Idea this: Guerillas AND Mercenaries

[problem_child]

Originally posted by Caliban


I think problem_child means that they can be traded on the diplomacy screen...

(I really should check the site more often)

Yes Caliban, I mean transferrable in the diplo screen.

Also , if mercs have a low attack value, the AI wouln't use em to take cities anyway, unless they were part of a major offensive with regular units too, the same would apply to guerillas as well I'd imagine. Merc units would also need paying every turn, so it'd be a good way of covertly fighting wars against enemies by proxy, AND suppressing the client nations economy to keep it down there in the little-leagues. Mercs would mean you could prolong wars, make more money from em etc.

Mercs I see as more expensive then infantry but as weak as Guerillas, to reflect the poor deal anyone gets from hiring foreign soldiers (if you've read Machiavellis The Prince, then you know all about mercs ) Its like the difference between buying you own house, or renting a hotel suite to live in (a crummy & untrustworthy hotel at that).

Guerillas, as said in the thread specifically about Civ3PTW guerillas- I see as good units for infiltrating behind the enemy, and picking off damaged enemy units that have dissengaged, as well as pillaging. And also, I think they'd be well off with defence bonuses in mountains, forests and jungles- making em as good as or better then infantry for holding those terrain types. But again, guerillas attacking infantry directly, especially in cities- should be foolhardy and expensive.

Picture it- you could have dirty Nicaragua-type wars going, massing regular infantry on your side of the border (to intimidate the AI maybe) while pouring in invisible guerillas to screw things up, and mercs to exploit the situation from all sides!

Too bad there's no way to make guerillas be able to cause civil disorder when in a city radii as well.

[Ozymandias]

Easier Idea For Mercenaries

Have them be VERY inexpensive but with a VERY high maintenance cost. Basically, you'd use them for short durations -- emergencies and/or quick wars -- and then disband them when done.

Thoughts?

-Oz

[Usually Insane]

look at the tet offensive in vietnam for guidance of how good geurillas or partisans are in a cityfight. they shouldn't be easy to spot of course, like submarines on land. maybe a bonus when attacking units in forests or areas with no terraforming (i.e. roads, mines, forts)
to reflect the ambush nature

[Usually Insane]

oh yeah about mercs, they should be pirates on land, maybe come in various guises, a whole range of mercs from numibian spearmen, condottieres, french foreign legion (not that they are mercenaries in the real sense but) modern day mercenaries, with some more nifty special ability

[problem_child]

I considered that as well, now PTW has been put back on my island (the UK) it'll be even longer before I can finally test it, but for now I'm thinking if a specific merc unit don't work, maybe just make certain units transferrable, I'm thinking:

Swordsman, Cavalry, Tanks, Artillary & Cruise Missiles, Guerillas.

That way you got a merc for every era, units you can help your allies with. Tanks, Artilliary and Cruise would be more like genuin aid- like the USA supplied the UK with sherman tanks and now sells Abrahms to Isreal, or like generaly selling weapons to less industrialised nations, like Russia and China sells armour and guns to so much of the 3rd world. The drawback with just making some units tradable is that you cant make mercenary fighters (Guerillas, Cavalry, Swordsmen) be more expensive and slightly weaker, the 'poor deal' factor of mercs wouldn't be reflected (unless the AI pays out the nose for em in the diplo screen).