So, I watched Hera’s recent video on Dravidians. Their primary weakness seems to be knights and skirmishers. So I will suppose a crazy suggestion, the Dravidians can make camels but not heavy camels (no changes to their blacksmith, and they can keep their awful stable overall) but camels cost no gold and 44 food, the same cost of a berber camel, but also costing no gold. The Dravidians can keep their weakness to onagers over all, but really annoying for knight civs by spamming trash camels.
Skirmishers combined with cheap trash camels will give a player using skirmishers and knights a bit of a headache. Their camels will fall off in the late game, but in the castle age, they will at least give them some flexibility vs knights and scouts.
Dravidians didn’t have camel irl. Now I’m not particularly against such things as this won’t be any different from Mayans and Incas having EW. However, I’d just want to stick to Dravidians design - Infantry, Elephant, Navy.
Historically South India never had camels. They had significant cavalry horse army. Due to their significant population size they had everything in large number.
44F camels is insane even with the Dravidian tech tree. Also remember that Wootz steel applies to Calvary so they might still by viable in post imperial age. Also if we are going to give trash camels to any civ it should be one that struggles against Calvary or in trash battles. Drarvians have great halberdiers and great skirms so giving them trash camels is not a good idea.
Bestowing upon the Dravidians camels devoid of gold could indeed proffer profound strategic intricacies. Naturally, it would necessitate the exquisite scrutiny of game artisans to ascertain equitable gameplay.
I never said it being a technology I wanted it as a civ bonus.
Considering how awful the blacksmith upgrades for cavalry armor and and their abysmal stable lacking bloodlines and husbandry. So how about the camels simply cost no gold and no heavy camel upgrade? No additional food cost, but they cost standard food.
I’m not sure wootz steal would make much of a difference in the late game.
Byzantines have one of the best camels in castle age they cost 41F 45G but are balanced out by lacking bloodlines. Generally bonuses are better than upgrades especially in the early game because they don’t have to be research. Dravidians would be balanced out by lacking husbandry and bloodlines and cost 44F about half of what byzantine cost.
If you want to be buff Dravidians agianst knight and skirms you should propose changes that keep their identity intact. Some combination spears, skirms, monks, siege, or urumi swordsmen should be able deal with knight or skirms. Off the top of my head:
Spearmen affected by gamberson so skirmsisher are less effective at sniping them
Spearmen lose the spearmen armor class for the same reason
Skirmishers +1ma for better knight survivability
Additional MA for siege units so that can survive longer against knights
