Some thoughts regarding the consulate

[UpmostRook9474]

@ArrivedLeader22

I have a lot of complaints with the consulate: It is the only way Asian civs can get “normal” artillery.

I have shared many ideas for the consulate before.

@UpmostRook9474

Consulate Artillery

An experimental idea.
Each European ally adds a new tech “Import Cannons” (IV) at the place of the buttons of Livestock Pen Wagon and Meiji Restoration.
After researching “Import Cannons”, at the place there will become an infinite shipment, providing single artillery to Asian civs at a slightly higher cost.

• British, Spanish: 1 Falconet (maybe at a price of 350 export)
• Dutch: 1 Mortar (maybe 400)
• French: 1 Horse Artillery (maybe 500)
• German: 1 Heavy Cannon (maybe 600)
• Ottomans: 1 Great Bombard (maybe 500)
• Portuguese, Russian: 1 Culverin (maybe 350)

(The Livestock Pen Wagon could be removed as previously suggested, and the existing 2 Great Bombards would be a cost-effective single shipment.)
(It doesn’t matter if the German ally is replaced by Chinese Isolation due to the fact that a Factory can be obtained.)

@ArrivedLeader22

Artillery units can remain as they are because they represent the artillery type in general and they were indeed used by the Asians as well, but the gunners could have a civ-specific look.

If this mean to make the skins of consulate artillery be like Mysorean Rockets that be operated by locals, it is fine.

---

@ArrivedLeader22

For example, British ally can grant the ever victorious army to the Chinese (Ever Victorious Army - Wikipedia), and the EIC sepoy (the regular sepoy could be given a more fitting name like the bandukchi) to the Indians. They can still have the same stats as before.

The problem is that allies don’t offer different things for different Asian civilizations. And the names of their units are those units’ Royal Guard names. I respect the game’s design in that regard. I can interpret it as based on friendly and close diplomatic relations, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Akbar invited Britain to send troops to help him fight the enemy. As the same, Tokugawa invited Netherlands to send troops to help him fight the enemy.

@ArrivedLeader22

In reality the Dutch would not give the Blue Guard musketeer to the Japanese (they cannot even amass the unit themselves).

Now the Dutch can train them. Just saying.

---

@ArrivedLeader22

They could get a US ally as a consulate option. US had much influence on mid 19th century Asia and was a major factor of Japan’s end of isolation.

Why not reserve the Dutch and add the US?

@UpmostRook9474

Fifth Consulate Ally Option

Another experimental idea.
The player can only have relations with up to 4 different allies in a game.
Historically, Dutch ally would be the best choice for the fifth option for the Indians.

United States ally:
To be the fifth option for Chinese and Japanese.
Compared to other allies, its armies, shipments and techs are more expensive.

• Bonus
  Minutemen can be levied repeatedly at a price of export.
• Armies
  Expeditionary Company (II): 8 Expeditionary Volunteers.
  Expeditionary Force (III): 6 Expeditionary Regulars + 1 Gatling Guns
  Expeditionary Army (IV): 10 Expeditionary Regulars + 14 Expeditionary Volunteers.
• Shipments and techs
  Open Door Policy (I): Ships 1 Trade Post Wagon; gives a trckle of 0.5 export.
  Long Rifles (II): Expeditionary Volunteers and Minutemen get +4 LoS and range.
  Black Ships (III): Ships 2 Steamers.
  Expeditionary Marines (IV): Ships 16 Marines and 1 Ironclad; upgrades Minutemen into Marines.
  (The Portuguese ally provides a Battleship instead.)
  Import Cannons (III): Enable the infinite shipment of 1 Gatling Gun.

---

@ArrivedLeader22

We could also extend our vision beyond European or “Western” civs. TAD tried to force every European civ into the consulate but some does not really make sense, like Germans for Chinese (sending doppelsoldners) or Ottomans for Indians (sending janissaries).

Chinese Isolation would be a good option to replace the German ally.
China Isolation makes sense to lower the cost of banner armies and provide many new Chinese units.

The units there may be like:

• Three-Eyed Gunner
  A new ranged heavy infantry with a three-eyed gun, firing in bursts of three shots like Chu Ko Nu. Has shorter range than Musketeer and better HP than Arquebusier. Trainable in groups of 5 at Consulate from Age II.
• Langxian Spearman
  A new hand heavy infantry with a langxian spear. Has low speed, and quite good attack multipliers against cavalry and heavy infantry. Trainable in groups of 3 at Consulate from Age II.
• Glaive Cavalry
  A new heavy cavalry with a classic Chinese glaive polearm like guandao. Very tanky with decent melee attack, but slow. Trainable at Consulate from Age III.
• Manchu
  No longer a mercenary. A bit weaker than the original one but still powerful. Trainable at Consulate from Age III.
• Jingal
  A new ranged infantry with a type of large matchlock gun carried by two soldiers, having a higher attack and longer range than Arquebusier, pretty good against heavy infantry and buildings. Trainable at Consulate from Age III. (The place of button is same as Consulate Artillery and Meiji Restoration, since it’s somehow similar to abus gunners but more like an artillery).

In fact, the units of Japanese Isolation and Chinese Isolation should be regarded as their unique consulate units without regular versions, rather than the consulate version of an existing regular unit. Even if it’s the consulate version of a regular unit, it shouldn’t be a mercenary. For example, Hatamoto is supposed to be either a brand new samurai-type unit with consulate unit status, or the consulate version of the regular samurai, but not the consulate version of the ronin mercenaries.

@UpmostRook9474

Japanese Isolation can need a lot of changes, especially their units and Meiji Restoration.

I don’t like that they made Yamabushi a consulate unit instead of a religious unit. It is not a good design to use mercenaries as consulate units, causing many similar versions of ninja-like units (Shinobi, Ninja, Ninjutsu-Zukai) and samurai-like units (Samurai, Wokou Ronin, Ronin, Hatamoto Samurai) in one civ.

To summarize the Asian change suggestions I posted before (probably outdated), Japanese Isolation units and other related units can be changed to:

• Removes Ninjutsu-Zukai.
• Renames Wokou Ronin to “Kabukimono” (“傾奇者”) and gives it a new, more flashy look.
• Lets Yamabushi become Zen’s second unit or a native unit that can only be shipped from Home City (like Lenapes), or becomes a Monastery unit after Monastery is reworked.
• Monogashira (“物頭”): New heavy infantry replacing Konsha Yamabushi at Consulate in Age II.
• Shinobi: No changes.
• Akazonae (“赤備え”): New expensive heavy cavalry, trainable in groups of 3 at Consulate in Age IV. Has hand attack with good area effect, and gains additional HP when grouped together.
• Hatamoto: no longer related to Ronin, so no longer a mercenary, maybe get new stats, and get a new look or use Ronin’s look and have Ronin use Wokou Ronin’s old look, to differentiate these units.

The Meiji Restoration can be changed to have a revolution-like effect.

• Costs 2000 export.
• Ends isolation instantly when researched.
• Turns every Ashigaru into 1 New Army Regular, Yumi into 1 New Army Rifleman, Samurai into 1 New Army Regulars and 1 New Army Riflemen (or into 2 New Army Regulars), Kibatai (Naginata) into 1 Hussar, Yabusame into 1 Dragoon, and to make New Army Regular and Rifleman trainable at Barracks.

As for the Ottoman allies of the Indians, it would be more accurate if they could be replaced by the Persian allies in the future.