First about tower rush. Tower rush is not Chinese and Mongol specialty. Actually English is much more stronger in tower rush, since they have ranged villagers. The point of tower rush is not about tower itself are overpowered, or the build time is too short something like that. The point is the game design allow players transfer the defense force into offense too easy.
There are multiple ways to solve this problem, bigger maps, or slower speed for villagers, or the building’s timer is increased directly proportional with its distance from the towncenters.
I prefer the 3rd solution. The 2nd is also not bad, but gonna effect the whole game eco design abit. The first one is the worst, it made less contact for both players in early game. It made RTS a build racing game.
Back to the topic.
Chinese civ ideas: (every detailed number and digit is adjustable, here just mainly give ideas and exps)
Villager specialty :
Faster build speed for every single villager == now to efficiency of every joined villager increased from 75% to 85%.
Tax system :
All Building gives tax diirectly, no need to collecting by officers any more. it is not necessary at all.
Different type of buildings has different way to generate golds. mills by collecting resource, millery building by training units, houses by villager numbers. landmarks give gold directly. etc… More buildings you build and in use, more tax you can get.
Officers :
Now a horse unit or maybe directly combine with scout.
The better speed help them to observe a large empire with alot buildings accross the map.
When buildings are been observed, generate more gold at the same time.
The observing can be stacked, it gives chinese a ability to boom up one resource in short time. It provides Chinese flexible build orders.
Officers numbers can be limited with landmark’s numbers.
**The whole Chinese civ system would be like, **
more buildings => better eco => more villagers => build faster and faster => more and more buildings => better and better ecos.
It likes a enlarged circle. It fits the role of chinese civ, forced chinese spend more eco for building and defending in early game, and boom up late game eco with more villager and buildings.
About dynasties:
Since many of dynasty units and building are not really helpful to be honest, you don’t have to give one special unit, one special bonus and one special building for every dynasty.
One dynasty can be only eco focused, or milltery focused, or technology focused.
As the role of Chinese civ in game, the early Song can be eco focused, mid Yuan can be milltery focused, late Ming can be special tech focused.
Granery:
took 4 blocks, not nesscery at all.
it doesn’t give any upgrade buttons like in mills which its kind weird. (sometime you have to build extra mill for multiple upgrades)
it can be a upgrade version of mills, doesn’t have to be two differnet buildings.
Firelancer:
Compare to the normal horseman, they get less armors, less attack to archers, slower speed, this unit now is in a very awkward positions.
You can just easily make it a expensive version horseman with better charge and torch dmg.
You don’t have to assign a specific role for this unit, leave the job to players.