Discuss Bottoman Balance
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Now updated to bring some extra flavour to some previously under powered cards and techs.
Overall mod changes are summarized below:
Units & Buildings
Abus Gunner
- Removed light cavalry ranged multiplier
- Changed melee multiplier to all cavalry
Azap
- Reduced range by 2
Humbaraci
- Reduced range to 12
- Reduced speed to 4.25
- Reduced ranged attack to 17, melee attack to 26, siege attack to 42
- Reduced artillery multiplier to x1.5
Deli
- +5 food cost
Bashibozuk
- Reduced levy quantity to 5 (from 6)
- Increased ranged attack to 30, siege attack to 6
- Reduced siege RoF to 3
- Reduced villager multiplier to x0.25
- Reduced heavy infantry and mercenary multiplier to x1.25
- Increased siege unit multiplier to x1.75
- Increased health to 215
- Now affected by the Akinci card (increase villager multiplier to x1)
Chinaco
- Removed heavy cavalry multiplier
Sacred Cow
- Now uses Zebu model
Royal Musketeer
- Decreased melee resistance to 20%
Sebastopol Mortar
- +2 LoS in age 3 (32>37>42)
- Explosive Shot:
- Increase damage to 75
- Increase artillery multiplier to x1, infantry multiplier to x5
- Solid Shot:
- Increase artillery multiplier to x0.3
Arrow Knight
- Changed tags from heavy infantry to ranged shock infantry
- Artillery multiplier vs Arrow Knights removed
- Base range reduced to 27 (+1 with each upgrade)
- RoF changed to 3
- Attack increased to 17
- Artillery multiplier increased to x7, cavalry multiplier removed
- Resistance changed to 20% siege, 20% ranged
- Health increased to 175
Black Rider
- Reduced ranged attack to 37 (from 40)
- Reduced melee attack to 17 (from 18)
Hand Mortar
- Added x0.5 multiplier against training ships
Monitor
- Now tagged as a training ship (prevents absurd multipliers for Culverins and Hand Mortars)
Cannon Boat
- Now tagged as a training ship (prevents absurd multipliers for Culverins and Hand Mortars)
Trading Post
- Build time increased by 25%
Blockhouse
- Chinese version now only trains Castle armies but now also contains Castle upgrades
Line Infantry
- Renamed to Whitecoat
- Stances reworked
- Volley: 23 attack, 3 RoF, 13 range, resists 0.15 ranged
- Stagger: 23 attack, 3 RoF, 13 range, resists 0.15 siege
- Melee:13 attack, 1.2 RoF, resists 0.15 melee (default is 16 attack, 1.5 RoF)
- Defend: 23 attack, 3.3 RoF, 13 range, resists 0.2 ranged & 0.1 melee
- Stand Ground: 23 attack, 3.3 RoF, 16 range, resists 0.15 ranged
Royal Huntsman
- Renamed to Royal Warden
- Gains an additional 10% yield when gathering
- Can now also chop wood
- No longer transforms to Royal Hunters with the League of Armed Neutrality technology
Royal Hunter
- Removed access to this unit
Wild Boar
- Now has its own model instead of using the Warthog model (credit to InnateJaguar)
Cards & Technologies
Acemi Oglan School (Ottomans)
- Cost reduction reduced to -15% (from -20%)
Topcu Corps (Ottomans)
- Increased Great Bombard train time by 5%
Akincis (Ottomans)
- Also increases Bashibozuk villager multiplier
Mosque Construction (Ottomans)
- Reduced discount for Palace Intrigue technologies to 35%
Grapeshot (Portuguese)
- +0.5 AoE to all artillery (except Culverins)
- +0.25 infantry multiplier to Organ Guns
- Removed effect on packing and RoF
Ordenanca (Portuguese)
- Training time reduction lowered to -15% (from 30%)
Jesuit Influence (Ethiopians)
- Moved to age 1
Prize Bull (Ethiopians)
- Big Benny now has 700 food
Great Temple of Quetzalcoatl Support (Aztecs)
- Now correctly sends 12 Jaguar Prowl Knights
Belanda Hitam (Dutch)
- Fixed issue where Akan Ankobia could not be trained
- There is another mod that fixes this, but I also made some changes they didn’t make:
- Also removes the increased build limit if allying with Akan on the map
- Akan from alliances on the map no longer have their portrait updated
Goa Followership (Ethiopia)
- Cost increased to 800
- Also sends a Cow with each future shipment
