Hello everybody and the ET,
I wanted to suggest a small cosmetic change to Rohan cavalry that has to do with the Royal Bred Horses. The reason I bring this up now is because of the new Rohan spell book that has revamped this power to have a greater impact on Rohan's cavalry gameplay.
Basically, the current working of the spell is improving Rohan's cavalry units from level 3 on, as well as changing the horses' colour to white. The new spell doesn't change this aspect.
In my opinion, however, I feel that the white horses do not look very pretty and they do not fit well with Rohan's colour pallet in general. I find it rather takes away the unique aspect of Rohan cavalry armies that appear so diverse in origin (thinking of the movie's rendition of the Rohirrim's arrival to the Pelennor Fields).
I understand the reasoning behind giving visual cues to the active or passive workings of spells and abilities of all kinds, but I feel in this case it is quite overdone. Thematically it also makes not much sense. On the one hand, the passive ability is based on the fact that the Rohirrim have advanced animal husbandry which allows for successful horse breed and improved relations between horse and rider. On the other hand, we know of the Mearas, a horse breed considered royal and noble that only accepts riders of royal bloodline. Although Shadowfax and Snowmane are the most known examples, it is no rule that the Mearas are white, even if it were only for Peter Jackson's interpretation of the wild Brego. I want to break the binding aspect within this thematic, believing that better horse breeds are not always Mearas, and that Mearas are not always white.
My suggestion, therefore, is to keep the battalion's horses the colour they are (after all, the horses are not chameleons) except for the battalion's banner carrier. In this change the visual cue will be carried by the banner carrier, whose horse turns white, instead of the whole battalion's horses. I believe such a cue is sufficient as it is already in place to a lesser extent in the shape of unit levels floating above the banner carrier's head.
The reason for this change is to retain the unique Rohan colour pallet, while maintaining a significant visual clue for players that the passive spell has been bought and has taken effect over certain battalions.
I hope to have convinced you. Otherwise I'd appreciate a convincing answer from the team why they have chosen this arrangement.
Best,
Garlodur