AoEII Civ Ideas

Civilizations considered below had to have had some significance in the era spanning 400 CE to 1600 CE. Preferably, they should represent cultures not yet represented within regions that have been represented, so that they may use existing art assets. However, I will include one or two civs from new regions, albeit with a note attached.

Filipinos

• Architecture: Southeast Asian
• Specialty: Infantry, Naval, and Gunpowder
• Unique Unit: Manarlika (Infantry unit named for the Tagalog warrior class. They function like a fusion of the Shotel Warrior and the Tarkan)
  • Cost 60 Food & 30 Gold each, Elite Upgrade costs 1000 Food and 500 Gold
  • Standard: 60 HP, 11 Attack (+6 vs Buildings), 2.0 RoF, 1/1 Armor, 1.1 Speed
  • Elite: 75 HP, 14 Attack (+8 vs Buildings), 2.0 RoF, 1/2 Armor, 1.1 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Barangays – Town Centers defensive boost of +100% HP and +10 Garrison space.
  • 250 Food, 250 Wood
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Kalasag Shields – Infantry units gain +2 Pierce Armor
  • 700 Food, 300 Gold
• Wonder:

Bonuses

• Infantry deal 50% more bonus damage
• Bombard Cannons, Cannon Galleons, and Bombard Towers have +1 range
• Town Center technologies can be researched from Mills
• War Galleys are 20%/40% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age
• Team Bonus: Docks are built 100% faster

Technologies

• Infantry - Missing Halberdiers
• Archers - Missing Arbalesters, Heavy Cavalry Archers, and Parthian Tactics
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars, Paladins, Plate Barding Armor, and Bloodlines
• Siege - Missing Siege Onagers and Siege Rams
• Monks - Missing Heresy, Atonement, and Redemption
• Navy - Missing Galleons
• Defenses - Missing Keeps, Arrowslits, Treadmill Crane, and Architecture
• Economy - N/A

Jurchen

Yanqing Temple

• Architecture: East Asian
• Specialty: Cavalry and Siege
• Unique Unit: Iron Pagoda - A Heavy cavalry unit.
  • 65 Food, 75 Gold, Elite upgrade is 1000 Food & 700 Gold
  • Standard: 105 HP, 11 Attack, 3/2 Armor, 1.3 Speed, 5 LoS
  • Elite: 125 HP, 13 Attack, 4/2 Armor, 1.3 Speed, 5 LoS
• Unique Castle Age Tech: Guizi Ma - Iron Pagodas deal trample damage (50% damage to adjacent non-targets).
  • 700 Food, 500 Gold
• Unique Imperial Age Tech: Gunpowder Bombs - Onagers, Bombard Cannons, and Trebutchets deal 50% more damage to units (but not buildings).
  • 800 Food, 600 Gold
• Wonder: Yanqing Temple

Bonuses

• Every Mill built or farming upgrade researched at a Mill spawns two Sheep at that Mill
• The Scout Cavalry line and Steppe Lancers attack 18% faster.
• Siege units have cost 20% less Gold.
• Team Bonus: Gunpowder Units have +1 Attack.

Technology

• Infantry - Missing Champions, Halberdiers and Plate Mail Armor.
• Archers - Have access to Heavy Cavalry Archers, Elite Skirmishers, and Hand Cannoneers, but not Arbalesters.
• Cavalry - Have Hussars, Cavaliers, Heavy Camel Riders, and Elite Steppe Lancers. Missing Paladins. (The Jurchen were known for their cavalry, including armored cavalry.)
• Siege - Missing Siege Rams, Siege Onagers, and Heavy Scorpions. (The Jurchen were excellent siege engineers, including being pioneers of gunpowder weapons. However, they are missing many upgrades to balance their Siege Gold discount)
• Monks - Missing Redemption, Heresy, Sanctity, Block Printing, and Theocracy. (The Jurchen and later the Manchurians were better at being assimilated into Chinese culture than the other way around, something reflected in their lackluster Monastery.)
• Navy - Missing Galleons and Shipwright. (The Jurchen and Jin Dynasty were said to have a weak navy.)
• Defenses - Missing Keep, Arrowslits, and Treadmill Crane.
• Economy - Missing Stone Shaft Mining. (Manchuria was relatively rich in fertile land, forests, and even mines.)

History

The Jurchen people lived in what is today Manchuria. They entered Chinese records for the first time in the eighth century, supplanting and/or arising from the Mohe people. In the next few centuries, they would be the vassals of the Chinese Liao Dynasty as well as Korea, before establishing the Jin Dynasty in 1115 CE. Their dynasty controlled northern China for over a century, until the invasion of the Mongols. Though they faded from prominence for centuries, they renamed themselves the Manchus in 1635 CE and would then conquer China again, forming the Qing Dynasty.

The Jurchen people had a mixture of life styles. They had similarities to the Mongols, prizing horsemanship and archery, with leaders called "Khans." However, they were a sedentary, farming people, more like their southern neighbors. Some subpopulations were more or less sedentary than the norm, making the Jurchen largely resemble a hybrid of Mongol and Chinese culture. Even Jurchen scholars wrote using a mixture of Chinese and Mongol characters.

AI Player Names

• Aizong of Jin - Ninth Emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Despite being a competent ruler, the Mongols were able to successfully invade during his rule.
• Gintaisi - A cheftain of the Yehe Tribal Confederation.
• Nurhaci - Jurchen Cheftain who led raids against the Ming dynasty in the 16th century, laying groundwork for the future Qing Dynasty.
• Suike - Chieftan of a Wanyan tribe that was one of the predecessors of the Jin Dynasty.
• Wangji Wailan - A Haixi Jurchen chieftan in the 1520's.
• Wanyan Aguda - First emperor of the Jin Dynasty, which ruled northern China for over a century.
• Wugunai - A renowned 11th century chieftan.

