Weaker ranged units and unit roles mod

[LetswaveaBook]

In most RTS game, ranged units deal less DPS than melee units. In 0ad this is the reverse and by considerable amount, which is not historically accurate. If we watch in-game fights, we often see that the melee units are not in striking position. All of this means that most damage is done by ranged units, which is problematic for balance. This mod aims to reduce the DPS of ranged units such to encourage more use of melee units. In addition this mod aims reduce the effectiveness of turtling and to enhance the unique roles of each melee unit. Since ValihrAnts Train-Rotation-times mod was well received, I decided to incorporate its main changes.

-Train and rotations times are as in ValirhAnts mod.

Unit balance:
-Citizen slingers and citizen javelineers get -15% attack(Javelin Cavalry still kills a women with 2 javelins and receives less damage).
-Citizen archers get 3.0 spread and -5% attack.
-Citizen spear cavalry gets +1 pierce attack(previously 10 unupgraded swordsmen infantry would defeat 10 unupgraded spear cavalry).
-Citizen spearmen and pikemen get -2 hack armor, to make them more vulnerable to melee units(especially swordsmen infantry).

After these changes, swordsmen infantry will be hoped to be the most favoured citizen soldier. This is fair since they cost some metal and are often limited to p2. In order to counter citizen swordsmen infantry I made the following changes.
-Athenians get the council chamber in p2 and are able to recruit their city guards there as well in p2 in addition to the gym.
-Carthaginians get their champion spearmen in p2.
-Champion spear cavalry and champion swordsmen infantry get +1 hack armor.
Champion elephants give to much value for their costs in A24. Hence:
-Champion elephants see their base price increased by 50 food and 50 metal.

So once a player reaches p2, they get some extra options and it encourages the use of champion melee infantry and champion spear cavalry later on. The most useful options I will list below:
Athens(Champion spearmen) Britons(none) Carthage(Champion spearmen, mercenaries) Gaul(Champion fanatics, buffed sword cavalry) Iberians(swordsmen infantry from p1) Kushites(swordsmen infantry) Macedon(none) Mauryas(swordsmen infantry, elephant archers) Persians(mounted archers) Ptolemy(mounted archers, mercenary swordsmen) Rome(swordsmen infantry from p1) Seleucids(mounted archers, mercenary swordsmen) Sparta(skiritai).
For Macedon and Britons I did not decide what my favourite way would be and hence they are left out.

In order to make turtling less effective I decide;
-Phasing up gives -1 capture regeneration increase per garrisoned soldier.
-Fortresses take +150 seconds to build and its construction can now be more easily stopped.
-CCs, military colonies, Stone Towers, Fortresses deal less damage per arrow but the base amount of arrows in increased such that their ungarrisoned damage output is left constant. However garrisoning soldiers adds weak arrows to the structure and garrisoned structures thus have less DPS.

Misc:
- Elephant archer is nerfed as any citizen archer and now costs 2 pop.

- I don´t think cavalry archer should be like a super archer with more DPS, fast speed and 2 times the HP, but I currently leave it as it is.

AlternativeBalance.zip

Edited May 15, 2021 by LetswaveaBook

[LetswaveaBook]

I would like to give some results on the balance and it seems like ranged units still have a major role. I played a game against warfaze(persians) as Spartans. It showed that ranged units can still do good damage. The deciding factor did not seem military might of either archers or skiritai but rather that my boom was more efficient almost from the start.

With equal economies, I think Spartans vs. Persians will be a very fun match under these conditions. Archers have the range advantage, but a vulnerable to being overrun. I think that gives a fun balance. Also here is the game so you can see it yourself.

2021-05-23_0006.zip

[ChronA]

Sounds like a good outcome. 
I shall watch your replay with interest.

[PyrrhicVictoryGuy]

On 15/05/2021 at 6:00 PM, LetswaveaBook said:

-Citizen slingers and citizen javelineers get -15% attack(Javelin Cavalry still kills a women with 2 javelins and receives less damage).

This might do it.

On 15/05/2021 at 6:00 PM, LetswaveaBook said:

-Citizen spearmen and pikemen get -2 hack armor, to make them more vulnerable to melee units(especially swordsmen infantry).

I agree for the spearman to have -2 but maybe the pikemen should only get -1.