[Zen]

Pickles said:
You mean "count as half"? Anyway I think it should be more like 25% - 35% they are very easy to come by.

Depending on the map. But I think half is a good standard. I don't know how many 1-3000 Provinces you get in any given game, but I get alot and those provinces are not blood worthy

Yeah this suffers from being one of 3 nature items. I like the L0 items and would any of them for early commanders depending on what I have access to. The knife seems worse than the spear though - there is a similar problem with 4 different earth items. As I favour swords over spears, perhaps incorrectly, there are real options (the axe just looks less good, but maybe duel wielding?).

Most of this depends on length. I usually choose a sword or a spear. A spear if I am inclined to defend, a sword if I need att. I'd say 75% of the time I chose a spear for the length. This might be a personal preference.

Two handed items at all levels seem too weak for the cost (with the obvious couple of exceptions, plus Flambeau now we know strength is tripled too). I think they need an accross the board boost to everything.

I feel this way as well. Though I can't fix some of these things with the modding tools, I can fix a portion of them.

L2 items introduce Bows. These are no use on SCs as they are not destructive enough. I mean to try them on everyday commanders who mainly try to avoid getting killed. I am not sure they would repay their gem cost but still it keeps everyone involved & feeling they are part of the team.

This is another one. I think it partially has to do with precision and partially to do with the fact the only bows I ever seem to use are to try to cripple SC's. Botuf, Ethereal xbow, Piercer, NoIinSC, etc. I also tend to think that most commanders have a pretty craptacular precision with the exception of a few.

Eek am I missing something or are the other weapons just generally inferior?

I have a smaller list that is categorized into fighting specific units. I think alot of this has to do with your gem income. You have to think to yourself, "What would I give my SC's if I couldn't give them a lifedrain weapon". While there are not alot of immediate things that pop to mind, there are a few.

Anyway I applaud this mod idea as there is definitely scope for more better weapons (oh & other items too) - not nerfing you note but improving the mediocre.

Pickles

I'd hope that is how the entire series is viewed. Some people have mentioned that they think the across the board, or 'too many changes' feel of the Pretender Mod, saying that "Fewer changes = better balance because you don't change too many variables, just fix the ones out of whack" which equates to nerfing everything down to the mediocre level. Unfortunately while there is tremendous variety in the game, after playing it and growing accustomed to the extreme strategies, you find the actual selection is far less than the offered selection because of basic mechanics (like Flying, or Life Draining).