Since no one else seems to have started a general discussion for the new patch, I’ll start one.
I know what some of you are thinking, that it’s too early and they we should try it first, but there is no harm to start the conversation in the meantime, even just on first impressions for now (plus thanks to my new job I predict that I won’t be able to test it myself for several days if not week, so at least you can cheer me up with your experience…).
I’ll start with my first and hot impressions of the several civs changes:
Aztecs:
- The nerf could have been less drastic, for example staggered by ages, but after all it’s appreciated, since it reduce the gap between aztecs eco and most of other civs.
- The JW reduced TT is handy, but I don’t think that it’ll change anything, since it wasn’t that their main problem (maybe they are better when facing goths…)
Bulgarians:
- much appreciated the blacksmith bonus tech, since their UU needs double the armor tech you can now actually have an edge (before you were only able to match another civ who didn’t need both infantry and cavalry upgrades), it’s also a worh ally now in team games.
- the BS and SW discounts on food it also helps them, not too much, not too little, and it plays directly with their strengths (full BS techs and fantastic siege).
Burmese and Celts:
- not too much to say, nice little nerfs on their main (and still strong) strategies.
Cumans:
- I don’t know if this was necessary onestly, probably people would have instead preferred a reduction of the frame delay of other cavalry archers units…
Etiopians:
- nice the reduction of the gold cost, but nothing too crazy about, SW were however good before, now they simple are a bit spammable, but their role doesn’t change.
Goths:
- that’s a bit tricky… I think that the main idea was that now they can’t make a drush with more than 3 militia, not without gathering gold at least, but they still left the opportunity for them to use annoying strategies like go forward with an ista researched loom (you can potentially research it even before queuing any vills) and wall in resources.
- I personally would have preferred that loom would have been researched immediately and for free when clicking up to feudal (not when reaching feudal), and that goths start the game with minus 50, but we will see how this develops…
Indians:
- so that’s more difficult, basically they camels and ligh cav have +1PA for free in castle age, and the standard PA in imp, but in imp they also lose 1MA for losing plate armor, am I right? I’m onestly not sure on how to feel about this, for sure they are a bit more viable now in castle, but in imp that a big nerf, though, this was requested for late game on TG, so they are a bit less strong vs paladins.
- for reducing the bonus of camels vs buildings, I don’t think it’ll change anything, since it wasn’t that important before, and this hasn’t changed.
Italians:
- They finally reduced the training time for GC, it’s now on pair with other foot archers UU in castle age, and a bit below average in imp, which is great. They haven’t changed their elite stats or reduced the elite cost (which is high) but since the elite version now takes 14s to train (9/10s with conscription, which is almost as a CKN) I think that now it is worth the resources that it cost more than before.
- I’m disappointed that they didn’t receive any other change (a rework of the age/dock discount, a new bonus for archers, or even just getting back some old weak bonuses, like - 15w or +2LoS on FS) but at this point I’ll take what I get, and that change alone could really make the difference.
Kmer:
- there isn’t really much to say here, all their strongest bonuses are neefed, so now it’s a bit less frustrating to play against them.
Koreans:
- I really like their changes, I used to think their free archer armor bonus would better benefit the Italians (and would make WW even more stronger), but after all koreans doesn’t have really much, so I think that it’s balanced, and could work very well with their cheaper archers.
- Their tower (and Trush) received a bit of a nerf, since they now need a castle for their extra range, and that’s is welcome by me.
- At the same time their TS received a small buff, making them more viable on water, and more water diversity is always welcomed.
Lithuanians:
- I like that there is finally a tradeoff for using letis (more damage but less resistance to archers).
Malians:
- gbetos were good even before, but I think that reducing the frame delay will incourage their use more.
Mayans:
- I don’t think that the nerf on obsidian arrows will change too much them…
Portuguese::
- really welcomed change (even though I would have gone with a less strong one to be onest). Now, I’m assuming that this doesn’t affect aging up, since this is the malay/persians bonuses (otherwise, if I’m wrong, I definitely think it’s OP) so this wouldn’t change too much their feudal age, but by the time the they are in imp, the bonus can really snowball and help them, even just teaching into cavalier in 30s less is a huge help, and it work well with their open tech tree.
Tartars:
- I don’t think that +1MA on scouts, SL and CA will be game-changing, but it wouldn’t make them OP either (we will have to see how it work with patrol SL…)
- the 2 free sheeps is nice, I really curious to see how this will change their build orders, I estimated that in a standard game between 600 and 800 food spread across the game (less factoring in the decaying). It wouldn’t make them the new mongols or Britons (who get their food faster) but I think that they simply be more confortable with their food and wood (more like the lithuanians extra food bonus), so they’ll be more flexible than fast.
Turks:
- good for the +1PA on scouts, let’s see if this will compensate for their lack of foot trash. Though I would have made the bonus start in castle age, for 2 reasons; first, their skirms in feudal are perfectly fine, even if a bit of a waste, second, now their scout rush will be a lot more effective vs archers, and more difficult to counter (though spears will always work well, so we will have to see…).
- I also like the increase of accuracy on janissarys, since it really make no reasons for them to be that innacurate, I hope that that will prove once and for all that turks don’t need good trash to be a good civ.
Vikings:
- not a necessary nerf but a welcomed one, since their berserkers really chew through cavalry, at least now it more difficult to get the UT.
General:
- I think that now the walling meta is nerfed by a lot, which I don’t like as a personal preference, but I agree with it, it’s a good change since this was abused too much and too easily.
- the BE now will strugge more on pushing by demolishing buildings, wich is good.
- also there is no change to HC and CA, which a lot of people (including me) were expecting, but those can and could come with later patches.
To conclude, I don’t think that this will be the last balance patch that we will see, for sure there will be still adjustments to the changers brought with this patch, and maybe some more other new changes. But probably this will be the bigger patch that we will ever get, and the last one to be so heavy on balance changes, at least for a while.
Overall, I can’t say that I agree on everything, but I like it in general, and I think that the waiting was worth.
Now it’s your turn, express you ideas, feelings and experiences (do it for the ones that like me have to wait to test it ), of course in a mature and respectful manner: