Age of the Ring Suggestions
I realize that the AOTR team probably have their own plans for future Age of the Ring updates and projects. However, I do have some suggestions and ideas meant to improve game-play of this already excellent mod.
Please feel free to use or alter or ignore any of the following ideas. Moreover, I look forward to reading whatever feedback people have to these suggestions.
I now present a possible Age of the Ring future update. Maybe it could be version 9.0?
Version 9.0 - or later?: Siege & Strategy Update
What could this update do? Well, simply improve the use and fun of siege-craft in Age of the Ring! Furthermore this possible update could add a few strategic features to build limits, capture structures, and special units.
A) Walls:
One thing that annoys the hell out of me in many RTS games are walls! Walls are meant to be a defensive battlement capable of defending a community via - you guessed it - soldiers manning the walls. Age of Empires I, II, and III got this wrong. Walls need soldiers. Unless they are palisades. Which are more like enhanced barricades than castle walls. Empire Earth got it wrong. BFME II + ROTWK also got it wrong. Disgustingly so. Stronghold games got it right. Total War games got it right. BFME I also got it right. In the immortal words of Gandalf the White "To your posts! Man the walls! You are soldiers of Gondor!"
How can the AOTR team improve the wall system in their mod? Well let's sort this out by faction.
i) Gondor:
Gondor should have superior battlements and wall building capabilities. Their stone masons are second only to the Dwarf Holds. And they have been fighting a perpetual defensive war with Sauron's vassals since the 2nd Age.
If it is at all possible, perhaps the price of the wall hub could be increased to 1000, and to build a wall section at max length would be an additional 3000. Pricy, but the walls could have the second highest health and damage resistance (after Dwarves). Furthermore, the walls should have a longer build time than the pre-existing walls. Instead of being the spindly little things they are today, Gondor walls could just be the model for BFME I Castle walls, albeit not curved. I don't know if this is possible, but it would really improve siege game-play. Sort of a build function to the pre-existing walls, but able to be manned. Thicker, larger, harder, better, & full of men.
The upgrades would be: trebuchet, arrow tower, postern gate, gate-house (bfme I style), and elevator (cost: 600) so your troops can get up there.
Gameplay: Do these walls make Gondor OP? Absolutely not if you balance the right prices for walls and upgrades and balance the build time for the walls! They would be a late game necessity, and if Gondor can survive long enough, the ultimate turtling and/or defensive faction. If you can spend the resources, you can hold out a long time. To counter these walls, most enemies would likely need to spam many hordes. But it balances out, if you spend for Gondorian walls, you probably have less money and fewer troops when the siege begins.
ii) Rohan:
Keep as is! I like AOTR's walls for Rohan. Especially how you can see the troops in the arrow towers. Rohan's walls make sense lore-wise. They are more like wood & stone palisades with garrisoned lookout towers. Very much how I think Rohan would build their fortifications outside of the major cities & fortresses (Edoras, Helm's Deep, Aldburg).
iii) Imladris:
Keep as is! Like Rohan, these walls are very lore-friendly. The 3rd Age Elves were not the citadel building Elves of bygone ages. These walls are meant as simple defensive structures. The real power of the Elves is their use of magic rings and powers some outsiders might misinterpret as Elven magic. Imladris' walls are build for form, not function and rightly so.
iv) Lorien & Mirkwood:
To be lore-friendly, neither of these factions should have walls. That being said, perhaps an additional defensive structure could be added? Here's my idea: Pitfalls, snares, and traps!
Both these factions could have an additional function to their external arrow towers. Much like building a stretch of wall, you click and drag a defensive trip-line across the ground. Visually, it would just looks like the rubble that is left behind when you destroy a wall segment. Each trip-line segment is completely passable to friends and enemies and can be upgraded (of course you can't have two upgraded trip-line segments right next to each other). The upgrades don't affect allies, only enemies.
The upgrades could be:
Warning bells (cost: 150) - enemies that move through this trap are subject to the fear affect. 60sec timer before this is activated again.
Pitfall (cost: 300) - enemies that move through this trap suffer a one-time minor area damage & knockdown affect (only a few men per unit are affected). 60sec timer before this is activated again.
Snare (cost: 150) - enemies that move through this trap have their movement slowed by half for 15sec.
