Discussion: Unit Customization in Games

Channel:

Naysmith Gaming

Subscribers:

51

Published on March 10, 2022 5:00:20 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thQn7GbYGQc

Game:

Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014)

Category:

Discussion

Duration: 13:36

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So, what level of unit customization do you like?

I can readily show Stellaris, which lets you balance units for certain roles (antishield, antiarmor, missile or missile killer, raw damage, hangars, etc) and where you balance a fleet (often with most of one unit, like Artillery Battleships or a certain damaging Corvette type, and a few support units of another type, like Carrier Battleship or Picket Corvette).

Then there's Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri where you can design EVERY ASPECT of a unit: attack, defense, speed, and special powers. And then stack designs so that you have better defenses. I don't say this in the video proper, but I could have some 8/2/X units to attack with and some junk 1/3/X units to defend with. Make the enemy attack my 1/3's before my much more valuable 8/2's.

Then Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth with the custom powers to modify playstyles, while still making some units better for defense or for attacking or for special missions.

Civilization 6 seems the least-free, with the choice only being unit types and the promotions chosen with experience. Then there's games like Evil Genius 2 where controlling the balance of units is everything, and what little unit control you have isn't the point of the game.

I'm excluding things like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Deus Ex: (any of them), God of War (Norse semi-reboot), Cyberpunk 2077, and anything where all you customize is the protagonist's skill distribution. Those aren't the point of this video.

What do YOU think of unit balance and customization in games? Are there any you're very familiar with that you'd like to discuss?

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