Upgrading a government in 1.2

[Pezlu]

First of all, hi everybody; I'm back after a long time... I was active around 2006, if I remember correctly, when EB 1.2 was yet to come :P
In the meantime I switched to linux, so I had some trouble with most games... until I decided to give RTW (and more importantly, EB) a try. With a few workarounds, it's perfectly playable! Just a few minor things don't work as expected, but you know... WHO CARES! I can still enjoy EB :P

Now on the real question: back when I played, in level 5 regional MICs you could recruit mercenary generals in every province. Now, with the revamp of the client ruler system, you just need a level 4 government to recruit them... and that's quite nice.
Now, I've built a couple level 4 governments in provinces where I wouldn't, to trigger the carthaginian reforms. I'm building the MICs in the meantime.
According to the recruitment viewer, the highest level of regional MIC with recruitable units in this provinces is 4, except for mercenary generals who are now recruitable via the government building. In my old games, if I wanted to upgrade the goverment from level 4 to level 3 (like I will do in these provinces) without "cheating", I had to tear down the regional MIC as well and rebuild it up to level 4, so level 5 units wouldn't be recruitable anymore. Quite expensive and boring, if you ask me...
But now, since level 5 MIC does not add any more units in those region's roster, having a level 4 or 5 regional MIC is actually the same, right? If so, I just have to destroy the government building and build a level 3 in its place.

If I do that, and I leave the client ruler there, will I have problems with traits or something else? I think I'll just wait he dies of old age anyway, but I prefer to know, just in case.

Actually, I think this is a fairly straightforward issue (I can upgrade the government with no problems whatsoever, and maybe the client ruler gets a bad trait... but I just can move him out of the way), but still, I prefer to be sure... and this is also an excuse to come back to the forums :P

Thanks!

[Salahedin]

You'd better wait til he dies to build a lvl3 gov ot he'll get some bad trait indeed, though I can't remember which one. That's what I usually do.
As for the barracks, I don't really play with Kart-hadast, sorry...

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Imposter trait which stacks 5% unrest every turn I believe. Not sure if this ever maxes out or not.

[Tiberius Claudius Marcellus]

If I'm reading your question right, you're asking if keeping the Type IV Gov't Level 5 MIC while switching to Type III Gov't will not give you units otherwise not available if you had built a Type III Gov't Level 5 MIC in the first place.......

From what I've gleaned from other forums, you will still be able to recruit Type IV Gov't troops even though you're now a Type III Gov't due to the buildings being unique. I may be wrong, and I hope an EB team member can chime in if i am, but the Gov't type is required to build the building, but not to continue to recruit troops, if that makes sense. However, if the Gov't type goes then you can't upgrade the MIC.

So theoretically, you could have a Level 5 MIC from a type IV Gov't and get local elite troops and then switch governments and build up a Level 5 MIC from a type II Gov't and get factional high end troops too. If my understanding of it is correct, then that is an exploit.

[XSamatan]

So theoretically, you could have a Level 5 MIC from a type IV Gov't and get local elite troops and then switch governments and build up a Level 5 MIC from a type II Gov't and get factional high end troops too. If my understanding of it is correct, then that is an exploit.

IIRC that is correct. You should turn down the old mics and build up new. (maybe roleplaying it as a time of transformation) Otherwise you can use cheats to just build up the current level.

XSamatan

[Pezlu]

I know, I can still recruit level 5 troops with level 3 government if level 5 barracks are avalaible... but if no level 5 troops can be recruited, I won't get any advantage from the level 5 MIC, right? I'm asking because in the old version you needed a level 5 regional MIC to recruit mercenary generals, so it would give you an advantage in ANY situation... but now, it shouldn't be like that, right?

I'll probably rebuild the MIC anyway because I'm a perfectionist (:P), but if I wanted to keep it while just upgrading the government I won't get anything more from it than with a level 4 MIC, is that so?

Thanks for the answers!

[Andy1984]

You'd better wait til he dies to build a lvl3 gov ot he'll get some bad trait indeed, though I can't remember which one. That's what I usually do.
As for the barracks, I don't really play with Kart-hadast, sorry...

Either wait until he dies, or send the governor to another type 4 province.

About switching governments: I don't see it as an exploit, since it's hard (and expensive) enough to fully upgrade your barracks in a gov type 4 and then a gov type 1. By the time you've constructed these barracks, you won't really need them anymore. If you want to switch: just destroy the government building and you're done. Destroying the gov type 4 building will undo the type four settlement, which means your mercenary governor should leave the place when you destroy it. A settlement becomes type 4 when you construct the type 4 government building (obvious), so you should build one in advance before moving in your allied general.

[Zim]

Carthage can actually build pretty high level regional barracks with even a level 2, in Iberia (represents their heavy use of Iberian regionals, I believe).

If the level 5 MIC doesn't give any new units or other bonuses, I don't see why you couldn't just keep them when switching to type 3. I think some people also just stopping recruiting the level 5 available troops (if there are any) when they switch.

As far as exploits I think the AI just automatically gets the "best" (lowest number) MIC they can build in a province when they conquer it, so their governments are often not optimal. So even those of us who are careful about not taking advantage of switching government still have a leg up on the AI whenever we build a level four to get great regional troops in such and such province (although that's an AI issue, not an exploit...).

[Pezlu]

Thanks :)
For now, I'll just wait the carthaginian reform, and then until the recruited generals in those two provinces die (will take some time :P). After that, I'll see!