Poisoned Darts (cost: 300) - enemies that move through this trap suffer minor poison damage for 20sec.
v) Dwarves:
Exactly the same as in Gondor (see above), except with Dwarves visuals and that the wall hp is slightly higher.
vi) Mordor:
Evil factions get the short end of the stick in terms of walls! In the lore, Mordor was known for its massive fortifications. Most fortifications were simply converted Numenorian/Gondorian citadels. However, we know for a fact that the Orcs did add to these fortifications and improvise where the fortifications had fallen apart. As such, I propose that Mordor should be able to build some sort of wall structure.
In keeping with the lore, I'd like to suggest a modification to the Barricade spell. Instead of the spell summoning a structure with a few Orc archers on it, perhaps the spell could summon a heavily converted Gondor wall section (BFME I curved Gondor wall section). The wall would look like a section of the typical build-plot castle wall for Gondor, but with iron and wood scaffolding as well and Orc graffiti scrawled on it. Perhaps the cooldown time if the new and improved Barricade spell should be increased a decent amount. Assuming this is possible and not asking too much for the AOTR team to get around to, sometime after version 8.0.
The summoned wall barricade would have three spots for upgrades. And of course, would be wide, high, and thick enough to have troops move on it.
The possible upgrades would be: catapult, arrow tower, elevator (to allow troop access), and gibbet cage (reduces enemy armor and attack when near).
Though gates and creating a complete encircling wall would be impossible with this system, it would allow Mordor to play a defensive game. Not at well as Gondor, but still! Enough Orc captured Barricade wall sections on the map, and you can re-direct enemy movement flow, or maybe set up a line of defense (with lots of holes in it).
vii) Isengard:
Isengard's walls work well and are lore-friendly for a faction based on a highly armed, armored and disciplined war-machine! They are not defensive, they are simply iron barricades controlling the base and enemy movement flow. However, to balance off the walls of Imladris I think that Isengard should be able to upgrade walls with arrow towers and postern gates. That is all.
viii) Misty Mountains:
They do not need walls! However, they do need some form of defensive structure other than an arrow tower. I propose the Orcish Fence! Like a wall hub, but very very cheap. Only costing 150 to build the hub (it's more of a fence, like Rohan's BFME1 camp fence, but with Gundabad visual appeal).
Visually, it could look something like the fence set up within the evil faction build-plot castles in the RJ mod maps.
The Orcish Fence would be built like any ordinary wall in the currently existing game, but very cheaply. And would have such low health that any soldier could attack it. Most siege and hero attacks would outright decimate the wall! However, the fence would be impassible until destroyed. Strategically, one could flank the attacking enemy whilst they dismantle the fence (without too much trouble). So play-style here is to force the enemy to attack where you want (assuming they want access to your base) and outmaneuver them with strategic fence placement.
ix) Dol Guldur:
They do not need walls. However, I would suggest adding a long-range defensive structure to the fortress. Dol Guldur doesn't have trolls as a unit, and that does seem reasonable. But perhaps the fortress could have the option of corrupted ent-wife placements (does not contribute to the overal ent-wife limit). Since there is an ent-wife build limit, Dol-Guldur is lacking the balance needed to repel attacks at long range should one's forces be otherwise occupied or away from the fortress. Adding stone throwing ent-wives would give the faction a much needed defensive punch at long range!
Furthermore, I'd like to recommend a couple other defensive structures so as to balance off the other factions enhanced wall-building systems as suggested.
Firstly, an external Spider Burrow. Pretty much the same as the Warg Sentry, but with giant spiders that slowly re-spawn in time. If the burrow is destroyed, it becomes rubble and will slowly rebuild unless the rubble is also destroyed.
Secondly, the Dark Obelisk. Pretty much an obelisk that slows the enemy, reduces their armor and damage, and shoots out a single energy bolt of darkness at enemies in a long range (ballista range). Though like most siege projectiles, the bolt of darkness cannot fire at enemies too close, melee close.
The Dark Obelisk is meant to strategically offer an immobile siege attack if built close enough to an enemy base, or be used in support for your invading troops. It also reduces the decay rate of nearby Guldur units so you can go on the offensive further away from your fortress earlier on.
x) Haradwaith:
I am not sure if the AOTR developers are planning to give Haradwaith walls, but they should get them! In the lore, there are many Black Numenorian and Haradrim cities. Not up to Gondorian standards, but they still were encircled with walls.
