Hidden Units
I don't know if there is already a thread about this - I can't remember seeing one. Also, I'm sure this is already common knowledge to modders. That said, I thought it was worth raising.
Just to be clear, I'm a big fan of R2, though I do accept it has some SEVERE problems. One of the things that bothers me the most (and is easily fixable) is the lack of imagination behind many of the unit rosters (for both playable and non-playable factions). The thing that I find crazy is that many of the faction unit rosters were intentionally left with glaring gaps - presumably so as to help sell DLCs. As a result, there are a lot of 'hidden' units still lurking within the game. By 'hidden', I mean they already exist within the game files, i.e. they have models/variant meshes, unit icons, text entries, the full works. All they are lacking is a presence in the db tables (land_units, building_permissions, etc.) These units clearly existed in the game at some point, but were then consciously cut out prior to release. The good news is that they can be added back in with ease - stat balancing aside, it typically takes me about 10 minutes per unit to put it back into the game and make it fully functional. Many of these are what I would call linchpin units to their factions; others add some much needed colour to rosters. Given that we're only talking about one or two units per culture, it seems crazy to have cut them out. Had they stayed in, there would have still been plenty of room for DLCs to expand on.
So far I have covered the Celtic, Briton, Germanic, Dacian, Thracian, Hellenic and African factions. I haven't yet investigated the Nomadic and Eastern factions. As far as I'm aware, none of these units are available in the vanilla game (though given that I use a fair few mods and that I'm writing from memory, I apologize for any mistakes). These are the hidden units so far:
CELTIC SWORD FOLLOWERS. A mid-tier sword unit equipped with leather armor. It slots in perfectly between Celtic Warriors and Oathsworn. It's basically the sword equivalent to the Celtic Spear Warrior already in the game. For me, this is one of the most glaring omissions. Right now, Celtic armies veer between the uber-powerful Oathsworn and the totally flaky Celtic Warriors. I can blitz the former with my ranged units, given that they are quite rare. As for the latter, I tend to find them an utter irrelevance in battle. The missing Sword Followers, however, represent the midpoint between the two, i.e. fairly powerful and yet plentiful in number. Given that the Celts are a sword culture, missing these guys out is a bit like missing the standard hoplites out for the Greek factions and instead offering only Militia Hoplites and Shield Bearers.
CELTIC GALLIC HUNTERS. Many Celtic factions don't currently have an archer unit, and those that do only have a weak one. I'm assuming this Gallic Hunter unit is modeled on the Huntsman unit in R1, in which case it is a superior, high-stealth missile unit, perfect for ambushes, etc. A classic example of a unique unit that adds a little more depth and color to a culture.
CELTIC VETERAN SPEARS. Several people have complained that the Cisalpine Celtic cultures are lacking in unit variety, particularly the Helvetii. For instance, there's no Mori Gaesum type elite spear unit. Except there is - these elite, experienced spearmen are equipped with leather armor. They slip in perfectly between the mid-tier Celtic Spear Warriors and the uber Spear Nobles. This unit could add some real backbone and variety to the Celts in southern Gaul/northern Italy. Life would suddenly become a lot more difficult for both the Romans and the northern Celts.
GERMANIC SWORD BROTHERS. Right now, the Germanic tribes jump from club-wielding savages to elite sword units such as the Berserker and the Sword Master. There is, however, a hidden mid-tier sword unit, the Sword Brothers, basically a slightly lighter version of the Celtic Sword Followers listed above.
GERMANIC HUNT RIDERS. Mid-tier cavalry of some sort.
BRITON PAINTED RIDERS. Another mid-tier cavalry unit. Given that it is the mounted equivalent to the Painted Ones, I've interpreted it in my game as a light shock cavalry unit.
BRITON SPEAR CHAMPIONS and BRITON SWORD CHAMPIONS. These two are a little controversial. They could just be equivalents to the Chosen Spear and Chosen Sword units that are already available to the Britons in the vanilla game. However, ignoring the chainmail armour, I've always found those two units quite weak in terms of stats. These hidden units, however, can be interpreted as a slightly more elite/advanced version, slotting in between the Chosen Spears/Swords and the Heroic Nobles.
