Talk:Malay/@comment-25865593-20170111015120/@comment-37.6.2.6-20170111110316

I agree. They have powerful economic bonuses at water maps, and great naval defence as well, but it's not enough to completely dominate a water game.

At land however, I find them somewhat unbalanced and a faction of extremes. They have the worst cavalry in the game, yet cheaper Battle Elephants or Fish Trap-fed Light Cavalry mobs can still harass foes through sheer numbers. Their infantry are meant to lack, but in reality, even Teutonic Knights can eventually succumb to a "death of thousand cuts" by swarms of Karambits, while a rapidly reached Imperial Age can provide terrifying Two-Hander rushes. And not to mention their Halberdier and Two-Hander trash... They operate as an "attrition' civilisation, wearing down foes through sheer pressure and numbers.

A slight nerf might be necessary however, as in amphibious/naval maps, they can simply boom with Fish Traps and gold-gathering Villagers and eventually wear down anything with numbers, probably by replacing the lower cost of Fish Traps and Boats with a faster training time.