In almost all RTS games the problem with naval has to do with mostly supply but also resources being locked into water. Aside from a land-water interaction that was poorly defined in the beginning, but that is already improving.
So I would suggest the addition of Naval Capital ships and Coastal Forts.
Each age-up unlocks another capital ship slot, so you can build 0 in Dark, 1 in Feudal, 2 in Castle and 3 in Imperial. A capital ship costs no or very limited resources and 0 supply, capital ships purpose is to serve as a backbone and secure transport option. Overall purpose and design:
A Capital ship should be as strong as 50 supply of regular ships.
Capital ship is slower than conventional ships but with a lot of hitpoints.
The biggest damage output of a Capital ship is its garrison of land units that shoots arrows, as such it is actually not a very strong ship without a supply of units in it.
Castle age unlocks an upgrade for 1 âcastleâ with a weapon emplacement purchase option.
Imperial age unlocks an upgrade for a second âcastleâ with a weapon emplacement purchase option.
Capital ships should have an auto-transport option to allow players to simply command land units across the map
While capital ships are free, their construction time is very significant and what you get is a floating garrison unless you spend resources.
Coastal forts are intended to give an opportunity to contest naval supremacy.
Coastal forts can be build on land and on the shore.
They are constructed by villagers and take up 1 capital ship slot.
Coastal forts can only attack naval units and are very strong against naval.
Coastal forts use many-weaker or splash weapons and have poor single target burst damage.
Transport ships (or capital ships) counter coastal forts, by dropping melee units.
This provides a solid baseline or backbone that gives any player a useful presence on water. However, by investing in regular naval ships along with your capital ships you still establish naval supremacy. Again though, any player can create a safe harbor to maybe contest it by building coastal forts.
Sounds like aoe3. Now, the naval counter setup IS alot better than aoe2 thereâs a bit too much carried over.
Coastal forts are intended to give an opportunity to contest naval supremacy.
This in particular. If the devs see fit to un-ruin culverin, then giving having docks an emplacement option for bombards or culverin to counter ships would prolly be a bit safer of a change. Start small, and all that.
To be honest, I like the idea of ââCapital Ships, although I think youâre referring to the FLAGSHIP.
That said, I think youâre making the idea too complex, but well, the core idea is very good. As long as the capital ship itâs a powerful ship, itâs fine, and its model evolving with technologies between ages would be ideal (Carracks werenât invented until the Imperial Age).
As a comparison, in AoE III:DE there are âBattleshipsâ, and these are only unlocked in Age IV, because if they were unlocked before it wouldnât be historically correct, and on top of that theyâre very broken.
Similarly, although I want to see them, for historical respect:
1).- Or they are merchant ships in Feudal age (springald or arrow ship) with a bit more HP in feudal, and they are upgraded by age IV to Carrack, Galleon or War Galley version.
2).- Or they are only recently unlocked in the Imperial Age (IV) with better stats than a normal ship, and a unique model per civ, because there are many of these known ones that were important for different countries and cultures.
At least I would like to see the Mary Rouse for English:
Well, also, while itâs an interesting idea, it doesnât solve the problem that makes some naval battles boring:
They only consist of 2 types of ships: Arrow Ships, and Spingarda Ships, NOTHING else. Explosive Ships are situational (like floating mangonels). And in Imperial Age, naval warfare is who builds Carracks first, or more explosive ships and thatâs it.
Even with capital Ships / aka: FLAGSHIP, it would still be the same.
Following the example of Rome ad bellum, mod for Aoe II, and Age of Mithology Retold, I would add 2 types of ships, which fall into one category: âFRONTAL attack Shipâ
Boarding Ships (II)
They have a boarding crew, when they attack they release yellow ghosts (like the construction ones) jumping to the enemy ship. They get some gold for destroying ships. Bonus against spingarda ships and Warships.
Would be best for rock paper scissors as a counter to springald ships in feudal, and as a supership in Imperial Age. So much effort that I even looked up types of War Galleys around all civs, and here are the names:
Region/Civ
Arrow Ship
Springald Ship
WarShip
Boarding Ship
War Galley
West Europe
Galley
Hulk
Carrack
Boarding Hulk
War Galley
French*
Galley
War Cogââ
Carrack
Boarding Hulk
Galleass
China, Mongols
Junk
War Junk
Baochuan
Tower Ship
Wugonchuan
Japan
Junk
War Junk
Atakebune
Sekibune
Ozutsu Kobaya
Delhi & Abb/Ayy
Dhow
Baghlah
Xebec
Ghanjah
Galiot
West Africa
Cannoa
War Cannoa
â
Boarding Cannoa
Bombard canoa
Rus
Lodya Galley
Attack Lodya
â
Bording Lodya
Shaika
Ottoman
Dhow
Hulk
Carrack
Ghanjah
Great Galley
Bizantines
Galley
Hulk
Carrack
Dromon*
War Galley
Yeah, Bizantine Dromon would become a unique Boarding ship replacement, so they properly have a springald ship too. Also some unique units, like Galleass and Great Galley, become War Galleys subtype.
Most would be âBoardingâ versions of springald or galley ships, with visible crew on the ship. Of course, they would have 2 technologies for Age III and Age IV, as arrow and springalds ships has.
About War galleys, Iâve done a lot of research, and they were used a lot during the Imperial era of the game (1500-1650), so they are ideal for Imperial age. Japanese would have a Kobaya with Osutzu in front, because their guns werenât that strong (and so we would have the 3 Sengoku ships, all in order, perfectly balanced)
I actually donât think thatâs really the problem at all.
I think the main reason people donât like it is that they have to do something different when playing water.
They canât do their regular build orders. Then itâs like a separate mini game within the game that canât be ignored.
Unfortunately this is a mostly intractable problem. Thereâs only so much you can do, short of making water so bad that players can just ignore it.
Not to say that improvements shouldnât be made, but youâre never ever going to get everyone on board with water maps.
As for this âcapital shipâ idea, I think it sounds overly complicated and doesnât actually improve anything.
Iâve seen people making suggestions of needing to garrison troops in ships in order to increase interactivity between land and water. All of these ideas in practice just make water more complicated and way more annoying for those that donât want to interact with it anyway, and donât really improve it for those that are fine with playing water.
