What new techs would you like to see in game?

While planning a total conversion mod for AOE2, I’m thinking about new technologies, what would you like to see in game, to add both realism and balance?

I’ve thought of strategic technologies, that would be free, adding a short term benefit, but with a cost of a nerf that will have a negative effect in the long term:

  • Debase currency: Gives a one time 1000 gold bonus, but all units and techs will cost a bit more gold for the rest of the game. Useful if gold has ran out, or you are being rushed.

  • Siege economy: Units are trained faster, and costing less food, but villagers will gather food slower for the rest of the game. Useful if you are under attack and need quick units, but will slow your eco.

Any thoughts? Would you enjoy these counter productive techs? What new techs would you add?

2 Likes

Teutons: UT that allows siege to be garrisoned in towers

This one’s my favorite,
Herbal Medicine: Villager work rate +0.25% for every Monk/Missionary alive + The current useless effect

(remember you need as many as 40 monks and 100 villagers alive to add just 10 more villagers worth of economy, which never happens and is a poor way of losing the game due to not being able to micro). Hence, it is a tiny amount per monk, less than even a one-fourth of a relic.

The second one is historically accurate as well as makes logical sense, and isn’t game breaking. It changes the meta only on Arena and Gold/Relic Nothing. It also means more Monks will be seen in gameplay, as they are currently MOSTLY IRRELEVANT. Which is not good.

This would mean, the higher the villager population, the greater the need of healthcare, and the greater the benefit of having it.

That sounds broken, you can have 15-20 monks and more than justify the lost pop space since your villagers are working faster and still use monks for offense and defense. Even more broken since there are 4 civs that don’t get herbal medicine.
I don’t think herbal medicine is useless at all especially after the 6x buff. It’s faster to heal your army of 60 in three castles than 3-4 monks, especially since every unit is getting healed. Doesn’t even need you to get passive since 30 seconds are enough to make them usably healed and makes you more effective with resources. Situational but not useless

2 Likes

(remember you need as many as 40 monks and 100 villagers alive to add just 10 more villagers worth of economy, which never happens and is a poor way of losing the game due to not being able to micro). Hence, it is a tiny amount per monk, less than even a one-fourth of a relic.

I halved it after i read your comment. It is a very minor contribution to economy per monk now.

1 relic = 1.2 gold villagers,
and 4 monks = +1 villager (if you have 100 villagers)
=> Even at 100 villagers 1 MONK < 1.4TH OF A RELIC!!!

And don’t forget, you still have to spend 400 Gold for the tech and 1000+ gold for the Monks(which may not help as much in combat, as you’re making for economy)

It’s double the effect of Paper money, but since with this tech anyway people would always wait for the last drop of gold to be spen, the downside wouldn’t be that relevant and it would just be a big middle finger to Viets.

So basically that’s conscription + an upside and a downside that cancel each other? Don’t see the interest.

Why would you want to do that seriously? Not only this would be the single most situational thing in the game ever, but it would make absolutely 0 sense, even by AoE standards.

Let’s forget about how they counter knights, eles, siege, and how conversion alone can shift the momentum of a whole game shall we?

So you say that your idea is super situational BUT can make monks no longer “mostly irrelevant”? I don’t get the logic at all. Furthermore, you say it would be useful on Arena, which is the map where monks are the most useful already, which makes your idea look even less necessary.

1 Like

New Burmese imperial age unique tech:
When researched, new relic(s) spawn on the map.

An alert is shown to the enemy and allies that relic(s) has spawned so they can be aware. You and your allies however know where it is.

1v1 and 2v2 maps generate 1 new relic
3v3 and 4v4 maps generate 3 new relics

Doesn’t work in capture the relic mode.

Islands map
1v1 & 2v2: relic spawns on a neutral island. 3v3 & 4v4: 1 relic spawns on your island while 2 spawn on neutral islands.

Team islands
1 & 2: relic spawns on your island
3 & 4: 2 relics spawn on your island; 1 spawns on enemy island

New techs will be in AOE4. gg

1 Like

What about relic victories? I know they aren’t used that much, but people who do play with standard conditions won’t like the fact that you can just research a tech to potentially completely deny their relic countdown .

Not to mention that Manipur Cavalry, (that everyone seems to want to scrap 11) makes Burmese quite good at taking out buildings in trashwars, on top of their higher dmg halbs.

Resistance to gunpowder shoots

for vils to use bows to fight

1 Like

Another one I can think of, is having an infantry unique unit that can repair ships, siege units, build outposts, etc.

Hopefully you can make it where once the countdown timer starts, you cannot reset it by researching this tech. If you research the tech before the countdown starts then you will have to get all the new relics too in order to get relic victory.

  • Counterweight
    A new tech at the siege workshop in the Imperial age. The mangonels and the trebuchets fire +15% faster.

  • Village Defenses
    A new tech at TC in the feudal age. Increase TC garrison by +5, range by +1 and attack by +3.

  • Manorialism
    A new tech at the houses in the feudal age. Each house generates 0.33 food per sec, up to reaching the population cap.