Retroactive Campaign Candidates

• Into China (Jin)

Kongolese

• Architecture: Central African (Would need a new architecture set)
• Specialty: Infantry
• Unique Unit: Adargueiros (An expensive infantry unit with great durability.)
  • 70 Food, 20 Gold
  • Standard: 80 HP, 9 Attack, 3/3 Armor, 1.0 Speed
  • Elite: 90 HP, 12 Attack, 4/4 Armor, 1.0 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Rotating Markets (Trade units generate 33% more Gold)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Fidalgos (Adargueiros train 100% faster.)

Bonuses

• Economic dropoff buildings support +5 population. (Bonus meant to represent the level of urbanization present in Kongo)
• The Militia line has gains +1/+1 armor starting in the Feudal Age. (Heavy infantry was the core of Kongolese armies.)
• The Crossbowman upgrade is free. (Archers were a very large part of Kongolese armies, and were aided by the introduction of the crossbow from the Portuguese. On a meta level, this parallels the Ethiopians' free Pikmen upgrade despite being an Archer-oriented civilization.)
• The first Monastery built spawns a free Monk. (Christianity was quickly adopted by the Kongolese royalty)
• Team Bonus: University technologies are 10% cheaper. (Represents the implementation of European-style schools as well as the adoption of European technologies.)

Technology

• Infantry - No major missing technologies. (Infantry was a strong point of Central Africans in general, including the Kongolese.)
• Archers - Missing Cavalry Archers, Heavy Cavalry Archers, and Parthian Tactics. (Horse archers seem to have been absent from the Kongolese military, but archers were common and firearms were used.)
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars, Knights, Plate Barding Armor, Husbandry, and Bloodlines. (Kongo's cavalry forces were mostly nonexistent. Light Cavalry is retained largely for balancing purposes.)
• Siege - Missing Siege Onagers, Bombard Cannons, and Siege Engineers. (Meant to be roughly average, but the Bombard Cannon is omitted due to its later adoption.)
• Monks - Missing Faith, and Heresy. (Average)
• Navy - Missing Elite Cannon Galleons and Shipwright.
• Defenses - Missing Heated Shot, Bombard Towers, and Arrowslits. (Cannons were not used by the Kongolese until well into the 1600's. Otherwise, they made solid fortifications, albeit often earthen works instead of stone forts.)
• Economy - No major missing technologies.

History

The Kingdom of Kongo was founded circa 1390, and afterwards endured for centuries under the rule of various houses. The Kingdom peaked circa 1650, covering an area of 50,000 square miles (129400 square km).

Eventually, the Kongolese became a vassal state of the Portuguese Empire they had so long interacted with in 1859. At the Conference of Berlin in 1884 to 1885, the European Powers divided Africa between them, and Portuguese lost their claim on Kongo in the process. The former Kingdom was split between French, Belgian, and Portuguese rule. Fortunately, I don't have to describe what the Belgians did to their subject population since this is outside of AoEII's time frame.

Romanians/Vlachs

Neamt Monastery

• Architecture: East European
• Specialty: Infantry and Cavalry
• Unique Unit #1: Hansaro
  • Cost: 70 Food, 30 Gold
  • Base: 85 HP, 9 Attack, 1/2 Armor, 1.95 RoF, 5 LoS, 1.45 Speed
  • Elite: 120 HP, 11 Attack, 1/3 Armor, 1.95 RoF, 5 LoS, 1.45 Speed (Upgrade costs 1000 Food and 600 Gold)
• Unique Unit #2: Voinico
  • Spawns when a Scout-Cavalry line unit is destroyed in the Castle or Imperial Age
  • 25 HP, 7 Attack, 0/1 Armor, 2.0 RoF, 1.0 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Oastea Mica - Hansari, Voinici, and the Scout Cavalry line have +10 HP.
  • Cost: 300 Food, 150 Gold
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Oastea Mare - Militia and Spearman line units can be trained (but not upgraded) at Houses
  • Cost: 400 Food, 400 Wood
• Wonder: Neamt Monastery (A prime example of Moldovian religious architecture)

Bonuses

• Villagers generate 1 Gold for every 5 Food gathered from Berries, Herdables, or Huntable animals. (Based on the existence of animal and plant derived industries in cities such as vineyards, fabrics, honey, etc.)
• Barracks train units 50% faster. (Based on the levies of non-nobles as light infantry)
• Starting in the Castle Age, when a Romanian Scout Cavalry line unit is killed, a Voinico spawns in its place 3 seconds later. (Based on the Moldavians' practice of light cavalry dismounting as needed)
• Team Bonus: Towers (besides Bombard Towers) have a 20% faster attack rate. (Represents use of border fortifications)

Technology

• Infantry - Missing Plate Mail Armor (The potential infantry swarm would otherwise be very powerful. Also, Romanian infantry was often lightly armored)
• Archers - Missing Arbalesters, Parthian Tactics, and Ring Archer Armor. (Archers were seemingly not a focus. Firearms were used, but weren't exceptional.)
• Cavalry - No Paladins or regional units. (Want the cavalry focus to be on lighter cavalry, not well armored Paladins)
• Siege - No Siege Ram, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion, or Siege Engineers
• Monks - Missing Illumination and Block Printing
• Navy - Missing the Fast Fire Ship, Elite Cannon Galleon, and Shipwright
• Defenses - Missing Bombard Towers
• Economy - No major missing technologies.

Strategy

In a typical start, a player can expect to gather perhaps 700 Food from Sheep, 525 Food from hunting, and 750 Food from Berries. With the Gold bonus, that adds up to roughly 395 Gold that is obtained in the Dark and Feudal Age that the player would likely have gotten anyway before starting to farm. With this, you can start mining Gold AFTER you click up to Castle Age. This early economic bonus along with a strong economic branch of the tech tree makes the Romanian economy at least decent, albeit not until after the Dark Age.

