I’ve played almost a thousand games now. Mostly team games. I’m not a great player, but got up to rank #500 in 2v2 at one point. I really, really want this game to be successful and am encouraged with the latest momentum. However, the current heavy calvary in the game is driving players away, making for stale games, and holding the game back.
I know there are countless threads on complaining about French (and maybe we should pay attention to that more…). But, the current use of heavy calvary as a non-stop raiding unit, in literally every game of those thousand I’ve played, just doesn’t match what heavy calvary were used for. This game would be so much better, and wouldn’t drive players away if heavy calvary (knights) were less effective raiding units.
Going up against a hoard of FU knights in the late game is fine, they are powerful, but you can counter them at that point. So really, it’s that the early game raiding just does not make sense. Further more, it’s often communicated that we want to have thoughtful or interesting decisions to make, currently, there is no decision to make. Just make as many knights as you can, as early as you can, and plunge them into economic lines. This is to the point that new players don’t think there is any other way (seriously been asked).
The following changes are centered around making heavy calvary a less effective raiding unit:
Make knights slower. This is an easy change and would make sense. Slow them down 10% - 25%. Give them an age 3 or 4 upgrade to speed them up if you want to.
Move textiles to any other building but the TC. It’s a huge economic punishment against french who already get faster villager production, to have to spend TC time researching textiles. OR make it 1 second research time. Make it cheaper too.
Remove the ability to charge economic units. Knight raiding will still cause economic opportunity cost, but gives your villagers a fighting chance to survive with the other changes.
BUT: heavy calvary was extremely effective in the battle field. SO:
Leave charge at the current speed. Which makes it more dramatic with the lowered based speed. Still can smash into armies and get the shock and awe of it all.
Increase charge damage against non-spear units. This will give them even more power to shatter a defensive line, but with decreased speed makes it so they can’t just kite-charge. If you want to charge, there is a greater commitment, as you can get run down by other units. This makes it much more interesting and strategic to use knights.
A good solution for team play is to go fast castle. I think the French Knights need a little nerf. Personally I would lower the health of the early knights to 170hp and also that “Chivalry” costs food (I don’t understand why it costs wood) or that it only regenerates 1 hit point every second while they are stopped.
just make spearmen… and build wooden walls at certain points to defend your economy.
Heavy cav ain’t good at all and is resource inefficient when you know how to counter it.
Just start making spearmen against any melee cavalry first, then suggest changes pls.
Knights, no matter the civ you choose are powerful in every stage (maybe less in imperial but still very good).
In team games where maps are huge, it’s a must. They are as good that I’ve started to mix them in every combination of troops.
As Abbasid, knight+camel archers are unbeatable.
As english, longbows+knights (knights deal with other knights and MAA, and longbows deals with spears and both harass eco).
Just a few of examples above. I find knights so tanky. I mean, if I am economical fine why I should expend in MAA when I can do knights, that are more tanky, more speed, more attack, etc…?
Maybe, they should act as a charge unit. They must be very good at charging and doing a considerable amount of damage charging, but less efective when fighting (not against ranged units, they should act as a direct counter of ranged units).
So… Increase charge damage, and decrease base attack while increasing bonus against ranged units to compensate?
That way they will still be effective raiding and charging, but less efective while fighting MAA or spears. I find them ridiculously powerful against spears, his direct counter.
You can easily prevent early knight raids by making towers and spearman.
Right now balance between civs is pretty good, french isnt even top 1 anymore. Also heavy cavalry is in a good spot, they are supposed to be strong and powerful, you are paying a lot of resources for it.
In 1v1, and btw in any other format
each civ who has a good cavalry unit in feudal and even in castle (french, rus, mongol (power spike in catsle), HRE (while getting fast castle)…) outplay more efficiently other civ in this meta.
Heavy cav should cost 2 pop !!!
When infantry, especially pikes caught them, they should be rooted from at least 2sec.
Maybe the value of the lance (A key) attack (29) of the early knights could be decreased a little? 2 early knights kill a villager(50hp) very fast and then continue on their way.
The knight is pop efficiency and that happens in the Late Game, but in the Late Game you should already have Castles, walls, towers, an improved anticav, etc.
The game balances are always centered around the few civs that everyone plays so they will never nerf French, HRE and English. There you have it. Make men with pointy sticks, knights go bye bye. Walls are cheap, bye bye raids. Don’t rush into next age unless you can defend your base, raiding goes bye bye.