If ES wants to make Rax units more appealing for all races, one option is they COULD take these bonuses, and extend them to all races.
First off, I don't think that the HP bonus should be given to every race -- I think that bonus should stay with the Choson. It's unique, people are used to it, and I have no problem with the format. If every race had more HP than hoplites it would decrease the already limited role of hoplites.
But people play rax with Rome because of the attack rate. And that would be easy enough to change for all civs. The fact that a simple attack rate upgrade created such a bonus shows that extending it to every civ would increase the use of swordsmen by every civ. You still wouldn't stand up in a hoplite vs. swordsman fight, because of the huge attack and defense rates for hoplites.
Rax units still wouldn't be the first unit of choice for anyone. There are much more useful units for killing villagers. And rax units are still very vulnerable to archers. But it gives them much more of a chance vs. cavalry, and allows them to demolish camels. And town removal duties are accomplished quicker as well. I would even consider extending the bonus to clubbers and axers as well as swordsmen.
They still have huge upgrade costs to become effective. But with the change there would be more of a payoff for each of the upgrades. And you'd see more of them in the endgame I predict. When you're reduced to trading for gold, it's a lot easier to buy a swordsman than a cav or camel.
To give the Romans a (somewhat) significant barracks bonus under the new system you could make their swordsmen have a +.3 movement rate, like the Greek hoplites. Yes it's only a marginal bonus, but the Romans already have some super bonuses. And it would make them even better at catapult killing than they are now. It would let them get closer to various archers as well, since the archers would get off fewer shots before the rax close the gap and open up a can of whupass.
What do you think? Would it make the game more strategic? Yes. Would it make the unit mix more diverse? Probably. Would it change the nature of the game dramatically? Probably not. So why not test it with a patch or whatever, and let everyone experiment with it?
As always I welcome comments.
Mr Hanky