It’s just my personal opinion, all in good fun, just wanted to share some of my quick nitpicks on the game we love, based on some History, winrates (as seen on ‘aoestats.io’), and my personal style, without much compromise or radical changes. I didn’t look into the African civs yet.
Also, as we know, some civs have a debatable military focus, like the Celts being a Siege civ and the Ethiopians being an Archer and Siege civ.
Points marked with ‘(?)’ are still undecided.
General Style Changes:
- the obligatory pathfiding, bug fixes, etc
- make all civs have the right architectural style
- create, at least, the Caucasus and Nomadic architectural styles
- make all civs have a unique castle
- make all civs have at least one campaign
- correct some of the civs Monasteries and Monks based on their actual religion
- correct some of the civs spoken language (eg: Byz. speak Latin instead of Greek; Goths; etc) and ideally its grammar (Portuguese, Burmese, etc)
- implement regional unit skins (only slight tweaks for immersion, unit is still easily recognisable)
- have the option of toggling on/off a bit more blood on dead units
- make all tooltips and texts more useful/complete/fun (I’m thinking about the old ‘Maximum Extended Help’ and ‘Age of Chivalry’ mods).
- improve some civ descriptions (eg: Ethiopians: ‘Archer civilization’ → ‘Archer and Siege civilization’)
- make in-game buildings also show their Building Armour or at least have a clear option
- rename ‘Gate’ to ‘Stone Gate’
- improve the Ballistics tech icon
- make Careening and Dry Dock have more distinct tech icons
- rename the ‘War Galley’ tech to ‘War Ships’ (so it’s not confusing by having a name similar to the ship unit while affecting 3 different ships)
General Balance Changes:
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nerf herdables less Line of Sight (Dark Age feels like an herdable simulator and it doesn’t make any sense for the map to count as explored by the player when done by farm animals)
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Town Center: Line of Sight 8 → 9
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Conscription cost: 150 Food, 150 Gold → 250 Food, 250 Gold
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Two-Man Saw cost: 300 Food, 200 Wood → 250 Food, 200 Wood (it makes sense if you see the cost math evolution)
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Faith cost: 750 Food, 1000 Gold → 750 Food, 750 Gold
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Illumination cost: 120 Gold, 65 seconds → 200 Gold, 45 seconds
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Redemption cost: 475 Gold → 500 Gold
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push Treadmill Crane to Imp Age; change effect ‘Villagers construct buildings 20% faster’ → ‘Villagers construct buildings 20% faster, repair 10% faster’; cost ‘300 Food, 200 Wood, 50 seconds’ → ‘250 Food, 250 Wood, 60 seconds’; make available to all civs; somehow balance it for DeathMatch
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Siege Workshop build time: 40 seconds → 60 seconds
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consider dividing Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnance into 2 separate paths for Infantry and Cavalry (cheapening it a bit to balance), so as to have more granularity and an easier time balancing civs strenghts.
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after considering the above option, consider doing the same for Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, and Bracer, to have an easier time too with Archers, Buildings, and Ships, namely due to range balancing more than attack.
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base Elephant Archer: accuracy 70% → 75% (Elite has 85%)
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(Elite) Elephant Archer: hitpoints 230(280) → 250(300) (same HP now as the Battle Elephant; the Ele Archer has 4 range, less than the Archer and Skirmisher, and, overall, hasn’t been doing great); movespeed 0.9 → 0.88 (same as new Battle Elephants)
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Elite Battle Elephant: Line of Sight 8 → 7 (base remains at 7 too)
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Elite Steppe Lancer: Line of Sight 5 → 6 (base remains at 5)
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Crossbowman, Arbalester: train time 27 seconds → 28 seconds
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Knight (just base, not Cavalier, etc): train time 30 seconds → 31 seconds
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Bloodlines cost: 150 Food, 100 Gold, 50 seconds → 150 Food, 150 Gold, 60 seconds (holds off a little bit of the early cavalry power, having infantry in mind)
General Infantry Changes:
- Militia-line: train time 21 seconds → 20 seconds
- Man-at-Arms upgrade cost: 100 Food, 40 Gold, 40 seconds → 75 Food, 40 Gold, 30 seconds
- Long Swordsman upgrade cost: 150 Food, 65 Gold, 40 seconds → 150 Food, 60 Gold, 30 seconds
- pull Arson to Feudal Age; cost: 150 Food, 50 Gold, 25 seconds → 100 Food, 100 Wood, 30 seconds
- Squires: research time 40 seconds → 30 seconds
General Transport Ships:
- Elephant and siege units cost 2 pop space inside the Transport Ship
- initial transport capacity of Transport Ships: 5 → 10
- Careening still +5 transport cap; Dry Dock +10 cap → +5; Shipwright: +0 cap → +5
- Dry Dock cost: 600 Food, 400 Gold → 500 Food, 300 Gold
- Shipwright cost: 1000 Food, 300 Gold → 1000 Food, 450 Gold
General Defense:
- Masonry: cost 150 Food 175 Wood → 150 Food 200 Wood
- Keep: research time 75 seconds → 45 seconds
- Castle: cost 650 Stone → 625 Stone, 50 Wood (it makes sense: rounds to the Stone cost of 5 Towers); build time 200 seconds → 210 seconds
- Murder Holes cost: 200 Food, 100 Stone → 100 Stone.
