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This article is about the architecture set in Age of Empires II. For architecture sets in other games of the series, see Architecture set. |
There were four different architecture sets in the original Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, each used by either three or four of the overall 13 civilizations. Later expansions introduced new sets, and with the release of The Three Kingdoms, there are eleven different architecture sets for 50 civilizations. This list excludes Chronicles civilizations.
Unlike in Age of Empires, each civilization has a unique Wonder model even when other buildings are shared. As of update 141935, all civilizations also have a unique Castle model.
African[]
The African architecture set was introduced in The African Kingdoms. The Feudal Age architecture has Central African influences. The Castle Age architecture is based on the Sudano-Sahelian architecture, with elements of Aksumite architecture in the Imperial Age. The Castle design resembles Moorish styles from northern Africa. It is used by the following civilizations:
Central Asian[]
The Central Asian architecture set was introduced in the The Last Khans. It is based on medieval Timurid or Uiguro-Chagataic architecture as seen in the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Casgaria. It is used by the following civilizations:
Central European[]
The Central European architecture set was introduced in The Age of Kings. It is based on medieval German architecture with typical timber framing combined with Romanesque architecture in the Imperial Age. It is used by the following civilizations:
East Asian/Far Eastern[]
The East Asian architecture set was introduced in The Age of Kings. It is based on medieval Japanese architecture, with some Chinese elements in the Imperial Age. It is used by the following civilizations:
Eastern European[]
The Eastern European architecture set was introduced in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. It is primarily based on Medieval Russian architecture with some Brick Gothic. The timber architecture in the Feudal Age is based on Veliky Novgorod and Russian wooden architecture. The Imperial Age buildings are based on 16th-17th century Muscovite architecture. It was redesigned for the Definitive Edition. It is used by the following civilizations:
Mediterranean/South European[]
The Mediterranean architecture set was introduced in The Forgotten. It was redesigned for the Definitive Edition. It is based on Renaissance architecture with some Romanesque elements. It is used by the following civilizations:
Middle Eastern/Arabic[]
The Middle Eastern architecture set was introduced in The Age of Kings. It is based on a mixture of Moorish, Fatimid, Iranian, and Mamluk styles. It is used by the following civilizations:
Mesoamerican/Native American[]
The Native American architecture set was introduced in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is based on Mesoamerican architecture, with some Inca elements in the Feudal Age. It is used by the following civilizations:
South Asian/Indian[]
The South Asian/Indian architecture set was introduced in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. It is based on Ancient Indian architecture, with some Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain elements observed mostly in Northern India. Feudal Age buildings have the styles observed in Gurjaradesa. Most Castle Age buildings have the Valabhi curved roofs that developed into medieval styles. Some Imperial Age buildings have influence from Vijayanagara Architecture from the Deccan. The current monastery is based on Kalinga Architecture which is a civilization that doesn't exist in the game. The castles and wonders are unique to each of the civilizations. The architecture set is used by the following civilizations:
In addition, the removed Indians also used this architecture set, both in the Definitive Edition before their removal and in the HD Edition.
Southeast Asian[]
The Southeast Asian architecture set was introduced in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. The Feudal Age buildings are based on traditional Siamese architecture, even though the Siamese are not present in Age of Empires II. The Castle Age and Imperial Age buildings are based on medieval Khmer architecture. It is used by the following civilizations:
Western European[]
The Western European architecture set was introduced in The Age of Kings. It is based on a mixture of Medieval British Tower houses, Norman architecture and Anglo-Saxon architecture. It is used by the following civilizations:
Changelog[]
The Age of Kings[]
- Western European, Central European, East Asian, and Middle Eastern architecture sets introduced.
- The Byzantines have Middle Eastern architecture.
The Conquerors[]
- Native American architecture set introduced.
- The Spanish have Western European architecture.
The Forgotten[]
- Mediterranean and Eastern European architecture sets introduced.
- The Indians have Middle Eastern architecture.
The African Kingdoms[]
- African architecture set introduced.
- The Indians have a "duplicate" Middle Eastern architecture to allow players to change their architecture set using mods without affecting other Middle Eastern civilizations.
Rise of the Rajas[]
- South Asian/Indian and Southeast Asian architecture sets introduced.
- The Vietnamese have Southeast Asian architecture.
- The Indians have South Asian/Indian architecture.
The Last Khans[]
- Central Asian architecture set introduced.
- Eastern European and Mediterranean architecture sets redesigned.
- The Byzantines and Spanish have Mediterranean architecture.
- The Vietnamese have East Asian architecture.
Trivia[]
- In The Conquerors, the Native American style did not have a Bombard Tower or Stable model at all. If given either in the Scenario Editor, they would have the Central European style and cause the game to crash upon launch, or be unable to train any units even while on all tech mode, respectively. Both were corrected in The Forgotten.
- Real Mesoamerican buildings were covered in plaster and painted in bright colors, as seen with Aztec buildings in Age of Empires III; they only appear as bare stones today because they are long abandoned. The Definitive Edition maintains the designs from The Conquerors, but acknowledges the mistake by giving faded painted colors to Mesoamerican Fortified Towers and Aztec and Mayan Wonders.
- According to Sandy Petersen's explanation on how the civlizations for The Conquerors were chosen, Ensemble Studios referred to the Central European and East Asian sets as "Eastern European" and "Oriental".[1]
- Internally, the assets for Central European buildings are still referred to by the abbreviation
EAST(Eastern European) in the Definitive Edition, whereasSLAV(Slavic) is used for Eastern European buildings. - The abbreviation
ORIE(Oriental) is also internally used in the Definitive Edition, but refers to the Middle Eastern rather than East Asian architecture.
- Internally, the assets for Central European buildings are still referred to by the abbreviation
- The Central European set is the only one having no civilization in any expansion starting with the HD Edition (Magyars used it in the unofficial Forgotten Empires mod only).
- In Forgotten Empires, the Eastern European set was unique to the Slavs, and the Magyars used the Central European set.
- The Indians had a unique architecture set from Rise of the Rajas to Dynasties of India.
- Before Rise of the Rajas, the Indian used the Middle Eastern architecture set.
- The Indian Architecture Set mod by Tzontlimixtli, also known as Chris "Moppo" Morton, was a highly popular mod for the HD Edition. It was officially adopted by Forgotten Empires to be used as the official Indian architecture set, with the Definitive Edition version also being based on Moppo's designs.[2]
- The Italians had a unique architecture set in The Forgotten, before the introduction of the Portuguese in The African Kingdoms.
- Apart from the Indian set, which was introduced after their namesake civilization, the Mediterranean set is the only one that includes civilizations from before it was introduced.
- Since The Three Kingdoms, the East Asian set has the most civilizations, with ten.
- Before that, the Mediterranean set had the most, with eight.
- Despite being unbuildable, the Trade Workshop and the Fortified Tower also have a unique model for each architecture set, including for the Chronicles sets.
- A few units also change appearance with the building style: Sails of ships, Trade Carts, Kings, Merchants, and Monks.
- Prior to update 141935, the South Asian/Indian architecture set was the only set without a common Castle design.
- In the Definitive Edition, the post-Dark Age African Mill is pushed by a Water Buffalo instead of the HD Edition's Donkey.
References[]
- ↑ Conquerors Expansion on Age of Kings Heaven
- ↑ Aoe2: The New Indian Architecture on forgottenempires.net
