As with the issue of the chicken and the egg, how can I judge whatever the chinese civilization is meant to be without seeing it? This is what most people regurgitate upon seeing any criticism of these names.
Yet the names still don’t fit. From all the cultures, dynasties, nations and peoples you could find in China, how does one land on the concept of someone’s legacy? it is such a non-naming convention that even though it is more historical than the absolutely terrible “Empire of Jade”, it still does not fit the game well enough.
I’ve recommended some ideas in the past. Like, using one of the existing Dynasties, because if you think about it, does the individual bonuses of extra speed and unlocking the Fire Lancer actually represent the Yuan Dynasty? Not really. They could not do them each justice, because the Chinese civilization is meant to represent four Dynasties, and despite keeping it simple with each bonus, it is still the most complicated civilization in the game.
So–since I don’t know whatever the new variant is meant to be, let me take a shot in the dark and suggest, if Zhu Xhi actually has anything to do with this civilization, why not use the civilization he lived in, such as the Song Dynasty? if the civilization has anything to do with the person, this would allow you to portray an important period and identity of China with greater detail. Alternatively, there are plenty of other entities that could be used. For instance, I enjoy the idea of the Jin Dynasty who are featured in the campaign. Despite them not being mainland han chinese, it would still be cool to see them as a variant as it is just an opportunity to represent something that would not exist in the game otherwise.
As for the Order of the Dragon, while it is real, is barely an entity equal to a kingdom, empire or nation. There were in fact actual Kingdoms within the HRE, like the Kingdom of Bohemia (which we will never actually see in game, let’s be honest). Now I don’t know if this is what would fit the variant, since I don’t know about the civilization’s mechanics, but again; there are legitimate options for you, developers, to pick from. Do these variants justice, as you did for the Ayyubids.
The Ayyubid rename was a great success. Even folks who are against variants can accept them for being basically like AoE2 civilizations, in terms of reused assets and representing an actual civilization–this is inoffensive at worst. Let’s keep doing that instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
I’ve already made two threads on Jeanne D’Arc which are still active. My thoughts remain the same with her; rename it. However, I want this post to focus on the two upcoming civilizations that may yet still see a proper rename. Fingers crossed.
