Yes
No? Hand cannoneer is not that good of a unit. Why would you make them when chu ko nus are better and arbalests are just as good?
I see this (hyopthethical) addition of the hand cannoneer as an oportunity to take something in exchange in a way that nerf them at the pro level and doesn’t affect them much at middle and low elos.
I’d say. Nerf their versatility. Take away heavy camels. That’s something pros value a lot of the Chinese and low elos not so much (“haha chukonu goes brrrrr”).
The cannon unit they can get is hand cannoneer balance wise. Take away the camel line if you want historical accuracy.
It is more circumspect to say that they “May” not be that good of a unit until you need them. They can be an outright lifeline in emergency tech switches whilst performing well enough in their own uses.
bombard tower is ok but not the bombard cannon. Also, they shouldn’t have camel at all.
It depends what units you need to counter. If you’re up against Huskarls or Kamayuks then Hand cannons are better, no question about it.
Here’s my proof of concept of how the Chinese can be re-balanced if they get Hand Cannons and Bombard Cannons:
In this mod, I removed all Imperial Cavalry units and Plate Barding Armor, reflecting how Chinese Cavalry was seen as weak. I also nerfed Chu-Ko-Nus so that they would be a more defensive unit. I would like to hear what you guys think.
Hearty congratulation. It is really impressive, how some Mod people can pull off such good works, while the developers mostly consistently fail. I would say thumbs up…
Here’s a guide I wrote if you’re interested in creating custom civilizations:
The civ bonuses spreadsheet is out of date at the moment, but all the concepts should still be the same.
If we were to give the Chinese, Hand Cannoneers of Bombard Cannons, then they would have to get their Bombard Tower removed for balancing purposes.