Cow Loans (Hausa & Ethiopia)
- Research time decreased
Akan Alliance (Hausa)
- Akan Palm Oil Exports is replaced with Akan Cocoa Beans
Advanced Arsenal Cards/Techs (Europeans, USA, Mexico)
- Now enables a Grenade Launcher technology (does not enable training Grenadiers)
- Also enables all default Arsenal technologies for civilizations that lack any
Grenade Launchers (Europeans, USA, Mexico)
- Also grants the veteran upgrade
Ranching Cards (Europeans, USA, China, Aztecs, Lakota, Haudenosaunee)
- Cows, Llamas, and Water Buffalo are now available by default in age 3, however, their cost is increased to 180 for Cows and Water Buffalo, and 140 for Llamas
- Ranching does the following (Water Buffalo Ranching does the equivalent for Goats and Water Buffalo):
- Enables Cows
- Sheep cost decreased by 10%, Cow cost decreased to 80
- Llama Ranching does the following:
- Enables Llamas
- Sheep cost decreased by 15%, Llama cost decreased to 70
- Cowboy revolutions (Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, etc) reduce Cow cost to 80
Year of the Goat (China)
- Increases the carry capacity of caprine (goats and sheep) livestock by 5%
Year of the Ox (China)
- Increases the carry capacity of bovine (cows, llamas, etc) livestock by 5%
Rural Village (China)
- Also sends a Goat
Urban Village (China)
- Village upgrades are also 30% cheaper
Boxer Rebellion (China)
- Now increases Sentry and Irregular melee damage by 20%
- Sentries and Irregulars gain the Critical Strike ability
Saiga Herd (China)
- Blockhouses also spawn Saiga
- Card now available to Russia
Venetian Arsenal (Italy)
- Arsenal Wagons can now also build Docks and military buildings
Sopracomito (Italy)
- Explorers garrisoned in ships now increase the ranged attack by 10% (15% for Galleases)
Roundel Attack (Italy)
- Also improves Leonardo’s Tank
- Increases Galleass LoS
Naval Infantry (Portugal)
- Portuguese ranged infantry can now construct Docks
Carracks (Portugal)
- Also adds +2 Caravel build limit and updates their name
The Raj (India)
- Villager build bounty changed from experience to export
- Hindu Villager build bounty increased by 20%
Military Rickshaw (Japanese Isolation)
- Now sends a Dojo Rickshaw and is renamed to Dojo Rickshaw
- Cost increased to 400, and is available in age 3
- Clan Offerings cost reduced to 350 to compensate
Expeditionary Fleet (Portuguese Allies)
- Now sends a Battleship instead of an Ironclad
League of Armed Neutrality (Oldenburg Royal House)
- No longer replaces Royal Huntsmen with Royal Hunters
- Now enables the Trading Post attack action
- Improves Trading Post attack by 20%
- Increases Trading Post range by 2
Prince-Electors (Germany)
- Oldenburg alliance now enables Royal Wardens (Royal Huntsmen)
- Does not increase Royal Warden population because they already have a cost
12 Oldenburg Allies (Russia)
- Renamed to 15 Oldenburg Allies
- Now sends 15 Northern Musketeers instead of 12 Royal Hunters
Civilization Balance
Russia
- Starting food crates consolidated to 1 large food crate (total remains 500)
2 Likes
Can’t say I agree to these changes, outright removing units might be a step too far:
Royal Huntsman
- Renamed to Royal Warden
- Gains and additional 10% yield when gathering
- Can now also chop wood
- No longer transforms to Royal Hunters with the League of Armed Neutrality technology
Royal Hunter - Removed access to this unit
For the most part I agree and this is more of an exception I’m experimenting with and don’t have any plans to remove anything else. I might split this change off into a different mod if it’s too problematic. But in this case there are a number of issues that pushed me towards removal/merging the units.
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Hunters and Huntsmen are kind of a single unit already. When they’re swapped it is more of an unsatisfying sidgrade where they lose out on all the villager upgrades and can’t even do what their name suggests.
