Do you think there should be an Artisan Unit?
Functions exactly like a builder villager, but can only build and repair.
It’s a scenario only unit which technically can only construct houses, however it could be assigned more building slots by using ‘enable’ and “change train location” in triggers. The use for this unit is for constructing buildings a villager does not have space for. Like he could be used to construct bridges, roads, and all sorts of niche buildings to spice up a scenario.
Interesting thought, but I’d rather the villagers just be able to do that in very late-game situations, which I hope gets added to the vanilla game someday, or for the modded(?) scenario you describe. Since there’s a population cap to worry about, I wouldn’t want to delete villagers just to make room for artisans, and then delete artisans to make room for villagers, and so on.
If a modder wants the artisan added to be able to leverage for their mods and scenarios, I see no harm in that. I just wouldn’t want it in the base game for the late-game ideas I mentioned before here:
Their population could be limited to 10 and they passively regenerate resources like a feitoria, providing some utility. Or perhaps they have some sort of ability to increase this strength of defenses near them.
In regards to population you can use triggers to raise your population even beyond 500. Under gaia tribute population, and modify resource bonus population.
You are mixing up architect and artisan.