Legionare (is the proper term):
The legion, gosh, it is a cheap infantry unit that even a hoplite can beat and still fight a great deal I beleive the ratio is 4 to 1.
I'm not saying taking away the late Iron super units is a bad idea, its just a very unlikely one, as far as confensing ES and other palyers...
Centurion (commander of 80 men, a Roman 100):
Also leave the Centurion in the civ techs, you see we cannot speak for all of the AoE players (zone, aok forums) only our selves, many would be agianst taking away H.Catapult or Helepolis, including the people at ES, they could be part of a widely used stratigy...
Tone down the Centurion, but you HAVE TO keep it or many will get mad, tone it down, the attack, but if you can waste all that gold on a Centurion (upgrade and cost to trian) then youre probably going to win anyway. Balancing is a key, but so is peoples feelings towards an Xpack, I dought that they will get it if you take away (all)late Iron units, plus a civ like the Greeks who rely on their Centurions and Heavy Cavs, taking away either, would be harsh, and the few that play them, will do so no longer.
And with taking away the H.Catapult, and Helepolis, and Centurion is their even a reason to play the Greeks???
Heavy (Seige) Catapult:
If there is any way that we can keep the helepolis or H.Catapult in the civ techs it would be great, I find that a regular Catapult can do anything that a H. Catapult can do, and its cheaper to buy allot of them, than to buy afew and upgrade to Heavy, but, like in AoK, who upgrades to Seige Onager? but its still there, just incase...
Slim them down, take them away from one or two civs, but I'm sure that MANY MANY people would not buy it if they were not in the techs...
Helepolis (The Heavy Ballista):
The Helepolis, is there really a differance between two ballista and one helepolis, the upgrades expecive, and the fire rate is the same, plus in HPs they are superior, but anyone who uses them widely, sould have the right to do so, and upgrade, slim them down (fire rate 2, not 1.5, sure their upgrade cost can be more, and the cost to make them, along with their trianing time) but get afew cavs agianst helepolis OR twice as many ballista and see what happeans...
Some civs reply on the Helepolis, to make them what they are---like Carthage, they would have really weak seige- take away one or the other but not both- for other peoples sake...
Addtions:
The quarry, I like the idea, but the meathod is the same as the trade workshop, and ES would probably refuse it.
Okay, give the civs that balance a new unit, out of the following: javilin, crossbowman, skrimisher, macemen- who gets what, and how many- I'll leave that to someone else.
Improved bowman in Tool is damage to Carthage (embassases their Bronze Age), but okay, and wouldnt that have a gold needing unit in a no gold Age. But I second that...
You could aways keep the Tower Shield, so that units would be more resistant to seige (is that right???)
The Light Cav, good- it is a unit needed, and its way to over due, but needed. Umm, in the Bronze and the same pre-req as Sythes, that would still alow all of the needed civs (Greece, Carthage) to get them...
Also formations, needed- *however* if its like in AoK, I find that if a stone thrower (monagel) fires right into the center in regular formation, it is desaster, and in real life, people would never be in formation if this happeaned...
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I wish that with any condition, and more cost to upgrade, slower to trian, more cost to build, toned down- that the Helepolis will be kept... After all, you read the passage above stating that two ballista are better than one helepolis, and don't cost as much in the short, or medium run.
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The H.Catapult, on the other hand, is not to needed *if* the Catapult is slightly improved in anything.
My two buildings fort, and bridges, I dought that they will ever happean, but I wish that if we send in a peptitsion that they be in the new builds list.
I believe that the game can be balanced with out taking away Late Iron Upgrades (explans Improved Bowman in tool, light cav in Bronze, and wooden shield) I want more upgrades and more units, not less upgrades and less units, in AoK you have many choices, to upgrade one thing or to upgrade an equally needed thing,, you have the choice- in AoE I want choices, If I can't upgrade to H.Catapult, then I want to research-upgrade to Catapract. If I can't research helepolis then I want Centurion. If I can't have broad swordsmen, then I want to research Heavy Cav.
Please consider the following
And I'll be back tomarrow morning to check this post [This message has been edited by Caesar Constintine (edited 07-20-2000).]