I had an idea for each Weapon to have inherent "skills" that any unit could learn if they leveled far enough.

The default is to automatically use any skill available to the unit, as soon as possible, as long as its not a formation. Formations or "Modes" need to be activated, but if its an attack that can be activated every X turns the default will be to Automatically Activate the attack every X turns.

example: Blunt Weapons

Skill 1-> Heavy Swing (every 5 combat turns, can activate this attack. +2 attack, and if it hits, twice the damage it would normally deal)

Skill 2-> Sweeping Blow ( every 5 turns, can activate this attack. Large Sweep that attacks all enemy units within range. Can effect max of 4-5 enemy units)

Skill 3-> Crushing Blow (every 10 turns, can activate this attack. +5 attack, and if it hits, three times the damage it would normally deal.

For normal units, Skill 1 is unlocked at lv 5, Skill 2 at lv 10, and Skill 3 at level 15

Veteran units start with Skill 1, so skill 2 is unlocked at level 5 and Skill 3 is unlocked at level 10.

Expert units start with Skill 1 and Skill 2, so Skill 3 is unlocked at level 5. At level 10 Expert units gain +1 attack speed.

Elite units start with all three skills. Elites gain +1 attack speed every 5 levels.

Champions (and Sovereign) gain Skill 1 at level 2, Skill 2 at level 3, and Skill 3 at level 4.

Upon Level up, Sovereigns get 10 points, Champions get 8 points, Elites get 6 points, Experts get 5 points, Veterans get 4 points, Normal units get 3 points, Draftees get 2 points, and Slave Soldiers/ Thralls/ Zombies get 1 point.

Hey Tatsuke again!!  Hey Klaxxton!

As Tatsuke Just mentioned, we have been discussing this on the XP thread.  I'll quickly outline my views as well as a mixed solution that I only just thought of.

1)  Adding skills for all units would be overly complex, especially if they gained skills thruogh leveling.  I'm not against the soverign having skills, in fact the sovereign already does have skills, but this should be limited so you do not end up with a uber unit like you do in Sins of a Solar Empire vanilla (pre expansions).  Stardock actually said letting you fully upgrade the battleships was a mistake.  Reduced strategy.

2) Having too many skills would result in uber units that would detract from strategy and tactics.

3) I believe (tell me if I'm wrong) but not all equipment is in the game yet.  Also, the quipment in the game hasn't been balanced/tweaked for combat as that isnot until beta 4.

4) All combat modifiers should be gained through the choice of equipment.  eg, spears could give "first strike", while a set of spearmen could get the ability of "spear wall", to use your examples klaxxton.  The current equipment sets that I've seen would need a raft of changes so that this would work.  eg, knife should have increased speed over  a spear (sort of like having "sprint" from klaxxton's list.  Heavier aromurs should cause detriment to speed.  There currently are some misc equipment that provide non-combat bonuses.  Perhaps these shuold be expanded to include ones with combat bonuses?

5) My new thought.  ONE skill may be chosen after a very further on research was obtained for unit training. 

Really, what my above points get at is that there should only be one way of getting combat bonuses, and thatshouldbe through equipment.  It will reduce complexity, and if there are enough different pieces of equipment  then you will have plenty of options to create units with "abilities" which are caused by the modifiers on equipment.

As for the picking all the best equipment for unit design, way tooo costly and shuold be able to be outgunned by a more numerous diverse army of the ame cost (numbers shuold beat one uber unit).

All that being said, I agree with the the gyst of Klaxxton being that at the moment there is not enough diversity in create uits.   But i believe this will be fleshed out/corrected in beta 4 (I think Frogboy said that they deferred the discussion until then).

As far as getting high end Units + Weapons that are "elite" in the general sense ... see Demiansky's thread on (New take on Elite Units)

In this thread, I was referring to the units that are specially trained without experiencing actual combat.

Basically, these units receive the best training + combat simulators that money can buy (mainly due to the warlike nature of the nation) ... and so they are PURE textbook when it comes to combat knowledge. They are well disciplined in the tactics and styles of their chosen weapon (hence start with all 3 basic weapon skills), and are run ragged every day building up their endurance tremendously (higher initial HP).

Because of their training, they are conditioned to fight more reliably and learn faster than less-well trained units. This is because a regular unit can get "lucky" through a mistake and then try to idealize that mistake as a viable combat tactic, and then a drill sergeant (one that knows any better) would have to spend a long time getting them to unlearn bad habits. They can survive combat longer (usually) and can learn quicker.

Personally I think all units should get +1 combat speed at level 20 just as a "good job" trophy for getting there. Also, all units take the same amount of experience to level up: 100, 150, 225, ect.

Sovereigns get 10 points at level up, Champions get 8 points, "Class III get 6 points, Class II get 5 points, Class I get 4 points, Regulars get 3 points, Draftees get 2 points, and Slaves/Thralls/Zombies get 1 point.

Of note, Class III start with twice the HP as a regular, and a regular starts with twice the HP of a Slave Soldier/Zombie.

Dragons, on the other hand, should probably take twice as many exp to level up: 200, 300, 450, ect

and should get 15 points per level.

If in testing, twice and 15 points prove to be too strong, then we can try triple and 15 points : 300, 450, 625, ect

You should be able to make units with some abilities. Like camo, skirmish, shieldwall. It should just take longer to create those units.

@ Supreme Shogun: All units should have flanking. An axe in the back deserves no less a dmg bonus then a dagger.

I'm not in the Beta do weapons have attributes other than + to attack?

All weapons have at least two stats. +Attack and +Combat Speed. That is the current status.

It has been previously stated that packs, rings, scrolls, and other such items will be able to endow soldiers with special skills or abilities.

Personally, I'd just like to be able to create units like Roman Hastatii or Norse Berserkers. Not the actual /cultural flavor/ mind, but being able to have effective troops that say; use light weapons, heavy shields, and move quickly, or use no armor, and heavy weapons, and attack suicidally.

Having troops in this game be flexible and very customizable to your play-style is important to me.

Yea, true. It makes a lot more sense for Units to be "trained" with special abilities, and the abilities that you "can" train a unit is dependent on their equipment. For instance, you cannot train a plate-mail unit to "sprint" or to "run faster" ... and you can only train Spear n Pike units in the art of Phalanx formation, and you can only Train units with Tower Shields (of at least 10) in the use of the condensed "turtle" formation. A reiteration of the turtle, is that it is only to avoid archer fire, and has no use in melee combat. And its VERY good at reducing the effect of missile/arrow attacks. IE at least 80%.

Only Horse Archers can use a Cantalabrian Circle ... (rides in a loose circle to reduce effect of enemy archer fire)

and ANYONE can use Wedge, however theoretically melee armed cavalry would be the best at it.

Also, anyone can use "loose" and "rank n file (box)" ... with loose for anti-arrows, and box for melee fighting.

If we want to have more interesting choices, simpler (and a less overloaded UI), then we can limit each "unit" built to only 2 formations ... of course you need more than one to be ABLE to USE formations (preferably a company (10) minimum).

For instance, a Flight of Drakes might use the Chevron for even distribution of Fire-flames across the entire battlefield ... or use a more tightly packed wedge to either do some dive-bombing maneuvers or to maximize their Fire-flames in one area.

*Dive Bombing could be like a Charge attack, and a critical attack could "grab" the unit and carry him with the drake up into the sky, where he is dropped, and either dies from the fall or deals heavy damage.