Not using shipments

[deleted_user0]

Maybe a no-shipment tournament could be played, starvation was succesful so why not?

The main reason Starvation worked was that it was relatively simple for me to remove the hunts from the maps (with Durokan's help). Removing shipments might be more difficult, I imagine the easiest way would be coding a trigger that researches blockade for all players. Either way, someone has to find out how to do it, test it, then make it for a tournament-ready mapset.

Ofc not, you just play without a deck its quite easy to do. And there have been games played this way. Game would be very slow pAced and balance would be terrible. Many civs would suck but it can be fun to try

[Mr_Bramboy]

You're right in the way that this game would be way more popular if it never had shipments. Who wants to grind hours to stand a chance against other players? No one does. That is bad game design, especially for a competitive game and RTS. Unfortunately removing shipments from this game now would mean every game would turn into musk/huss mirrors, which is extremely boring to watch.

[deleted_user0]

Thats not true entirely. What you say has litte to do with shipments but rather homecity level system. AoeO had the same problem without shipments

[Garja]

Would be interesting. Altho from balance POV Ports and Brits are going to be clearly better and Spain beyond useless.

[deleted_user0]

Dutch might be fine too, but ye the rest wouldnt be too great. Twc civs would be ok as well. India terrible

[Mitoe]

You're right in the way that this game would be way more popular if it never had shipments. Who wants to grind hours to stand a chance against other players? No one does. That is bad game design, especially for a competitive game and RTS. Unfortunately removing shipments from this game now would mean every game would turn into musk/huss mirrors, which is extremely boring to watch.

Shipments, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons this game was successful, and it's not imbalanced. Sometimes an individual shipment may be stronger than others, but for the most part the shipment system is fairly well balanced and provides a healthy way for players to use them to augment different types of strategies. Honestly a lot of the mechanics AoE3 uses—shipments, age up policitians & wonders, firepits, consulates, etc.—add a lot of decision making and strategic depth that a lot of other RTS games lack.

The problem, as Umeu pointed out (and as you seem to understand from the way you worded your post I guess), is the leveling system. It takes too long, is not competitive, and is often not fun or rewarding. If everyone always started with every card unlocked it would be a lot better.

[Kaiserklein]

I feel like this leveling system was created for the campaign, and I can see how it could be fun for a kid to unlock his cards and add them to his deck. But for multiplayer it makes it unfair so it's retarded

The game would most definitely suck without shipments anyway. But it's a fun challenge when you play against someone much lower than you (like 15 pr).

[Jaeger]

I feel like this leveling system was created for the campaign, and I can see how it could be fun for a kid to unlock his cards and add them to his deck. But for multiplayer it makes it unfair so it's retarded

The game would most definitely suck without shipments anyway. But it's a fun challenge when you play against someone much lower than you (like 15 pr).

I guess you are usually on the PR15 end of the matchup?

[Kaiserklein]

I was meaning 15 pr lower. And if you can't see what it means, it means that I can win with no shipments vs someone of your skill

[lemmings121]

I was meaning 15 pr lower. And if you can't see what it means, it means that I can win with no shipments vs someone of your skill

Taunt 46

[Imperial Noob]

Maybe a no-shipment tournament could be played, starvation was succesful so why not?

rushing strats would be dead without shipments... the meta could be interesting then

also the balance would be dead, some civs rely heavy on their villager/military shipments (germany/spain),
while other civs like russia or ports dont even have them.
imagine germany vs ports, its basically 100f villager + 1 town center VS 80f villager + 2 town centers..

the meta would basically be: dont play half of the civs, since shipments are a part of the balance.
(kinda like starvation, where everybody just ended up playing iro..)

(it would be more interesting to make a tournament without villager/military/ressource crates shipments then anyway if you want more meta,
so the players would send all the special/bonus/upgrade cards..)

EDIT: id still love to see such a tournament, but the civ pool would be a lot smaller due to balance issues..

No 5 cossack, no 4 cossack, no boyars... poor Russia. India would be hurt much too without additional vills, trickles and good age 3 shipments, so would China, so would Japan, the natives, Ger, Spain...
Somewhere less, but still hurt would be Britain and Otto...
Portuguese then could become the apex predator, with unpunishably FF-ing France somewhere behind on the second spot and Dutch on the third... I guess

[deleted_user0]

Nah france would be mediocre, otto would suck, cant ff or rush without cards and they cant boom. Japan would be ok but worse than brits or ports. Twc civs would be ok i think because of fertility dance and generally not sending many vils anyway

[Garja]

Otto would still be okish with free vills and mosque techs I think.

[evilcheadar]

Brit would be op