- Arrowslits: Murder Holes now required; effect: ‘Watch Tower/Guard Tower/Keep/Donjon +1/+2/+3/+3 attack’ → ‘Watch Tower/Guard Tower/Keep/Donjon/Krepost/Castle +2/+2/+2/+3/+1/+1 attack’.
- Bombard Towers: 2220 HP → 2250 HP (same as the Keep); build time: 80 seconds → 90 seconds; Bonus attack +4 vs Ram line.
- According to the map size, an X tile radius is defined and atributed to each of the player’s Town Centers. Towers built within a Town Center’s radius take 0.75 times longer to construct and repair, while those built outside the radius take 1.25 times longer. This is to discourage Tower rushes and allow for more Tower based bonuses in the future. This new Tower radius mechanic could also include Castles/Donjons/Kreposts, to prevent their drops as well.
New Units/Techs - General:
- new Unit: Steppe Scout - percursor to the Steppe Lancer: starting unit for the 5 main nomadic civs - Mongols, Huns, Magyars, Tatars, Cumans - and the Turks; balance its Line of Sight and the Steppe line accordingly. The Steppe Scout could have 1.2 movespeed, 4 range, and 0 range - same stats as the Scout Cavalry. Basically, a similar unit that upgrades to a different line, so as to keep the initial balance. The idea of the Steppe Scout is to look at him as a regional starter, as the Eagle Scout is, and perhaps the Camel Scout can be too (as seen a bit ahead).
New Units/Techs - Defense:
- new tech available in the Castle (?), Castle Age (?), ‘Revetments’: for 250 Food, 250 Wood, 60 seconds, strengthens Castles, Towers, Donjons, Kreposts projectile defense, by slightly increasing their pierce armour, building armour (?), giving +5% HP, and giving bonus defense vs the Mangonel and Scorpion lines. Civ availabily to be defined.
- new tech available in the Castle (?), Castle Age (?), ‘Moats’: for 250 Food, 250 Wood, 60 seconds, strengthens Castles, Towers, Donjons, Kreposts melee, by slightly increasing their armour, building armour (?), giving +5% HP, and giving bonus defense vs the Ram line. Civ availabily to be defined.
- Hoardings: cost 400 Food, 400 Wood, 75 seconds → 250 Food, 250 Wood, 60 seconds; ‘Strengthens Castles and Donjons by providing +20% hit points’ → ‘Strengthens Castles providing +10% HP +1 LOS, Towers, Donjons, Kreposts +5% HP +1 LOS’ (LOS = Line of Sight).
- Byzantines building +HP% passive bonus adapted according to above points.
Civ Specific Balance:
Armenians:
→ they’re a mess
Aztecs:
- receive Masonry (historically accurate)
- base Jaguar Warrior: Line of Sight 3 → 4 (it seems like an oversight that they have 3 LOS; Elite has 5)
- (Elite) Jaguar Warrior: movespeed 1 → 1.1; upgrade cost 1000 Food, 500 Gold → 1000 400 Gold
Bengalis:
- (Elite)Ratha: 105(115) HP → 110(130) HP; accuracy 80(90)% → 75(85)%
- Paiks: cost 375 Wood, 275 Gold → 350 Wood, 350 Gold; effect ‘Rathas and elephant units attack 20% faster’ → ‘Rathas and elephant units attack 20% faster and with 100% accuracy’ (Bengalis don’t have Thumb Ring)
- Mahayana: 800 Wood, 650 Gold → 800 Wood, 400 Gold
Bohemians:
- Blacksmiths and Universities cost -100 wood → Only Universities cost -100 wood
Britons:
- new passive: Archery Ranges work 10% faster (old Team Bonus was 20% then nerfed to 10% due to Team Games. new passive makes them retain their old 20% in 1v1s) (?)
