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    Default Re: The Big Cheese!

    Quote Originally Posted by victorgb View Post
    Hi

    It depends what you mean by "uber units" and "supermen". Ottoman Janissaries, English & Welsh Longbowmen, Knights Templar, Mongol Horsemen, etc., most certainly were thought of as supermen by their contemporaries - at least those on the receiving end of their combat effectiveness.
    A good example of uber units would be Viking or Saxon Huscarles, Nizari, Kataphraktoi (not that uber but become so due to the general's stats). There are also many other units that the player can exploit that the AI cannot. Javelins are a good example.

    Janissary units are very good, especially the JHI, and should be good, but are also restricted and difficult to tech up to (Grand Mosque, Military Academy plus high era).

    Longbows I don't see as overpowered or super, they're just "very good", though some of the eastern units would benefit from a similar bow to represent the various eastern composite bows of the time. Again though, longbows are quite well restricted.

    Knights Templar are much the same as CK. They're not overpowered, at least not in my opinion anyway. They have their strengths and weaknesses (slow speed being their main weakness). I think KT actually have an error in their stats for no apparent reason. They may have less charge than they should - I'll have to check that.

    The Mongols in MTW/VI are not so powerful. When I referred to "Mongols" I was referring to those in STW/MI and not the Golden Horde. IMHO the Golden Horde in MTW are simply not strong enough. They should not be overpowered like those in MI but they should be a little stronger than they are. The "longbow style" bows would make a difference as well. They could also do with one other medium cavalry unit to make up the backbone of their forces and the Mongol Warriors should be removed.



    Quote Originally Posted by victorgb View Post
    Similarly, some nations had access to fabulous riches from wealth-generating trade routes, products and centres.

    These are matters of historical fact.

    Obviously, there has to be some in-game balancing, but I would hate to see an artificially levelled playing field for the sake of guaranteeing different outcomes. The (vaguely) historical simulation aspect of M:TW is what keeps bringing me back to it; plus great mods.

    Regards
    Victor
    Of course, though the game does not handle trade at all well. The AI is practically unable to exploit trade and cannot maintain it's shipping lanes, whereas the player can rake in hundreds of thousands and achieve naval supremacy in the blink of an eye. This is why the shipping/trading system in MTW doesn't work and is why it was scrapped in RTW and later titles.

    Of course there will be imbalances, this is part of the game, though those will be represented in small technological and geographical advantages. Letting one faction field armoured supermen and the other field pseudo peasants just because historically the one faction won, is silly.

    One of the biggest factors in unbalancing the game is weapons and armour upgrades. They are so wrong from so many perspectives. Historically better weapons could only do so much. MTW places the equipment above the men. Instead of having barracks, musters or levies, it has only the smiths' workshops needed to produce the weapons they used. According to MTW, better quality armour was not lighter, stronger and more well ventilated, but was in fact heavier and hotter to use in the desert. Also in terms of weapons upgrades, they are upgrades to the attack stat and not the weapon itself. Attack is a skill that is learnt through experience, it is not forged in the smithy. During the period most arms and armour were pillaged or handed down from father to son. Only nobility would be able to afford to get gear of war made specifically, so the whole concept of "upgrading" weapons and armour belongs in the realms of fantasy. In battles the upgrades create huge imbalances and while the player strategically upgrades his fmaa and feudal knights in one province - the AI will be creating gold armoured peasants in another...

    Last edited by caravel; 02-16-2009 at 15:38.
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