Haste will make flyers and in many cases also ground units move twice as fast on the strategic map. This means that a player without haste will need to have twice as many units, or units that is twice as strong as a player using haste, in order to take/ protect the same number of resources.
Spells like stone skin and bless will of course make units stronger, but will surely not make them twice as strong, and haste also make units better in tactical combat, because it will make it much easier to reach key targets (like ranged attackers) and make it possible to hit them with more strikes.
Haste also make it much easier to make surprise attacks. A very powerful strategy for a wizard that has haste, would be to fill an air galley or wind walking ship with flyers (ot other fast strong units). If he also has explore he will be able to strike targets that are 48 hexes away !! Very good for assassinating enemy wizards!!
Another problem that has already been pointed out is that haste make the already (too) good flyers even better, that's because flyers (and floaters) with haste will always only need 2 mp (movement points) to enter a hex, but walkers will need 6 to enter forest and mountain hexes. Walkers with haste will also no longer benefit from roads (witch is stupid).
The slightly higher price (15 mana) for haste is not nearly enough to balance it, and it don't solve the problems with haste berry trees and haste domain.
The perfect solution IMO would be let haste work like AoW1, where it only reduce the mp it cost to enter a hex by 1 (instead of 2) that would make haste only increase the movement of most units by 25-33 % (instead of 100%) Ground units on roads and units with cave crawling on dirt would still get their movement increased by 50%
This would of course make haste a lot weaker, so the cost should go back to 10 mana, and the upkeep should maybe only be 3 mana.
The good thing about this solution is that it would also make haste berries and and haste domain weaker and ground units would benefit as much from haste than flyers would.
I still think flyers are a little too good, and need to be balanced. Static shield is way too good good now, either it should go back to only stun enemies that strike the unit, or it should be a lot more expensive (like 50 cost and 12 upkeep) Some units need something extra or people will almost never build them. The mystic, witch, elder, and shaman could get healing Other chances I believe would make the game better. Fairy Dragon should have cause fear like the other dragons All summoned units should have less upkeep (especially level 1 and 2) Kris [This message has been edited by Kris Lighthawk (edited 07-28-2002 @ 09:47 AM).]
One think I would like to see would be that flyers would need 8 (or at least 6 mp) to enter mountain hexes (like in aoW1) so they can't zip right across mountains.
I would also like to have all flyers (except the maybe eagle rider's and fairy dragon's) movement cut down to 36 mp.
The frost drake rider is too weak for its price, i would like to see it get cold strike (its cost should be increased to 140, as cold strike is a very powerful ability)
The red dragon is way better than any of the other level 4 units (that can be recruited in cities), its movement should be cut down to 32 and/or its defense and/or hp should be lower. (I would like 32 move and 26 hp).
The draconian heroes
The shaman could also get black bolts.
The shade and spectra could get cause fear
The slither should be faster (+8 = 32 mp)
The frost witch could get seduce
The prowler should have more hp (+4 = 18 hp)
The iron maiden should only cost 200 gold
The doom wolf should have 30 hp and cold breath (or something else to make it stronger)
The mammoth rider should only cost 160 gold or have more defense (+2 =10)
The big beetle should have more defense (+2 = 10)
The Glutton should have 32 hp or gas breath
The karagh should do more damage (+2 = 16)
The charioteer should be more expensive (+50 = 180 gold)
The eagle rider should have vision III
The ice drake rider should have vision II like the other flyers
The butcher should have more hp (+2 = 14)