  • Afforestation
    A new tech at the lumber camp in the Imperial age. After researching, the villagers can build 5*5 forest (25 trees, contain 2500 wood) by costing 500 wood and taking 200 secs (same as construction of a castle). Make sure that the wood will not be run out in the game.

  • Castrametation
    A new tech at the university in the castle age. The military buildings and the defensive structures reduce the cost by -20%.

  • Fortified Palisade Wall
    The palisade wall can upgrade to the fortified palisade wall at the university in the castle age. Besides, the upgrading about the wall and the tower can also be researched at the wall and the tower themselves (similar to Aoe3).

  • Herdable Animal
    The players can train the livestock like sheep, turkey and cows at the mill in the dark age (similar to TC in old Magyar campaign “Honfoglalás”). The animals which the mill can train will be those on the map as GAIA’s units at the beginning of the game. The 100-food animal like sheep costs 30 food and the 150-food animal like cows costs 45 food.

  • Grazing
    Some civ are able to research this at the mill in the Feudal age that improve the shepherd’s efficiency by +25%.

  • Breeding
    Require Grazing as prerequisite, a few of those civ are able to research this at the mill in the castle age that speed up training the livestock by +33%.

  • Seminary
    Being researched at Monastery in the Imperial age. Having University as prerequisite, Monks are created 33% faster.

  • Pilgrimage
    Being researched at Monastery in the castle age. Relics generate gold +100% faster.

  • Trade Workshop
    Except for the Portuguese, the villagers can build it in the Imperial age. Similar to Feitoria, but takes up 15 populations and only generates gold. Six new tech can be researched at the trade workshop and Feitoria.

  • Fayre
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. Decrease their population taking and cost by -20%. (Feitoria: 20>16, Trade Workshop: 15>12)

  • Cash Crop
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. Selling food would earn extra 15% gold.

  • Merchant Capitalism
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. The trade workshop and Feitoria generate gold +100% faster.

  • Taxation
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. Receive 5 gold per current populations.

  • Caravan Guard
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. The trade carts and the trade cogs get +3/+3 armor.

  • Charter
    A new tech at the trade workshop and Feitoria. The trade carts and the trade cogs created 33% faster.

Maybe it can be named as the Pioneer

  • trainable at the blacksmiths in the feudal or castle age.
  • able to build military and defensive structures more quickly than the villagers.
  • repair ships, siege units and buildings with lower costs.
  • auto-attack when idle. (not like the villagers.)
  • get melee upgrade, infantry armor upgrade and the sapper.
  • cheap, weak combat ability and no elite upgrade.
  • cannot gather resources.
1 Like

A creative way for Turks very late game problem.

New turks castle age tech. Current one becomes civ bonus.

Gives +10% gold unit discount every 12 minutes after researched. Max is 50%. Doesn’t apply to siege units or monks.

Cost ~200 food/800 gold.

Essentially makes Turks late game gold units less gold intensive so they have a chance. Makes player decide when it’s worth it to invest a lot of resources to have a better chance late game. The longer you take to research it, the longer the game must go until you get favorable discounts. Also can’t be greedy and try to research the UT early so you get early discounts because you might not survive. Doesn’t give a good return on investment until a long time after researched.

Examples:
11 minutes after researched: 0% discount.
30 minutes after: 20%
60+ min after: 50%

Would need testing to figure out the average time for ROI in order to balance cost, % discount, etc.

Tbh after seeing this I think snatching most relics might be enough for Turks to be good where they are supposed to be good (Arena/closed maps) https://www.aoezone.net/threads/hera-vs-mbl-6hr-long-1v1.165007/

1 Like

This is a radical idea. I would like the non-eco civs like goths, byzantines, etc, to get some kind of eco boost of any kind. This will make them more competitive in feudal. Then it wont only be like 5 top civs on arabia and there is more competition. For example, I like the new Teuton’s change a lot. I think they will not be a viable arabia choice, maybe even in tournaments. Something like that.

So what you are saying is turks have to get at least 4 relics on a specific map in order to have a chance to win if the game goes very late? Those are a lot of specific situations there just to be good without gold. That also applies to every civ though.

I mean any civ with 4 relics has a good chance to win. It’s pretty sad that a civ with 4 relics can get stalemated by a civ with 1. Doesn’t sound very balanced to me.

What he is saying is that Turks are one of the strongest civs, if they get access to Gold, which is why they are supposed to be terrible if there is no Gold.

Turks are already strong, and have one of the strongest Castle Age armies in the game. If they get enough Gold, they can make an early Imperial push (in case the Castle push did not outright kill you) that will just overwhelm you, since they get instant access to Hussar, Hand Cannoneer and Bombard Cannon.

Turks are a bit like Indians, almost everyone asks for buffs, until they actually get good enough to be able to abuse, at which point they realize Turks/Indians are OP.
It is the reverse effect of the old Teutons, where people just think they were strong, but it turned out that they were not a great civ.

New Castle Age and Imperial Age unique technologies for new civs :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: