Balkan DLC proposal

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

Lords of the Danube

This expansion showcases two formidable leaders who made indelible marks on the region. Vlad Dracula and Tsar Dusan, each with their unique tales and legacies, will take you on a journey through history, warfare, and intrigue in the heart of the Balkans.

New Civilizations: Embrace the power and tactics of Vlad Dracula’s Transylvanian Voivodes and Tsar Dusan’s medieval state as you master their unique units, technologies, and abilities.

Featuring scenario: The Last Stand

vlachsVlachs

Defensive civilization

Herdables are revealed at the start of the game
Infantry 2X effect from Supplies
Palisade walls twice as strong
Heresy free

Unique Unit: Golan (cavalry)

Golan
Cost: 60 Food, 50 Gold
Hit Points: 80
Attack: 10 (melee, bonus damage against villagers)
Armor: 1/2 (basic melee and pierce armor)
Line of Sight: 5
Speed: 1.4 (faster than regular cavalry units)
Training Time: 20 seconds
Reload Time: 1.8s

Upgrade: ##### 600G

Elite Golan
Cost: 60 Food, 50 Gold
Hit Points: 100
Attack: 12 (melee, bonus damage against villagers)
Armor: 2/2 (stronger melee armor)
Line of Sight: 5
Speed: 1.45 (faster than regular cavalry units)
Training Time: 20 seconds
Reload Time: 1.8s

Unique Techs:
Lootmaster (Golan can loot resources from resource-carrying units)
Hillside Warfare (Military units +2 attack from higher elevation)

Team bonus: Archers, Outposts +1 line of sight

Missing Techs:
Archery Range: Elaphant Archer, Elite Elephant Archer
Barracks: Champion, Eagle Scout, Eagle Warrior, Elite Eagle Warrior
Stable: Camel Rider, Heavy Camel Rider, Paladin, Battle Elephant, Elite Battle Elephant
Siege Workshop: Siege Ram, Armored Elephant, Siege Elephant, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion
Blacksmith: Ring Archer Armor
Dock: Fast Fire Ship, Cannon Galleon, Elite Cannon Galleon, Heavy Demolition Ship, Galleon, Dromon
University: Architecture
Monastery: Faith, Sanctity, Frevor

Wonders: Cozia Monastery

The Vlachs are designed to excel in challenging terrains and economic disruption tactics. Their unique bonuses and unit, the Golan, emphasize their ability to raid and steal resources from the enemy. With strong defensive structures and guerrilla warfare tactics, the Vlachs are a formidable civilization for players who enjoy adapting to challenging maps and utilizing disruptive strategies.

serbs1Serbs

Cavalry and Infantry civilization

Start with +2 sheep
Cavalry armor upgrades free
Spearman, Pikeman +1 armor
Monks created 50% faster

Unique Unit: Vlastela (cavalry)

Vlastela
Cost: 70 Food, 60 Gold
Hit Points: 100
Attack: 12 (melee, bonus damage against infantry)
Armor: 2/1 (basic melee and pierce armor)
Line of Sight: 4
Speed: 1.35 (regular cavalry speed)
Training Time: 18 seconds
Reload Time: 1.8s

Upgrade: 1200F, 700G

Elite Vlastela
Cost: 70 Food, 60 Gold
Hit Points: 140
Attack: 14 (melee, bonus damage against infantry)
Armor: 2/1 (basic melee and pierce armor)
Line of Sight: 5
Speed: 1.35 (regular cavalry speed)
Training Time: 18 seconds
Reload Time: 1.8s

Unique Techs:
Slava (Villagers gather resources 10% faster)
Cold Forge (Vlastela +2 armor)

Team bonus: Sappers free

Missing Techs:
Archery Range: Arbalester, Hand Cannoneer, Elephant Archer, Elite Elephant Archer, Parthian Tactics
Barracks: Eagle Scout, Halberdier, Eagle Warrior, Elite Eagle Warrior, Arson
Stable: Camel Rider, Heavy Camel Rider, Battle Elephant, Elite Battle Elephant, Steppe Lancer, Elite Steppe Lancer
Siege Workshop: Siege Ram, Armored Elephant, Siege Elephant, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion
Dock: Fast Fire Ship, Elite Cannon Galleon, Heavy Demolition Ship
University: Architecture, Bombard Tower
Monastery: Redemption, Atonement, Theocracy

Wonders: Visoki Dečani Monastery

The Serbs are a balanced civilization with strengths in both cavalry and infantry. Their economic bonuses encourage early-game development, while their expertise in cavalry and infantry make them a versatile and formidable force on the battlefield. The Vlastela, their unique cavalry unit, complements their military prowess, and they offer unique technologies to enhance their unique unit’s strength. The Serbs are a well-rounded civilization for players who enjoy a balanced and diverse playstyle.

12 Likes
7

I had just proposed something similar (though much less fleshed out) with these two civs as additions, and then a Magyar campaign as well. That’s I think my main addition suggestion to yours. Like what you have here though!

