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Good observation with the pikes. @Seleucidsyou are Macedon player, feedback about this.

Balance Suggestions (Civ by Civ & General) Athenians Long Wall Tech Currently: Available only in P3, researched at the Council (60s). In practice, this means it’s not available until ~min 14–15, which makes walls in neutral territory before min 16 unrealistic. Suggestion: Available in P2 (at Civic Center or Market). Cost: 400 stone → 150 stone. Research time: 60s → 25s. Gymnasium Cost Question: Why is it cheaper than Han’s Academy or the Syssition? Suggestion: If not a civ bonus, increase cost to 150 stone + 150 metal. Britons Dogs Currently: Stronger side. Suggestion: Hack damage: 7 → 6.5. Consider armor upgrade tech (P2 or P3). Carthaginians Colonization Tech Currently: Hardly used; 200 metal in P1/P2 is too costly, and in P3 houses are usually already built. Suggestion: Cost 200 wood + 200 metal → 200 wood + 150 stone, available in P2. Gauls Bonuses Current advantages: 15% reduced forge costs. Additional farm tech. Eco hero. Small houses. Faster structure build time (huge eco advantage). Wide spectrum of champions (very flexible). Suggestion: Nerf eco bonuses (similar to Ptolemies, who pay with slower build times). Reduce capture value of small houses. Fanatics Currently: Same attack as spear champs, but less armor. Faster than spear champs. Stronger than metal spear champs in most situations (except 1v1 vs other infantry champs). Suggestion: Similar treatment as Persian infantry champs - If kept cheap, nerf attack (not only armor). Keep cost as is, and keep them in P2 for strategic diversity. Han Skipped (already reworked in community mod). Kushites Clubmen Currently: 60 metal but very weak (especially armor). Suggestion: Option 1: Hack armor 19% → 27%. Option 2 (preferred): Speed 9.5 → 11. Temple Guard Champions Currently: Limited by stone cost of temples (hard to mass more than 1–2). Suggestion: Napatan temple guard build time 15s → 10s. Elephant Hero Bonus Currently: Awkward to use effectively. Ptolemies Currently: P3 techs are often already researched; civ plays slowly. Suggestion: Allow Library in P2. Romans Marian Reforms Currently: Very strong in 1v1, potentially stronger than will to fight. Suggestion: Nerf. Siege Population Cost Currently: Catapult = 3 pop Bolt shooter = 2 pop Onager = 6 pop Onagers are cheap but not massable, while bolts outperform them in large numbers. Suggestion: Onager population 6 → 4. Spartans Syssition Cost Currently: Awkward in P1 (similar to the Kushite pyramid in the past). Leaves 50 metal if eco tech (100 metal) is researched, blocking champion production. Suggestion: Cost 150 stone + 150 metal → 200 stone + 100 metal. Krypteia Tech Currently: Located in champion building; awkward for rush/all-in. Suggestion: Move tech to Syssition, reduce research time 50s → 40s. General Balance Capture System Currently: Large houses = 550, small houses = 500 (small houses are OP). Suggestion: Large = 550, Small = 350. Suggestion: Units which have more experience or higher rank, like mercenaries or Skiritai should have higher capture strength. Elephant stables and arsenals are considerably too easy to capture when garrisoned. Can it be that 1 ram or 1 elephant only count as a single unit for capture point regeneration? Fanatics & Immortals Capture value: 5 → 3.5 (since they are cheaper/faster). Conscription Cost: 500 food → 400 food. Availability: P2. Theatron Currently: More expensive than fort, longer build, easy to capture, rarely used. Suggestion: Cost = 200 wood + 400 stone, Build time = 300s. Spear & Pike Champions (except fanatics) Currently: Rarely used in high-level play (1400+). Example: Athenians prefer sword champs (earlier + dock training). Seleucids prefer sword champs over pikes. Suggestion: Clearer role differentiation. Strong cav counter (e.g. 4× vs cav instead of 2.5 x). Increase armor for pike and spear champions. Tower Techs Currently: Too expensive (600–750 resources each). Making more towers instead is considerably cheaper. Suggestion: Crenellation = 200 stone + 200 metal. Arrow shooters = 250 wood + 200 metal. Sturdy foundations = 350 stone. Archers Currently: Weak compared to other ranged. Suggestion: Slight buff (5-10%) to stats or Archery Training tech. Elephants Currently: Not viable or not often seen in Pro 1x1 or TG for Kush, Ptolemies, Seleucids (only used with Mauryas, since stables are available in P2). Suggestion: Kushites: Elephant Stables in P2. Cost: 200 wood + 200 stone → 250–275 wood + 100 stone. Battlefield Medicine Currently: Costs 1000 food + 250 metal; applies only to idle units (not walking). Unused. Suggestion: Cost 1000f → 250f. Or regeneration +1 instead of +0.5. Aura Buildings Iberian Monument: 100 stone + 100 metal, P2, +20% dmg, 120s build. Kushite Pyramid: 450 stone + 150 metal, P3, 300s build. Suggestion: Kushite Pyramid → 200s build, 200 stone + 100 metal. Civic Center Balanced in P1, weak in P3. Suggestion: Increase attack in P3. Or allow forge arrow techs to apply to buildings. Ships Currently: Ram ships one-shot fishing ships → water battles snowball. Suggestion: Give fishing ships more armor (not one-shot). Reduce ram attack frequency. Wonders Glorious Expansion Tech Research time: 120s → 60s (since wonder itself is slow to build). Barter Suggestion: Decrease efficiency by 10%. Add tech: +15% barter efficiency, cost = 500 metal, 50s research. Siege Techs Currently: Extremely expensive. +25% health = 600 metal. -20% production = 600 wood. +25% attack = 800 wood + 500 metal. -40% unpack time = 800 food. Suggestion: Reduce costs by 50%. These are just suggestions, and I’m curious to see what other experienced players think. Do you agree with some of these changes? Are there better alternatives? Looking forward to hearing perspectives from fellow 1400+ players.