The Voinico is a fairly weak infantry unit more comparable to a Karambit Warrior's stats than those of the Long Swordsman. However, this is not a bad deal considering it comes for free upon the death of a Light Cavalry unit. At very least, it is a great counter to the Spearman-line units that often create it in the first place by killing Light Cavalry.

Romanians end up being able to support a number of strategies based around either their cavalry or their infantry. Their scout cavalry line is not directly improved before researching Oastea Mica, but even a Light Cavalry raid done at the very beginning of the Castle Age (assuming you only need to get the Light Cavalry upgrade for units trained during the Aging up process) is a potential alternative to the Knight Rush. Knight Rushes are still viable with the early Gold bonus, and can be worth trying as a stepping stone to using Hussars and Hansari later in the game.

Romanian infantry bonuses and techs are more defensively minded, much like how they were usually rallied in defense of their homeland. It's about being able to train them quickly, either through a faster working Barracks or the unconventional House. They aren't well-armored, but can do a decent impression of Goth infantry spam in the right circumstances.

AI Names

• John Hunyadi (1406 to 1456) - A man of Wallachian noble descent, appointed ruler of Transylvania by the Hungarian rulers of the region. Notable for borrowing Hussite-styled tactics in his military ventures, which he used in defense of the region. Father of Matthias Corvinus, who is the ruler the Magyar unique technology Corvinian Army is named for.
• Michael the Brave (1558 to 1601) - The first ruler to unify Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, making him a longtime symbol of Romanian unity.
• Mircea the Elder (1355 to 1418) - Ruled Wallachia at its peak after bringing stability to the region.
• Stephen the Great (1433 to 1504) - Ruled Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. Famous for fighting off the Turks. Was voted the Greatest Romanian of all time in a vote held in 2006 by the ROmanian TV show "100 Greatest ROmanians."
• Vlad III (1428 to 1477) - Infamous ruler of Wallachia, known both for his atrocities and defense of Christianity against the Ottomans. The inspiration for Dracula.

Retroactive Campaign Candidates

• Vlad Dracula campaign player civ
  • The Dragon Spreads His Wings (Wallachian Voivods, Local Inhabitants, Vladislav II, Danesti Forces)
  • The Return of the Dragon (Local Inhabitants, Moldavia, Vladislav II, Danesti Forces)
  • The Breath of the Dragon (Wallachians
  • The Moon Rises (Wallachian Countryside)
  • The Night Falls (Wallachia, Basarab Laiota)

History

Romania's Medieval Period can be split in half by the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. This interpretation of the Romanians draws from the post-Mongol era, lasting from the 13th century to 1600.

For most of this period, Romania was divided. Most of the northwest, including Transylvania, was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. This region was notably Orthodox Christian in a Kingdom ruled by Catholics, and as such Romanians were shunted out of the political sphere. Wallachia, which was founded in 1330, and Moldavia, which was founded in 1346, were the primary Romanian states of the Medieval era.

The story of Romania during this era was one of being slowly sandwiched between competing Great Powers, surviving despite massive pressure from outside their borders. With Hungary to the west, the Ottoman Turks to the south, and Poland-Lithuania to the north and east, Wallachia and Moldavia had to fend off Ottoman attacks, and despite various successes over the course of over a century, were eventually subjugated. However, at the tail end of the 16th century, the Wallachian Prince Michael II, aka "Michael the Brave," managed to unit Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, uniting the majority of the Romanian people under self-rule. Though this union only lasted a few months, it created a legacy the Romanians continued to hold onto for centuries.

Somali

Arba Rucun Mosque

• Architecture: African
• Specialty: Ships, Gunpowder, and Camels
• Unique Unit #1: Arabian Mercenary - A gunpowder unit similar to a hand cannoneer or Janissary. Based on the practice of hiring large numbers of Arabian and Turkish mercenaries to serve in Somali forces.
  • Cost: 40 Food, 60 Gold
  • Standard: 35 HP, 18 Attack, 6 Range, 70% Accuracy, 0/1 Armor
  • Elite: 40 HP, 20 Attack, 6 Range, 80% Accuracy, 1/1 Armor
• Unique Unit #2: Beden - A ship similar to a War Galley, sacrificing combat capabilities for a lower cost of just 80 Wood and no Gold. Based on Somali ships built without metal components.
  • 125 HP, 6 Attack, 5 Range, 0/6 Armor, 1.43 Speed, 8 Line of Sight
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Lighthouse - Ships move 10% faster and Docks have +6 Line of Sight.
  • 300 Wood, 200 Gold
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Ottoman Imports - Gunpowder units are 25% cheaper and train 20% faster.
  • 400 Food, 300 Wood
• Wonder: Arba Rucun Mosque

Bonuses

• Start with +150 Food and +150 Gold, but -100 Wood. (An idea for an oddball economic bonus that vaguely reflects a relative weakness of the Somali economy. Numbers chosen to have slightly higher net resource worth than the former Lithuanian bonus [200 net resources gained vs 150] but with the Wood penalty still being notable.)
• Non-military ships are 10% cheaper. (There was a rich Somali history of sailing and trading on the Indian Ocean.)
• Ships take -20% bonus damage (See above. This was a naval civ.)
• Camels Riders have +1 Attack in the Castle Age, +2 Attack in the Imperial Age.
• The upgrade to Heavy Camel Rider is free.
• Team Bonus - Towers have +1 Range.

Technology

• Infantry - Missing Halberdiers. (Medieval accounts detailed a number of Somali weapons used in hand to hand combat.)
• Archers - Missing Heavy Cavalry Archers and Parthian Tactics. (Horse archery seems to have not been prominent in warfare or even by raiders.)
• Cavalry - Missing Paladins. Have Heavy Camels. (The use of Light Cavalry for raiding and Camel Riders have been recorded.)
• Siege - Missing Siege Onagers. (Though not renowned for their siege equipment, the Somali did use Cannons.)
• Monastery -
• Navy - Missing Elite Cannon Galleons. (There is much less literature suggesting the Somali used cannons at sea as well as on land.)
• Defenses - Missing Treadmill Crane and Arrowslits. (Strong defenses overall, but the lack of Arrowslits encourages the use of Bombard Towers over Guard Towers or Keeps.)
• Economy - Missing Two-Man Saw. (The Ajuran Sultanate created agricultural infrastructure that remains in use centuries later, so Crop Rotation is available.)