Now here are some of the missing units for the 'unplayable' factions (which are in fact the factions I tend to play the most):
DACIAN NOBLE SWORDS. The Dacian equivalent to Oathsworn. Right now, Dacia has very limited close combat options. There's the 'glass cannon' falxmen and that's pretty much it. Otherwise, you're stuck with all sorts of spearmen. This unit, however, gives them the elite, well-armoured close combat specialist they are currently so desperately lacking.
DACIAN HEAVY SKIRMISHERS. Another unit that really should have been in the initial lineup. These skirmishers have leather armour and large shields. They are one of the best equipped skirmishers in the entire game and totally revolutionize the Dacian battle tactics.
THRACIAN GALLO INFANTRY. The Odrysians are arguably the most popular of the 'non-playable' factions. In the vanilla game, they have two powerful rhomphaia units and plenty of skirmishers, but no spearmen and limited cavalry options. This mid-tier sword unit doesn't fix that problem, but it does give their armies more depth. It's the perfect utility unit, roughly equivalent to the missing Celtic Sword Followers and Germanic Sword Brothers listed above. In addition, given that the Odrysians are portrayed as a Celtic culture in R2 (rather than a Hellenic one as was the case in R1), it makes sense that they should have at least one Celtic-looking unit.
GREEK MASSILIAN HOPLITES. Massilia is another of those interesting factions that people enjoy playing with the All Factions Playable mod. Right now, it has some very basic Celtic units and a bunch of only slightly less basic Hellenic units. However, hidden away in the game files is this elite hoplite, equipped with chainmail armor, clearly the equivalent to the Thorax Hoplite. Seems a real missed opportunity not to give Massilia this unit, which would really add some much needed formidableness to their roster.
IBERIAN PAINTED WARRIORS. Right now, nothing really differentiates the Iberian and Celtiberian tribes from one another (other than I don't think the Celtiberians get access to all of the Iberian units). This slightly lighter, more 'barbarian' version of the Scutarii changes that. If it was to receive a celtic longsword in place of its current falcata (something I intend to do in my game), it could go a little way to putting the 'Celt' into 'Celtiberian'. (I seem to remember that the Celtic influence over the Iberians was recognized in R1 by giving them access to Naked Fanatics - no such equivalent here). In addition, the Iberian Edetani faction has two unique units hidden away, EDETANI NOBLE CAVALRY and EDETANI NOBLES, the latter being an elite sword unit, similar but not identical to the Lusitani Nobles that I believe are already in the game.
NUMIDIAN LEGIONARIES. Suddenly those African factions, specifically the two Numidian ones - you know, the ones who always end up conquering the Carthaginians/Egyptians in your campaigns - are a force to be reckoned with. These are well-armored heavy infantry, complete with chainmail, large shields, and kopis swords. Build enough of them and I can well imagine them conquering Africa and moving into Iberia, the Middle east, Italy, etc.
GARAMANTIAN WARRIORS. Another unit that will be familiar to those who played EB, RS and RTR in R1. They're elite light spearmen, intended for the Ethiopian subculture.
In addition to the above, there are a number of units that were probably just intended as copies of existing units, but which could easily be utilized to add flavour to certain rosters. For instance, the IBERIAN ROUND SHIELD FIGHTERS and IBERIAN LONG SHIELD FIGHTERS are basically slightly lighter versions of the standard Iberian Swords and Scutarii units. That said, a few taps of the keyboard and they can be added to the Carthaginian armies, so that Carthage now has its own unique Iberian units, which are just a tad different to those available to the actual Iberan factions. Another one like this is the CELTIC CHOSEN SPEAR and CELTIC CHOSEN SWORD. These are similar to the Oathsworn and Spear Nobles. As a result, they work perfectly as heavy Celtic mercenaries - perfect for adding as elite auxilia to the Carthaginian, Pontic, and Seleucid rosters.
This is what I've come up with so far. Like I said, I've already added these units into my game and it makes a big difference. Suddenly conquering Gaul is a little more challenging given that you are now coming up against large numbers of mid-tier Celtic Sword Followers, Spear Veterans, and Gallic Hunters rather than just Celtic Warriors and Levy Spearmen. Just a real shame they weren't in there in the first place!
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Originally Posted by Centurio Marcus
and it was the first thing I checked out. Same, I think with the Dacians. I also noticed the Amazonians some time back, but didn't count them in the list because I couldn't find any skins/models for them. The fact that there are icons and text descriptions, however, means that at some stage they were definitely in the game.
