Personally, I believe any civilization design should have 3 or 4 keywords to describe it, and a measure of how strong a civ design is, is how specific, unique and game-changing those keywords are.
Example, keywords such as “infantry”, “archers”, “defensive” is the ultimate hallmark of a weak, boring civ design. “City planning”, “Dynasties”, “Nomadic” are far more interesting and game-changing.
I think @Kameho3743 's concept for the Ottoman Empire is amazing, mostly because of the highly flexible and revolutionary “Captive system” and treats like Sahi Topu. I’d like to ask @Kameho3743 what would your 3 keywords be for the Khmer, the Thai, the Burmese and the Ottoman Empire?
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On this aspect, the concept below pops on top when searching the forum, it’s a major classic of the AoE forum and I dig the hybrid nomad-settled idea, the eco-mil asymmetry, and the wolf conversion idea, but a bit over the top in my opinion (10 different key features in a single civ is really too many):
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(copied from another thread)
Part 1: Top 10 Reasons why It’s the Most Unique Civ
Here’s the Top 10 Reasons why the Turks / Ottoman Empire concept is the most unique, gameplay-changing civ concept on the Age of Empires Forum (further details on the full Civ Concept below):
1. it’s the ONLY Hybrid (nomad+settled) civ in the history of the franchise
2. the ONLY asymmetric civ in terms of fundamental Economy-Military balance in Age of Empires EVER
3. it has the UNPRECEDENTED trade interference concept / Monopoly
4. when it SLAYS a Trader, it takes ALL the gold bytch was carrying
5. it has the BEASTLY, BRUTAL Great Bombard in its REAL historical size
6. it boosts the army with a badass army BAND, not a priest; a song for each situation
7. it can tame WOLVES based on the cool, unique, SAVAGE legend of origin of the Turks
8. versatile, evolving “Spartan” COMBO unit Yeniçeri (Janissary) in ages 2-4; heavy knight Spahi with massive, BRUTAL skull-crushing mace as weapon
9. it has a NEVER-SEEN-before Devshirme army recruitment method, and Ghazi veterancy system
10. the Ottoman Empire created 97% of Mega Bombards on Earth, invented the matchlock MUSKET that changed history, and was the WORLD’s most powerful empire at the end of AoE4 time
Ottoman Spahi Armor 1479