I've been having some trouble balancing costs between ranged and melee units.
Such as... You have a melee unit with 80 range, The melee unit is worth 100 gold. You have another unit that's exactly the same as the melee unit, but it has 800 range.
Should the ranged unit cost 10 times as much as the melee, since it has 10 times the amount of range? I don't think so. Please share your thoughts on how much this ranged unit should cost.
it all depends howmuch difference that 700 range makes.
So that would depend on: -damage -movement speed -attack speed
for example, if the unit's damage is very low, and movement speed high, then range has less effect, for the one with 80 range can get close fast, and won't die before he's there.
if movement speed is low, and damage high, then the 80 range will be dead before he gets in range.
Instead of making one cost 50 gold, and one cost 200 (for example), keep their costs the same, and use this unit balancer http://maps.worldofwar.net/misc/damagecalc to calculate the exact balancement. While it is a pain to put in the info, it is much, MUCH easier to play around with it. Make sure to give them the same attack type and armor type- or it wont balance them. You can alter the attack types later. Just keep their stregth agility and intelligence at the set 5.
Damage and fre rate are the biggest factors you want tyo throw into the equation, but the general rule of thumb is that you want to have ranged units always cost more the melee. If not in gold, then in lumber. If a ranged unit has the same attack speed and damage of a melee unit, then massed ranged units of that type would wipe out melee pretty easy since they dont have to move in and surrouns their target and you should definatly make them more expensive. -VGsatomi
I personally like to keep ranged units the same cost and just make them a bit weaker, but VG's way works well also. The only problem with having them cost different prices is that you cant use that calculator (unless you modify the stats around a bit to make it like the units cost the same).
Ranged also cost more because they usually get a first strike on a melee, but what most people, and noobs who don't edit objects do, is give ranged units medium armor so they get thrashed by melee, unless they are backed up by melee themselves