Strategy

The Somali are a natural civilization on Water maps, with cheaper non-combat ships, a unique variant of the Galley line, faster ships in the late game, and ships that take less bonus damage. However, they have enough traits to work on dryer territory. Their starting resources are odd, and does slow down their aspirations of ruling the seas, but ultimately give them an opportunity to do an early raid with the extra Food and Gold available. Their mid-game falls behind a bit, but they do receive the useful defensive bonus of extra Tower range, as well as extra Camel Rider Attack, which is useful in fending off Knight rushes. Then in the Imperial Age, Ottoman Imports grants them access to cheap gunpowder units and Heavy Camel Riders are instantly available. Meanwhile, Bedens serve as the game's only "trash" warship.

The flaws of the Somali is that even with their other bonuses, they are perhaps too heavily invested in water maps. Without them, they mostly have to rely on their odd starting resources, better towers, stronger Camel Riders, and eventual cheap and numerous gunpowder units. That said, these bonuses and techs are evenly distributed across the game: the early Food and Gold can be used for an early Drush or Flush, the towers are useful for Tower Rushes and defense, Heavy Camel Riders are immediately available in the Imperial Age, and cheap gunpowder units are great soon afterwards.

The ideal Somali military in the Imperial Age is composed heavily of Gunpowder units, specifically Arabian Mercenaries as a sort of general-use archer, Hand Cannoneers for anti-infantry purposes, and Bombard Cannons for countering Siege units. They also can use powerful Heavy Camel Riders to counter Cavalry, as well as standard Hussars, Arbalesters, and Elite Skirmishers to fill missing niches.

History

Somalia was quickly introduced to Islam, with the oldest mosques dating to the 7th century. For the next thousand years, Somalia was the land of various sultanates such as the Adal, Ajuran, Mogadishu, and Ifat Sultanates. These dynasties often fought with the Christian Ethiopians to the west, ultimately aquiring territory in modern day Ethiopia, and eventually fought the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Somali were both a desert people and a maritime people. Somali ships traded across the Indian Ocean, forming a link between African, Asian, and European markets. Exotic animals like giraffes and zebras were exported as far away as China.

AI Player Names

• Abu Bakr - FOunder of the Garen dynasty of Modadishu.
• Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi - Imam and General who fought Ethiopia in the Abyssinian-Adal War from 1529 to his death in 1543.
• Ali ibn Sabr ad-Din - Governer of Ifat in the 14th century.
• Badlay ibn Sa'ad ad-Din - Sultan of Adal that conquered Ifat from the Ethiopians.
• Gerad Dhidhin - Founder of the Warsangali Sultanate.
• Nur ibn Mujahid - During his reign asan Emir, a five-gated wall was built around Harar.
• Sabr ad-Din I - Sultan of the Ifat Sultanate until his defeat at the hands of the Ethiopians.
• Yusuf Al Kownayn - Founder of the Walashma Dynasty that ruled multiple Somali states.

Swiss

Munot

• Architecture: Central European
• Specialty: Infantry
• Unique Unit: Reislaufer - An infantry unit armed with a pike, which has +1 range starting in the Castle Age. Basically, take a Kamayuk and trade away a bit of speed for some extra Attack.
  • 60 Food, 30 Gold
  • Standard: 70 HP, 8 Attack, 1/1 Armor, 0.9 Speed
  • Elite: 80 HP, 9 Attack, 1/1 Armor, 0.9 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Forced March - Infantry and gunpowder units move 10% faster. (Based on the high marching speed of Swiss volunteers, who are said to have kept pace with cavalry units in some situations.)
  • Cost: 400 Food, 200 Gold (Same as the original Couriers tech.)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Degen - All Infantry deal +3 attack against other Infantry. Based on the standard side arm used by Swiss soldiers and mercenaries in medieval times.
  • Cost: 500 Food, 350 Gold
• Wonder: Munot Fortress

Bonuses

• Starting in the Castle Age, Pikemen, Halberdiers, and Reislaufers gain +1 Range. (Represents the pike formations the Swiss excelled at.)
• Barracks cost -100 Wood (Lowers the entry barrier to creating Infantry in order to illustrate the use of volunteers.)
• When a Market is built, it will generate 30 Gold per minute (effect limited to a single Market). (Meant to represent how the expansion of the Swiss Confederacy was tied to a growing network of economic treaties and growth.)
• Hand Cannoneers benefit from Supplies, Squires, and Arson.
• Team Bonus: Reislaufers are available at Castles. (Literally makes Swiss mercenaries available to allies. Note that only rtechnologies researched by the Swiss player apply, including the Elite upgrade.)

Technology

• Infantry - No Major omissions.
• Archers - Missing Heavy Cavalry Archers and Parthian Tactics (Cavalry, and thus mounted archery, was not a Swiss specialty)
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars, Paladins, and Bloodlines (Cavalry was not a Swiss specialty. They either had to miss out on Bloodlines or the last armor upgrade, so I chose the one that hit sooner.)
• Siege - Missing Siege Rams
• Monastery - Missing Redemption and Heresy
• Navy - Missing Fast Fire Ships and Shipwright
• Defenses - Missing Heated Shot and Bombard Towers (The omission of Heated Shot is used as a way to weaken the Swiss on water-heavy maps.)
• Economy - Missing Gold Shaft Mining

Strategy

The Swiss rely heavily on Infantry regardless of their strategy, but how exactly they use Infantry can vary. They can try for early raids with Militia or Men-at-Arms using their cheaper Barracks and 200 extra Gold in the Feudal Age. Later, they can build armies of extra-ranged Pikemen, Halberdiers, and Reislaufers backed up by Arbalesters, Elite Skirmishers, Hand Cannoneers, and siege units. In late game trash wars, their Halberdiers have an edge against those of other civilizations, especially with Forced March and Degen making them faster and stronger against other Infantry.

