What is the real difference between regular and native troops?
I assume that regulars are better than natives, but I've heard that they are almost the same.
So, what are the real differences between them?
And which are the best troops to use, overall?
let me give my experience on native troops
Native troops are different from regulars in 3 ways (technically)
1. Less Morale/Org - they are less effective troops, they run out of morale easily and get overran.
2. Lower Reliability - Attrition is high if you don't have a +reliability/-attrition general. They also rebel a bit more frequent.
3. Much lower cost to maintain: 1/10 of the regular cost.
Analysis:
1. Native troops cost the same to build as Regulars. In early game, when troop maintenence cost is low, the 9/10 discount in maintenence is insignificant comparing to the huge cost of raising them. Since they have half the morale, they easily run out of morale and do nothing in combat, something worth noting is that the fire-shock ratio in early game is especially low that you often run out of morale before your entire division got annihilated. You also risk them rebelling and become your enemy.
2. Defence spending must be taken into account also, colonial soldiers cost the same as regular soldiers, the early game discount on maintenence is not big unless you attach artillery on them.
3. Your troops gain experience in wars, if you were to do a world conquest game, it is probably not a good idea to recruit natives - they rebel and your experienced division is gone. (though the same thing would happen for regulars, but at a lower probability)
4. Existing native divisions gain the same stat modifications when you discovered a tech. Thus, native troops recruited early would have very similar morale/org to the regulars in late game. This is one reason to build them early.
5. When progressing to late game, the discount on troop maintenence become more significant, and natives become a "gamey" way to field a horrible stack of artilleries to decimate your enemies. A 20-arty-division stack made of natives eliminates enemy almost as fast as regular artilleries. Yet they cost much less to maintain.
6. In late game you usually have the spare leadership to recruit good leaders to lead native troops.
My houserule is not to have brigades attached to native divisions unless I am playing an unciv.
