Matrix Games Forums

Here are the two XML files that I changed to use population for Large Ships and Ground Units.

Go to the XML Folder and rename GroundUnitTypes.XML and ShipTypes.XML to some other name so you can restore if you don't like it. Then Unzip the two files in the XML Folder.

The ground units have a double negative effect.
You lose tax money from the recruited pop, and you have to pay upkeep for the troops. Just a heads-up.
I was going to make Militia cost pop instead in my mod, but it doesn't work (Militia ignore all costs, since they're automatically recruited).
 

All true, but the way I looked at it though was I needed to build transports to move the excess population to keep unhappiness under control. Cash has never been a problem in my games unless I get clobbered by unhappiness as I trade heavily with the other races.

I also lost the tax money anyway once the excess population was on the move and I had to pay the upkeep on the transports. It seemed like a wash for me.

However, what I did notice is that it adds an new strategic wrinkle by making the raising of armies and the building of large ships occur on the more heavily populated planets. New colonies can not afford these activities any more because of the population loss. This seems more logical to me than being able to raise large armies or build large ships on a new colony once the population was above 10 and you had the suitable structures built.

I think it woud be very nice with a military police/riot control sort of unit: same upkeep, higher pacificationskill but lower combatskill

ORIGINAL: Grandpoobah
I also lost the tax money anyway once the excess population was on the move and I had to pay the upkeep on the transports. It seemed like a wash for me.

I was looking at it from the perspective of scrapping the transports as soon as you filled them with pop [;)] No transport upkeep, no tax loss as they were already dead[;)] [:D]

However, what I did notice is that it adds an new strategic wrinkle by making the raising of armies and the building of large ships occur on the more heavily populated planets. New colonies can not afford these activities any more because of the population loss. This seems more logical to me than being able to raise large armies or build large ships on a new colony once the population was above 10 and you had the suitable structures built.

Exactly. That's why I suggested it during beta, and adding a Barracks structure (which I did in my mod) to recruit Marines. Along with the demobilization of 1 marine upon system conquest. To prevent colony hopping with 1 marine.