Mod Analisis Part 1: Civ Ideas LLC

I personally like civ ideas, and I have made some of them in the past so, I thought it would be nice to analize this mod made by u/anatarion and u/ChuKoNoob. It was made to add more civs with a similar feeling to the original civs so let's check them out:

(I will focus at gameplay since that's the focus of the mod)

Afghans

An insteresting but exagerated civ. It has a incredibly open tech tree and bonuses who helps in getting a varied army, who reminds to Chinese. Aniway, Chinese are better but weaker sometimes. What I mean? I mean that chinese have better early game, a more special UU and better towers, while Afghans have better siege and also, much better cavalry. I feel that's inbalanced beetwen early game and late game so I think it needs a nerf on their tech tree and a new eco bonus. Their castle age UT is basically the Korean bonus but you need to pay for it, having only 4% more effective stone miners; it could be better if it was longer lasting stone instead. Also their UU is basically a worst slinger in every way: more expensive, less armor, less pierce armor, slower, less bonus vs infantry, more difficult to mass; even against skirms the archer armor is useless as they still do only 1 damage, making it only effective vs huskies. This civ has every problem that most anatarion's and chu's civs have: bad bonuses at early game but incredible late game tech tree, useless UU, and useless UT.

Bantu

An extense african umbrella civ, especiallized on boom and late game with nice skirms at the early game. My first thoughts before it was changed were that this civ was special and unique, but after all the changes they feel much more generic. Their principal bonus is the cheaper TCs, permiting them a 4 TC boom without mining stone. Their other bonus is cheaper archerys and 18% faster attacking skirms, which is nice at feudal but still don't consider it an strong bonus. I feel that 25% or even 33% faster may be the go-to for them. Their team bonus (spearmen avaible at dark age, but are weaker) also has only one use and that's a very risky fast-castle without walling up. Before the changes they also have regenerating eles, who was quite unique. Talking about unique things, let's look at the UU and the UT! Their UU is the Assegai spearmen, an "eagle warrior" especiallized on killing cavalry, while being weaker vs archers. I feel that giving them the eagle warrior army could be more accurate but they are already quite weak to infantry so that's not a big problem. The only problem I have with them is that they feel really good. They are very good vs everything but heavy infantry, similar to imperial camels. But they are also good against pikes so we finish with only two generic counters: Champions and Hand canoneer! There is only one other unit that is near to that versatillity and that's Mayan Dorado Eagles. Their first UT (more attack to infantry vs vils) is only worth picking if you either go with the UU or with Condos, as pikes have very low RoF and champions are just very slow to chase villagers. Their second UT makes their siege cheaper on gold. Who doesn't feel very unique very unique compared with Slavs, but it's otherwise ok. So, we finish with a civ who only starts shining at castle age, but even there, you lack good fast units (no knights, eagles, camels or even LC) before putting a castle to make your UU.

Caribs

A mesoamerican naval civ with a quite limitated tech tree. They have by far the best eco of the mod, with two very solid but not overwhelming economy bonuses, who are that economy buildings support 5 population and that fishing ships carry more resources and also two very decent military bonus, free archer upgrades and increased damage vs buildings at demolition ships. Their economy helps them on going with any early rush, especially the archer rush as they also get the free upgrades so they finish with an important powerspike at early castle. So, what's wrong with them? To start, they have an incredibly limitated tech tree at imperial age, without having an economy as good as Mayan one but indeed, they feel a bit like Vikings since both of them have a large power spike at castle age but lack power units at imperial age, but the Viking tech tree is much better since they have SE, architecture, treadmill cranr and Cannon Galleon. They have three unique things: The Canoe, an exploration ship; the Blowgunner, who is a mix beetwen Chu Ko Nu and a dismounted Arambai, and the Fortified Ranges, an upgrade to the archery range avaible after researching their castle age UT. The fortified ranges have only one problem: their range of only 6 when FU. If it was 8 it may be much better. Their imperial age UT increases Blowgunner and Eagle Warrior ROF by 40%. They are made to be similar to Mayans with their Siege Ram, Eagle Warrior and Blowgunner combo but I would say that is much worst, as their eagles are nice but not as good as Dorado Eagles and the Blowgunner isn't as powefull as Plummes. Their team bonus (infantry and archer can garrison at archery range) is mostly useless but it could be nicer if it included barracks. It can help as a gate for these units, similarly to Khmer houses.

Chola

Naval and infantry civilization. Totally focused at late game with only +1 melee armor on infantry at early game.  When they reach castle age, they get elephants with increased blast radius, siege units with more garrison and free caneering. I would say that they're still weaker here even with all these bonus. They feel like koreans a bit but even Koreans gets their deadly tower rush and better late game. Their only advantage over Koreans before imperial age are their Eles and that they have Bloodlines but they also lack Thumb Ring. We finish with a civ that will make three units: Rams, elephants, militia and their unique unit, the Bombard Elephant. Their unique unit is a incredible expensive but still quite cost effective elephant with 10 range who is super strong vs buildings and siege but instead of bombard cannons, they are quite tanky. That's probably the backbone of any army of this civilization, since if you can deffend them to Cavalry and Pikes they can kill archers, monks and even other elephants and siege. They also have other unique unit, a weak warship called Karkallatoi, who needs half population space and is very cheap. I would say that they're ok at castle age but they bright at imperial age, with double of the hp and half population. This civ, as someone said on the redfdit discussion is strong because of their UUs and that's all. They also have champions with more hp and armor and armor, good spearmen and somewhat decent archery range and stable but isn't that good. Their rams are nice but their siege workshop is somewhat lacking. A weak civ before castle age, but even there, they lack the strength needed to win the game.

So that's the first part