So, the main problem is the unique design and features.
Maybe Rohan could have on outpost the Big village. This building can add the better infantry and defense for Rohan.
Village will have several interesting features(Price: 1500):
1) Tower shooting at enemy units
2) Heals nearby units
3) In this village you can to recruit peasants and farmhands on level 2.
The village can specialize to only one of three options, you must choose between:
1) Military camp(Price: 500): Around the village is several new military tent.
This feature unlocks a new spell:
Selected peasants and farmhands will get a better value and new design(Rohan swordmen and spearmen from spellbook in 3.8.1).
2) Village's stable(Price: 750): The new building for the village, the stable.
This feature unlocks a new spell:
Selected peasants, farmhands and archers will get a horses.
3) Residence of the royal guards:(Price: 1000): The village is guarded by several members of Royal Guard.
You can recruit battalions of Royal Guard on foot with sword and bow(max three battalions).
Design:
The main building is the old Rohan barracks:
(http://k45.imgup.net/sshot000375fc.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e100/Tom8778/game2007-12-2009-54-33-93.jpg)
(http://s54.imgup.net/stable8b46.jpg)
Also the current idea of a Big Village probably won't happen, I can't say anything specific but the Dwarves have an almost identical concept for their outposts.
You mean this?
http://www.moddb.com/mods/edain-mod/news/the-road-to-edain-40-lake-town (http://www.moddb.com/mods/edain-mod/news/the-road-to-edain-40-lake-town)
I see many differences between Lake-Town and Big Village. You must choose between one of two buildings for Big Village. But Lake-Town can have four different buildings at the same time. 8-)
Hell yeah that's a cool idea! Pretty sure it can be mixed with Tienety's idea of a Big Village.
Yes, this is possible, this function already have Rohan's traitors. Maybe stable can have a third option for Big Village:
Village's stable(Price: 750): The new building for the village, the stable.
This feature unlocks a new spell:
Selected peasants, farmhands and archers will get a horses.
Village's stable design:
(http://s54.imgup.net/stable8b46.jpg)
I try to translate it, sorry if my English sounds strange:
OUTPOST
Camp of the outlaws/ royal boundary-camp
The alternative outpost should be a cheap building, so that Rohan would be the only faction that can capture the big building plot early
The idea was a camp of the expatriated Rohirrim, which develops to a royal boundary-camp after you heal Theoden from his curse.
The Camp of the outlaws:
Costs: 500
Active ability: Send a spy: A single rider without the possibility to attack spawns at your camp. The rider is fast and has a big visibility range.
The rider is just a temporary unit.
Passive: The camp is protected by some friendly Rohirrim creeps.
Recruitment of heroes: Éomer (Éomer can only be recruited here while Theoden is affected by it's curse)
Recruitment of units: Outlaws
- (max. 4 Units)
- Riders, equipped with spears & axes
- costs: 250
- CP: 90
- Weaknesses: less armor and attack than normal Rohirrim.
Can't get upgrades (because the kingdom does not support outlaws) - strengths: Cheaper and faster than normal Rohirrim.
They have a fast recruitment. - Passive ability level 1: The outlaws strength:The outlaws get new power while Éomer fights with them side by side. While Éomer is near to the outlaws they are as strong as the normal Rohirrim and have the same armor like them.
When you heal Theoden from his curse the camp develops to a royal boundary-camp.
In addition to that all outlaws envolve to boundary-ridders and you can build Éomer in the fortress, too.
Royal boundary-camp:
Costs: 500 + Healing of Theoden
The royal boundary-camp is a tent camp of Rohirrim commissioned by their king to protect Rohans boundaries.
Active ability: Send a spy: A single rider without the possibility to attack spawns at your camp. The rider is fast and has a big visibility range.
The rider is just a temporary unit.
Recruitment of heroes: Éomer
Recruitment of units: Royal boundary rider
- (max. 4 units)
- Riders, equipped with long hammers
- costs: 350
- CP: 90
- Weaknesses: No Upgrades, less attack power than normal Rohirrim
- Strenghts: Less costs, a strong armor.
