As a late comer, I'd like to start contributing to this discussion with something new. Since we will be having a levy system and therefore manpower would be treated differently, so I have the impression that Pop's output will be reviewed somehow.
Since we're talking about levies, let's begin by identifying the few different types of soldiers.
- Skirmishers
- Including
- Lithovoroi, who threw stones at enemies by hand
- Sfendonitai, Greek slingers
- Helotes - Spartan slaves who served as slingers
- Akontistai, Leves and Velites - Greek and Roman javelinmen
- Usually very unarmoured and untrained, these soldiers would be levied from the most poor citizens, still citizens nontheless.
- Except for Helotes, they would be made up of Spartan Helotes, who were the Spartan version of Slaves.
- Lightly armoured infantries
- Including
- Psiloi - Greek light infantries
- Toxotai - Greek archers, mostly from Crete
- Thyreophoroi - downgraded Hoplites, most Mercenaries belonged to this
- Hastati - Roman heavy infantries, not as heavy as their main very heavy infantries
- These would also be levied from citizens who could afford basic armour, or mercenaries
- Nicely equipped infantries
- Including
- Hoplites and Phalangites - mostly the same but Macedonian Phalangites wielded a Sarissa instead of a regular spear (Dory)
- Peltastes - nicely but lightly armoured Javelinmen in Greece
- Principes - Roman main line of very heavy infantries
- Epilektoi - Greek elite Hoplites
- Spartiatai and Homoioi - Spartan elite Hoplites
- Triarii - Roman returning veteran soldiers
- Legionarii - Roman professional soldier after Marian reform
- Evocati - Roman returning veteran legionarii
- They would be levied from citizens who were really wealthy to afford dressing up the whole body with equipment
- Cavalries
- Including
- Hippeis - Greek Cavalry
- Equites - Roman Cavalry
- Socii Extraordinarii - Roman Cavalry enlisted from the Socii (allies) who were not Roman citizens but rich, under their Auxilliary systems
- They would be levied from the richest of all citizens - the Nobles. You need to own a horse to be able to enlist
- They would also see little duty other than chasing off routed enemies and crushing poorly armoured skirmishers
After listing out all of these, I believe clarifying the distinction between Citizens, Freemen and Tribesmen would be important as they would also affect what kind of soldiers we are getting from the levies.
Perhaps
- Nobles -> Heavy Cavalries
- Citizens -> Heavy and Light Infantries
- Freemen -> Skirmishers and Light Infantries (for Sparta since Spartans citizens would always be Heavy)
- Tribesmen -> Light Cavalries, Light Infantries and Skirmishers
- Slaves -> Skirmishers (for Sparta only)
Under this system then, Citizen would represent both the Hastati and Pricipes ranks of citizens. The Freemen would always be outside, as Freemen as of now represent the highest social status someone not integrated can become.
Also, special care should be made to tribal Nobles. I also don't think the dividing line between Citizens and Freemen would be their wealth only, because it isn't compatible with how Cultures are handled. Does it mean conquered foreign Nobles would somehow just lose their wealth and become poor? You can either confiscate their properties or you can exile them. But the game right now doesn't handle it this way. Nobles and Citizens get demoted, meaning they would be relieved from their positions and roles instead of a change in wealth.
The other problem would be Freemen. Do they represent the Perioikoi, people who dwell in the surroundings?
And yes, their output types all need to be redesigned, since Nobles will give you Heavy Cavalries and they can't be replenished by chopping up a Freeman Pop into 500 and filling up the empty saddles.