What about variable teleport cost?

To fix teleport, it must first be possible to counter it. Otherwise short of making it cost so much it cannot no one will use it the cost will not offset its effectiveness.

The AI needs to use the teleport spell as the human does, otherwise it will always seem broken.

If the AI would "properly use" Teleport, it wouldn't be any less broken.  There is simply no possible counter against instant transportation without even interrupting a unit's movement.

Some possibilities...

GAZZ wrote:

[Gameplay] Spells: Teleport balancing and new concepts

By Gazz_ on September 19, 2010 6:56:37 AM from  Elemental Forums

As most would agree, the ability to port your Stack Of Doom (tm) clear across the world at the cost of 5 mana was game breaking.
Once you had any children with in-combat mana regen, the cost became absolutely trivial and with it the entire concept of movement or garrisoning.

MOIISKA pointed out a possible solution... that might actually work!    (I only refined it a bit)

Spell:  Teleport   
   
     should have a base cost of 4.      For that price it only ports the channeler around.

     Every additional unit in your stack adds +2 mana to the cost of the spell.

     Porting a stack of  3 would cost 8 mana, a stack of 12 would cost 26.

Spell:  Teleport Friends

     would have a fixed cost of 10,   plus 0.5 for every additional unit.

     So 16 mana for a full stack.   ETC>>>>

Wonderful ideas Gazz, wonderful...  Might I also suggest that if something of this sort is added, that the SOV (not others) have the ability to set ONE strategic map tile as a "return point."  This would be a base to which the SOV/and entorage may teleport more quickly, at less cost,, etc.  It would cost mana to set the return point, and it would cost mana to maintain the link.  Wise people have a bolt hole set up, or an escape tunnel, or a panic room. 

In my magic thread I've been toying with a summoning circle á la MoM. That could serve as such a destination or shortcut.

If you could only have one per empire, there would be building time to prevent switching the destination around every single turn. If it was a spell, there would be casting time and more mana spent to the same effect.

The single best thing that can be done to balance teleporting is to make it so it will be the only action taken that turn (require full move and reduces remaining move to zero), so that it can be countered. After that it is a matter of making it more fair against the AI by having at least the upper level AI use it when it is clearly a good idea and balancing the cost against any limitation imposed on the method of teleportation (more limited in usefulness = less cost).

It's all going to be moot because in v1.1, you can store mana.

Ok, and how does this relate to teleport costs?

I am interested in seeing how 1.1 will address teleport.  I really don't use it that much, but it made the quest victory very easy because all of the 5 "dungeons" were in my ZOC