African Civs Regional Unit + Camel Archer Rework Concept ( + New civ: Swahili)

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

TL;DR

(Buff shotels, Give Camel Archers to african civs as a regional unit to replace Cavalry Archers, and Berbers a better team bonus+ new unique units.)

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I’ve been thinking about a regional unit that could fit all four African civilizations, and I think the Camel Archer is the best answer.

It is historically appropriate for African military traditions, it gives the civilizations a shared identity without making their armies identical, it fits naturally into their existing bonuses, AND it helps to balance the current dominance of the Cav Archer meta.

Berbers, Ethiopians, Malians, and Swahili will all receive the Camel Archer in their Archery Range, replacing Cavalry Archers.

Berbers:

Cavalry and Naval civilization

• Villagers move +5% faster in Dark Age, +10% faster starting in Feudal Age

• Stable Units and Camel Archers cost -15/20% in Castle/Imperial Age

• Ships move +10% faster

Unique Units:

Zenata Raider (Mounted Skirmisher), Camel Archer (Mounted Archer), Genitour (Mounted Skirmisher)

Unique Techs:

• Kasbah (Team Castles work +25% faster) (Removed)

• Iffer (Zenata Raiders do not trigger attack alerts when attacking villagers or fishing ships.)

• Maghrebi Camels (Camel Units regenerate 15 HP per minute)

Team Bonus:
Genitour available at the Archery Range starting in Castle Age (Removed)

• Team Castles work +20% faster

• REMOVED Cavalry Archers/Heavy Cavalry archers

• REPLACED WITH Camel Archers/Elite Camel archers in the Archery Range. (Reduced stats -1 Attack, -1 Pierce Armor, -20% Accuracy)

New Team bonus: Castles work 20% faster

NEW UNIQUE UNIT:

Zenata Raider:

New fastest mounted (horse) unit in the game at 1.62 base speed. Husbandry setting it at a solid 1.78
3 Ranged melee attack, low frame/fire delay, attack bonus vs monks, villagers, ships

Squishy and Expensive

Ethiopians:

Archer civilization

• Receive +100 gold and +100 food when advancing to the next Age

• Foot Archers attack +18% +20% faster

• Pikeman, Halberdier upgrade free

• Elite Camel Archer upgrade free

Unique Unit:

Shotel Warrior (Infantry) (+10 Bonus Damage to Shock Infantry up from +2, giving Shotels a unique niche.)

Unique Techs:

• Royal Heirs (Shotel Warriors, and Camel Riders (NOT CAMEL ARCHERS) receive -3 damage from Mounted Units)

• Torsion Engines (Siege Workshop Units’ blast radius increased)

Team Bonus:
Outposts +3 line of sight and cost no stone

• REMOVED Cavalry Archers/Heavy Cavalry archers

• REPLACED WITH Camel Archers/Elite Camel archers in the Archery Range. (Reduced stats -1 Attack, -1 Pierce Armor, -20% Accuracy)

Malians:

Infantry civilization

• Buildings cost -15% wood

• Villagers drop off +10% more gold

• Barracks Units +1/+2/+3 pierce armor in Feudal/
Castle/Imperial Age

Unique Unit:

Gbeto (Infantry)

Unique Techs:

• Tigui (Town Centers fire arrows without garrison)

• Farimba (Cavalry and Camel Archers +5 attack)

Team Bonus:

Universities work +80% faster

• REMOVED Cavalry Archers/Heavy Cavalry archers

• REPLACED WITH Camel Archers in the Archery Range. (Reduced stats -1 Attack, -1 Pierce Armor, -20% Accuracy)

• Note: Malians DO NOT GET ELITE CAMEL ARCHERS.

Swahili:

Naval and Defensive civilization

• Houses replaced with Nyumba (Costs 10 Stone. Fires one arrow. (2 pierce attack, 3 second reload, cannot garrison units))

• Can build Coral Walls, upgrade for free to Stone walls in Feudal.