8

Very cool! I’ll be sure to read your proposal!

9

Considering the Dracula campaign is already in game, I think you could fit a third civ such as Croatians or Albanians and STILL have room for a Magyar, Slav or Turk campaign, à la DoI. Alternatively, you could stay with those two civs and gives new campaigns to two of the civs I mentioned.

[insert “But Africa/East Asia/the Americas should come first” comment here]

6 Likes
10

I agree, those civs should have their respective campaigns.

PS: As for Vlach UU food upgrade price, It is 800F.
Forum likes to censor it for some reason.

11

I am not sure about what I wanted to find within (true Magyar, Turks or slavs campaigns ?) and I don’t think Europe centered content is a priority, but I would love a Balkan DLC.
I like the region very much, so rich of influences (Slavs, Byzantine, Turk, Italian…).

2 Likes
12

This and only this makes your argument valid.

2 Likes
14

I thibk you are speaking from a place of ignorance honestly. Just because you didnt learn about it it doesnt mean theres a lot of history elsewhere

8 Likes
15

Tibet is still missing.

1 Like
16

Well I do have a masters degree in history, do you?

17

Yeah, if the Vietnamese and Lac Viet could be added, Tibet most certainly could as well. Everybody knows that those two were added because AoEI is very popular in Vietnam. Capitalism.

18

Slava, could rather be health regeneration for specific units IMO. Knight-line, monks and Unique Unit for example.

Another good tech could be Kosovo Curse, making knight-line impossible to convert for enemy monks. Similar to the Sicilian First Crusade tech. It could also be something like that unit attack increases when the units HP is low. Since “Kosovo” is a sensetive topic today, it could simply being called “Curse of Lazar”.

More to read about it here: Kosovo curse - Wikipedia

It was a battle cry for the Serbian knighthood and nobility, meaning those that did not stand there on that fateful day, should forever be treated as a coward and a traitor. Most did of course, and died doing so.

The Serb civ should be very, VERY knight focused IMO, something like a new, but tweaked Franks. That is what history tells us.

2 Likes
19

Most important of all, new Architecture for Balkans especially Byzantines. Come on devs, Mediteranean architecture is too over stretch at this point.

8 Likes
20

I think the Med architecture style is in fact very Byzantine, it could be tweaked. For example the monastery is Catholic, which of course is wrong. The Byzantine (and future Serb) monastery should look like the Georgian/Armenian Fortified Church.

What is wrong however is that the Spanish, Portugese, Italians and Sicilians have it. But that is probably why it has this Italian looking Monastery.

The rooftop tiles used in this style is called Byzantine tiles even today in Greece.

Romans could pass having this architecture. Barely.

1 Like
21

Random people claiming having masters degree in history without providing proof I like a lot.

Especially when you consider that Masters degree, no matter what you are studying are specializations in certain subject matters. Consequently, it doesn’t mean that you’re an expert in every field a vast subject like history. Like you can be an expert in British history of the 20th century. Doesn’t mean that your expertise in this domain makes you an expert in 18th century Latin American history. Or that your knowledge in Ornithology makes you an expert in Microbiology, even though both are related to biology.

I really hope not that the next DLC is going to cover the Balkans for several reasons, one of them that we’re missing out on obvious powerful empire candidates like the Songhai or Kanem Bornu.

9 Likes
22

True, I could of course be more specific, my specializations were Russian history. I wrote my master’s thesis about Novgorod.

23

I also really don’t want to see the Eastern European and Mediterranean architecture set used once more for a DLC. There’s like plenty less used sets everywhere which have a lot of potential for new civs. Like Thais would be a pretty obvious and popular addition from what I can see using the SEA set.

8 Likes
24

Yeah ok buddy, start another thread for that then. Make some big posters about what the difference would be between the Khmer and the “Thais”, a term used for less than a century.

There is a reason “Thais”, or Siamese as they were called back then, were not added, but rather the Khmer, which was an empire, and included the area known today as Thailand.

1 Like
25

If you indeed have a masters degree in history and you say theres no historical nation known as Congo (it was Kongo with K, but still, you should recogkize the name) I think you probably had an optional African History Class you didnt take. That isnt unlikely since Academia has often considered African history to not be necessary. Kongo isnt even an obscure nation, they were involved in the Portuguese-Dutch wars and in general they are very much relevant to Portugal’s history in Africa. I learnt about them in High School lol.

And the idea that Europe has way more recorded history than everywhere else is also kind of silly when talkkng about the period kncluding the dark ages when records were very scarce, meanwhile China and India have no dark ages.

And from East Asia you should recognize the Khitan, Manchu/Jurchen, Tibetans and old Turks (Gokturks).

8 Likes
27

Your double standards are ridiculous.
You want such tiny kingdoms like Albania, but not “Thailand” who had 4 longlasting (and bigger) kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

13 Likes