Harmony - Troop Symmetry

Don't talk about imbalance – we're not just speeding up the path to Super Unit for one player, but for everyone at once.

I will address the imbalance, specifically the imbalance of choice. When one path becomes obvious (too easy and achievable early on), while the others become unnecessary. Because the power of a Super Unit corresponds to 5+ perks for 1 slot. For this reason, in my mod, I tie the Super Unit not to leveling up, but to an expensive super artifact (amulet), which only becomes worthwhile under these conditions. By the way, the power of the Super Unit also varies between different races, so imbalance will also arise based on this criterion.

Regarding the debuffs – it's unclear why this is needed, giving situational skills to races instead of magical ones. I would say that the debuffs, in the form they exist in the original game, are a disgrace to the Orc race and represent incomplete development paths (taken strictly for the endgame and usually chosen randomly). Unless they are somehow strengthened, making them combat-oriented. Because spending up to 6 slots just to hinder only 1 school is a clear failure. Compare this to the Dwarves – magic resistance + dwarven luck, which effectively counters 2 schools at once, costing only 2 perks.

Regarding the levels – in the original game, achieving a Super Unit is possible around level 25, and level 20 is achievable as early as the 3rd-4th week. The conclusions are obvious – with focused leveling, achieving a Super Unit is almost always possible within about 2 months, if the opponent doesn't kill you sooner. However, either this is not a very powerful Super Unit, or it requires taking irrelevant perks (sacrificing), which you have to endure throughout the entire process (and you can fail in the endgame if you don't get the Super Unit in time). And this is where the element of balance lies.

Regarding the mentioned 2-4 months – I would call this mode not Multiplayer (competitive), but Multi-Singleplayer (a relaxed, cooperative playthrough of the map at your own pace, with a final showdown to see who developed better). Because the key feature of Multiplayer is the desire not just to complete the map, but to outplay the opponent, which implies the need to act more efficiently and faster. I have never seen tournament reports where the game ends later than 2 months.

I understand that everyone has their own style and pace of play; I am just explaining why this idea may not work for other players.