Suggestion to add a veteran unit mechanism

One mechanic that I feel could significantly improve the depth and immersion of Call of War is a veteran unit system.

​

The premise is simple: create an xp system where units gain points for dealing damage, destroying units or capturing land. These xp points contribute to the units veteran level. Different levels give different bonuses. Lvl 1 might give 5% increase to protection, lvl 2 a 5% bonus to damage, etc.

​

​As for how strong they should be, I think around 20% stronger than their fresh counterparts is the most optimal for fully maxed out veteran units. That way they matter enough to actually change strategy but aren't so powerful they invalidate players who don't have them. Maxing out a unit should probably take 2-3 major campaigns. This way it actually takes effort, but not so much that it doesn't matter.​

The range of possible bonuses is huge: protection, damage, speed, terrain bonuses, maybe even view range or attack range if you wanna go wild. You could also have reduced upkeep costs or and extra stealth/scouting level. They could even gain special abilities like retreating from melee combat at the highest levels. You could also have different progression paths for different units. Depends on how deep you want this mechanic to go.

When units take a lot of damage, they should also lose xp to simulate experienced troops being replaced by new recruits when healing.​

This could completely change how the game is played. Some optimize for expansion and high k/d, creating lots of high xp veteran units, but risk losing out a lot more if things go wrong (for example Germany). Others pump out units daily and throw them to the battlefield without much concern for performance or preservation (ahem, USSR). Both have their pros and cons.

Overall I think this mechanic adds depth, realism, but also a deeper connection with your units and a better story to the entire game. Its one of those things I think could go a long way.

As for cons, it's mostly about interface. How do you display veteran levels cleanly? How do they look in unit composition? Are they separated like units of different levels or somehow combined? And what happens when you stack multiple of the same unit with different veteran levels? Do they average out (probably a bad idea)?

If it was for me to decide I'd probably make it like an expandable option in the unit composition. Still you have to find a good way to represent a units veteran level outside that, so its not just some hidden information you have to look for.

​

You also have to consider the added complexity to storing and managing this info on the backend.

But what do you think of this? Would you like to see this in game? And what would you change about this?