Can you explain me those units purposes?

Hi! First thing first, I'm a french speaker so I'll write in english with the best of my capacities and I hope you'll be able to understand me.

I'd like to make YouTube videos about the game, to explain some of the mechanics to new players but there is something I have trouble understanding and that's units progression and unit purposes. I only speak of generic units, not emblematic ones. I'll make a list about every units available at each era and discuss how they interact one another. I will not mention stealth units as their role is quite obvious nor water and air units because they are a lot easier to understand.

In each red cell, you'll find a unit I have trouble understanding. In each yellow cell, you'll find units I have little trouble with.

I haven't show the upkeep cost of units because I don't think it is a major factor in balancing the game.

[str = strength ; i = industry ; pop = population ; mov = movement ; req = requirements]

ANCIENT ERA
Warriors 19str ; 45i ; 1pop	Spearmen 18str ; 90i ; 1pop req 5 copper	Archer 17str ; 90i ; 1pop	Scout riders 16str ; 90i ; 1pop ; 6mov req 4 horses	Chariot 22str ; 180i ; 1pop ; 6mov req 8 horses 5 copper
With only 45 industry cost and no resource requirement, that's the base unit of the era.	Needs 2 times industry, 5 copper and have almost the same strength + bonus against cavalry : that's a more costly but more powerful version of the warrior.	Deals a good amount of damage from afar.	The weakest of all. Good to scout but will avoid combat.	Needs a lot of resources and industry, moves fast and hits hard. The High Cost High Damage of the era but is countered by spearmen who have 26str against them.
CLASSICAL ERA
Swordsmen 26str ; 90i ; 1pop	Spearmen " "	Archer " "	Horsemen 26str ; 180i ; 1pop ; 6mov req 8 horses	Chariot " "
Still is the base unit. No changes.	Same industry cost as the swordsmen, needs copper, but with 8! less strength. Has 26str against cavalry, like the swordsmen so it can not longer be considered has the cavalry counter of the era. Aren't they useless know?	Trivial damage against the new units. Still useful at dealing damage without taking any. Why couldn't we have another type of archer at this era? Like a recurved bow archer or a composite bow archer to keep them competitive?	A fast moving version of the swordsmen.	Same amount of industry and movement than the horsemen, less strength and more resources required. Does that late ancient era unit is already useless?
MEDIEVAL ERA
Great swordsmen 35str ; 400i ; 2pop req 5 iron	Pikemen 31str ; 200i ; 1 pop	Crossbowmen 31str ; 400i ; 1pop	[evolves into knights]	Knights 36str ; 800i ; 2pop ; 6mov req 8 horses 10 iron
First time that line of units require resources. First time it requires 2 populations. It seems to me that these changes make that unit a costly and powerful infantry, but it is no more the "base unit" as an empire with no iron will not be able to create it. The role of that unit in this era is clear, but it is not the same role as previous units of that type had in previous eras.	First time that line of units does not require resources. With half the industry and population costs of the great swordsmen and 4 strength less, it is the cannon fodder of the era. It still is a great anti-cavalry unit because it has 39str against them with is greater than the 35str of the great swordsmen. Does it became the base unit of the era, stealing that role from the warriors line?	Up to date archer.		Up to date cavalry.
EARLY MODERN ERA
Great swordsmen " "	Halberdiers 41str ; 485i ; 3pop	Arquebusiers 39str ; 970i ; 2pop req 3 saltpetre	Mortar 40str ; 1945i ; 1pop req 7 copper 7 iron 6 saltpetre	Knights " "
Out of date + their role as melee infantry is taken by halberdiers... As all infantry will become line infantry in the end, why great swordsmen can't be upgraded into halberdiers? That will avoid them being useless in the early early modern era. If done, then halberdiers should be able to be upgraded into musketeers, then the fusion of all infantry lines will be complete. I do understand it will required halberdiers to cost only 2pop for not having an upgrade "killing" citizens but I think it can still be done. OR great swordsmen could have their own upgrade in the early modern era. That unit may have the stats the halberdiers have now and the halberdiers should be a cheaper, weaker version of it, like the pikemen is a cheaper version of the great swordsmen. Then, the two of them will evolve in line infantry, making line infantry the only point where all infantry lines come together.	OK. Where to begin with... The anti-cavalry line evolves in a era where cavalry doesn't. Doesn't that make knights completely useless? In era I, spearmen were better version of the warriors. Almost same strength and a bonus against cavalry. They were however harder to mass produce and required copper. In era II, spearmen did not evolve. In era III, pikemen were a cheaper version of the great swordsmen with no resource needed and easy to mass produce. Halberdiers seems to be a combination of the two : no resource needed, but still powerful and hard to mass produce BUT they are not the combined evolution of the great swordsmen and the pikemen. I do not understand the relation between the warriors line and the spearmen line.	Same interaction with other units, same role. Little boy is growing up.	I do understand that unit as the evolution of the trebuchet. A LOT of resources required, a BIG industry cost and a clear role on the army composition.	See Halberdiers comments.
