Quote:
Originally Posted by chrispedersen
I'd make it even simpler.
Its almost impossible to have a game scale well for 2 player games as well as 20 player games. On top of that scale between easy research to very difficult research. 0 strength indies - 9 strength indies etc.
Nor do I think anyone should try. Balancing is roughly the job of the participants.. saying in effect.. sure you can have ashdod.
We're going to take pythium, jot, and mictlan.... (or whatever)
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You can certainly do better than at present. In particular, current balance fails mostly at two points: (A) Early game where rush strategies can dominate and eliminate weak nations before they get going and (B) late game where some nations need to commit a lot fewer resources to achieve relevant endgame magic, and thus have more power in the endgame or could take better pretender options for other parts of the game (where, given they already possessed strong late game options, a stronger early or mid game translates directly into more late game power).
Solutions:
(1) Every nation should have available counters to every other nation in the early game. This isn't actually as hard as it sounds because most nations rush strategies (if they have one) fall into one of a couple of archetypes. These counters can be in the form of units or level 1-2 research for a national path. Currently only a couple magic paths have effective early rush counters, leaving nations who lack those paths and lack effective early sacreds with nothing to counter rushes with.
Early game really does come down to a 1v1 situation, regardless of how many players are involved. I've killed EA Ulm as early as turn 12 with Lanka, including successfully storming his capital. There is no way any aid was forthcoming before he was dead, and really nothing he could have done about my triple-blessed sacreds.
(2) Every nation should have something(s) effective to do during midgame that is reasonably accomplishable. (Requiring disproportionate expenditures of gems by some nations is not reasonable). This is probably where the game is best balanced at present, although there are certainly problems.
(3) Every nation should have access to magic which is effective and relevant in the endgame. The best way to do this would of course be to make every magic path relevant come endgame. This is a huge problem because so few paths currently have relevant endgame options.
(4) Everything needs a counter. Everything. The counter should become available approximately when the tactic does.