Of course, this all comes with some significant drawbacks. Swiss players, though capable of using their infantry in many ways, are still fairly predictable. They have other units, notably Foot Archers and Siege units, but only their infantry is outstanding. Furthermore, though their economic bonuses help, they will never save or earn the player more than a few hundred Wood and 600 Gold over the course of the game. That is pretty lackluster for an economic bonus, especially since much of it comes as the game continues.

Common strategies for the Swiss include Drushing or Flushing with Infantry or Archers, using their cheaper Barracks and extra Gold to create these units with more resources to spare. The 125 Wood saved on the Barracks and 200 Gold from advancing is enough for four Archers, making them a surprisingly viable strategy. This can extend into the the Castle Age with Crossbowmen. Alternatively, although it is not their specialty, the 200 Gold they earn entering the Feudal Age means they don't need to mine more Gold before advancing to the Castle Age, meaning they can do a solid Castle Age rush.

History

The precursor to the modern Swiss state, the Old Swiss Confederacy, was formed circa 1300 CE by a group of communities in the Alps. Over the next few years, this system of alliances grew to include more small states such as the cities of Lucerne, Zurich, and Berne. Their growth was contested by the House of Habsburg, Burgundy, and eventually the Holy Roman Empire. By 1500 CE, the Swiss were free from the Holy Roman Empire and had most of the territory within modern Swiss borders.

During the Burgundian Wars of the 1470's, the Swiss became renowned for their fighting capabilities, leading to a tradition of foreign powers hiring Swiss Mercenaries.

AI Player Names

• Adrian von Bubenberg
• Arnold von Melchtal - One of the legendary founding fathers of Switzerland.
• Arnold Winkelried - Legendary hero whose sacrifice supposedly brought the Swiss victory in the Battle of Sempach (1386).
• Hans Franz Nageli - Swiss political and military leader in the 16th century. Was Bern's Chief Magistrate for nearly 30 years.
• Ludwig Pfyffer
• Rudolf Brun - First independent mayor of Zurich, under whose reign the city joined the Swiss Confederation in 1351.
• Rudolf von Erlach
• Werner Stauffacher - One of the founding fathers of Switzerland, representing Schwyz.

Thai

• Architecture: Southeast Asian
• Specialty: Elephants
• Unique Unit: Krom Asas (Literally translates to "Committee of Volunteers," these were foreign mercenaries from various countries that served alongside the Ayutthaya army. They notably used firearms frequently.)
  • Standard: 30 HP, 16 Attack (+5 to Infantry), 3.45 RoF, 0/0 Armor, 7 Range, 0.96 Speed
  • Elite: 40 HP, 20 Attack (+7 to Infantry), 3.45 RoF, 0/1 Armor, 7 Range, 0.96 Speed
• Unique Upgrade: Royal Battle Elephant (Available after the Elite Battle Elephant upgrade, similar to the Imperial Skirmisher)
  • Upgrade costs 1600 Food & 1000 Gold
  • 350 HP, 16 Attack, 1/4 Armor, 0.85 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Saen Phonlaphai (Battle Elephants deal +5 damage to cavalry units, +10 damage to elephant units)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Floating Rice (Farmers work 10% faster, Farms have +200 Food)
• Wonder: Wat Chedi Liam

Bonuses

• Start with +125 Wood (Represents the lumber industry, which is strong in Thailand to this day)
• Economic Buildings (Mills, Lumber Camps, Mining Camps, and Farms) are constructed 100% faster (Represents the use of conscripted labor)
• The Elite Battle Elephant upgrade is free (The Thai were especially famous for their use of elephants in their military, with some famous battles being decided by the performance of a few soldiers riding elephants)
• The Royal Battle Elephant upgrade is available
• Team Bonus: Every 100 Food collected from Farms generates 1 Gold. (Based on the export of rice crops abroad)

Technology

• Infantry - No major omissions.
• Archers - Missing Heavy Cavalry Archers, Hand Cannoneers, and Parthian Tactics. (The bow was well-represented in the Thai military, but guns were only used by anyone besides foreign mercenaries in more modern times than represented here, and mounted archery was seemingly absent.)
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars and Paladins, but have access to the Battle Elephant line. (Cavalry was a sizable part of the Ayutthaya military, but elephants were the true star of the show)
• Siege - Missing Siege Rams, Siege Onagers, Bombard Cannons, and Siege Engineers. (Besieging cities was not a Thai specialty)
• Monks - Missing Redemption and Heresy
• Navy - Missing Elite Cannon Galleons, Dry Dock, and Shipwright. (The Ayutthaya navy was decent, but primarily used for river patrols, not for use at sea.)
• Defenses - Missing Bombard Towers and Heated Shot
• Economy - Missing Stone Shaft Mining

Strategy

The Thai are a fairly welcoming civilization for beginners to play. Although they are an Elephant civ, their archers, infantry, and cavalry are all adequate enough for various strategies, backed by their starting Wood bonus and minor economic building construction bonus.

That being said, the Thai Battle Elephant line is arguably the strongest in Southeast Asia, thanks to an unique tech in the Castle Age, a free upgrade to their Elite form, and an optional additional upgrade on top of that. Thai Battle Elephants are not invincible, as they are still a step behind the Persian War Elephant, but the Thai are perhaps the best prepared to use them late into the game, especially with Floating Rice to help maintain the economy needed for their production.

The Thai lack a major weakness, but their siege units are unremarkable at best, with no Siege Engineers and only the Heavy Scorpion and ubiquitous Trebuchet being available of the Imperial Age options. Also, they rely heavily on the Battle Elephant as a late game powerhouse unit, meaning that certain civs well equipped to deal with elephant units will fare better against them.