- remove passive ‘Foot archers (except skirmishers) +1 range in Castle and Imperial Age (+2 total)’
- get Thumb Ring
- (Elite)Longbowman: not affected by Thumb Ring; accuracy 70(80) → 65(75); range 5(6) → 6(8) (Longbowmen same total range as before, only 5% less accuracy; Archers -2 range than before but got Thumb Ring and still +1 range with Yeomen) (Longbowman higher range unit with less accuracy)
Bulgarians:
- Krepost cost: 350 Stone → 350 Stone, 50 Wood; Garrison space 20 pop → 15 pop
- receive Hoardings
Burmese:
- remove (Heavy) Cavalry Archer
- receive (Elite) Elephant Archer
- passive and Howdah: ‘Battle Elephants +1/+1P armor’ → ‘Elephant units +1/+1P armor’
- Howdah cost: 400 Food, 300 Wood → 400 Food, 400 Wood
- Manipur Cavalry effect: ‘Cavalry deals +4 bonus attack vs. archers’ → ‘Cavalry deals +4 bonus attack vs. archers, Arambai +2 bonus attack vs. buildings’
- ‘Relics visible on the map at the start of the game’ now a passive bonus instead of a team bonus
- new Team Bonus: ‘Elephant units cost -5%’ (historically based)
Byzantines:
- receive Heavy Scorpion (they heavily used it historically)
Celts:
- remove Paladin (no sense to have it in the first place)
- give Woad Raider a better look (they look like they belong in AoE1)
→ honestly, should be part of a rework or split
Chinese:
→ need to be split at least as much as the Indians
Cumans:
- start with Steppe Scout
- receive Mule Cart; lose Mining Camp and Lumber Camp (they were nomadic)
Dravidians:
- renamed to ‘Tamils’
- (Elite) Urumi Swordsman: gain +1(+2) bonus attack vs. villagers
- Medical Corps: cost 300 Food, 200 Gold → 200 Wood, 200 Gold
Franks:
- their Paladin gets replaced with the ‘Frankish Paladin’ - it uses the already existing Frankish Paladin skin and has its stats slightly tweaked as in the case of the new Savar.
- passive ‘Foragers work 15% faster’ → ‘Foragers work 10% faster, berries 10% longer’
- passive ‘Mill technologies free’ → ‘Mill technologies cost -50%, are researched 100% faster (half the time)’ (?)
- ‘Cavalry +20% hit points starting in Feudal Age’ → ‘Knight-line +20% hit points’
Huns:
- start with Steppe Scout
- remove Masonry
- remove Stone Wall and Stone Gate
- remove Faith
- remove Illumination
- receive Mule Cart; lose Mining Camp and Lumber Camp (they were nomadic)
- receive (Elite) Steppe Lancer
- new passive: Arson applies to the Knight line (Arson gives +2 building attack; Tarkans have 10+)
- (Elite) Tarkan movespeed: 1.35 → 1.365 (Knight line has 1.35)
Japanese:
- receive Bombard Cannon (?)
- (Elite)Samurai: train time 9 seconds → 10 seconds
- new Samurai ability: Samurai can now switch automatically between melee and ranged attacks
- replace Kataparuto with ‘Bushido’
- Bushido: cost 350 Food, 350 Gold, 60 seconds; effect ‘Samurai, Monks trained 10% faster; Samurai receive Heresy’s effect and, when defeated, deal a final retaliatory blow to surrounding enemy units’
Incas:
- (Elite)Kamayuk: train time 10 seconds → 12 seconds
- Fabric Shields: ‘Kamayuks, Slingers, Eagles have +1 armor/+2 pierce armor’, 40 seconds → ‘+1 armor/+1 pierce armor’, 60 seconds
- new passive, based on Couriers: Eagle Warriors +5% Speed (Elite Eagle Warrior goes from 1.3 to 1.365; Hussar has 1.5) starting in Feudal Age
Italians:
- receive Gambesons (not only did the Italians use it extensively - like other Europeans - but Italy was known for its armor crafting skills during the medieval and Renaissance periods)
- new passive: ‘Gambesons free’
- new passive: first Monastery built spawns a free Monk
Khmer:
- receive Arrowslits
- remove Heavy Cavalry Archer (just Heavy)
- receive (Elite) Elephant Archer
Koreans:
- receive Hoardings
- remove passive ‘Villagers +3 line of sight’
- passive ‘Archers and Infantry cost -50% wood’ → ‘Archers cost -50% wood’