• Stone miners drop off 20% more Stone

• Masonry, Architecture Free, and affect Ships

Unique Unit:

• Mtebe Marine
(Swahili pistolier 5/7 pierce damage and Melee 4/6 melee attack 0/1 base armor.)
Fires a pistol at 3-5 range; switches to blade fighting at point-blank range. (Dead zone at 1-2 range)
Mtebe Marine uniquely benefit from Archer Armor and Melee Attack upgrades.

Unique Techs:

• Bandari Guard (Mtepe Marines train 25% faster and gain +2 bonus damage versus siege weapons and monks.)

• Coastal Assault (Mtebe Marines now ALSO benefit from Archer Attack upgrades and Melee Armor upgrade in the blacksmith. Can now also climb stone walls without need of a siege tower.)

Note: The Swahili do not Get Blast Furnace or Ring Archer Armor

Team Bonus:
• Trade Carts and Trade Cogs move 15% faster, +2 LoS

The Swahili have a below average military. Crossbowman, Cavalier, 2 handed swordsman, Pikeman, Light Cavalry, Weak Siege, and missing key upgrades. Their UU is their only real chance. This is by design as their bonuses are quite substantial for defense, usually allowing them to setup fairly well. A civ designed to be a defensive flank. A very unique niche. Though the Mtebe is quite weak to Cavalry Archers, the Swahili do get access to Heavy Camel Riders, and Camel Archers, though they aren’t impressive.

Feedback welcome!

2

These feel like the exact same unit,why not just make the uu a camel mounted spearman?

Did eithopia use camels to fight that much?

3

Even without the elite upgrade or Bracer you don’t want to give an archer a Willy nilly +5 damage. Assuming the unit has 5 [6] base damage then it gets up to a whopping 13 with thumb Ring. That is enough I believe to hit every non building for an assured minimum of 2 damage. From a unit with 75 HP and trained at the archery range that’s not shabby

Also the Swahili here is… well it doesn’t look fun if you need to get 10stone per house even if it’s instead of wood I’d rather never need to use precious stone.

The civ just feels wrong and it’s a civ in the cavalry deadzone. It needs to be joined to a Bantu expansion so their unit roster can feel fleshed out.

If you wanted new African civs where camel archer whould be the norm I have an expansion here and yes there are camel archers and they go all the way from Africa and their end point is the Saracens but Swahili shouldn’t have cavalry at all!

1 Like
4

You have an idea not an expansion.

Why?its his idea so he is free to say it just like you.

5

It would be as absurd as a Venetian civ with elephants, Champis and steppe lancers. You could do it but… should you?

And let’s face it would YOU have fun with a 10 stone requiring house

6

Its just an idea just like your civi concepts.

7

You may be right. Even without bracer, parthian, and elite camel archers that’d be quite strong. What if they instead benefitted from Tigui and fired 2 additional arrows? Still no Elite camel Archer.

8

The Zenata uses Melee damage. But I get what you’re saying.

9

A 10 stone requiring house has a huge amount of advantages. Stone is mined faster than wood. The 20% extra stone dropped off is a huge economic bonus.

And since you start with 200 stone, that’s 20 houses you don’t have to pay for until castle age.

And that’s not even to mention that their houses fire arrows.

I would have a lot of fun only needing 3/5 villagers on wood instead of 4/7.

10

The whole thing can be broken too. Just rush your enemy’s base with 10 stone attack towers and you can oppress him with a supporting drush.

the other issue is of course maybe you get +100 stone (a bonus the Sicilian have) but you also will want it for towers. Unlike Sicilians you get real towers so your early aggression is potent even if you are conservative none arrow houses or construct fast arrow houses to protect them as you push

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11

The houses are far too weak to be used in a dark age tower rush. On top of the villagers you’d have to use to try to pull that off.

And that’s why they have the 20% Stone drop off bonus. That’s an absolutely massive bonus.

12

It doesn’t have to be strong. It just needs to distract or deny a key economic resource

13

I should mention that the houses only have a range of 2. That’s not gonna do a whole lot.

14

I dislike the fact that house cost stone. Maybe if they are to gain a ranged attack make them individually upgrade.

1 Like