Towers blocked by houses and palisade. Watchtower just below edge of tower to see incoming attacks. Barracks near towers. My usual playbook.

I think if players play Sparta as only ecobot it gets boring. But if you play super aggressive, pushing early with Spartiates and Skiritai then it becomes fun, cav too, Atleast in my opinion.

I see, I was under the impression it stood for serious, while /j was joke.

I see, I didn't realise. But if you've seen me play, then you will know that was hardly my usual level of player, or I'd atleast like to think so. But I've seen Valihrant beat Borg same strat while being Kushites. So I don't think its broken. You should also try playing it, it gets harder to use and if your opponent is half decent and scouts you he will anticipate it.

Oh someone just mentioned that /s stands for sarcasm and not serious. Sorry.

If every civ has access to most units and at least their counters, then this would be a lot less of an issue. In A27 we are seeing the civ rankings again (no rules TG): Brokenly OP tier: Macedonians, Gauls Strong tier: Seleucids, Persians, Ptolemies Medium tier: Romans, Kushites Ok tier: Brits, Athenians, Han, Carthage, Spartans Weak tier: Mauryas Why? Champs cavs. The top ranking civs all have champ cavs. But if we ban that, we get: Brokenly OP: Gauls (because fanatics) Strong: Brits, Athenians, Romans, Ptolemies, Macedonians So we see fanatics are still OP. If we remove that too, then Gauls will just drop down to the strong tier. Spartans is always lower down so having this extra powerful unit is not a big issue.

A sneak peak at the next OP champion unit after Spartiates get nerfed to death.

100 slingers do the job if no defense army

I was thinking that Carthage, Persis, Maurya and especially the Kushites can make technologies that make archers more effective, not just the current ones. The Kushites could do an archer rush and now there will be citizens not only CS, sun that patch is not ready yet. https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Maya_(Age_of_Empires_II) The Mayan archer is cheaper, so maybe that would be a good incentive to make the Kushite more effective, or perhaps by making the archer stronger or easier to create. What conditions are favorable for doing a Rush in 0AD? Cheap? Stronger? Faster?

There is no Archer Rush like the Mayan Archers in AoE2.

I'm a fan of the classics from the end of the 20th century. StarCraft, Age of Empires series. The rts of the early 21st century. Praetorians... Warcraft Empire Earth I like how simple games were before E-Sports. But I like the aesthetics of modern Rts, bright colors. Returning to the topic, AI does not focus on strategies.

The Return of Rome DLC really brought the AoE 1 hype back, didn't it? Here's the same unit in Alpha 9 (actor view is awesome): Same as in 0 A.D. They were even introduced as such.

Taking this into account, Roman infantry should have a bonus equivalent to the Aoe swordsman + an infantry tank unit. Maybe Marian reform give a bonus to Hastati line and more bulk expensive Extraordinarii.

There are no defined strategies like in AoE. https://aoe.heavengames.com/theacademy/multiplayerstrategies/breydels-roman-guide/ Rome in AoE is designed for infantry + siegecraft From there on it is average, but it has powerful melee units. Although the Hoplite class is not the most powerful( with roams in AoE. But the combination of legionaries and centurions is powerful.

I don't know, in A27 they're weak in the late game because of the crippled economy (they get Marian Reforms too soon). They were strong in earlier alphas. Mercenary civilizations are also bad in the hands of the AI because it spams them even though they can't gather. Persians don't take advantage of their strong cavalry. I'd say Han are now the strongest.

The worst nightmare is to let it grow and have it be Mauryans or Persians, they spam like crazy. It is vulnerable to rush.

There should be a small bonus for dogs, trample damage, it would be used to do area damage (tiny). Or even damage while moving hunting. PD: hunting humans.

But there is still some more practical (phase 1).

Thank you for the bug report in Gitea! Issue 8296

Catapults have twice the range and many times the damage, how will your slingers deal with that ?

My favorite has always been the Athenians, though getting to hunt enemy soldiers with the British war dogs is super fun.

Hands down the Roman’s are THE hardest ai civ. With super powerful champions and a lot of siege machines, they can overwhelm my armies in a few minutes.

OP AI Bot? Scary black mirror world we are heading in to