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Sounds inteersting - we might also consider that - if you stop paying your mercs - they may turn hostile against you, join your adversary or at least revert to gaia "raiders"? The bribery mechanics could also be used to convert mercs to the other side. Not sure if this turns out to be too complex micro-managing for gameplay.

second try vs AIx4.. Good luck trying to recognize the building fast!  And yeah, interesting Wonder ...

I wonder if completely changing the mercenary system can be considered, right now not much differentiates them from regular units, making them boring. I know they are cheaper in general, expensive with metal, and more experienced, but the Carthaginians seem just overcrowded with similar options, which doesn't make them interesting enough. I think mercenaries should aim at being used by those who have the metal but not the kind of unit, population or time to put in place an army. I don’t know if any of the following can even be done (or if it breaks gameplay somehow): I would make mercenary camps produce units in fixed battalions, fast, with a cooldown, and counting for less population, maybe half. Besides one having to pay a certain amount to hire them, they would charge per certain amount of time as long as they are hired. One can cancel this contract any time, after which they would automatically return to the closest camp of the same type (building a disposable raft if needed, I guess, or they could just vanish on some shore if too much extra art is required for now). The cooldown is always a base time plus a time that depends on their losses, to imagine they have to replenish their forces and avoid spamming them if they are getting destroyed, which would be annoying for the other player. This way one should strategically alternate between all camps, like the Carthaginians should. The only variables needed are size of battalion, population cost per mercenary, metal upfront and rate, and base plus penalty cooldowns, which need to be decided for balance, and maybe modified with techs and auras (considering Hannibal was an inspiring figure for regulars and mercenaries alike).

@Thalatta Your ideas about groups, formations, and battalions are very interesting. It’s true that in their current state they’re quite buggy and there’s too much overlap between them. I support your view that these features should be able to coexist as independently as possible, while also being versatile enough to let each player choose their preferred playstyle. Beyond the different possible ways to solve it, the diagnosis is very clear, and the general direction of the solution you propose is quite clear as well — it’s been a valuable contribution. There are currently some improvements in progress regarding formation behavior. I think that in the future, something along the lines of what you propose could end up being adopted.   If a suggestion is well received, there is consensus among the development team, and there is time available to work on it, then it can be incorporated. Creating a dedicated post for a specific feature you want to propose is also a good idea. The more detailed it is, the better. You can include diagrams or mockups to make communication with other community members easier and, essentially, to build the necessary consensus. It’s also possible to contribute directly to the 0 A.D. repository either by writing new code or by reporting issues you encounter in the game: However, it’s important to keep in mind that submitting a Pull Request does not necessarily mean the code will be merged. It also takes time to get to know the right people and to become familiar with the dynamics of the community. Cheers.

seriously whose idea was it to make it into a wonder hahaha it is just pure troll lmao