I understand your point but don't quite agree with it. Ever played RTRVII? They use standard equipment for every unit and, yet, each unit looks distinctive. I think it's possible to make them look interesting, while also historically accurate. Remember, you can only use one set of equipment for each unit, but you have various historical and interesting examples of standard equipment that you can use, for example. Plus seeing an unit of horned horses galloping through the battlefield just looks ridiculous.