Retroactive Campaign Candidates

• The White Elephant (Ayutthaya, La Na, Hill Tribes)

Tibetans

Jokhang Temple

• Architecture: Central Asian
• Specialty: Cavalry and Monks
• Unique Unit: Rtakhrab Pa - A Heavy Cavalry unit armed with a Lance. (Functions as a superior counterpart to the Knight line at a higher Food cost.)
  • 75 Food, 75 Gold
  • 120 HP, 12 Attack, 3/3 Armor, 1.25 Speed
  • 160 HP, 15 Attack, 3/4 Armor, 1.25 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Dzong Temples - Turns Monastaries into Dzong Temples, which have higher HP and can fire arrows. (This is similar to the Malay Harbor, and can act as a Stone-free tower replacement.)
  • 150 Food, 150 Gold
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Phagspa Script - Monks restore faith 100% more quickly.
  • 700 Food, 500 Gold
• Wonder: Jokhang

Bonuses

• Monks cost 50% less Gold
• Stable units have +1/+2 Pierce Armor in the Castle/Imperial Ages (Tibetan cavalry was notable for their armor.)
• Four Sheep spawn at the Town Center upon reaching Feudal Age
• Unit upgrades cost -50% Gold
• Team Bonus: Monks have +3 Line of Sight.

Technology

• Infantry - No Halberdiers. (Fielded well armed and armored infantry even in the Early Middle Ages, especially swordsmen.)
• Archers - Missing Arbalesters, Hand Cannoneers, and Ring Archer Armor. (Contemporary analysis of the Tibetan Empire's army noted that their archery was subpar. However, Tibet has a tradition of mounted archery, and thus have Heavy Cavalry Archers and Parthian Tactics.)
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars, but have Paladins and Heavy Camels. Husbandry, Bloodlines, and all Blacksmith technologies are present. (Tibetan cavalry was known for being heavily armed and armored. Camels are native to the Tibetan Steppe.)
• Siege - Missing Bombard Cannons and Siege Rams. (The Tibetans were fairly good at siege warfare, and thus get all but two of the Siege units and upgrades.)
• Monks - All Monastery technologies are available. (The Phagmodrupa Dynasty in particular was notable as being a Buddhist Theocracy.)
• Navy - Missing Shipwright, Galleons, and Elite Cannon Galleons. (Should be a bit weak.)
• Defenses - Missing Bombard Towers and Heated Shot. ((Medieval Tibetans created reasonably effective fortifications, so the main omissions here are an indirect naval upgrade and Bombard Towers.)
• Economy - Missing Crop Rotation (It's hard farming in the mountains)

Strategy

Tibetans are a Cavalry and Monk civilization, vaguely similar to the Spanish and Lithuanians. Their emphasis is on Monks and cavalry, especially the Knight and Camel Rider lines, but they are also capable of fielding strong Champions, Siege, and Light Cavalry.

Early on, the Tibetans' main bonus is their extra Sheep obtained in the Feudal Age. This is effectively a wood bonus, since it delays the need to build farms. However, the Tibetans truly start to excel in the Castle Age. There, they can use strong Monk & Siege strategies using their strong Monk discount or field Knights with extra pierce armor. As the game continues, Tibetans have an easier time affording powerful unit upgrades via their upgrade gold discount, which saves 525 Gold on the Knight line alone.

AI Player Names

• Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen - Established positive relations with Ming China. (1364-1373)
• Mé Aktsom - Longtime Emperor of Tibet. (705-755)
• Songtsen Gampo - Founder of the Tibetan Empire. (618-649)
• Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen - Founder of the Phagmodrupa Dynasty. (1354-1364)
• Tride Songtsen - Emperor who warred with the Abassid Caliphate. (799-815)
• Trisong Detsen - Formally established Buddhism as the relgion of Tibet. (755-794)
• Tritsu Detsen - King who promoted Buddhist institutions and the written Tibetan language. (815-838)

Honorable Mentions

• Ainu
• Andalusians
• Armenians - Overshadowed by Medieval Georgia
• Avars - A major power in its time, but one we lack historical information about.
• Bantu - Could be a more generic take on civs like the Kongolese if necessary
  • Could cover Rwanda and other African states
• Bosnians - Mostly independent for a few centuries between the 12th and 15th centuries
• Chanca/Chimu/Quito - Could be an interesting new Andes civ...
• Cham/Champa - Seemingly incorporated into the Vietnamese, so it would take some inspiration from a gameplay perspective to make them distinct.
• Chimu - Another Andes civ that could be used to complement the Inca. Were around for over five centuries.
• Crimeans
• Croats - A decent sized kingdom for a couple of centuries, but much of its history overlaps with Hungary's. Take note of Ragusa, although one can argue that was more of an Italian city-state in the Balkans.
• Dalmatians
• Danes/Swedes - There's likely enough Scandinavian history after 1066 to draw from to make a distinct civ from the Scandinavians, similar to the Goths/Italians/Spanish/Portuguese
• Dutch - Some overlap with Teutons and Burgundians, and they're more famous for their role after the AoE2 timescale, but there is history to draw, including the development of Dutch cities in the second half of the Medieval period and the bulk of the Dutch Revolt pre-30 Year's War.
• Gajapati/Odia
• Hausa
• Kanem
• Khazars
• Kurds - Various Kurd dynasties existed across the Middle Ages in the Mideast, including the Safavid dynasty of Persia from 1501 to the 1700's.
• Lan Xang (Laos)
• Laotians
• Livonians - Can refer to either the indigenous Livonian people in current day Estonia and Latvia or the Livonian State created by the Teutonic Order. Alternatively, a more generic title (Baltics) could be used and the Estonian and Latvian peoples could be group together with the Fininsh.
• Malagasy
• Mon
• Navarre
• Nepal
• North American Cultures - Too drastically different from Mesoamerica and one another to share an architecture style. Also difficult to address considering that the emphasis must be on the era before 1600, at which point we have less records. Other people may be brave enough to tackle these guys, but I'm not.
  • The Iroquois and Mississippians fall in this category
• Novgorod
• Oceanic groups - Melanesians, Polynesians, etc
• Serbs - Actually were fairly well known for their military prowess for a while, and had a nice empire in the 14th century.
• Songhai - Could work as the Mayans to the Mali's Aztecs.
  • Same applies to the Kanem, Wolof, Bornu, etc.
• Swahili - Hmm... the Kilwa Sultanate was around for a while. Not to mention Mombasa... I'll get back to you on that.
• Uyghurs
• Yoruba - Had some power in West Africa, as seen in the Ife Kingdom and Oyo Empire.

