Caelum vs. T\'ien Ch\'i
The post where people were asked to rate the nations had a clear winner and a clear loser. Caelum came out on top and TC came out on bottom. So why is this?
I recently tested TC for the first time to find out why Caelum is so much better than TC. And the answer is crystal clear. It's the mages!
Mages are far and away the most important thing for any nation. They do research. Build artifacts. Summon troops. Lead troops. Fight battles. Search for sites. In fact, absolutely everything needed in this game starts with the mages.
So, lets examine the Caelum and TC mages:
1. Cheap mages:
A. Seraph - A2W1 - 100 gold - recruitable everywhere.
B. MotW - W1?1P2 - 100 gold - recruitable everywhere.
The MotW gets a random, which is nice. The 2 priest is not very useful other than to halve the upkeep cost plus build an occasional temple, and I for sure would rather have a second random.
The Seraph has no random, which is not so good. But, and this is the key, it does not need one! Any Caelum player will get quickness/lightning right away. Then quickness/false horrors a bit later. Who needs a random? These Seraphs have the ideal skills for their cheap price. They can research and are extremely powerful in battles. They can also build some cheap artifacts when needed, like boots of flying and quill pens. And eventually, water bracelets for clam hoarding.
I would give a slight edge to Caelum on this, especially since it's mage has one more research level. But the one MotW random means you can get a W2 clam building mage easily as TC and do more level 1 site searching because of that random, plus they are half the upkeep cost. This is why I gave Caelum only a slight edge.
2. High mages:
A. High Seraph - A3W2?1 - 175 gold - recruitable everywhere!!!
B. Celestial Master - F1A1W2S1?1P3 - 250 gold - capitol only!
The cost difference is astounding. OK, the three priest level is mildly useful, which is where the extra purchase price goes. But the S1 is horrid! Any astral race will kill these mages fast. And you don't have all that many anyway due to the capitol only problem. Plus, the ONLY level 2 they come with is water, arguably the single worst school. It means you can immediately build clams. Big deal! You will quickly get a W2 MotW soon anyway and he will build the clams. Plus the only school you can get immediate access up to level 3 is water. Caelum can get air 4 out of the box! Ugh.
This is not even remotely balanced. The better mage is MUCH cheaper and built anywhere! In fact, I would go as far as claiming that the Caelum power mages are twice as cost effective as the TC power mages. The ONLY benefit to the CM is the lower upkeep cost.
This is, imho, why T'ien Ch'i deserves the bottom spot and Caelum gets the top spot. Not the only reason, but perhaps the predominate one.
So, how to fix this? And can it be done in a patch?
My first cut:
1. Increase the cost of the Seraph slightly, perhaps to 120.
2. Make the High Seraph capitol only and/or increase the cost to maybe 200 or 225.
3. Remove the S1 from the CM and make it a second random or perhaps a second fire.
4. Change the A1W2 to A2W1 on the CM.
Is this enough to make T'ien Ch'i a vaible race? Is this punishment enough for Caelum? Opinions, anyone???
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