That’s sounds fun, but how does it work? Each Spearman cost 0.5 Pop?
Yes, but the actual value should be carefully balanced.
Currently resource cost per pop:
80: Spearman, Archer
120: Horseman, Men-at-Arms, Crossbowman
240: Knight, Handcannoneer
If Spearman cost 0.5 pop, it cost per pop will be 160, and more valuable than Horseman, Men-at-Arms, Crossbowman.
One proper option is to let the tech to increase Spearman cost per pop from 80 to 120, which means pop per unit decrease from 1 to 2/3(0.666).
Yup, giving spearmen a buff after imperial when increasing its cost is also a considerable plan.
Decreasing the pop is a much easier way than increasing the cost and the ability on Spearman, and it also bring less numeric value to be adjusted and balanced.
If we research the tech to increase the cost, how should it affect existing trained Spearman?
- The existing Spearmen will preserve unbuffed ability. How should we distinguish the two types of Spearman? Do we need new unit models?
- Buff the existing Spearmen. The tech value will be based on already trained Spearmen and be hard to evaluate.
- Dynamic tech resource cost. This way is not valid because we cannot determine the number of Spearmen of when completing tech research on when starting the research.
But if choosing this way. I will prefer option (1) and also give no visual difference to distinguish buffed and unbuffed Spearmen, just because this is the easiest way to implement. The two types of Spearmen will be considered different types of unit when both selected, just like select Ram built by infantry or bulit by Siege Workshop.