I know this is crazy but maybe mango groves can be reoworked to make them closer to reality.
Every mango grove starts with 1000 food and 0 wood. When villagers start gathering, every 1 food they collect is converted to 5 wood in the grove, so when the gathering is complete, you have 1000 food in the bank and 5000 wood in the grove.
Then you can gather wood from the grove. Every 5 wood gathered “charges” the food amount by 1 wood. And then the whole process repeats itself, simulating how mango orchards work irl.
I think this makes the mango orchard interesting, and indefinitely useful, but allow enemies to destroy them too.
Cherry Orchard and Mango Grove
Still cannot be destroyed, but now let them can be controlled by other players like livestock.
Gatling Gun
Attack changed from 30×6 (total 180) to 24×7 or 21×8 (total 168).
The total damage will be lower, but ideally it should be better at fighting large groups of infantry due to less overflow.
Sharpshooter
Gain the “Hawkeye” ability: 5% chance to deal 5× the damage.
To Encourage the use of them more than Gatling Guns.
Morutaru
Renamed to Ozutsu (“大筒”).
The Japanese seem to have not called mortars “Morutaru”. “Ozutsu” is a more accurate Japanese term for artillery.
Ashigaru Musketeer
Can be simply renamed to “Ashigaru”, if not divided into 2 units of musketeer type and spearman type.
If possible, reduce the ranged attack but make it fire a bit faster.
Village (Chinese)
Nerfed to 2000 HP; changed to from nomadic yurts to Chinese-style brick building look and to have a bit bigger size.
Let the card “Village Defenses” also gives Villages +25% HP.
Card “Way of the Bow” and Tech “Kyudo” (Japanese)
These two terms literally mean the same. Please change the name of at least one of them.
Card “Komo Trade” (Japanese)
No matter still costs wood or not, provides 1000 export instead.
Age III cards need to be worth about 1000 resources.
Card “Foreign Trading Companies” (Indians)
Gives a trickle of 1 export per second instead; also provides 600 export.
Card “Otontin Slinger Combat” (Aztecs)
Renamed to “Ranged Infantry Combat”; changed to give Otontin Slingers, Engle Runner Knights, Arrow Knights and Eagle Scouts +15% HP and attack.
Card “Ritual Gladiators” and Card “Wall of Skulls” (Aztecs)
Should also respectively improve Jaguar Prowl Knights and Skull Knights instead of only shipping units. Maybe a better speed, XP bounty, ranged resistance, or enabling combat promotion.
Card “Theaters”/“Dance Hall”/“Cantinas” (Europeans/US/Mexicans)
No longer provide Ronins, but randomly unlock 4 new types of mercenary units, and also make Tavern/Saloon trickle +0.36 coin/s. The chance of Ronin can be slightly higher than other types, as a Homage to the original effect.
Card “Viceroyalty of New Spain” (Spanish)
Makes Consulate Soldados trainable at Forts; makes Hacienda Wagons trainable at TCs to rebuild.
Soldados can no longer be spawned and upgraded at Haciendas.
Card “Rockets” (Maltese)
When attacking close-range buildings, Fire Throwers no longer have to get a distance to use rockets, but instead able to use hoops or flamethrowers.
Card “Rocketeers” (Indians)
Makes them attack with rockets at long range and with torches, grenades or muskets at close range, no matter if the target is a unit, building or ship. Also at least gives the Rocketeers a new look, with an army uniform.
If possible, Rocketeer should be a new mercenary, and Arsonist should be a cheap outlaw. Then, change the card’s effect to simply ship 4 Rocketeers and make Rocketeers trainable at Castles.
Guards (French Church Card)
Currently, Incendiary Grenades and Grenade Launchers come later than other civs. It’s a bit unfair.
Grenadiers are trainable and Incendiary Grenades are researchable by default.
Old Guard no longer enables Grenade Launchers but gives Grenadiers and Old Guards +10% HP and attack.
“Grenade Launchers” becomes an Age III tech in the Church after the French Church Card shipped, using 1 Home City shipment as the cost.
Consulate Artillery
An experimental idea.
Each European ally adds a new tech “Import Cannons” (IV) at the place of the buttons of Livestock Pen Wagon and Meiji Restoration.
After researching “Import Cannons”, at the place there will become an infinite shipment, providing single artillery to Asian civs at a slightly higher cost.
British, Spanish: 1 Falconet (maybe at a price of 350 export)
Dutch: 1 Mortar (maybe 400)
French: 1 Horse Artillery (maybe 500)
German: 1 Heavy Cannon (maybe 600)
Ottomans: 1 Great Bombard (maybe 500)
Portuguese, Russian: 1 Culverin (maybe 350)
(The Livestock Pen Wagon could be removed as previously suggested, and the existing 2 Great Bombards would be a cost-effective single shipment.)
(It doesn’t matter if the German ally is replaced by Chinese Isolation due to the fact that a Factory can be obtained.)
Fifth Consulate Ally Option
Another experimental idea.
The player can only have relations with up to 4 different allies in a game.
