Hello all.
I've been thinking a lot lately on how infantry could play a more significant role in a game where the main protagonists are archers and cavalry.
Now, before I go on, I want to make clear what it is that I call "the infantry problem". As things are, infantry has a relevant role in the game: Men-at-Arms are great for early rushes, spearmen counter cavalry, eagles are OP, and some unique units, like the Berserker and the Samurai, are far from irrelevant. So, what is the issue?
The root of the problem, in my understanding, is that most of the roles occupied by infantry are secondary (rush/counter/trash) or relegated to the late game. The Castle Age, arguably one of the most interesting phases of the game, is completely dominated by the overpowered Knights and Crossbows. To make matters worse, the Militia line, that is supposed to be the backbone of the infantry in AoE2, simply disappears from the game after the Men-at-Arms are wasted, apart from some situational Champions.
This issue obviously bothered the devs and the community. The Supplies tech was brought in to try and remedy the issue and, supplies supplies (sorry), it didn't. Knights and Xbows simply don't care if you're making infantry by the dozens, they still wipe the floor with them.
So, if even making the militia line very cheap with Supplies doesn't do the trick, what would? Major changes are always dangerous to the balance of the game, so I've come up with and idea that, albeit significant, wouldn't mess too much with the balance, and at the same time would significantly increase the chance of infantry having it's place in the sun.
Hear me out: REMOVE Long Swordsman / MAKE Two-Handed Swordsman a Castle Age upgrade.
The devs are no strangers to allowing an unit to be made before it's designed age (Cuman rams say hello), so I don't think it's that much of an absurd proposal.
Just think about it. The Long Swordsman is one of the most niche units in the game. The Two-Handed Swordsman is just an annoying upgrade people research on their way to Champion (or to make the Malay trash). Both these issues would be improved by this, not to mention it increases the viability of Champions, since it removes one step on the way to research it.
Please leave your opinion on the matter. I know it's a long shot but perhaps if we make a lot of noise in here and some pros like it and become vocal about it we could be on to making some good to the game.
tldr; Long Swordsman should be removed and Two-Handed Swordsman should become a Castle Age tech. #MIGA
I've been thinking a lot lately on how infantry could play a more significant role in a game where the main protagonists are archers and cavalry.
Now, before I go on, I want to make clear what it is that I call "the infantry problem". As things are, infantry has a relevant role in the game: Men-at-Arms are great for early rushes, spearmen counter cavalry, eagles are OP, and some unique units, like the Berserker and the Samurai, are far from irrelevant. So, what is the issue?
The root of the problem, in my understanding, is that most of the roles occupied by infantry are secondary (rush/counter/trash) or relegated to the late game. The Castle Age, arguably one of the most interesting phases of the game, is completely dominated by the overpowered Knights and Crossbows. To make matters worse, the Militia line, that is supposed to be the backbone of the infantry in AoE2, simply disappears from the game after the Men-at-Arms are wasted, apart from some situational Champions.
This issue obviously bothered the devs and the community. The Supplies tech was brought in to try and remedy the issue and, supplies supplies (sorry), it didn't. Knights and Xbows simply don't care if you're making infantry by the dozens, they still wipe the floor with them.
So, if even making the militia line very cheap with Supplies doesn't do the trick, what would? Major changes are always dangerous to the balance of the game, so I've come up with and idea that, albeit significant, wouldn't mess too much with the balance, and at the same time would significantly increase the chance of infantry having it's place in the sun.
Hear me out: REMOVE Long Swordsman / MAKE Two-Handed Swordsman a Castle Age upgrade.
The devs are no strangers to allowing an unit to be made before it's designed age (Cuman rams say hello), so I don't think it's that much of an absurd proposal.
Just think about it. The Long Swordsman is one of the most niche units in the game. The Two-Handed Swordsman is just an annoying upgrade people research on their way to Champion (or to make the Malay trash). Both these issues would be improved by this, not to mention it increases the viability of Champions, since it removes one step on the way to research it.
Please leave your opinion on the matter. I know it's a long shot but perhaps if we make a lot of noise in here and some pros like it and become vocal about it we could be on to making some good to the game.
tldr; Long Swordsman should be removed and Two-Handed Swordsman should become a Castle Age tech. #MIGA