Idea for unit research

**a completely inoffensive name** · 10-03-2008, 01:20

Even if there was unlimited building and unit slots to use, I doubt it would be logical to assume that in the roughly 300 year span of the EB time frame a culture/nation could assimilate another culture's idea and become experts at it within three centuries. A culture's battle tactics were usually shaped and perfected over millennia, and usually for their own surrounding environment only. Am I wrong in saying that?

**Ludens** · 10-03-2008, 16:55

Originally Posted by a completely inoffensive name

Even if there was unlimited building and unit slots to use, I doubt it would be logical to assume that in the roughly 300 year span of the EB time frame a culture/nation could assimilate another culture's idea and become experts at it within three centuries. A culture's battle tactics were usually shaped and perfected over millennia, and usually for their own surrounding environment only. Am I wrong in saying that?

Millennia is a bit exaggerated. It all depends on the technique in question, and how much the culture in question is willing or able to change it's ways. Take for example Japan in the nineteenth century. Following the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, the country became involved in the wider world, and they were horrified to see that western world was dominating the east. They realized they too were no match for the western powers, so they radically adopted western techniques and doctrines. Most notably, they got the British to help them build and train a navy, and then went on to demonstrate their expertise by humiliating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, not fifty year later. Another 36 years on, the Japanese took on the American and British navies, and despite not winning decisively, they still hit hard. So in less than a century, the Japanese had copied the western way of naval warfare, and teaching the inventors a few lessons in the process.

However, this is rare, and I agree with the thrust of your argument. Military reforms require considerable effort, and often social reforms as well. I mean: how long did the Romans take to adopt cataphracts? And did they do it because the emperor thought they looked cool, or because the Parthians were a serious problem and the Romans had trouble coping.

**Cullhwch** · 10-04-2008, 00:08

I was not advocating that the factions become expert in using foreign fighting styles. To the contrary, actually. Some generic mercenary type units could be shared amongst all factions unfamiliar with their fighting styles. In BI, the Eastern Roman cataphracts were effective yet still quite inferior to those of the Sassanids. Knockoffs.

Hell, this building of which I speak could just be a sort of mercenary meetingplace/recruitment network with small pools of the relevant unit types, and each upgrade to this complex would improve both the numbers of units and the replenishment speed. Is this more feasible?

Oh, and eddy, use uppercase letters on occasion and regular font width. It'll make things easier for people to read.

**Ludens** · 10-04-2008, 14:03

You mean as an alternative mercenary pool that can be constructed in cities? It sounds feasible and realistic, although I still doubt horse archers would make it all the way to Carthage unless there was a single empire in between.

**Cullhwch** · 10-04-2008, 19:25

That's why the horse archer upgrade for that particular building in Carthage would be either extremely expensive or produce very small pools of units.

**Majd il-Romani** · 10-05-2008, 07:29

you guys realize there are REGIONALS, right? Like if Lusotannan conquers Saka they will recruit local Horse Achers, Casse will recuit italian-style units if they take italy, etc

**Cullhwch** · 10-05-2008, 09:17

Yes, I understand the regional recruitment concept perfectly. But my idea is to recruit units from the surrounding regions, not the local area. For instance, a low level Roman merc recruitment network in Italy would be limited to a few Gallic units and the odd Illyrian here and there. However, if the network was fully upgraded, the Romans would be able to recruit a smattering of unit types from all over the Mediterranean, although the Gallic mercs would have the greatest availability.

This may at appear to de-emphasize the regional MIC system, but there is a fix for that. Merc recruitment centers could be linked to the regional MICs. A level 2 regional MIC could be a prerequisite for a level 1 merc network, for instance. There are ways to implement this without supplanting the MIC system.

**Sheogorath** · 10-05-2008, 09:42

Originally Posted by a completely inoffensive name

Even if there was unlimited building and unit slots to use, I doubt it would be logical to assume that in the roughly 300 year span of the EB time frame a culture/nation could assimilate another culture's idea and become experts at it within three centuries. A culture's battle tactics were usually shaped and perfected over millennia, and usually for their own surrounding environment only. Am I wrong in saying that?

Not only would you have to consider one culture assimilating another cultures ideas, but cultures assimilating combined ideas of two cultures that another culture assimilated and mashed together to create something else and...
Yeah...I dont think it'd go over too well :P