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The two units are unnecessarily confusing. They look the same and have synonymous names. It’s a very poor and confusing design to have an identical looking Hunter and Huntsman with different functionality.
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The name “hunter” is already used for a lot of other units. Jaegers, Cassadors, etc all mean hunter in another language. Consolidating the unit to Warden avoids that confusion.
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The League of Armed Neutrality had absolutely nothing to do with hunters or even ground troops at all. The technology that swaps them is completely ahistorical.
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Changing Huntsmen to Wardens with greater utility avoids them becoming obsolete when hunts run out. If they remain useful until pretty much all natural resources run out then there is no longer the need to change the function.
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What do you refer with this? Lakota/Haude cards granting techs to their houses?
Not every civ has access to all Arsenal techs by default. For example, only civs with Grenadiers can research Incendiary Grenades, and civs without Musketeers used to lack Socket Bayonet. So what I’ve done is make Advanced Arsenal give access to those techs if not already available. I’m not considering the Lakota/Haude cards as Advanced Arsenal equivalents so they aren’t affected.
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May I recommend a kinda similar change? Architects can chop wood, but late game you might want them close to base while wood already ran out close by, since they’re 2 pop I think they should be able to work on Estates as well?
Well, I’ll see what you’re cooking up, generally I like most of the changes made so far, especially the grenade launcher tech.
Nah, in lategame you want them building military stuff and walls.
Maybe they can get HP aura as Iro warchief has after his card.
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Finally got done with the next update. Changes are mostly focused on mercenaries. Age 5 Mercenary Contractor increases their cost slightly. Most instances of mercenaries enabled in production buildings are instead enabled in a standalone Mercenary Camp building. Asians now have better mercenary upgrades. All civs have a technology to replace their mercenary roster with new ones. Overview of changes is below:
Units & Buildings
European Fauna
- Improved localization of names on European maps. Caribou renamed Reindeer, Elk renamed Red Deer, and Moose renamed Elk (Bison already get renamed to Wisent)
Tavern/Saloon
- Now supports 10 population
- No longer has coin trickle by default (is enabled by Theatres or equivalent card)
- Now has a technology to reset mercenaries
Palace/Monastery
- Now has a technology to reset mercenaries
Mercenary Camp
- New building distinct from Taverns
- Changed skin to removed surgical tools and German symbol
- Costs 100 coin and 100 wood
- Constructed by Explorers and Envoys
- Only trains mercenaries
- Does not provide a coin trickle or support population
Cree Tracker
- Now has a the ability to reveal enemies they recently damaged (same as Salteadores)
Cards & Techs
Washington’s Continental Grenadiers (Revolutionary Americans)
- Legion Grenadiers replace Grenadiers in Forts (otherwise Sweden to USA revolt can unlock more than 12 units at the Fort and make techs inaccessible)
Atonement (Asians)
- No longer enables mercenaries
- Now increases Monastery build limit by +1
Koxinga (China)
- Now enables Iron Troops
NEW Nihonmachi (Japan)
- Age 4 card
- Enables Yojimbo
- +15% to pre-industrial mercenaries
- +20% to all mercenaries in age 5
NEW Housemen (China)
- Age 4 card
- Enables Manchus
- +15% to pre-industrial mercenaries
- +20% to all mercenaries in age 5
NEW Martial Race (India)
- Age 4 card
- Enables Jat Lancers
- +15% to pre-industrial mercenaries
- +20% to all mercenaries in age 5
Mercenary Camps (Germans)
- No longer transforms Taverns
- Enables Explorer to build several Mercenary Camps
- Randomly enables 3/5 of the following: Landsknecht, Jaeger, Giant Grenadier, Black Rider, Pandour
- Enables Tavern Coin Trickle
Dutch States Army (Dutch)
- No longer enables training at military buildings
- Enables Explorer and Envoys to build Mercenary Camps
- Speed boost reduced from +7% to +5%
Waardgelders (Dutch)
- No longer enables training at military buildings
- Enables Explorer and Envoys to build a Mercenary Camp
Contract Irish Brigadiers/Landsknechts/Swiss Pikemen/Giant Grenadiers/Black Riders/Hessian Jaegers (Swedes)
- No longer enables training at military buildings