Historically, Dutch ally would be the best choice for the fifth option for the Indians.
United States ally:
To be the fifth option for Chinese and Japanese.
Compared to other allies, its armies, shipments and techs are more expensive.
Bonus
Minutemen can be levied repeatedly at a price of export.
Armies
Expeditionary Company (II): 8 Expeditionary Volunteers.
Expeditionary Force (III): 6 Expeditionary Regulars + 1 Gatling Guns
Expeditionary Army (IV): 10 Expeditionary Regulars + 14 Expeditionary Volunteers.
Shipments and techs
Open Door Policy (I): Ships 1 Trade Post Wagon; gives a trckle of 0.5 export.
Long Rifles (II): Expeditionary Volunteers and Minutemen get +4 LoS and range.
Black Ships (III): Ships 2 Steamers.
Expeditionary Marines (IV): Ships 16 Marines and 1 Ironclad; upgrades Minutemen into Marines.
(The Portuguese ally provides a Battleship instead.)
Import Cannons (III): Enable the infinite shipment of 1 Gatling Gun.
The Japanese Flag
The current flag is based on the mon of the Tokugawa clan. The Tokugawa clan was the ruling group in Japan at the time, so using it’s mon as the Japanese flag is like using the Democratic donkey or the Republican elephant as the US flag. Even the Imperial mon (the AoE2 Japanese icon) is a better choice than the Tokugawa mon to represent Japan as a whole.
The Hinomaru flag (the current national one, not the Rising Sun one) is a decent alternative. In the timeline of AoE3, the Japanese have also used the Hinomaru flag extensively to represent themselves when interacting with foreigners, even though it hadn’t yet had the modern concept as a national flag. In Japanese video games, they also use the Hinomaru flag to represent 16th century Japan, such as the Uncharted Waters series.
Some of them are good but some are a bit too much for now. As things that are considered as ‘traits’ of civs and cards won’t be changed until devs get a full schedule for total rework, but small suggestions will be applied if valid.
Some of my suggestions;
General:
Church units should be Consulate units, so they can get auto upgrades.
Adding cards to other civs that are similar to the Mexican ‘Barbacoa’-like card, for easy gathering with livestock.
Add a unit that can ‘herd’ (like Granary) huntable of the map (I know it’s a game breaker, so it is a pure suggestion for fun)
Herdables and Huntables in Haciendas and Granary are stuck tight to buildings, so they disrupt the gathering of villagers. They need fixing.
British Consulate: Replace Roger Skirmishers with Consulate Rangers. (same unit ID but change stats and visuals)
Japanese Isolation: Clan Offerings and Meiji Restoration definitely need a rework.
Spanish: Add allying with the Jesuits card.
Russians: Add a card that Normalizes stats and prices of Blockhouse units. (or Petrine Reforms tech instead of a card)
Detinets also increase Blockhouse build limit.
Lakota: Add some Bow Riders cards.
Mexicans: Add some changes that synergize with Third Guarantee. (to use abundant wood)
Revolutionary France Flying Battery card also increases limber/bombard switching speed and reduce movement speed penalty rate in bombard mode.
Haudenosaunee: A card that changes Tomahawk’s range damage to melee, more effective against cavalry, light infantry, and artillery but less against units with melee resists.
Yes. I don’t expect those experimental ideas to come anytime soon. However, other ideas, such as rockets or Aztec cards, are easier to apply and have more urgent needs.
Exactly. As I suggested before.
I doubt the devs are willing to make the Mexican’s trait less special to help other civs’ livestock mechanic.
Japanese Isolation can need a lot of changes, especially their units and Meiji Restoration.
I don’t like that they made Yamabushi a consulate unit instead of a religious unit. It is not a good design to use mercenaries as consulate units, so there are many similar versions of ninja-like units (Shinobi, Ninja, Ninjutsu-Zukai) and samurai-like units (Samurai, Wokou Ronin, Ronin, Hatamoto Samurai) in one civ.
Renames Wokou Ronin to “Kabukimono” (“傾奇者”) and gives it a new, more flashy look.
Lets Yamabushi become Zen’s second unit or a native unit that can only be shipped from Home City (like Lenapes), or becomes a Monastery unit after Monastery is reworked.
Monogashira (“物頭”): New heavy infantry replacing Konsha Yamabushi at Consulate in Age II.
Shinobi: No changes.
Akazonae (“赤備え”): New expensive heavy cavalry, trainable in groups of 3 at Consulate in Age IV. Has hand attack with good area effect, and gains additional HP when grouped together.
Hatamoto: no longer related to Ronin, so no longer a mercenary, maybe get new stats, and get a new look or use Ronin’s look and have Ronin use Wokou Ronin’s old look, to differentiate these units.
The Meiji Restoration can be changed to have a revolution-like effect.
Costs 2000 export.
Ends isolation instantly when researched.
