Reposting from Reddit.
Since the Shu are performing well but people still find the War Chariot as very underwhelming. I thought of a buff that could help it without causing much difference in the win rate of the Shu.
The solution is to give it an Elite Upgrade for Imperial Age.
Cost: 550 Food 900 Gold
Stat improvement:
+10 HP
+1 Range
+0.15 Movement Speed
-2 second reload speed
Having such improvements would make the War Chariot more viable but it remains balanced due to the fact it’s an expensive upgrade locked to the imperial age. The increased movement speed would also make them slightly faster than War Wagons after Husbandry and the Shu bonus.
Otherwise the Shu already perform the best in castle age, so they don’t really need help there. Having the improvements for the War Chariot in the Imperial Age however would benefit their endgame, even if it’s locked behind an expensive upgrade.
Addendum: it would be useful to use the War Chariots flag as an indication of what mode it is in. Like flag up for Focus Fire and Flag Down for range. It would improve readability in my opinion.
Also perhaps the War Chariot should lose minimum range in barrage mode to give thatode more utility in close combat situations. Currently it’s completely outclassed by Focus Fire mode. I got this idea from a Reddit comment in my original post there.