- Enables Explorer to build a Mercenary Camp
German Mercenary Contracts (Swedes)
- No longer enables training at military buildings
- Enables Explorer to build Mercenary Camps
Theatres (Europeans)
- Enables Tavern Coin Trickle
Dance Halls (Americans) / Cantinas (Mexicans)
- Enables Saloon Coin Trickle
Advanced Saloon (Americans, Mexicans)
- Discounts Saloons by 10%
Somali Oryx Shields (Somali)
- Now discounts influence costs
Philhellenism (Wittelsbach)
- Now interacts with cost switching techs as expected
Soldier of Fortune (Baja)
- Bounty is reduced from 100% of experience to 80%
NEW Gambling (Europeans, Americans, Mexicans)
- Replaces mercenary roster with random new ones
- Specially enabled mercenaries are retained
- Available at the Tavern/Saloon/Lombard for 300 coin
NEW Samsara (Asians)
- Replaces mercenary roster with random new ones
- Specially enabled mercenaries are retained
- Available at the Monastery for 300 coin
NEW Miasma (Africans)
- Replaces mercenary roster with random new ones
- Specially enabled mercenaries are retained
- Available at the Palace for 300 coin
Age Ups
Mercenary Contractor (Age 3)
- Enables Explorers to construct Mercenary Camps
Mercenary Contractor (Age 5)
- Enables Explorers to construct Mercenary Camps
- Now increases mercenary cost by 5%
Civilization Balance
Swedes
- No longer have access to Jaegers and Black Riders by default
Revolutions
- Only provide +150 population space instead of +200
Africans
- Natives now cost 20% wood and 80% influence
2 Likes
They all sound great!!!
Keep waiting for a north american Outlaws nerf too
I like the changes to Mercs. I don’t know about randomizing German mercs, you’re investing a whole card just to get a selection of units after all.
You finally get a reliably trainable goon as China that isn’t tied to a banner army.
The Merc camps don’t have a select sound though.
Thanks for the feedback!
Enabling 5 mercenaries seems way overkill to me, so I did it mainly to reduce the number. But yeah, I can understand randomizing being potentially frustrating. I was initially considering making it a tech similar to Prince-Electors where you pick the subset of mercs you want but I wasn’t really sure how to theme dividing them. I could maybe go with an “HRE Army” with Landsknechts, Jaegers, and Black Riders (German inside the HRE) and a “Frontier Army” with Giant Grenadiers, Pandours, and Swiss Pikemen (Germans outside the HRE). Maybe even a 3rd option that keeps the randomized mix if someone wanted that.
Good catch. I had my sound turned off while testing so I totally missed that.
I love the idea making it work like Prince Electors, that way you don’t get too many mercs as you stated, but you can still choose a set. I guess it could work out great with the gambling tech to reroll the roster you get from the tavern.
I’ve updated it to enable unlocking techs instead of just random. And I also added sound for Mercenary Camps.
Now Mercenary Camps gives the following options:
Imperial Mercenary Recruitment - Enables Jaegers, Landsknechts, and Black Riders
Frontier Mercenary Recruitment - Enables Swiss Pikemen, Giant Grenadiers, and Pandours
German Mercenary Recruitment - Randomly enables 3 of the 6 above units
So the way I’ve set it up is anything random gets randomized again and anything fixed stays as is. So if you picked Imperial Mercenary Recruitment then researched Gambling you keep the Jaegers, Landsknechts, and Black Riders and only the initial mercenaries are reset. But if you picked German Mercenary Recruitment then researched Gambling it would also reset the 3 extra German mercenaries (from the 6 available options).
Also something interesting I noticed is Ronin aren’t actually in the initial random pool and are normally only available through the Theatres card. But I added them to the available options when resetting with Gambling tech.
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What do you think of adding Steel Bolts to the Arsenal for appropriate civs, much like what you did with the grenade launch card? It kind of annoys me that some civs can’t upgrade them past veteran, but that’s another matter.
Reason? I really like crossbows. I know, don’t judge me.
Stuff like Grenade Launchers and training Cows never felt like something that should be gated behind a card so that’s why I changed them to be available without it. But I’ve tried to keep it so those changes don’t affect balance too much (like making the non-card versions more expensive or only available in later ages).
Giving everyone steel bolts and imperial xbows would almost certainly change the balance so I wouldn’t do that with this mod.
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