So people can run up and wall off resources using palisade walls. There is a tactic with the berbers that makes this even more insanely effective.
That said… why is this a thing? This strategy takes 2 wood to do, and 1 villager. There is no risk of being countered here, and no investment. You send 1 villager, you wall off opponents gold or stone, and if vil dies, no loss. If palisade wall dies big deal it was 2 wood. Vs, you send 3 men at arms that takes 120 food and 45 gold. Yet the palisade walls are more effective at ruining the opponents economy.
At the same time, palisade walls are too weak from a defensive standpoint. They honestly are paper vs any castle age or even some feudal age units. But you rush with palisades and you can delay that from opponent by 3-5 min if your good.
Then there is the towers. Also a highly toxic build that does not look at all like how defensive structures should be used. At the same time, towers are also too weak defensively, and its kinda sad that they are balanced for their use by Trushers.
Here is a thought. What if the construction time or cost of the towers and the walls (both stone and palisade) were modified by their relation to other structures? For example, if you were building towers or walls near your town center (within an arbitrary number say for example… 30 tiles) then the cost or construction time of the tower was reduced? If out of range of your town center but in range (say 10 tiles) of a lumber or mining camp or some other non military structure, then its only somewhat reduced, and if not in range of any buildings, then the cost and/or construction time is increased?