Kingdoms Battle Map Balance - Latest Blog entry

[anders]

sorry to start nagging about pikes again, I read in the blog that pikes would still be anti-cav with limited usefullness against infantry, however "wrong" that may be I understand why you keep it that way, but are pikes stil going to be unable to keep heir pikes lowered when advancing?

[Orda Khan]

I mirror the worries highlighted by Zenicetus.
More accuracy for archer units.....25% loss in unit size for HA??

Melee stats drop for archers.....Turkish??

This is beginning to sound a bit bad for eastern factions.

Why not apply those changes to melee cav and archer units and leave the HA and hybrid units as they were?

With increased accuracy for archers and a 25% drop in size for HA, why would anyone use HA? Ordinary peasant archers would easily be able to deal with them on a 2 to 1 basis

.......Orda

[Shahed]

Hi Lusted. Excellent post. Thanks for the effort !

Question: Will the "Egyptians" get new HAs, and stronger cavalry than 1.02 ?

Also just wanted to point out (as you probably know): Broken Crescent. They're doing very well and have a massive amount of info which relates to the Crusades campaign in Kingdoms. They have a great variety of new HAs and cavalry, I'm wondering if Kingdoms will be able to compete ?.

Here's a few shots, I have'nt kept up with Kingdoms so not really sure what the roster is like. I've only noticed one Egyptian/Ayyubid unit: the Khassaki.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Miracle]

Hi Lusted I have some questions:

1. Have any of the combat animations changed at all?
2. Has the effects of discipline, training or stamina received any changes?
3. Will melee weapon upgrades still give +6 attack?
4. Does the mass of the riders factor into cavalry charging power?
5. What effects do back-mounted shields (used by Varangian Guards, Dvor Cavalry, etc.) now have?
6. Will patch 1.03 be released concurrently with Kingdoms?

[Jack Lusted]

This is beginning to sound a bit bad for eastern factions.

I thin i forgot to mention this in the blog but units with composite bows have their own projectile type now, with better accuracy than normal arrows. Whilstit may look like the eastern factions are now weaker, they are not. Especially in the Crusades campaign where both the Turks and Egypt get quite a few new units.

Have any of the combat animations changed at all?

No.

Has the effects of discipline, training or stamina received any changes?

No, but the effect of terrain on some units has been changed.

Will melee weapon upgrades still give +6 attack?

I'll have to check with the Oz guys.

Does the mass of the riders factor into cavalry charging power?

Yes, but the mass of the mount is more important.

What effects do back-mounted shields (used by Varangian Guards, Dvor Cavalry, etc.) now have?

Same as before.

[Zenicetus]

I thin i forgot to mention this in the blog but units with composite bows have their own projectile type now, with better accuracy than normal arrows. Whilstit may look like the eastern factions are now weaker, they are not. Especially in the Crusades campaign where both the Turks and Egypt get quite a few new units.

I still don't get this. There are foot archers that use composite bows, but they're not getting the 25% unit size reduction like HA's will. What happens when HA's go up against foot archers using composite bows? The increased accuracy from the new projectile type is the same on both sides, but the reduced numbers are still a major nerf for the HA's.

Instead of fixing something by making smaller HA units "easier to manage," it might actually increase the micromanagement of running a HA-heavy army, because you'll need more HA units in a stack to accomplish the same thing you did before this change.

[Gaius Terentius Varro]

Will the anti blobbing thingy be toned down? I am so sick andtired of my units starting off in a square formation only to end up in the horde formation (like the peasants in RTW) after a minute of fighting and creeping backwards at that.

[Gaius Terentius Varro]

Hi Lusted I have some questions:

1. Have any of the combat animations changed at all?
2. Has the effects of discipline, training or stamina received any changes?
3. Will melee weapon upgrades still give +6 attack?
4. Does the mass of the riders factor into cavalry charging power?
5. What effects do back-mounted shields (used by Varangian Guards, Dvor Cavalry, etc.) now have?
6. Will patch 1.03 be released concurrently with Kingdoms?

Melee upgrade gave +6 to attack in Vanilla?

[Miracle]

Lusted:
According to this thread, pike units do seem to be getting better animations:

You will be happy to know that the pike units in kingdoms have been overhauled, their speed has been increased and they now wield their weapons correctly and we have also re-balanced their stats.

So are you absolutely sure no other units get improved animations? The 2H Axe animation in particular seems to still need some work.

Melee upgrade gave +6 to attack in Vanilla?

According to Lusted himself, yes. [Reference]

[Jack Lusted]

According to this thread, pike units do seem to be getting better animations:

No their animations haven't been changed, other things have that result in a better speed.