Originally Posted by
Bailandoman
I haven't read every single post on this thread since 4.0 came out, so forgive me, as I don't want to waste anyone's time rehashing old issues, but I think nobody's raised the following points yet (I do so here not as a demand for changes, but simply as observations that are intended to be helpful):
1) Factions are largely balanced in manual combat, but the automated combat option has problems with balance. Specifically:
1a) Darknuts perform terribly. (My inference is that the AI underestimates the strength of multi-hitpoint units.)
1b) Gorons cannot win a battle. (Same reason?)
1c) Ikana is extremely strong.
1d) I think Ordona may have problems.
For humans, one can simply manual-fight battles and this shouldn't matter. But on the larger campaign map, this affects the entire game, because inter-AI combat can become very one-sided; for instance, I've never seen the Gorons expand their empire, even when they have a huge lead by every measurable metric, and Ikana conquers its non-human neighbors very quickly--and they can do it if you leave them so much as a single city. And the once-scary Ordona is now the laughingstock of the South.
2) Maintenance. High mainentance costs are great (armies got too big in versions 3.x, in my opinion) but now the ratio of recruitment cost to upkeep cost is a little too high, so winning a battle is less "you just destroyed xxxx rupees' worth of troops!" and more "thanks for eliminating xxx rupees' worth of mainentance costs for the enemy!". Perhaps 500 cost / 100 maintenance for regular troops? Just a suggestion.
2a) The Fairies no longer have free maintenance, it appears. This is great--they're no longer stupendously powerful (although simply reduced maintenance could be interesting)--but their neighbors Lanayru are now freed up to be world-conquering beasts. Reducing the starting population of Lanayru cities (and of nearby rebel cities) may help.
2b) The maintenance of Zuna Ziggurats (and Sheikah Shadow Cannons) never got adjusted; those things still cost the old 100 rupees/turn, which is now in fact 33% less than that of a normal unit, not 100% more. Leads to some interesting strategies, especially on the former. Doubt it was intentional, though.
3) Do Ikanian cities grow now? That's fine and all, but the civ is now overpowered. This may be more related to point 1c than anything.
4) River Zora start with only 1K rupees, not 10K, which I think is probably a typo in some file somewhere. And this isn't a balance thing, but they crash frequently, and I think it's whenever I try to train a unit, though I can't prove it.
Thanks for your time.