Malian infantry are good, generic infantry are weak. Making them cheaper does not really solve the issue in Castle age where Goths usually lose.
Do they lose in the Castle age because of a weak feudal age before or because of the castle age itself? It would surprise me if the castle age itself is the problem.
I think cheaper units solve a lot. 35% cheaper means a lot more than 35% stronger. 35% cheaper means 1.54 times as much units. And if you compare it to for example Jpanaese 33% faster attack speed, 54% more units mean 54% more HP and 54% more attack. So the 35% discount makes the infantry actually 1.54*1.54 = 2.37 times as strong. 137% stronger. And because of this small changes can matter a lot. A 25% discount like in feudal age means just 78% stronger.
No, it is bad design to give the same bonus to multiple civs and should be avoided as much as possible.
I’ don’t know, maybe. But I don’t really need buffs. But if there should be buffs Suplies would be a possibility. This one really fits the Goth identity.
The whole identity of Malians is Huskarl-like infantry without Huskarls. Giving Goths this bonus hurts the identity of Malians.
All infantrry without good pierce armor feels week. Really good infantry have only the Goth, Malians and american civs. Maybe it would be a solution to give the militia line in general 1 more pierce armor including Malians which would have even more than now.
If Goths make archers, the enemy might be forced to make skirms which can be countered by Goth champs/Huskarl.
I don’t really want to play Archers with Goths. I don’t really get civs like Lithuanians with no clear concept. Are they about drushing? Rushing FC to get the relics? About an op unique unit? And then there are random boni for spears and skirms. That is not good design imo. Goth have a much clearer identity.
Teutons, Franks will kill Goths with strong eco and Knight rush. Ethiopians, Japanese will kill Goths with with archers before Goths can get castles and eco to support Huskarls.
I guess you talk abot high elo here were I have no experience. The last three time I played Ethiopians as Goth went like this: First game went to imperial age and I got completely destroyed by Shotel Warriors, some few archers were killed earlier by my Huskarls just in time.
In the second game I tried to adapt and rushed with Militia and man-at-arms. He survived and destroyed me with archers in feudal.
Third game I drushed again with tons of militia, and he resign before I even reached feudal.
Goth spearman-line should counter Frank knight line on paper. I think the throwing axeman are the problem for Goth.
Trebs can still be used vs. BBT from the opposite shore.
Yeah I had this situation as Portuguese, but Cannon galleons two-shot Trebs. There wasn’t much he could do, once it was set up.
Goths were strong in high elo because they had cheap militia in dark age. This allowed some strategies where you never age up and just keep making militia. Devs removed this and now the bonus is not really until late castle / imp.
It worked because of the 137% stronger militia due to the 35% discount. Now they have just a 20% discount in dark age what results in 56% stronger milita. Maybe it just not as much as needed, but 35% was too much. Maybe 30% would be balanced. Just tweak it until it is balanced.