WIP: Muscovites

• East European Infantry/Monk civilization
• Unique Unit #1: Strelet (Cheap gunpowder unit that fills 0.5 population space per unit)
  • Cost: 20 Food, 25 Gold '
  • Elite Upgrade: 800 Food, 600 Gold
  • Standard: 25 HP, 7 Attack (+4 vs Infantry), 3.45 RoF, 6 Range, 0.9 Speed
  • Elite: 30 HP, 9 Attack (+5 vs Infantry), 3.45 RoF, 6 Range, 0.9 Speed
• Unique Unit #2: Battery Tower (Siege Tower upgrade)
  • 300 HP, 25 Attack (+100 vs Buildings, +10 vs Siege units), 5.0 RoF, 3/120 Armor, 5 Range, 0.8 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Battery Towers (Infantry units do +6 damage to fortifications; Siege Towers are replaced with Battery Towers)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech:

Bonuses

• Hunters automatically deposit food, much like a Khmer farmer
• Military production buildings are -50 Wood each
• Monks move 10% faster
• Each Monastery technology researched raises infantry and Strelet HP by 3% (for up to 30%)
• Towers can train Strelet line units starting in the Castle Age (Takes longer to create than at a Castle)
• Team Bonus: Villagers have +1 Line of Sight

Technology Tree

• Archery Range: Missing Arbalesters, Thumb Ring, Parthian Tactics, Bracer (Not quite the worst archers in the game, but well below average. Note that their Cavalry Archers have their Heavy upgrade, due to the use of horse archers by the Muscovites. However, Hand Cannoneers and Strelets are the main focus of Muscovite archer-like units.)
• Infantry: No major missing technologies.
• Cavalry: Missing Hussars, Paladins, and Plate Barding Armor (Should be okay, as it was a strong portion of the Muscovite/Russian army, but overshadowed by Poles, Lithuanians, Tatars, etc.)
• Siege: Missing Siege Onagers and Heavy Scorpions (Muscovites were well documented for their use of Rams, Artillerys, Siege Towers, and Siege Engineers)
• Monastery: No major missing technologies
• Navy: Missing Shipwright, Elite Cannon Galleons, and Fast Fire Ships
• Defense: Missing Heated Shot, Bombard Towers, and Hoardings
• Economy: Missing Crop Rotation (Unlike Kievan Rus, Muscovy was NOT a hub of agriculture)

Leaders

• Daniel I (???? To 1303)
• Dmitry
• Ivan I (1325 to 1340)
• Ivan III (1462 to 1505)
• Ivan IV (1533 to 1584)
• Vasily I (1389 to 1425)
• Vasily II (1425 to 1462)
• Vasily III (1505 to 1533)

WIP: Nubians

• Architecture: African
• Specialty: Archers
• Unique Unit: Kushite Archer
  • Bypasses up to 5 Pierce Armor when it attacks, representing apparent supernatural accuracy of Nubian archers
  • Cost: 40 Wood, 40 Gold
  • 30 HP, 5 Attack, 5 Range, 100% Accuracy, 0/0 Armor, 1.0 Speed
  • 35 HP, 6 Attack, 6 Range, 100% Accuracy, 0/0 Armor, 1.0 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Ta-Seti (Archer units regenerate HP over time, at a rate of 20 HP per minute)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech:
• Wonder: Cruciform Church

Bonuses

• The location of all Gold Mines on the map are immediately visible
• Archery Range techs/upgrades cost 50% less
• Towers/Castles fire +1 arrows in the Castle Age and +2 Arrows in the Imperial Age
• Team Bonus: Ballistics costs no Gold

Technology

• Infantry - Missing Halberdiers and Plate Mail Armor. (Should be a fairly weak branch of the tech tree, as Nubians clearly didn't focus their attention on infantry)
• Archers - Missing Hand Cannoneers and Parthian Tactics. (Should have a mostly complete archer tech tree, including the ability to decent Cavalry Archers based on their use of hit and run tactics)
• Cavalry - Missing Cavaliers and Paladins, but with full access to the Camel Rider line. (Hussars should be present due to the use of hit and run cavalry tactics, and camels should be present due to their prevalence in Nubia. However, heavy cavalry was seemingly not used often by the Nubians)
• Siege - No Siege Onager, Siege Ram, Bombard Cannon, or Siege Engineers. (Nubians in medieval times were more notable for their defensive achievements than their invasions.)
• Monks -
• Navy - (Should be below average)
• Defenses - Missing Heated Shot and Bombard Towers
• Economy - Missing Stone Shaft Mining

Strategy

• Meant to be an archer civ that can support them with the Scout Cavalry and Camel Rider lines
• Cheaper archery range techs save up to 1500 resources if you get everything, but you probably won't get Heavy Cavalry Archers, so it's more like 800 resources total, largely in the Castle Age
  • That said, you can have a great Castle Age power spike, between cheap Ballistics and getting the Crossbowman and Elite Skirmisher upgrades more quickly
• Seeing Gold Mines instantly helps you explore and secure resources, but also gives a hint where enemies may be
• Generally good defensively

