From another thread:
Quote:
CB is ever a work a work in progress, certainly not every change turns out to be a good one. But corrections usually take feedback and debate on the subject, something that crops up suprisingly rarely. It doesn't generally take a lot reverse a CB change, a good argument or just a number of people all agreeing the change is bad.
Of course, perhaps if you consider half of all CB changes unbalanced this may seem far too steep a road to travel. If you still play in CB games though, seems worth a little effort though.
Oh, and I don't really think balance discussion is far off topic in a game thread, after all most balance has a direct effect on the very game we are playing.
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I don't think half of the changes are unbalanced. I think there are a few changes which unbalance a lot.
I think EA Agartha is made worthless by CBM, and it's one of my favorite EA nations.
I dislike the fact that I learnt stuff in Vanilla and must learn anew in CBM, but that's just me being lazy.
I also dislike the fact that some changes turn nations into very different beasts between vanilla and CBM (Bogarus and horrors strategy coming to mind).
I know that CBM is popular, and so popular that most games are CBM now and no longer CBM, which I regret for the abovementioned reasons. I can see that there's been a lot of work put in it, and a lot of thinking too.
Now that you've heard my gripes, here is some hopefully constructive feedback and questions.
Be warned, this will be long. I'm picking from the changelog.
Also note I do not have extensive MP experience so I may be doing things that are considered worthless or stupid by better players.
I hope you won't consider this list of "I don't like" offensive, I wouldn't write it if I didn't think CBM is a good work. I'm also not commenting on the good changes because, actually there'd be too much to say.
-Gloves of the gladiator number of attacks increased: Was it really needed? I had some success with these in Vanilla.
-Amphiptere a commander: I know they aren't worth much but flavor wise I don't understand why thy are commanders.
-Cheaper titan pretenders: Not sure it was needed.
-Phoenix turned into an early expansion machine. I think it's cheap for what it provides. I think someone who wants an early expansion machine should pick a great white bull and I'm not sure it's still worth buying even in CBM?
-independant commanders slightly more expensive: I don't like. Sure, national non mage commanders aren't recruited, but paying 10 or 20 more for an indie leader won't change that. I pay 60 in vanilla to get a knight commander on turn 2 if I can't have another indie commander, so making them cost 50 or 60 wouldn't change my priorities but upset me a lot. I don't think changing the price of indy commanders fixes the problem of not recruiting nationals, so it should be dropped or another solution found.
-staff of corrosion: I'm not sure it changes much to lower its level. When playing T'ien Ch'i, I often have mages cast acid bolts or rain. They can forge the staff, but since they often lead armies themselves, there's noone to give the staff to. If it cost less gems, I migth give it to an indie commander, but then between a commander + 1 mage-turn of forging + the gems and building a mage that can cast acid bolt, I don't really find it interesting. Of course, T'ien Ch'i acid-able mages are capital only so on a big map it may be different, but I'll generally prefer a mage over a commander + 1 mage-turn + a 15-gem-item. Right now I think the change makes Construction more interesting than Evocation, and I don't think it's needed.
-catoblepas: I liked them at 15, but if they aren't used much mayb ethey were too expensive.
-eater of the dead: Do the changes make it more interesting to summon one considering it's always going to backfire and looks even worse when feral now?
-slime: ok it was mostly useless, but it was the only spell some water mages could cast and they would cast it. What does the change try to accomplish? Make water magic somewhat useful in combat at low Evocation? Why?
-blindness: Isn't 2 a bit early?
-ligthning bolt: Why make it weaker?
-the kindly ones: when someone casts that and I have blood mages, I want to dispel it asap. It usually costs me 3 mages before I can dispel, whihc costs at least 30 gems. Having the spell cost only 30 means I should always cast it and cast it again every turn if an opponent of mine plays blood since we'll both lose 30 gems but he'll also lose 3 mages. So I think it's so cheap it's a no-brainer and should always be cast is possible, unless all global enchantment slots are used by or needed for other enchantments.
-call lesser horror: I don't like the change. It turns SB into horror nations from the get go. Maybe I should just try to use it, but I think horrors should be R'lyeh only, and I don't think it's thematic for Bogarus to be horror casters.
-Heavenly Fires: I spammed them at 10 mana. At 8 it seems too cheap.
-Celestial Soldiers: Half-cost is a bit exaggerated in my opinion. I agree 15 was a lot, but 10 would be nice without lowering that much.
-Umbral: This just ruins EA Agartha imo. What do they have left to try to survive? Even the Barathrus Pact boost doesn't do much to change the situation. Lower gold prices for some troops don't mitigate their crappiness.
-Zmey: If those flew correctly, the cost might not have to be changed? I don't understand why they move as if they didn't have flying. I'd rather increase their APs and increase the cost a bit, maybe not up to the initial 8.
-Oracle: Giving fortune teller may look thematic, but I don't think it has any effect except boosting an already strong choice.
-Titan female: Why does hse get a research bonus superior to that of a sage?
-Lord of rebirth: Didn't need the boost in gems imo. He's a very good chassis for getting EN blesses and getting started in Death too, which complements well some nations he's available for.
-Grey knight: Does he need such a drastic gold decrease? I've not encountered enough to make heavy use of them, but I always wanted to build them. Probably just because I think they're cool.
-Tower guard and defender: Are Man LA so strong these need to be more expensive?
-Adonim: Ashdod can expand with 1 Adon built every turn early on and progress exponentially with these guys, yet their cost remains 400? If Talmai Elders cost more, Adonim should also cost more.