Hello! Thank you for your titanic work, for the wonderful mod! I play The Battle for Middle-earth on the network since 2006. Your mod has become for me a practical bfme-3... The only mod, which have serious balance.
Since the release of 4.4, I play only for Imladris, trying to learn how to play, against any faction.
I play at a fairly good level, recently at the tournament came in second place of the 16 most active players in gameranger.
Imladris well balanced against Isengard, Angmar, Gondor.
Lorien:
Imladris at the start has only one detachment of swordsmen, you can quickly purchase a second ..
However, Lorien may have at the start of so many groups that force swordsmen Imladris lose its value: one unit Lorien runs, and the second attack from the back, archers shoot ...
But, at the beginning of the game, perhaps one troop swordsmen to kill the troll, received the money, do one cavalry troop.
Okay, so, with a good micro control, in the early game Imladris can withstand Lorien...
However, if Lorien builds an outpost, it is practically impossible to fight!
Exclusive spearmen, minstrels, Galadriel capture, the capture of the palantir roots, capture arrows of Haldir (recovers a very fast), the capture of Radagast. Because of this, the cavalry can not neutralize the archers.
Maybe all this is justified for Lorien, towards to other factions, but very expensive units of Imladris...
Imladris can not lose a lot of units, it is fatal for him.
Lorien has large and inexpensive units of outpost, star arrows of very quickly destroy costly troops of Imladris.
Loremasters not solve the problem: they are just as scared of arrows of Haldir, stop of Galadriel, skill of palantir.
Ered Luin:
Catastrophe! At the start of the game, the dwarves have the speed, have many units, cheaper, strong enough, the crows of the Palantir will help them to easily kill swordsmen of Imladris, and you can not escape! (soldiers of Imladris do not have the speed at the beginning of the game.
Of course, you can start in the cavalry for 1600 (800 + 800 stable building unit cost) but you yourselves understand ...
Well, you do not got a very strong opponent, and you miraculously survived in the early game.
But there is Torin ... he is able to destroy many swordsmen of Imladris, even with improved armor and blades of Erigion
Of course, Torin will not fight alone, he will have the support units, less expensive than in of Imladris.
But the main problem at the start of the game, rather than Thorin.
Iron Hills:
Perhaps, but extremely difficult.
In the melee compete with these guys is impossible, and archers of Imladris unavailable, second level of the barracks, only 5 (!) soldiers in troop and take the limit of 120 (!). Arrows of Mitlond good, but the cost of the three units + Tower - 4300. And these three groups is not enough in the late game. Archers Dúnedain not solve the problem, they are built too long to get the fiery darts too hard, goats destroy them very rapidly)
Well, fire catapults destroying the archers quickly and catapults of Imladris!
And, the soldiers of iron hills can get together in a pile around the catapults + iron hills are resistant to the consternation (loremasters not work)
Mordor:
In the late game Imladris good job, but at the start of Imladris has not masters of the blade, so the free orcs surround and kill swordsmen (by means of poison and Gorbag eye of Sauron) are free, numerous groups of orcs sent to many farms destroy them, and Imladris can not have a sufficient number of troops to protect them.
Rohan:
Available cavalry, cheap peasants ... Imladris lacks pikemen units (cost of unit 600), a lot of farmers groups establish control of the map, destroying farms, and the horsemen of Rohan already at the start suppresses infantry of Imladris. All this is happening even before the possible hiring Dúnedain,
because Rohan may employ its forces immediately, Imladris need outpost (800 + cost of grade for the possibility of hiring troops) Money + time.
In conclusion, I want to say that all this applies to games between equally strong players. Of course, you can win the race strong - weak. But we want to have equal chances. Imladris newest faction and needs correcting, she is beautiful, all the heroes, the warriors are exceptionally well designed and made in style, I was surprised - this is the only race in which I love every unit and I'm really looking forward to when Imladris can fight all factions on equal chances!