I think that Haradwaith should have the same wall building system as mentioned above for Gondor and the Dwarves. The cheapest and weakest walls of the three factions, but still wide, tall, and thick enough for troops to be sent up onto the walls. Visually, they would look in the same art style as the buildings seen in Haradwaith teaser pics.
The upgrades would be: scorpion (siege weapon, not the arachnid. a smaller version of the ballista, but with slightly shorter range and attack), arrow tower, postern gate, gatehouse, and elevator.
B) Units:
AOTR has beautiful units and artwork! The diversity in each faction is superb. However, there is always room for improvement! Here is a list of units I think should be added. Some of the units (Mirkwood and Dwarves have been added simply because there is a maximum amount of factions in the game and I wanted to Dorwinion to have some sort of representation in the game. If anyone has played Third Age Total War DAC submod, then you get the inspiration to request that AOTR have some Dorwinion units somewhere.
i) Mordor:
Orc Trackers - Elite Orc archer horde, but smaller unit size than Orc archers. Large vision range and attack range. Mordor's equivalent to Ithilien rangers. Upgrades are the banner carrier. At lvl. 2, they can activate a poisoned arrow salvo. At lvl. 3, they get orc draught. Passive ability permits them to self-heal when not in combat.
Siege Towers - if the AOTR team decides to add garrisonable walls, bring these back!
Khandish Horsemen - Cavalry unit that can switch between bow and axe. Upgrades are banner carrier, heavy armor, forged blades, and barbed arrows. At lvl. 3 can shoot whilst moving.
Khandish Chariot - Single cavalry unit with various upgrades. I believe the AOTR team already has a plan for this?
Khandish Nomads - Infantry unit that can switch between bow and axe. Upgrades are banner carrier, heavy armor, forged blades, fire arrows. Cheap, fast, but weak in close combat.
Gorgoroth Orcs - Heavy hitting Orcs. Very poor armor, but massive axes render troops with heavy armor useless against them. Area of effect damage. Upgrades are banner carriers. At lvl. 3 gain "hew" ability. Duration of ability, Orc Ravagers deal +200% damage for a short time.
ii) Isengard:
Siege Ladders - Attacked manned walls requires Siege Ladders.
Warg Rider Skirmishers - Bow armed Warg Riders with all the appropriate Isengard upgrades.
P.S. The pictures of the upcoming Dunlending units looks amazing! They are exactly as I imagined how the Dunlendings would look, if they were their own faction.
iii) Misty Mountains:
Moria Spears - Spear armed Moria Goblins. Much needed for early game horde-worthy anti-cavalry.
Wolf Rider Skirmishers - Wolf Riders armed with bows. At lvl. 3 gain throwing spear active ability. A meta impact closer ranged attack.
Orc Chieftain - For all the many many dead Orc chieftains that go un-named in the Lord of the Rings. To balance out the many many oh so many men of the Fiefdoms we are familiar with on a first-name basis, but who were irrelevant to the story. Single unit that improves attack and armor of nearby units. Active ability that increases nearby unit speed. Can heal and replenish one dead orc per horde (active ability: new recruits!). Hero-slayer attack (like CAH). Limited to 5. Lvls up to 5. Not quite a hero, but more than a unit. Great for strategic placement.
iv) Dol Guldur:
Dol Guldur Uruks - Resistant to decay. Heavy unit can switch between sword/shield or dual wield. Shield gives armor bonus at the cost of damage. Two swords gives damage bonus at the cost of armor.
Corrupted Elves - Captured Mirkwood elves experiencing all the original Orc transitioning from Morgoth's day! This is how new Orc blood is born, baby! Elite ranged unit resistant to decay. Can stealth near trees. Heals when not in combat.
Nightmare Riders - Undead skeletal cavalry. Basically the same as risen dead, but mounted. Weak charge, but unnaturally fast.
Orc Deserters - Captured Orcs from Mordor who decided to desert the army. As punishment, they were sentenced to a fate worse than execution. Will decay if too far from corruption. Armed with Sword and shield. I noticed that Dol Guldur has their orc archers and cheap spearmen, but no sword melee.
