Completely agree about almost everything suggested here.
Reasons for those changes are nicely described in term of geography and warfare of dwarven realms in Middle Earth. I hardly support all of them.
You have right, current Battlewagon look very cartoonish, and new skinning is really desirable, of course because of high standard which is set by this mod at first place.
So, I support and like idea about reskinning curret Battle wagon look, and this war machine deserve new name, as you have suggested, War Chariot is so good name for it.
If team in further future decide to implement this and those new animals that would be great and I think it will boost quality of mod even more.
Concerning animals, I am really only for rams (goats) and some unique implementation of those epic wild boars:
I like those white goats model for Ered Luin, they are muscular animals which are inspirated in weta design by Mountain goat in nature :
Rocky Mountain GoatI would really like to see them as corresponding animal for Blue Mountains region which is tamed by Ered Luin dwarves. Also it white color is really fitting in blue/white color theme of Ered Luin dwarves. So, this is one more reason why I think this white mountain goat is so good choice for Ered Luin.
This one is really fitting because of itS color for Erebor, perfect in that brown theme. Beast looks very strong and muscular. Like that horn armor touch.
I have seen that korner have suggested
Muskox as pulling animal, I am against this species because it is not goat, it is something between goat and ox. I am mainly only for goats here, 3 different looks of rams, and this Muskox is animal which is living on Artic region not in Mountain environment which are concerning dwarves here in first place.
And current ram from this Erebor picture suggestion already looks similar in muscular from with Muskox, but more useful with those horns look and position.
Now concerning Iron Hills, I am against wide range usage of wild boars. Let me explain. I am for that regular War Chariot is pulled by current Nazgul's model which is currently used in game as pulling and riding animal for Iron Hills.
Also that current
model looks similar to movie pulling and ridding animals (yes in case you haven't noticed
ridding rams in movie and chariot's pulling rams are very different, they have different horns, horn's position, fur and color. On this picture you can see differences:
Pulling rams). So this current game model should stay with Iron Hills and only with them.
And concerning those epic wild boars. The best way of using them is to make them more unique in game. And my suggestion is to integrate them only in Kings Dain War Chariot ability. Those summoning chariots are unique and they should become even more unique by adding those boars as pulling animals. Reason for this is that as you have said they represent Royal Crest for Dain's House. So this touch will be great in Erebor, King Dain have saved his royal family symbol. And in Iron Hills this is already integrated in term of Lord Dains personal pig mount. So keep boars unique and add them only in this ability. Simply I wouldn't like to see that all of chariots are pulled by royal animal of Lord Dain's House. It would lost that unique touch if whole Iron Hills faction will have boars for chariots.
Concerning war chariots upgrades, we shouldn't complicate things. All of them should stay with same upgrades as in current situation. And if we would like to see that crossbow, then it could be integrated as cool down ability instead barrel, as FG have said. Or maybe in place of archer/axe/crossbow unit upgrade which exist now.
Also there aren't animations for two animals in front of the War Chariot.
So does this mean that there is no possibility for making somehow new chariot model for 2 pulling animals?
Or second animal could be added to current model but only new animation need to be done for it?
P.S. Also Dain, if you have model of those wild boars and chariot, maybe you can deliver it to team, if they see it as good one. Maybe that boar model could be used.
Kind regards.