[2023] Thoughts about the new update

Sorry if this is too long. The new Ocean update seems to be getting mixed reviews, so I'd like to throw my two cents in. Overall the update has improved the game. There is definitely a need for some fine-tuning just like there were tweaks after the diplomacy update, but overall the update was well done.

The new changes really emphasize how one dimensional naval warfare was. On land there is a lot to think about: ranged attacks, hit and run riders, chain kills by knights, powerful counter attacks from defenders, etc. However, the old naval format was just to spam battleships, which were overpowered.

One of the best things the developers did was to separate the scout ability from the main naval attack ship. Having a dedicated scout ship was a really great move. The bomber ship might need changing a little bit, personally I think it just need to lose the splash damage. Also, I haven't really found a need for rammers, but maybe I just need more time to learn their value and how they should be used. Also, getting a free juggernaut just for moving a giant into a port is a bit much, maybe they should for a raft and cost 10 to upgrade to juggernaut. Navies now need to consist of a variety of type of ships that work together. Overall the changes have added a lot of depth to naval war, that I appreciate.

The increased cost of lumber huts hasn't seemed to be too big of a deal, but with the increased costs of roads, Yaddak needs some help.

Also, the new marketplace will take some getting used to. It's not as simple as the customs house, but it's nice that inland cities can actually build them and provide a econ boost, unlike the customs house which required coast.

My biggest complaint is map generation. I usually play on large maps with continents. I have been getting maps that just have two continents separated by a long narrow strip of water, a 'river,' and a small ocean off to one side of the map. This is presumably to give bridges more usefulness. As a result I haven't had too many epic naval battles. I'd like to suggest that continent maps should have medium to large bodies of land separated by medium to large bodies of water. And there should be a new map type called 'Riverlands' where most of the water is just long rivers that meander around the map.

This is just my thoughts, I know people may disagree, but I am a fan of the update even though there is a need for so fine tuning.