Experienced unit gets different graphics

[ThePianist]

This is another "eye candy" idea. And the developers please ignore it if it would slow down the making of the game, especially the implementation of gameplay itself, rather than what it looks like.

Having read someone's post, somewhere, about the always shiny armor in M2TW, and how armor didn't always look shiny, I had an idea: uniforms get dust and gunpowder and get worn out. But it's also good to see soldiers in brand new uniforms like on parade.

So the idea is: brand-new produced units have brand-new uniforms. As the unit acquire experience and gain chevrons, the look of the unit gets more rugged. And the more chevrons, the more "battle-tested" the unit looks. So perhaps the brand-new look for un-chevroned units and bronze chevroned units. Then more rugged look for silver chevron units. And finally, the worst (perhaps ragged) look for gold chevroned units.

It would look great, but it would also mean 3 different skins for each unit. Unless a graphical algorithm can be automatically applied to each graphic file, and modify their look in-game.

[Belgolas]

that is a good idea but they could always get new uniforms.

[Martok]

I see where you're coming from, but I think Belgolas has the right of it. Units worth their salt would almost certainly be resupplied with new uniforms now and then, especially the more veteran soldiers.

As it is, I know CA has said that units in combat can become dirtier/bloodier during the course of a battle, which I believe will be more than enough of a graphical touch to make up for it.

[Sheogorath]

As I understand it, even Russia managed to give most men a new uniform on a yearly basis. But they set a lot of stock in appearance, so that may've been where the training budget got socked off too for them :P

The 'special favors' of the era probably wont be implemented in ETW. Certain units display extraordinary conduct DID get distinctions visible on the field. The Pavlovsk Grenadiers probably being the most famous example. Tsar Alexander declared that they were the only unit in the army that would get to keep wearing the old-fashioned Mitre caps. Apparently a number of these were still being worn up until WWI (complete with bullet holes from Friedland).
Other units got different honours. The big thing after the Napoleonic Wars was to give your Imperial/Life/whatever guards bearskin caps captured from the Old Guard.
Something sort of like RTW's 'First Cohort' might be kind of nice, the French would get an 'Eagle' carrier and everybody else would have flag/banner units which increased morale until they were taken, at which point they inflicted a serious morale penalty.

It'd be really interesting if there was a way to purchase different models of weapons for your units.

[ThePianist]

First time I ever hear of this unit. Could you post a painting or drawing or picture of the Pavlovsk Grenadiers? I like the idea of each or most faction being able to train elite units. Also, it'd be great if each individual unit (of 100+ men) could fly their own regiment flag rather than the national flag. It'd probably be too much for the developers, but if they'd leave that possible for the modders to do, it'd be so great. (e.g. in the .txt files, let's say national flag was "nationalflag.jpg" and unit flag was "regimentflag.jpg"
, then in the unmodded game, each unit's attribute in export_descr_unit.txt has
this-unit's flag = "nationalflag.jpg"
And all the modders have to do is to make their own regiment flags, and add this-unit's flag = "regimentflag.jpg".

[Sheogorath]

Pavlovsk Grenadiers on the right, obviously :p

The painting is actually of one of the most famous moments of the regiment. To quote the wiki entry:

At that time Oudinot occupied the village of Klyastitsy on his advance towards St. Petersburg. There were 28,000 French troops while the Russian Corps numbered 17,000. In spite of being outnumbered, Wittgenstein decided to fight. The battle started on July 30 at 2 pm. The Russian vanguard led by Kulnev (ca 4,000 men) fought with the French vanguard for the whole day near the village of Yakubov. Kulnev managed to press the French but they kept the village under their control. On the next day, after several attacks and counterattacks, the Russian advance forced Oudinot to retreat to Klyastitsy. In order to continue their advance the Russian troops had to cross the river Nishcha. Oudinot ordered his troops to set fire to the only bridge. While the Russian cavalry was wading across the Nishcha, the 2nd battalion of the Pavlovsk Grenadier regiment rushed the burning bridge.

There's also some stuff about it on Napoleon Forever too.

Regimental flags probably wouldn't be too interesting, IMO. Most of them were generally basic color variations on a standard design, pretty boring.