I like the weather idea. I have no idea how that can be implemented though.
Maybe it can be simplified to a static permanent feature called "Stormy Seas" that appear in some areas of the ocean, that takes 1 or 2 extra movement point to move through. There can also be a coastal version.
It's not unlike a mountain island, but this one at least can be moved through. Rough waters do exist in real life, which requires more careful traversal.I don't see the point of this. A forest or a hill is a plus for some units and a minus for others. It's tactics. This just seems like a pain in the ass... oops, gotta detour around this. It also seems very arbitrary, in that "Over there it's been stormy for thousands of years. Over here, blue skies!"
An idea I just had. We already have withdraw as an option on ships, especially the destroyer. What if we used the same concept but instead called it "Evasion".
Evasion: Damage taken from naval attacks reduced by 10% for every adjacent coastal/ocean hex not containing a unit.
The language could use work, but I'm basically using the similar logic to withdraw, which only works if you have available spaces to move into. Instead of forcing movement (which is a clunky mechanic in a game that requires such precision in military movement for high level combat), we provide defensive bonus in more open water.
This allows a thinner more scattered fleet some protection against a fleet bustling with ships end to end. Full fleet combat is still brutal, but as ships start to die, the remaining ships get a bit tougher, giving them some longevity.
Just a good screenshot highlighting the problem.
Spoiler :
I was doing pretty well at first, I killed about 10 ships and didn't lose anything. Then this new western fleet came out of nowhere and I started losing ships and forcing a pull back. I've counted 22 ships for the aztecs that I have scouted, so probably at least a few more behind there.
My only hope is to manage a full pull back and prey I can deliver enough firepower from the land to hold him off, otherwise, this fleet is about to be crushed.
So now I've done the pull back, doing my best to create the best screen I can for my frigates. I have also rerouted land troops fighting in the east back to my coastlines for support. So we will see how this goes.
Spoiler :
So the pull back went well. I managed to snipe a few ships, and hold my line.
Spoiler :
So now the question is, do I rebuild my full fleet? And at this point, I honestly don't think a full fleet of ships would do anything. Moving out of this water means I would have to contend with aztec land, and my fleet can barely hold its on in open water, little more aztec land.
So now I'm kicking myself for making a fleet in the first place. I probably would have been much better served just having land forces and no navy, because without a truly massive navy at this point....its probably just better to have none. And that's the issue I have with naval, its all or nothing. Building a navy that could actually contend with aztec would likely require the vast majority of my supply (and with a strong Egypt to the east I can't afford that). A middle size to small size navy does nothing....I could defend better with just more land troops and a middle navy cannot project any force.
And so....the best option is....no navy.
Perhaps the navy should have a separate supply? But that seems a little too complicated, instead maybe giving a supply promotion should be more common. For example harbors (or one of the coastal buildings) could make units in the territory of that city not cost supply (probably maxing out at a certain amount per city). Or they could give the no supply promotion to the first naval unit built. It could also be a promotion you get normally through experience.
Yeah I think naval doesn't really work as half your supply. If you can build just navy then you can beat the AI but as soon as you have to split it you are better off trying to ignore the water.
This is why I try to play on maps with as little water as possible, as in the end it all comes down to who has the biggest navy, which is boring as you need to put most of your military force into ships to survive. The communitu maps which are really nice suffer from this due to all the water in them, so avoid them. Which is a shame. When I used to play this there never seemed to be this unbalance between naval & land, or am I imaganing that, & it has always been so. Even playing England seems to be a chore when I play them now, & I used to really enjoy playing them.
I think it is often the right play to just move your capital off the coast and then refuse to settle any cities on the coast. I'd certainly be fine as the dutch giving up on their unit, as it isn't their big selling point. The others are getting a bit more of an issue.