American UU

[Brael]

I think there's been a few threads on this before but I couldn't find a recent one to bump, so ya... why does America get such a late game UU? The US only has a couple hundred years of history compared to the in some cases two thousand years of some civs but there's other units that could be used.

Issues with unit lifespan and such aside (for example, riflemen tend to come really quickly after musket men at least for me) I would think a Musketman would make a great UU. It's essentially the unit that was used to fight and become a country or a Rifleman which would basically be the unit used to hold the nation together during the civil war and push the borders of the country over to the Pacific Ocean. A late game unit just doesn't seem the best choice considering the alternatives. If a later game unit were to be used I would think an air unit would make the best choice although Stealth Bombers exist for everyone already.

[Lord Avalon]

So a Minuteman? Or a Kentucky Rifleman?

[Tattila the Hun]

Eh, you already have a GI and Sherman tank...

Come to think of it, is there a UU in the Infantry slot?

[couerdelion]

One solution to the “late-game” UU (and don’t forget that we brits got Redcoats rather than an earlier Longbow unit) might be to give the US armed workers after Gunpowder/Rifling. This might reflect the fact that civilians in the US have historically been heavily armed. They’d obviously cost more than workers in other countries but could fight too as a relatively low-strength musketman or whatever is the draft unit of the day.

And if a unit died, there would be a cost to the treasury

[Brael]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
So a Minuteman? Or a Kentucky Rifleman?

Exactly, I was thinking a Minuteman especially but this might have something to do with it being the 4th of July when I was thinking about it. For a game that's focused more on the past than on the present/future it seems to make a much better unit type to me than the later game stuff we've had in civs 3 and 4.

[couerdelion]

Wait a minute!! The Americans get the earliest of all UUs.

They are called Quecha

[Pinchak]

I prefer the americans having a late game UU. If you notice, 9 out of 10 times, a civs UU comes from a time when that civ dominated militarily. I would hardly say the americans "dominated" any war prior to 1990.

Leave the early units to the early civs, not a civ that technicly only has <300 years history.

I'd say if you are going to replace the American UU make it a different late game UU. Something like NLOS cannon (artilary), or F-22 Raptor (jet), or even the Comanche (helicopter).

The seal is not a bad unit however if you survive to see it.

[wodan11]

Ditto to Pinchak

[Kuciwalker]

My only issue with the Seal is that it means you can't build American Marines.

[Blaupanzer]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
My only issue with the Seal is that it means you can't build American Marines.

Semper Fi? (Altho I am an army vet, I do like the marines gung ho attitude.)

[LordShiva]

Seals

[Shrapnel12]

I know how to add new units and create new UUs, but not make new graphics for them. Does anyone have any helpful tips on how to make a new unit graphic?

[snoopy369]

You need to use a 3D program, like 3DS Max or Blender, and then a NIF exporter (3DS Max one was released by Firaxis, or http://niftools.sourceforge.net for a Blender version).

[snoopy369]

The Seal is there I presume largely because there is a need for a civ with a late game UU. There are already plenty of gunpowder era UUs; but not very many late game ones. America is one of the few that has a good late game UU available, so there you are.

The Seal is a great UU for some fun late-game action... quick naval invasions can be a huge surprise to your opponent.

[patcon]

This may be answered elsewhere, but this fits here too.
Will the SEAL unit get paratroop abilities in BTS? It should because SEAL stands for SEa, Air, Land. They should also be stealthy - invisible until they act and then for one more turn and then invisible again. But would that be considered too overpowering? Yes, it would be an awesome unit, but that would be a trade-off for not getting the UU until so late in the game. Praets may be useless against Infantry, but at least you know you'll be able to use them before the game is already settled. By the time SEALs are available, the overall course of the game is set.