Musketeers 46str ; 970i ; 2pop req 7 iron 6 saltpetre	[evolves into infantry line, not heavy machine gun]	[evolves into musketeers]
If all infantry lines (warriors, spearmen and archers) have to be reunited into only one, I'm not a fan of doing this in two steps: archers and warriors lines becoming one with the musketeers unit THEN musketeers and spearmen line becoming one with the line infantry unit. As discussed in great swordsmen and halberdiers comments, I think the 3 of them could be united with the infantry line units for more clarity. Maybe making the musketeers the point of fusion is also an option.
INDUSTRIAL ERA
Line infantry 47str ; 1290i ; 4pop	Heavy machine gun 50str ; 5155i ; 2pop 4 oil	Howitzer 50str ; 5155i ; 2pop req 20 copper 14 saltpetre	Siege artillery 51str ; 5155i ; 2pop req 7 iron 8 oil	Dragoons 45str ; 2575i ; 3pop ; 6mov req 16 horses 5 saltpetre
We now all agree that this unit is the base unit. No resource required, a small industry cost. Here is the backbone of the army composition. You boys, have now the title of "cannon fodder"!	A tougher version of the line infantry. Population effective, more range, far more industry needed and a little bit of resources. Has suppression. A clear role in army composition.	Same class type, strength, industry and pop costs than the siege artillery. Can remove "Dug-in" as the siege artillery. Can attack fortifications but I think siege artillery can do it too. Who the hell are you buddy?!!! An oil-less version of the siege artillery?...	The clear evolution of the mortar. [Does not evolve]	Finally, cavalry's back! [evolves in Armored Personnel Carrier]
CONTEMPORARY ERA
Rifles 52str ; 3700i ; 4pop	Armored Personnel Carrier 62str ; 7400i ; 2pop ; 8mov req 14 iron 16 oil	Helicopter gunship 58str ; 7400i ; 2pop ; 10 mov req 12 oil 9 aluminum	Medium tank 61str ; 7400i ; 2pop ; 8mov req 14 iron 8 oil
At least, some of them survived.	The suppression of the heavy machine gun with the speed of the dragoons. Makes sense.	So, as it can not attack fortifications, it is not an evolution of the siege artillery. It is the new "Dug-in" remover like howitzer was BUT howitzer seems to be an oil-less version of the siege artillery and evolves into a aluminum-made unit?... If we needed a cheap "Dug-in" remover in industrial era, why don't we have one in contemporary era? Wouldn't it be better to have a cheap "Dug-in" remover and a costly evolution of the siege artillery in contemporary era?	Has the same stats than the APC but the medium tank is not armour piercing and is protected against suppression. So APC and Medium tank have no interaction, just pure strength, which is the same... Medium tank need less oil so it might be faster to produce. It seems weird that tanks are easier to produce than troop transport vehicles.
Anti-aircraft gun	Anti-tank gun 53str ; 7400i ; 2pop 14 iron		Main battle tank 69str ; 14805i ; 3pop ; 8mov req 20 iron 16 oil 4 uranium
Great against aircraft imo.	Not a powerful solution against armoured vehicle, but a cheap one. I'll take it.		The big boy. Hits hard, costs a lot. Easy to understand. But, I really feel like it should not be an evolution of a medium tank but another unit. Its like the great swordsmen - pikemen relation : one is cheap an easy to mass produce, the other is just bigger. I understand that it is the relation between the APC and the main battle tank, but why then does the medium tank exists?

My point here is that I have trouble explaining to my friends the role of each units without taking hours looking at their stats. I think it will be SO easier if I could tell "Anti-cavalry infantry is always cheaper and easier to mass produce than heavy infantry. They do not need strategic resources so, do not cry because you don't have access to iron, just make some pikemen".

And do not forget I'm only speaking here of the generic units, not the emblematic ones. It is SO MUCH HARDER to understand the role of the emblematic units without knowing exactly how the generic ones are related. How many games did it takes to you to realize that culture of the Classical era whose emblematic units are spearmen or archers counter-part does not give you access to just a better unit but that they fill a technological gap?!

Understanding the strength of each emblematic unit add a lot a complexity to the game. Sometimes, the right unit is as important as the right quarter. Imagine if all line of units had a up to date version during each era and that a panel will show you the generic unit that your emblematic one is replacing when choosing your culture.

Last but not least, I tried to understand so hard how the generic units are related because Humankind is ALL about mechanics well designed, easy to understand and well organized. And when you realized how chaotic is the unit evolution, even if it is not that important, it's like having a great tattoo for years and find out one day that there is this little tiny detail not in the right place...

Can you explain me those units purposes?

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