09-08-2003 22:11									#1
	Mercenaries: How to add them Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Well, I figured this out the other day while making a medieval mod, may not be THAT usefull but I´ll post it and , well, you´ll say if it is or .

To add mercenaries, first create a unit like a worker, but without the ability to improve terrain, and with no tech prerequisits and with the Capture and Upgrade Unit boxes checked. Make him a foot unit, with 1 movement, and 0 cost in shields. Name him something like ´´Mercenary troops´´, or ´´Volunteers´´, whatever you like the best. Then place him somewhere in the map, since he won´t be available for building. I usually place them on barbarian camps, as a bonus, and because mercenaries usually were enlisted barbarians. Now cast this unit aside for a bit, we´ll be bac to it later.
Go on and create another unit called ´´Mercenaries´´ or any other name that fits your mod, since this is the one who´ll be facing real combat; Give it some status and a price in shields (this price will reflect the price you´ll have to pay to hire the mercenaries). Give it all the abilities you want, and then go back to the ´´Mercenary Troops´´and set their ´´Upgrade to´´ to the ´´Mercenaries´´.
This way when you capture the Mercenary troops after defeating a barbarian camp, you will be able to move them to a city of your with a barracks and ´´hire´´ (upgrade) them to a combat unit called Mercenaries, that you will be able to use. You can then do many cool things, like making many different ´´Mercenary Troops´´ that can be upgraded to different kinds of Mercenaries. In my game I made a gallic barbarian camp that had ´´Gallic Mercenary troops´´ who´d be hired to form ´´Gallic Mercenaries´´, while the germanic barbarian camp would have Germanic mercenary troops that would upgrade to Germanic Spearmen, and all had different prices and status, making it possible for one to build an army of mostly mercenaries, like many famous generals did (for example, genereal Hannibal, whose army was mstly composed of gallic and Nubian mercenaries... or like many roman generals who would hire nomadic horsemen...).

If someone finds any flaw or mistake on this, please let me know so that I can correct it. Also let me know if you use it on a scenario. Ok, you can just go on and use it without requesting, just that I´d like to know where it is being used for curiosity.
Thank you all for your time, and please let me know if I confused myself in the explanation,
Nuclear Winter

	28-08-2003 17:48									#2
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Hmm, this gives me an idea of making workers upgradable as guerrilas or infantry....

	29-08-2003 01:04									#3
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Oooh. Really nice workaround.

	29-08-2003 04:24									#4
	Got spare money?

Cool idea. I don't know if I will be implementing it anytime soon though.

What we really need is unit trading, then you could lease your army to other civilizations.

	29-08-2003 05:48									#5
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I don't think it will work. First, the civ has to be able to build the capturable mercenaries (disregarding obselescence) for them to not die when captured. This can be done nicely be making them require a resource that you don't put on the map. However, to UPGRADE something to another unit, there are two requirements: first, the city in which you are upgrading them must have a barracks, and second, the city must be able to build the unit to which you are upgrading (including obselescence as a factor, so that you upgrade to the most up-to-date unit). So people would be able to build the second mercenaries in their cities.

However, there is a workaround (sort of) here: don't have second mercenaries. Just have them upgrade to a normal unit, like Medieval Infantry.

Oh, and finally, what if you run out of basic mercenary stock? The way you have it, there would be a set number of mercenaries that could EVER appear in a game.

	12-09-2003 00:18									#6
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Hmm, you have a good point in there skywalker, but I guess it works if done the way I told, at least I recall it worked. Maybe because of the shield cost 0 for the primary units,wich makes them unbuildable.I dunno, I´ll run some testing soon and see if it works.
As for upgrading workers into guerillas,problem_child, this is a great idea, it would probably make enough sense, may doa good job on a vietnam scenario. ANd yes, Sheik, unit trading would just rock!