I’m having a hard time understanding why it was necessary to take the Russian explorers ability to build blockhouses away. Every other explorer can build outposts and forts if age 4 fort card sent… Russia can’t build outposts, and is limited to 7 blockhouse/Baracks. I found it very useful to be able to build a blockhouse and slowly push using explorer. (I’m not talking about explorer creeping or hiding it somewhere behind enemy base.) Meaning he is with my army fighting and building when and if I am able to push.
Ottomans Janissary unit can build any military building with just one unit, same with Indians and few other civs… Yet the Russia explorer can’t build a blockhouse?
I already felt like Russia was lacking in Treaty games, this just made them a little worse. Yeah Russia can spam a ton of units quickly, but their units are very squishy even fully upgraded.
at high level people would sneak around their explorer and then launch surprise attacks though them, this was incredibly annoying and much harder to counter than the ottoman stuff since explorers have more hp and since blockhouses can train a 100 units in a couple of seconds.
I get that it’s a $hit way to play and I personally don’t find that to be a satisfying way to win… But I will point out they could just sneak a few musketeers in and build a fort and do the same thing and you would be less likely to notice the muskets on mini map.
Also, if they are looking that this… Then IMO they should look at Japan. I can’t tell you how many times a Japan player sneaks a Diamyo and Shogan in your base and spams 10 mortors and Samurai and it’s game over.
The explorer at least shows a big star on mini map, unlike Musketeers, Diamyo, Shogans, Jans, etc.
Oh, and don’t get me started on players hiding stealth units!
Don’t punish the players that play the game properly.
Suggested alternatives:
Increase the space required for blockhouses to be built from enemy TC specifically so they can’t build behind the enemy base.
Or
If explorers can’t build blockhouses then how about allowing Musketeers. That way it’s a low HP unit.
Or
Deal with the players that do dumb stuff like this.
Its not the same. If you are in age 5 and get the balloon, and you have your explorer dead in your opponents base, the balloon can revive the explorer and the explorer can quickly make Y Blockhouses inside of your base.
Sure if 10 musks enter, well then thats bad walling, but this exploit is so common in treaty that i am glad that it stopped.
Russia can spawn infantry almost instantly with the right cards and the church tech, so it’s nowhere near the same. A single blockhouse can train dozens of units in the time it takes a daimyo and shogun to get 10 mortars and 10 Samurai (which can be countered easily by ranged cav).