Turns every Ashigaru into 1 New Army Regular, Yumi into 1 New Army Rifleman, Samurai into 1 New Army Regulars and 1 New Army Riflemen (or into 2 New Army Regulars), Kibatai (Naginata) into 1 Hussar, Yabusame into 1 Dragoon, and to make New Army Regular and Rifleman trainable at Barracks.
Nice. I hope it does not cost population. Just reduce the train limit if needed.
Maybe the next tech from Petrine Reforms, called “Ekaterina Reforms” or “Alexander Reforms” or something.
Indeed the another valid alternative and I also had considered it.
“Kyuuhou” is the term of On’yomi (Sino-Japanese reading), while “Ozutsu” is of Kun’yomi (native reading).
In a way, I would prefer a Kun’yomi’s term because it has a more Japanese flavor.
There is a reason behind almost every idea. I can explain.
The ideas for Gatling Gun and Sharpshooter are to keep their respective niches better separated so that people can use the latter more on a case-by-case basis rather than always use the former.
The renaming of the Morutaru and Ashigaru Musketeer is to be more accurate.
Nerfing Village will help weaken the Chinese a bit. Changing it to a brick-style look will make it more in line with the way most parts of China are built.
The ideas for Komo Trade and Foreign Trading Companies are to make them more useful as Age III cards.
The ideas for Otontin Slinger Combat, Ritual Gladiators and Wall of Skulls are to help the late game Aztecs that weaker and weaker after a few updates.
The idea for Theaters”/“Dance Hall”/“Cantinas is to be more helpful in the mercenary games. The unit needed in most situations will not be Ronin. The reason why this card provides Ronin is likely because it was not in the mercenary random pool before, making it the most difficult mercenary to access to.
The idea for Viceroyalty of New Spain is based on discussion of this card by people in the forum.
The ideas for Rockets and Rocketeers are for a better experience. Units using rockets are forced to go back for a minimum range, as if they forgot how to attack at close range they were born with before getting the rockets, which is annoying.
The ideas for the Consulate Artillery infinite shipment are to help the Asian civs get artillery without paying more exports for other units they don’t need.
The fifth consulate ally is meant to bring in more interesting options. It is not the first time that the concept of the US ally has been mentioned in this forum.
The idea for the Japanese flag is to make more sense. The existing flag has its awkwardness.
This time it’s mainly some feedback not about balance, and some for fun.
German cards should ship less or no extra Uhlans when having no enough population, instead of making cards themselves cannot be shipped.
The Home City of Italians will make the game become lagging.
There is a bug that the skins will overlap when choosing Aztec War Chief’s skin.
Inca War Chief’s skill “Condor Eye” should be allowed to be used against treasure guardians during the treaty.
When a large number of Settlers are tasked to a mine, they should not kill animals near the mine.
Aztec and Inca TCs should not use firearms when attacking under any circumstances.
The time required to call the People Ceremony has become slightly longer, but about 3 Warriors can be spawned at a time.
Rice Paddies should have a different look when providing coins than when providing food, just like the Fields of African civs.
The Royal Guard units should be able to first be upgraded to the normal guard level for 600 wood and coins, and then upgraded to their own royal guard level for 400 wood and coins to gain their unique advantages. This avoids the disadvantage that spending 1000 wood and coins at once makes them difficult to be upgraded.
Different units that have the same position in a formation, such as Musketeers and Grenadiers or Crossbowmen and Skirmishers, should be spread out evenly, like how AoE2 works.
Pure healer units like Priests and Imams should be rowed at the end of a formation, not with the artillery units. Also, even with the hotkey Z, they should prioritize healing units instead of going forward and fighting with their fists.
Ships and artillery need a stance like Stand ground that can stay in place and don’t move.
Downed heroes should not block building’s foundations. When placing foundations on top of it, it should automatically get out of the area of the building.
Lets the Explorer’s Dog a powerful normal pet unit instead of a hero. The effect of the associated cards can be changed to allow the Explorer to train it for free, up to 1.
Allows a tech or card to allow the American and Mexican General to ride a horse, like the Mounted and Dismounted Infantry.
The non-buildable areas of the capturable neutral structures on the European maps should have some natural visual hints rather than simply a vast open ground with nothing. For example, the space near the windmill can look like fields and even some villagers working on there.
After researching the Spies, attacking the opponents’ unbuilt foundations should force them to cancel the construction. The current European civs’ AI has been like this when it is under attacked, and I hope other civs can be like this too.
This feels a bit weird to start with a more expensive tech, then go to a cheaper tech. Maybe give both techs a 500 coin and wood cost and reduce their research time. This would allow players with royal guard units to access the guard upgrade more quickly as their tech would be cheaper and quicker to research. Alternatively just make the royal guard units into unique units (if not already) and just slightly improve their base stats.
Agreed
They should be given as stand ground stance so they don’t start drifting to the frontlines. I found this works well with drummers.
Just YES!
Yeah this is really annoying when trying to turtle
I think spies should be give a weak range attack as standard.
Even with the Stand Ground stance, using the hotkey Z will still make them move forward.
Maybe have healers automatically follow wounded units at times like this. This way when the armies are fighting they don’t just move forward.
