Its just too good for the price, having almost no counterplay makes it a no brainer for certain civs. Fighting for scattered hunts is something I like in aoe4, pro scouts just ruins it.i wouldn't mind if they got rid of it, but the intent of the tech is okay. it's supposed to be something that lets you spend APM+attention+resources to increase safety and reduce villager walking time. and it mostly works as that because you can choose whether to buy it or not. in most matches, i have more important things to focus on and just mill the deer like ensemble intended
Thats one reason I like Ancient Spires the most.