Battering Ram.
v) Haradwaith:
Corsair Raiders - Corsairs of Umbar that can toggle between bow/spear.
Corsair Reavers - Corsairs armed with heavy axes.
Corsair Ballista
Corsair Pavaise - Crossbow armed corsairs. At lvl. 2 can deploy pavaise shield. Unit becomes immobile but has very high armor against ranged attacks and increased rate of fire.
Corsair Ensign - Single unit. Limited to 5. Passively increases speed, attack, and vision of nearby units. Lvl. up to lvl. 5. Can throw fire bombs. Passively steals resources from enemy kills. Garrison in transport ship and the vessel will gain a fire-bomb attack. Passive benefits apply to ships too.
Siege Ladder
Battering Ram
vi) Gondor:
Angbor the Fearless - New hero from Lamedon.
Battering Ram
Siege Shield - See Edain mod. This is a good thing to have for any army laying siege.
vii) Rohan:
Dwarves of the Glittering Caves - Elite infantry unit. Armed with heavy pick-axes. Deals high damage to buildings. Limited to 5.
viii) Imladris:
Bree-Land Crossbowmen - Crossbows from Bree. Less effective than Isengard, but cheaper than Rivendel's high elven archers. Poor armor until lvl. 3, in which they get heavy armor.
Bree-Land Sellswords - Longsword armed men from various places in Middle Earth. Elite, but cheaper than elves. Mediocre armor until lvl. 3 in which they get heavy armor.
Bree-Land Hedge Knights - Early game cavalry armed with lance. Poor armor until lvl. 3, in which they get heavy armor.
Siege Ladder - Made by men.
Elven Catapult - can switch to magic damage, which damages units more than it does structures.
ix) Lorien:
Siege Ladder
x) Mirkwood:
Battering Ram
xi) Dwarves:
Dwarven Stone Mason - Single until. Limited to 5. Cannot attack, but decreases building build time within a radius around the unit. When garrisoned in a structure, increases structure armor by 200%. Can repair structures and put out fires.
C) Buildings:
I find the lack of well/heroic statue type structures in evil factions limiting. Perhaps the evil factions could have such a building provide greater balance?
i) Mordor:
Remove the Mumakil pen. Mordor having it will be redundant once Haradwaith comes out. Instead, replace it with this: Khandish Yurt. Move all Khand units from the Easterling barracks here.
Monument to Sauron - Heroic statue structure that reduces unit recruitment time within radius. Nearby Orcs are fear resistant and earn experience twice as fast. Reduces cost of infantry by 5% (max. 25% with 5 monuments).
ii) Isengard:
Alchemy Storehouse - Increases unit rate of fire and movement speed within radius. Passively heals nearby units.
iii) Misty Mountains:
Brawler's Pit - Increases nearby unit attack and experience gain. Reduces unit recruitment time within radius.
iv) Dol Guldur:
Slave Work Camp - Generates resources when garrisoned. Removes all leadership (enemies and allies) within radius. Reduces cost of buildings by 5% (up to 25%).
v) Haradwaith:
Unknown, but they should have at least both a well structure as well as a heroic statue structure.
D) Limits:
I find the concept of the 5 Fortress limit to be - well, limiting! the same applies to siege weapons like Catapults. Instead, I'd like to suggest an alternative to building and unit (some) limits.
Fortress - Some maps can support 8 players. It makes sense to want to conquer the map with 8 fortresses. Instead of limiting fortress build limit, the AOTR team might be willing to add a bit of strategy. How about an increasing price system? It could go something like this:
1 Fortress - 5000, 2nd fortress, 7000, 3rd fortress 10000, 4th fortress 12000, 5th fortress 15000, 6th fortress 17000, 7th fortress 18000, 8th fortress 20000, and every fortress after that would be 25000 flat.
This way a player can build as much as they want, but with an ever increasing price. A system such as this would result in the player choosing either defense and saving resources, or horde spamming and invasion style tactics. Holding territory on the map and consolidating your claims, or taking it with only a couple main bases.
As per building limits such as the Gondor Market, or Rivendel library, I think the limit should go up with each fortress you own. Each new fortress increases how many of these types of buildings you can own by 1.
