Higher range means units spending less time moving / bumping into each other / become victim of bad pathfinding. That’s why Steppe Lancers and the Inca UU are far more powerful than their stats suggest.
Generic Hand Cannoneers deal 0.1789 damage per resource to cavalry.
Elite Janissaries deal 0.1913 damage per resource to cavalry.
It looks like Elite Janissaries deal approximately 6.93% more damage per resource. However, Janissaries have lower accuracy if we take the first shots into account:
- Generic Hand Cannoneers deal 0.134175 damage per resource to cavalry.
- Elite Janissaries deal 0.124345 damage per resource to cavalry.
Janissaries can be considered 20–25% more population-efficient. But considering the drawbacks compared to Turkish Hand Cannoneers:
- Requires a castle.
- Requires an upgrade.
- Less HP per resource.
- No bonus damage against infantry.
Yes, Janissaries have +1 more range, but their lower accuracy kind of cancels it out.
Also, yes, the Hindustani Hand Cannoneer is straight-up better than Janissaries, except in population efficiency.
But how important is that? Janissaries are fragile, and there are already units that are both cost-effective and population-efficient compared to Janissaries, like War Wagons, Hussite Wagons, Conquistadors, Elephants, etc.
But cost efficiency is not all of aoe. I would say momentum>>>> cost efficiency. Multiple units having 1 more shot earlier and higher damage can have big impact on momentum. Fewer cavalry can engage and surround janissaries at the end. After all, you can say buff elite janissary while they have been nerf in castle age but they aren’t really that bad and need ballistics.
If cost efficiency matters all the time, knight would not dominate early-mid castle age in meta for a prolonged time even with presence of pikes.
Gunpowder with ballistics means gunpowder UU like Conquistador are more terrifying in small number. And gunpowder deals far higher damage than cavalry archers that knight and camels actually struggle against Conquistador. Conquistadors then deal even more damage not only against knight/camels but also more accurate against xbow and skirmishers.
Ballistics doesn’t change base accuracy - only adds the property of firing where the target is going.
A conq with ballistics would deal the exact same dps as one without against a target standing still. Ballistics would help if the target was moving around, but with the low base accuracy it still wouldn’t achieve much.
Janissaries are still better than the hand cannons of most civs out there, including the likes of Spanish and Bohemians - Hindustanis are just a powercreep civ. They all lose to archers anyway.
Most of what feels awkward about them comes from having an easier option at the archery range. Cutting out an elite upgrade, free chemistry, no castle just makes them so much more available and the lower cost makes them straight up better.
Gunpowder ballistics wont really change much - the regular hand cannoneer would still feel better.
Do you ever micro your own xbow when facing opponent skirm/xbow/conq?
Not beyond target firing units, no - which is why gunpowder balistics seems very underwhelming.
It actually means much against ranged units. If Conq overwhelm both xbow and knight, it will be problematic.
Are Conquistadors considered overall better than Hussite Wagons or Organ Guns?
On further reflection, I wouldn’t mind. Of course, first they have to finish sorting out the Scoprions. Since the triple OP stack of Celts, Romans and Khmer is still possible. And then there will probably be further balancing to be done in the upcoming DLC. But in a year’s time, why not?
Sure, Shatagni will have to be reset to +1, and the Conquistadors’ base attack reduced, but it seems doable.
Why are you obsessed with turks and gunpowder. Like chill bro
I would not mind to let arquebus affect ally’s gunpowder in imperial age. But no to 1v1 ballistic gunpowder (castle age Arena will be in chaos)
Arquebus was also indirectly nerfed after the speed of bullets increased from 5.5 to 7.5.
It used to increase bullet speed by 9%, but now it only increases it by 6%.