Sorry, but how is this even considered a Unique Unit besides its model?
I appreciate the recent attempt with the Artillery Shot, but the ability is not only inconsistent in terms of even hitting targets, the cooldown on it is also mindboggling in conjunction with the fact that the ability consumes your next shot anyways.
The unpacking thing barely seems like a feature, since Bombards pack so quickly either way (Cannon does not in fact even pack immediately). All that is left is speed, which the Cannons are better at, by a very small margin.
This unit truly has the potential to be different, like the Nest of Bees is wildy different to the Mangonel. I believe the Artillery Shot ability was their attempt at doing this; if I am allowed to be brutally honest? The fact that you need to unlock this ability with a landmark, when the unit itself is meant to be unique, I think is really dumb.
And like I stated above, the ability is not really functional nor practical. There are many ways of making this interesting, maybe the ability does a quick barrage of shots, or maybe it sets the Cannon into “Artillery Mode” that makes it fire in a wide area with less damage and no bonus to buildings. Or, maybe the ammunition is explosive in nature, and doesn’t fire by your next shot, but instead, fires upon activation–allowing you to get an extra “umpf” of damage in times of crisis.
These are all just ideas, there could be many many more. Either way, I see no reason for the French Cannon to be left behind and to be so, so boring. It really, really functions too much like just a bombard. And whether or not you decide to keep an ability for it, or to just alter the entire design, I don’t mind as long as its features aren’t locked behind additional landmarks.