Notes

• Kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia lasted most of the Medieval era, between Egypt and Ethiopia
  • Kingdoms were Christian by 600 CE, though they gradually shifted from Catholic to Orthodox/Cothic from the 700's onwards
  • Eventually coquered and Islamized by the Ottoman Empire
  • Makuria in particular is credited with preventing Arabs from conquering down south
• Exports included dates, slaves, ivory, and gold
• Nubians farmed along the Nile, but otherwise was a mix of Agricultural and Pastoral populations
• Connected land trade from East Africa to Egypt
• Power waned after 1100 CE

Military

• Infantry - Missing final armor upgrade
  • Used Swords, Halberds, and Lances, but the latter two may have been mostly ceremonial
• Were successful users of archery against Arabs, even against large forces of cavalry (First Battle of Dongola)
  • Used composite bows, which could be fired from horseback
  • Had THumb Rings, similar drawing style to Chinese archers
  • Crossbow darts have been discovered, but seemingly not too common
• Apparently had little experience with the heavy catapult used by Arab invaders in the Second Battle of Dongola
• Cavalry supposedly good at hit and run tactics
  • No evidence of Elephants being used during medieval times
• Armor was mostly leather rather than metal

WIP: Polynesians

• Architecture: Pacific
• Specialty: Infantry and Navy
• Unique Unit: Taiaha Warrior (Infantry unit armed with a staff. A general purpose infantry unit that costs no Gold. Based on a weapon used by the Maori.)
  • Cost: 50 Food, 20 Wood, requires 9 seconds.
  • Elite Upgrade: 800 Food and 800 Wood, requires 60 seconds
  • Standard: 50 HP, 7 Attack, 2.0 RoF, 0/1 Armor, 0.9 Speed
  • Elite: 60 HP, 10 Attack, 2.0 RoF, 0/1 Armor, 0.9 Speed
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Stick Charts (Ships move 10% faster and have +2 Line of Sight)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: War Dance (All Infantry gain a Charge Attack. Added damage is equal to their base Attack, and recharging takes 15 seconds. Inspired by the various war dances used by different Polynesian cultures when preparing for battle.)
• Wonder: Moai Statues

Bonuses

• Gain 300 Food upon entering the Feudal Age (Represents the early spread of the Sweet Potato, even before the Columbian Exchange)
• Loom affects ships starting in the Feudal Age (A literal way of emphasizing the importance of textiles.)
• The Eagle Scout line moves 5% faster per Age, starting in Feudal Age.
• Barracks technologies and upgrades cost no Gold
• Team Bonus: Town Centers are built 20% faster (Represents the colonization undertaken by Polynesians)

Technology

• Archers - Missing Cavalry Archers, Hand Cannoneers, and Thumb Ring. Slingers are available. (Slings were about as popular in Oceania as in America, but ranged weapons were not remarkable in much of Oceania.)
• Infantry - No major missing technologies. Have access to the Eagle Scout line. (Melee combat between infantry defined Polynesian warfare, to the extent that some groups like the Maori didn't even use ranged weapons)
• Cavalry - N/A
• Siege - Missing Siege Onagers, Bombard Cannons, and Siege Engineers
• Monks - Missing Block Printing and Redemption
• Navy - Missing the Cannon Galleon. The Catamaran line is available.
• Defenses - Missing Bombard Towers, Architecture, Fortified Walls, Keeps, Arrowslits
• Economy - Missing Stone Shaft Mining and Gold Shaft Mining (Meant to show limited metalworking and mining)

WIP: Shona

• Architecture: African
• Specialty: Defensive
• Unique Unit: Nanga (A variant of the Monk. Sacrifices the ability to convert units for more HP, greater speed, and a great healing rate. Though many Monastery techs are not applicable, it benefits from Sanctity and Fervor.)
  • Cost: 100 Gold
  • 60 HP, 5 Range, 0/1 Armor, 0.9 Speed, Heals 350 HP per minute
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Witch Doctors (Monks and Nanga heal units 50% faster)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Great Zimbabwe (Fortifications gain +20% HP)
• Wonder: Zimbabwe Bird Statue

Bonuses

• Mines last 20% longer
• The Spearman line is 30% cheaper
• Stone/Fortified Walls and Gates are built 100% faster
• Team Bonus:

Technology

• Infantry - Missing Halberdiers. (A necessary evil to balance their inexpensive and effective Pikemen.)
• Archers - Missing Cavalry Archers, Parthian Tactics, and Hand Cannoneers. (Should lack mounted archery and gunpowder)
• Cavalry - Missing Hussars and Cavaliers. (Should be weak to represent the lack of Cavalry in sub-Saharan conflicts.)
• Siege - Missing Bombard Cannons, Siege Onagers, and Heavy Scorpions. (Reflects the lack of gunpowder, but also encourages fighting in open spaces by weaking the Onager and Scorpion lines.)
• Monks -
• Navy -
• Defenses - Missing Bombard Towers.
• Economy - Missing Two-Man Saw. (This part of the world was not rich in forests.)

Strategy

The Shona are a defensive take on the African civilization. They feature strong and quickly built fortifications, cheap and sturdy Spearmen for countering enemy cavalry, and the Nanga unit for healing purposes.

Notes

• Represents the Kingdoms of Mapungubwe (1075 to 1220), Zimbabwe (1220 to 1450), and Mutapa (1430 to 1760)
• Great Zimbabwe, its capital, was the largest stone structure by pre-colonial sub-Saharan people
• Notable for stone works, also mined gold, copper, and iron
• Iron Age civilizations and beyond
• Mutapa reached 270,000 square miles in the 1500's
• Controlled the gold and ivory trade of the region, traded with Arabia and Asia
• Religion was native style of ancestor, fetishist worship
• The "Mwene" was both the political and religious leader of Mutapa
• Mutapa encountered Portugal in the 1560's
• Mutapa eventually fell due to internal problems as much as external ones
• Portuguese Catholic converts vs Muslim merchants was a source of tension later on