- new passive: Walls and Towers are built 20% faster
- Eupseong effect: ‘Watch Towers, Guard Towers and Keeps have +2 range’ → ‘Watch Towers, Guard Towers, Keeps have +2 range, are built and repaired 10% faster’
- replace ‘Shinkichon’ with ‘Gongseong Maseuteoli’ (‘Siege Mastery’): cost 1000 Wood, 800 Gold, 60 seconds; effect ‘Mangonels, Onagers, Siege Onagers +1 range; Trebuchets fire 33% faster, pack/unpack 2X faster’
(on moving part of Kataparuto’s effect into a Gongseong Maseuteoli: actually realistic, unlike the Japanese having it, as there’s historical evidence to suggest that the Koreans utilized trebuchets and other siege engines during the medieval period, likely coming from the Chinese and Mongols invasions)
Magyars:
- start with Steppe Scout
- receive Mule Cart; lose Mining Camp and Lumber Camp (they were nomadic)
- receive (Elite) Steppe Lancer
- passive ‘Scout Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Hussar cost -15%’ → ‘Light Cavalry line, Steppe Lancer line cost -15% Food’
Malay:
- remove Cavalry Archer
- receive base Elephant Archer (just base)
- new passive ‘Elephant Archers cost -10%’
Mayans:
- El Dorado renamed ‘Penance’ (the Mayans had bloodletting rituals (called ch’ahb’ in surviving hieroglyphs)), or just “ch’ahb’”
Mongols:
- start with Steppe Scout
- remove Fortified Wall
- receive Mule Cart; lose Mining Camp and Lumber Camp (they were nomadic)
- passive ‘Hunters work 40% faster’ → ‘Hunters work 25% faster’
- replace Nomads tech with ‘Yurt Infrastructure’
- Yurt Infrastructure: 250 Food, 250 Wood, 40 seconds; Houses build 75%, Mule Carts, Mills build 50%, Town Centers build 25% faster
Romans:
- maybe receive their version of the Slinger and nerf appropriately?
- Comitatenses: 700 Food, 800 Gold, train 50% faster → 600 Food, 600 Gold, train 33% faster
Saracens:
- now start with Camel Scout
- receive Caravanserai
Slavs:
- renamed to ‘Rus’/‘Rhutenians’ (?)
- Supplies, Gambesons free → Only Supplies free
- receive Fortified Church
Spanish:
- remove passive ‘Builders work 30% faster’
- new passive: ‘Treadmill Crane free’
- receive Crossbowman
- receive Siege Engineers
- remove passive ‘Gunpowder units fire 18% faster’
- replace Supremacy tech with ‘Tercio Tactics’
- Tercio Tactics: cost 500 Food, 400 Gold, 40 seconds; effect ‘Gunpowder units fire 18% faster, train 10% faster’
Tatars:
- start with Steppe Scout
- remove Fortified Wall
- receive Mule Cart; lose Mining Camp and Lumber Camp (they were nomadic)
- new passive: Mule Carts +1/+1P armor
- base Keshik train time: 17 seconds → 15 seconds (same as Elite)
- new passive: ‘Steppe Lancers cost -15% Gold’
- Silk Armor cost: 400 Wood, 300 Gold → 300 Wood, 300 Gold
- Timurid Siegecraft cost: 500 Wood, 400 Gold → 400 Wood, 400 Gold
Teutons:
- their Paladin gets replaced with the ‘Crusader Knight’ - it uses the already existing Crusader Knight skin and has its stats slightly tweaked as in the case of the new Savar.
Turks:
- now start with Steppe Scout
- receive base Steppe Lancer (just base)
- passive ‘Scout Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Hussar +1P armor’ → ‘Light Cavalry, Steppe Lancer lines +1P armor’
- receive Caravanserai
Vietnamese:
- remove Heavy Cavalry Archer (just Heavy)
- receive base Elephant Archer (just base) (Viet passive ‘+20% HP’ only gives Ele Archs +50 HP (after this patch’s change to 250 HP base))
- Paper Money: name → ‘Monetary Reform’ (makes more sense, based on real life events); cost 550 Food, 200 Wood, 60 seconds → 250 Food, 500 Wood, 30 seconds; effect: ‘1 Gold per 26.3 Wood → 1 Gold per 24 Wood, all teammates receive 200 gold’
- (Elite) Rattan Archer: movespeed: 1.1 → 1.15; train time 16 → 14
- rename ‘Chatras’ to ‘Vạn Chiến Thắng’ (‘Ten Thousand Battle Victories’) (the Chatras name doesn’t make sense)