Siege engines are extremely limited in AOTR. I suppose the team was worried about people spamming things like catapults or ballistae. However, what if the 6 allowed at any one time only applied per siege works type building? So in order to span siege engines, one would first have to spam siege works. The player would choose between spending the extra time and money on siege works & units, or on massing troops with few siege engines. This way the limits would be intact. For example, two siege works would permit 12 trebuchets instead of 6.
The only siege limits that should be kept are Ents, Ent Wives, and giants. Since limiting their numbers is lore-friendly.
E) Captureable Structures:
i) Inns:
Inns need to be more relevant. In Middle Earth, there are many factions and kingdoms that are not so relevant during the War of the Ring, but still no less important in their placement during the history of Arda.
Perhaps inns could permit you to recruit those units that just don't fit anywhere else. All unique inn units would remain with their existing factions, however here are some suggestions of permanent inn units that all factions (good or evil depending) could have access too. Having an Inn would now be a massive asset! A tactical position to fight over and secure. I always felt that the inn wasn't that relevant. It was too far from your base oftentimes, and not worth defending in the late game. Here is my suggesting to change that.
Good Factions:
All Dorwinion units are standard (not hero hordes). The limited to 1 battalion at a time is because Dorwinion did not have much of a presence during the War of the Ring. Though they were allied with the Woodland Realm, the Dwarves of Erebor, Dale, and did trade with Rhun and on rare occasion - yes even Mordor! You can look it up if you like.
Dorwinion Guard - Heavy infantry armed with warhammers (the Venetian/historically correct kind, not the stupidly inaccurate fantasy kind - those are mauls not warhammers, and besides, mauls made of anything but wood would be impractical to use) and tower shields. Same formation as BFME1 Tower Guard. At lvl. 3 cannot be trampled, passive. Limited to 1.
Dorwinion Paladins - Heavy cavalry armed with sword and shield. Can alternate to using hand crossbow at lvl. 3. Limited to 1.
Dorwinion Pavaise Crossbows - Heavy archers armed with tower shield and crossbow. At lvl. 2 can deploy Pavaise shield. Unit becomes immobile, but gains massive defense against ranged attacks and gains increased rate of fire. Limited to 1.
Avari Thorax - Versatile Moriquendi elves than can switch between bow and sword/shield. At lvl. 3 gains the "martial artist" ability that allows them to temporarily use twin swords (like legolas' knife ability). Limited to 1.
Avari Hippeus - Versitile mounted Moriquendi elves that can switch between lance (knockdown and mace (stuns enemy soldiers). At lvl. 3 gains the "wild rider" ability which causes nearby enemies to flee in terror. Limited to 1.
Enedwaith Hunters - Cheap weak unit that cannot be upgraded, but can stealth anywhere. Toggle between dagger/throwing javelin. At lvl. 3 gains the "Neutral Peoples" ability: this unit becomes immune to damage for a short time, but also cannot deliver damage.
Enedwaith Clansmen - Cheap weak unit that cannot be upgraded. Self heals when not in combat. Armed with an assortment of gear from swords, to shields, to spears, to axes. At lvl. 3 gains the "Neutral Peoples" ability: this unit becomes immune to damage for a short time, but also cannot deliver damage.
Lossoth Warriors - Medium infantry. Armed with serrated spears that ignore heavy armor. Cold resistant.
Evil Factions:
Remnant Hillmen - Lingering men of Ruhdaur armed with swords, shields, axes, and spears. Cheap, but can be strong in massed numbers.
Remnant Blackguard - Heavy Angmarian men armed with heavy axes that do area damage. At lvl. 3 gain heavy armor. Can form the "Boar's Head" formation increasing damage, but decreasing defense. Extra damage to heroes. Limited to 1.
Remnant Silent Shadows - Last few true Dark Dunedain of ancient Angmar. Armed with longbows. Can be upgraded with ice arrows. At lvl. 3 gain heavy armor. Can shoot a special arrow that deals extra damage to monsters. Extra damage to cavalry. Can form skirmish formation. Limited to 1.
Remnant Heirs of Angmar - Men, both high and low with ancestors that either served or surrendered to the Witch-King. Armed with sword and shield. At lvl. 3 gain heavy armor. Can use the "charge" ability. Extra damage to other swordsmen. Can form block formation. Limited to 1.
