I hate how they jacked up the prices for armor and equipment, even after the last patch. I saw helmets, very nice helmets but still just helmets, going for over 10k. That is completely unreasonable seeing as it was only marginally better than an alternative helmet which was 10x cheaper (which is still too expensive tbh). M&B has always had this problem.
I was also always baffled by how you were somehow able to purchase all these otherwise unreasonably-priced items as long as you ore your companions didn't wear them. Upgrading units is so cheap I doubt anyone even thinks about it. But it should be the most significant investment you make in the game and be the brunt of your costs along with wages and food. After all, the game is all about commanding an army and an army doesn't come cheap. Why is it the the player can easily find themselves in a position where they can easily afford 10 units wearing armor that would bankrupt them? M&B has also always had this problem.
The solution then is to reduce the cost of equipment dramatically to the point that the player could reasonably afford to upgrade a high-tier unit paying for all his armor and weapons at market price at the mid-game. This means reducing equipment costs by a factor of 10, if not 100.
My rational for this is that there is really very little reason to arm yourself all the extensively. Even with the best weapons and armor my character as an individual would make little difference in the battle beyond giving order. In fact, getting into combat at all was extremely risky since that would put my troops in the hands of the AI who would inevitably **** everything up. In the end, I was buying armor not because it had better stats but purely based on looks. Troops on the other hand are vital for your success, especially high-tier troops that let you win lopsided battles against equal or slightly greater numbers of foes. Despite this clear mismatch in importance, I felt like I was spending more on a single piece of armor than I did on wages for my very elite company of troops in the last year.
That's why I think upgrading should cost at least the full set of the units (now much more affordable) kit. A new player shouldn't be able to quickly get a bunch of high-tier units just because they were grinding looters for half an hour or so. There should be a not-insurmountable-but-substantial money gate to breaktrhough in order to field elite troops in any good number. And a new player shouldn't have to wait until late-midgame to finally upgrade their kit because there is such a bad cost/performance ratio.
I was also always baffled by how you were somehow able to purchase all these otherwise unreasonably-priced items as long as you ore your companions didn't wear them. Upgrading units is so cheap I doubt anyone even thinks about it. But it should be the most significant investment you make in the game and be the brunt of your costs along with wages and food. After all, the game is all about commanding an army and an army doesn't come cheap. Why is it the the player can easily find themselves in a position where they can easily afford 10 units wearing armor that would bankrupt them? M&B has also always had this problem.
The solution then is to reduce the cost of equipment dramatically to the point that the player could reasonably afford to upgrade a high-tier unit paying for all his armor and weapons at market price at the mid-game. This means reducing equipment costs by a factor of 10, if not 100.
My rational for this is that there is really very little reason to arm yourself all the extensively. Even with the best weapons and armor my character as an individual would make little difference in the battle beyond giving order. In fact, getting into combat at all was extremely risky since that would put my troops in the hands of the AI who would inevitably **** everything up. In the end, I was buying armor not because it had better stats but purely based on looks. Troops on the other hand are vital for your success, especially high-tier troops that let you win lopsided battles against equal or slightly greater numbers of foes. Despite this clear mismatch in importance, I felt like I was spending more on a single piece of armor than I did on wages for my very elite company of troops in the last year.
That's why I think upgrading should cost at least the full set of the units (now much more affordable) kit. A new player shouldn't be able to quickly get a bunch of high-tier units just because they were grinding looters for half an hour or so. There should be a not-insurmountable-but-substantial money gate to breaktrhough in order to field elite troops in any good number. And a new player shouldn't have to wait until late-midgame to finally upgrade their kit because there is such a bad cost/performance ratio.