- Formation: Boundary ride: The royal boundary riders build 2 lines.
The visibility range increases +50%, Arrows do 25% less damage.
The attackpower decreases -50%. - Active ability level 1:boundary guard: The riders see the enemy passing Rohans boundaries and try to stop them. For a short period of time a selected unit gets more damage if it gets stomped under the horses feet.
- Passive ability level 3: United under one king: Éomers former companions are loyal to the royal family of Rohan. They get leadership bonuses twice.
These are the important aspects, if you want to read the full German version of this concept: http://forum.modding-union.com/index.php/topic,31117.0.html
There I wrote why I want to realize this concept and some further information but I was to lazy to translate everything. Nevertheless this is the essence of the concept.
EDIT: As Saruman the wise said outlaws sounds better, I've changed the name.
The German users that like this idea:
Joragon
Der Dunkle König
Der Leviathan
SirVexille
Beautiful Darkness
GF95
(Palland)Raschi
Edi der 3te
Kael_Silvers
Mornen
CommanderAS
AngelLord of the Rings
Skaði
Stormbreaker
Arador
Der Namenlose
Nazgûl
Graasgring
Kjeldor
CynasFan
Caun
Fine
Photti
Der alte Graubart
Sinux
Dafur! xD
:
Tienety
Saruman the wise
LordDainIronfoot
[...]but for the English version wouldn't Outlaws sound better then expatriates
If you say so, I don't know, but you're the native speaker I guess :)
I'll change it.
And the outlawz did good music ;)
Elite makes some good points and the idea is quite unique so I wanted to talk about it first. Grima, in my opinion, doesn't deserve a larger part in Rohan's warfare: he is only a spy, and they usually work on their own so having him summon Traitors would be unnecessary. I see that he corrupted many men at Theoden's court but I don't beliebe he did so very often outside Edoras. Also, I understand the desire for a scouting power/option but with the other negative the Sentry-post has, it turns in something rather unwanted: remember that currently Theoden's corrupted powers only support his troops for the better, because they still follow their king. So, giving debuffs to normal troops would make Rohan's infantry only worse.
What I do like is the improved units of the 'cleansed' outpost, I agree that Rohan needs better infantry (besides the elite Royal Guard), but I'd like to see it implemented differently.
The only two I liked due to their completeness were the 'Big Village' and the 'Outlaw / Royal Boundary Camp.' I would propose to mix elements of the Big Village with the Outlaw Camp.
Outlaw / Royal Boundary Camp
Firstly, I believe the outlaw camp should not be so cheap, but that is for later concern.
Secondly, I like the implementation of both a scouting function and some early-game, cheap cavalry of both versions.
Thirdly, I don't like the Royal Guard post for the Big Village: what are they doing so far away from the king? Similarly I don't like the adding of a second Boundary rider.
Therefore, fourthly, I want to suggest that the aforementioned (by other people) infantry from 3.8.1 (don't trust me on what they look like or do, I haven't played it), are added through a 'Banned Villagers' (or evicted-from-their-burning-homes villagers) upgrade excluding the 'Royal Boundary riders' upgrade. Why? Because I feel that players should choose between having stronger infantry or powerful scouting abilities during the early-mid-game, that is a choice between guerilla tactics and protective play.
These villagers would have had much experience defending their villages against outsiders/enemies being situated on the country's borders, and would be similar in strength to Theoden's traitors. They wear axes and swords, cannot be upgraded but they are very effective outstanding light infantry, perhaps even get an active armour-piercing ability for dealing with heavily armoured units. They are limited to three/four battalions to represent the fact that many villages were defenceless.
On the other hand, I don't feel that there is a necessary difference between the cheap Outlaw riders and advanced Royal Boundary Riders, if the latter is supposed to replace the first. They could easily be one unit, with the Boundary Ride formation and the active ability of the Border Guard that deals extra trampling damage. This makes it less necessary to create multiple units that serve the same purpose.
I do think it important that Rohan gets a second outpost option but something in the lines of a village big or small, or a sentry/guard post type of structure.