Remnant Dark Iron Regiment - Men, both high and low with ancestors that either served or surrendered to the Witch-King. Armed with heavy spears. At lvl. 3 gain heavy armor. Immune to cavalry trample. Extra damage to monsters. Can form porcupine formation. Limited to 1.
Balcoth Tribesmen - Men of the East armed with falx for melee and javelins for ranged.
Ruffians - cheap and weak unit. Can toggle between dagger and sling. Cannot be upgraded. At lvl. 2 gains "whip" ability. A high damage single attack.
Mixed batch of Orcs - Contains a mix of Orc & Uruks from all Orcish factions. Can upgrade heavy armor, forged blades, banner carrier, and flaming arrows. Toggle between melee & ranged. Exceptionally large numbered unit. Contains at least one soldier per horde type from every Orc faction (including Isengard). Hp, damage, and armor vary between individuals in unit.
ii) Shipwright:
Where are the ranged ships like catapult ships?
Also, I think every faction should have unique ships.
Like Mordor's ships could all be garrisoned. And the transport ships could fire when garrisoned. Visually, something that looks like the boats Gothmog was in during the invasion of Osgiliath.
Furthermore, I'd like to see some universal map-wide ship upgrades. These upgrades would be lost if you lose all your docks. For instance:
Superior Woodwork (cost: 3000) - All allied ships gain 15% more armor.
Swift Sails (cost: 1000) - All allied ships gain 20% more speed.
Trade Convoy (Cost: 1500) - All resource producing ships have their yields increased by 15%.
Privateers (Cost: 3000) - All ships gain an attack, including un-garrisoned resource ships. Ships already with an attack gain a 10% increase to their damage output.
Crow's Next (cost: 2000): All ships gain a vision and range increase.
iii) Outposts:
These are not worth the trouble capturing, guarding, and then re-capturing. They are strategically insignificant in the mid-late game. And you waste man-power trying to protect them instead of targeting the enemy's resource and troop buildings. Here is a suggestion on how to make them more valuable and worth the extra attention.
When captured, the Outpost offers map-wide upgrades that benefit your faction in addition to the usual regular amount of resources. The player must maintain control of the outpost(s) in order to benefit. Only one benefit can be researched per outpost. If you lose the outpost, the upgrade is lost either you or the enemy must research a new (or same!) upgrade again.
Free Mason (cost: 3000) - An expert craftsman was captured living inside the outpost. All building hp are increased by 15% (per outpost).
Lost Scrolls (cost: 1000) - You have found lost scrolls with forbidden knowledge hidden in the outpost. All power cooldown times are 15% faster (per outpost).
Retired Tactician (Cost: 2000) - A retired well known military genius was captured living inside the outpost. All your units experience gain is increased by 25% (per outpost).
Siege Stores (Cost: 10000) - You find enough stashed food in the outpost to last a full length siege! The extra rations hasten troop recovery. All allied units on the map slowly self heal when not in combat.
Lost Armoury (cost: 5000) - You find expertly crafted blades and other weapons stashed away during the past age. All units gain a 20% increase to their damage (per outpost).
Sacred Runes (cost: 4000) - You find sacred Dwarf runes in the outpost. All units gain a 20% increase to their armor (per outpost).
iv) Signal Fires:
The problem with signal fires is that they aren't that interesting nor strategically valuable at all. Sure, you get faster power recharge times, but many other building and upgrades in the mod also do that. And the benefit isn't that large anyways.
A signal fire should act like a beacon of old: calling your allies for aid.
Perhaps capturing the signal fire could summon allies from other factions on a short timer around the fire? Like Haradwaith for Mordor, or Rohan for Gondor. The units have 120sec to be useful and then vanish at the end of the timer. Though this summoning would only work every 15min?
Or this could be a better idea:
Each signal fire gives you a different special power from another faction at random. You lose the signal fire, you lose the power. If you recapture the signal fire, then any random power would be the reward. Of course, only random good powers for good factions and random evil powers for evil factions. This way, the signal fires become dynamic and a gamble. If you get a crappy or useless power, you are stuck wasting troops trying to capture the beacon. But there is a chance to get something mighty! Like army of the dead, or Dragon Strike.
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Well these are my ideas for the AOTR mod in future updates. Please let me know what you think of them, and if any of the concepts are usable! Thank you and keep up the excellent work.
