Age of Mythology Military generally works on a Rock, Paper, Scissors basis. Currently Egyptian vs Egyptian matchup is a strange one as back in the old days: Slinger beat Axe, Axe confidently beat Spear and Spear beat Sling.
Currently its more like: Slinger maybe defeats Axe, Axe demolishes Spear and Spear beat Sling. Here are a set of proposed changes that may help this Rock paper scissors back in line with the expected results while only having minor effects of every matchup outside the egyptian barrack ones. The only larger one being the Toxotes.
Lastly the change to Electrum Bullets is one that I’m not okay with the slightest on a Mathematical basis. Serpent Spear gives 0.75 Divine damage over 6sec while Electrum bullets gives 1.00 Divine Flat on a unit with 3 pierce attack increasing its damage output by over 33%. Seemingly compareble to Spear of Panic? Not in the slightest, as you are giving this to a RANGED unit, one with 1.0 reload time at that. It also further eliminates the advantage Spearmen is supposed to have against the Slinger.
As picutred, there is also the uninteded consequence of Slings of the Sun turning the Slinger into a permanent Throwing Axemen antidote as it is classified as both ranged and infantry. During testing it takes 5 hitting bullets for the slinger with Slings of the Sun to defeat the Axe Thrower. This changes should make it take 6-7 hits (depending on upgrades) instead (takes 9 without).
The Classical Age counter system for Egyptians was always kinda off.
Maybe the easiest solution is to just imply give Slingers 0.5x vs. Speaman in particular.
That does not change any of their interactions against any other civ but it would be a a kinda ugly solution.
Retold removed most of the unit specific modifiers.
Atlanteans have a similar situation. Turma are their Archer counter but it’s also their only Archer in Classical Age.
But Turma are just also cavalry now so they get demolished by counter cavalry unit if they manage to reach them.
Norse Axe Throwers are now also tagged Archers so they get hard countered by Raiding Cavalry.
From game play perspective Spearman should get a bonus vs. Slingers or Slingers should get less damage vs. Spearman, but that makes absolutely no sense logically.
According to all logic Slingers should at last soft counter Spearman and Axeman.
It could be fixed by giving them the Khopesh swordsman back, but with an anti Slinger focus.
Fast Infantry with decent Pierce armour but bad Hack armour. Being countered by almost all Infantry and Cavalry while struggling against every real Archer.
So they would be countered by:
Every Greek and Norse Classic Age unit.
Every Atlantean Classic Age unit, besides Turma and maybe Katapeltes.
They would not get the super low cost or the bonus damage vs. Villagers they had in the Extended Edition.
I am happy with the current Spearman-Slinger matchup (sans current Electrum Bullets) and honestly happy with Retold getting rid of weird multipliers.
Although my Slings of the Suns suggestion is a bit hypocritical to that point, the suggested added hidden multiplier in Slings of the Sun is in line with the description that suggests it being additive (hence me emphesising on it being 3.00 → 3.75 against throwing axemen)
The Cheiroballista is actually classified as a Ranged unit in addition to Siege now, being countered by Slinger and Turma, Countering Katapeltes who in turn counter Turmae, with Murmillo being a slight wild card only counted by Chieroballista while strong vs Katapeltes and buildings while being indifferent vs Turma.
I’m Happy with the current state of the Atlanteans Classical Age military units.
They actually used to have a hidden multiplier against Throwing axemen before, so it is not so differently now. Currently you now have: Hirdman counters Raiding Cav. Raiding cav Hard Counters Throwing Axemen and Throwing Axemen Counters Hirdmen, Berserk and Hersirs and Berserks are strong vs Hirdmen, Raiding Cav and Buildings.
Thowing Axemen are weaker to Hippikon, Slinger and Turmae now is good, the Norse in turn has great counters to those units. Hippikon: Hirdmen, Berserk. Slinger: Raiding Cav and Berserk (Soft Counter) Turmae: Raiding Cav and Hirdman (Volatile, takes high damage in return). And said factions have counters to those counters.
I’m Happy with the current state of the Norse Classical Age military units.
That would make the khopesh exclusively an anti-slinger and possibly a raider (something the Egyptians are kinda supposed to be short on in Classical Age sans Anubite/Sphinx). The Spearman has high speed (5.00, 5.25 with Set) and is the intended way to counter the Slinger outside of using Myth units (Anubites, Sphinxes and Wadjets).
The Addition of the Khopesh would also make the Axeman a yet stronger option in mirror matchups, which already is the unit I think is the strongest in the trifecta of barracks units (and as it has low pierce armor, giving Electrum Bullets HIGH Divine damage impacts Axemen less than Spearmen).
