The Byzantine mercenary system is very poor and may even have a profound negative impact on the game, both in terms of gameplay and history, which is a very wrong direction.
From a gameplay perspective, Byzantium was able to freely produce characteristic units from other civilizations, and had their unique improved technology, making it even easier to produce them than those units originally belonged to the civilization (such as the Huihuipao of the Mongols). This not only caused significant damage to the diversity of the game, but also raised concerns among players about the future development ideas of the game.
From a historical perspective, although Byzantium had the habit of hiring armed forces from other regions to fight in history, this did not mean that they could cross time and space to hire military units that they had never come into contact with and that only emerged many years after the fall of Constantinople. It should be noted that many of the units that Byzantium could now hire were important weapons that were strictly guarded by some countries at that time, How could it be easily hired or easily mastered by mercenaries?
Although it is only a game with a historical theme, it cannot be too imaginative.
To summarize, since we need to establish a mercenary mechanism, why not specifically design several types of “full-time mercenaries” like AOE3?I emphasize again,this is really a ridiculous setting, and I earnestly ask developers to pay attention to my suggestions.
Oh the holy moly Byzantines, mighty Roman Empire successors, the crossroad of continents. Why wouldn’t they be able to get everything around the world?
Change the mercenary contract to western, eastern, and nomadic.
Western, Almogavar (light fast javelin thrower), Genoese Crossbowman (crossbowman that can deploy pavise), Hand Cannoneer
Eastern, Varangian Guard, Horse Archer, Rus Knight
Nomadic, Alan Cavalry (armored horseman), Cuman Horse Archer (Horse Archer that fires a burst of arrows), Mongol Cavalry (renamed Keshik)
Italian Gunner (a bombard that also has an attack bonus vs other siege weapons) always available at the mercenary camp at age 4)
Varangian Guard unlocked at age 4 regardless of the mercenary contract chosen.
Replace the Foreign Engineering Company Landmark with Hagia Irene age 3 landmark (Monastery that houses unique religious techs)
Golden Horn tower made age 4 landmark
Random Mercenaries.
Landsknecht, Longbowman, Streltsy, Knight (has the healing out of combat upgrade), Man-at-Arms (has the HRE mace upgrade), Sipahi.
Make the Man-at-Arms available at the Barracks Varangian Guard has been moved to the mercenary camp.
hand cannoneers and bombards removed only available via mercenaries. Bombard emplacements cost olive oil and stone instead of gold and stone.
This is a game not a historical simulator. If you want accurate mercenaries go read a history textbook.
You are using Chinese to fight against Malians in France so you cannot ask for accurate mercenaries.
This DLC has been widely positively received with a high number of players. So accurate mercenary does not matter at all. Most people wouldn’t care.
You’ve already wasted the devs precious efforts on the meaningless trivial things like changing the great name of “Empire of Jade”. Don’t distract them anymore.
Considering that you might be fighting against or alongside the Chinese, being able to recruit mercenaries from them or surrounding regions as well is pretty logical in my opinion.
That said I strongly disagree with the gameplay point. The way Byzantium will utilize opponent’s unique units is drastically different (and often more limited) than the originating civs, so in my opinion it actually increases civ diversity.
Every time it’s like this, why do you people assert that we are pursuing a completely true history? As a game with a historical theme, is there such an obvious question that cannot be raised yet? Do you think this is an excessive demand for historical rigor?
And as a consumer, I have the right to make my suggestions, and it is their own freedom whether developers adopt them or not.
As for the Jade Empire, this is a rotten name, and Zhu Xi is also a rotten name.
I think I have made it very clear that opposing the current Byzantine mercenary mechanism is due to its historical and gameplay nature. Simply put, I don’t want to see other civilizations’ characteristic units being abused. If you want to create a mercenary mechanism, you can design specialized mercenaries like AOE3.
You mean like AOE3 where the asian civs can build the european civs unique units?
They Byzantine list has been carefully catered from available units, and it is logical that they can use the units of the other civs that they may encounter in the game.
In regards to it not being historical, it is on the same level of abstraction as other “ahistorical” things already in the game and is far from being eggregious
Using Chinese to fit against Malians in France "is one of the selling points that AOE attracts players to play, but having Chinese produce French Royal Knights from Malians’ stables is not the selling point.
If they did, they would basically just be unique units and wouldn’t feel like mercenaries. (AOE3 only feels like mercs because of the home city/card mechanic). Recruiting units from other in game civs to do a mixed army is a very unique feel to a civ.
Which ones do you take exception with? Only the Huihui Pao feels like an odd choice considering it’s basically unbuildable for the Mongols and is kind of the odd one out being locked behind a landmark.
Streltsy, Nest of Bees, Royal Cannon, and the like, I would like to see Byzantium become more medieval and replace Bombard with an enhanced version of Trebuchet.
HuihuiPao is no problem, because this thing is actually the same thing as Counterweight Trebuchet, It’s just that the game has created a specialized version for it, but since it is set as a Mongolian exclusive unit, Byzantium should not be made easier to manufacture it than Mongolia.
In addition, when characteristic units of other civilizations serve as mercenaries, at least the relevant enhanced technology should not be shared with Byzantium.
