Far too long has the scout line gone unchecked. I write to you all to put a stop to this travesty.
I am so tired of this one unit type absolutely dominating play at all levels. It makes most pro games incredibly boring. Here I am, just wanting to enjoy the diversity of play in age of empires II, and I can't. All of my favorite unique units and/or playstyles seem to keep getting nerfed into oblivion. I can't stop hearing the sound of farms being made in casts of pro games as I slowly drift off to sleep. The top players are profoundly good at creating these scenarios where their bases resemble farmville. What's more, some players playstyles exacerbate this. The scout line not only quickly harasses and causes damage to the opponent, but it also becomes a win condition in the late game. So many games were lost but recovered due to the ability of the scout line to raid enemies who surely bested them in other, more intelligent and non-EAPM based aspects of the game to that point. All with a unit that costs a measly 80 food, virtually nothing.
The cost to upgrade a scout into light cavalry is also abominable. A measly 150 food and 50 gold turns the scout into a formidable weapon, the prototypical anti-monk unit, and one very capable in numbers of cutting down many other units.
So I come to you all with a modest proposal, to nerf this completely busted, broken, oppressive unit that for too long has gone unchecked and unlike monks actually has dominated pro play.
I believe we should increase the upgrade time for light cavalry from 45 seconds to 1 minute. Perhaps longer. The more I think of it, probably much longer. Additionally, the cost should be increased. Significantly. 200 resources, only 50 of them gold for such a strong technology? For a unit with more mobility than both archers and militia units, it makes no sense that it should be so cheap. Scouts and Light cavalry have been overpowered for far too long. Many other units and indeed buildings themselves have been nerfed, how has the scout line survived unnoticed?
Then there is the Hussar. The unit that en-masse can be willingly tossed away like fodder towards siege, traded with gold units, all for the cost of 80f. For 500f/600G, a little more for an even better unit for some civs -- you have the penultimate raiding unit - for nearly nothing. The cost of Hussar should be increased to 100f. Perhaps the shiny armor I see on them costs some gold, perhaps 5 or 10 gold for each Hussar should be added. In addition, the upgrade time needs seriously increased. The time it takes for Long Swordsman to go to Champion in Imperial age is 145 seconds. However, to go from Light Cavalry to Hussar you only need fifty seconds. To go from Crossbow to Arbalest is the same amount of time, but a Hussar covers much more of the map much more quickly and thus is absurd when comparing the advantage.
It has come time, friends, to acknowledge that the Scout line -- for whatever reason -- has evaded much needed balance changes. No more. This unit has been "OP," for too long. Unlike other recent changes to units, say monks for example, the Scout line has had a profound impact on tournaments. I can only hope someone will make a youtube video about it with a good enough clickbait title that this completely burdensome unit line -- until now unaddressed -- will finally be appropriately addressed by the brilliant minds at aoe2 developer headquarters.
I am confident that having identified and nerfing this actually OP unit in comparison to civ unique units or monks, we will find true meaningful balance. That the tyranny of the scout line that has unjustly impacted the outcome of both pro and noob player games alike will be corrected swiftly, and this era of 80+ farmers and boring, predictable Hussar raiding might cease someday soon.
Yours,
IYIyTh
I am so tired of this one unit type absolutely dominating play at all levels. It makes most pro games incredibly boring. Here I am, just wanting to enjoy the diversity of play in age of empires II, and I can't. All of my favorite unique units and/or playstyles seem to keep getting nerfed into oblivion. I can't stop hearing the sound of farms being made in casts of pro games as I slowly drift off to sleep. The top players are profoundly good at creating these scenarios where their bases resemble farmville. What's more, some players playstyles exacerbate this. The scout line not only quickly harasses and causes damage to the opponent, but it also becomes a win condition in the late game. So many games were lost but recovered due to the ability of the scout line to raid enemies who surely bested them in other, more intelligent and non-EAPM based aspects of the game to that point. All with a unit that costs a measly 80 food, virtually nothing.
The cost to upgrade a scout into light cavalry is also abominable. A measly 150 food and 50 gold turns the scout into a formidable weapon, the prototypical anti-monk unit, and one very capable in numbers of cutting down many other units.
So I come to you all with a modest proposal, to nerf this completely busted, broken, oppressive unit that for too long has gone unchecked and unlike monks actually has dominated pro play.
I believe we should increase the upgrade time for light cavalry from 45 seconds to 1 minute. Perhaps longer. The more I think of it, probably much longer. Additionally, the cost should be increased. Significantly. 200 resources, only 50 of them gold for such a strong technology? For a unit with more mobility than both archers and militia units, it makes no sense that it should be so cheap. Scouts and Light cavalry have been overpowered for far too long. Many other units and indeed buildings themselves have been nerfed, how has the scout line survived unnoticed?
Then there is the Hussar. The unit that en-masse can be willingly tossed away like fodder towards siege, traded with gold units, all for the cost of 80f. For 500f/600G, a little more for an even better unit for some civs -- you have the penultimate raiding unit - for nearly nothing. The cost of Hussar should be increased to 100f. Perhaps the shiny armor I see on them costs some gold, perhaps 5 or 10 gold for each Hussar should be added. In addition, the upgrade time needs seriously increased. The time it takes for Long Swordsman to go to Champion in Imperial age is 145 seconds. However, to go from Light Cavalry to Hussar you only need fifty seconds. To go from Crossbow to Arbalest is the same amount of time, but a Hussar covers much more of the map much more quickly and thus is absurd when comparing the advantage.
It has come time, friends, to acknowledge that the Scout line -- for whatever reason -- has evaded much needed balance changes. No more. This unit has been "OP," for too long. Unlike other recent changes to units, say monks for example, the Scout line has had a profound impact on tournaments. I can only hope someone will make a youtube video about it with a good enough clickbait title that this completely burdensome unit line -- until now unaddressed -- will finally be appropriately addressed by the brilliant minds at aoe2 developer headquarters.
I am confident that having identified and nerfing this actually OP unit in comparison to civ unique units or monks, we will find true meaningful balance. That the tyranny of the scout line that has unjustly impacted the outcome of both pro and noob player games alike will be corrected swiftly, and this era of 80+ farmers and boring, predictable Hussar raiding might cease someday soon.
Yours,
IYIyTh
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