).

I don't know, it's probably crazy.