Yertyl
Veteran
So, I wanted to open this discussion because in both game design and discussions here I see a clash of two differing philosophies around mounted units:
1. Mounted units are straight up better than non-mounted units
2. Mounted units are equivalent to non-mounted units
Make mounted units the equivalent of 1.5 non-mounted units in both upkeep and unit limit.
You can e.g. have 60 infantry or 40 cavalry units.
I think in most respects, they already are, and this would solve a lot of problems in my eyes. Namely that your strength as a player indirectly depends on how close you are on the map to cheap warhorses, some weird exploits (have the AI auto-upgrade mounted units, then take the unit back), and most importantly army composition and faction balance.
What do you think? Are there downsides I am overlooking?
1. Mounted units are straight up better than non-mounted units
- they are faster on both the battlefield and strategic map
- in battle, they seem to be straight up better than their non-mounted counterpart (both ranged and melee) in every situation
- They get an explicit advantage in auto-resolve
- Upgrading (to) a mounted unit is a lot more expensive for the player, and the player is severely limited by the number of available warhorses
- as far as I can tell, this is historically more accurate
2. Mounted units are equivalent to non-mounted units
- Unit limit and upkeep is the same as for regular units
- AI can create them for the same price as regular units and is not limited by available warhorses
- Some AI factions just field more mounted units without any apparent disadvantages to compensate, and are thus both faster and better in auto-resolve.
Make mounted units the equivalent of 1.5 non-mounted units in both upkeep and unit limit.
You can e.g. have 60 infantry or 40 cavalry units.
I think in most respects, they already are, and this would solve a lot of problems in my eyes. Namely that your strength as a player indirectly depends on how close you are on the map to cheap warhorses, some weird exploits (have the AI auto-upgrade mounted units, then take the unit back), and most importantly army composition and faction balance.
What do you think? Are there downsides I am overlooking?