Civilization Designs

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
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In this thread I want us to discuss civilization designs and not focus much on what civs should these be used for. In the current development stage of the game there are already 39 civs and I have to say some of them still need a patch or two to find their own identity from gameplay perspective. So this thread is about designs what bonuses (not yet in the game) and unique units would work well and be coherent while the game is already populated with great number of civs.

Now I understand civ selecting is important and we have to account for history not just gameplay. That’s why it is understandable the suggestions have in mind how certain civ designs would fit one or other civilization or type of culture. It makes sense those designs are inspired by certain peoples history. It is just I want here we focus more on the design and potential balance if such civ is added to the game.

I know there have been a lot of suggestions for civilizations and how they should look like in the forum. If you want you can post and discuss them from design perspective, too. We don’t have to come up with new and original ideas all the time. If you do pls say whose idea the design is.

I will start with giving a suggestion for possible African civ ( You tell me what fits best). I have few more designs in mind I will post later, too. ( I might gather some design in the first post – we will see).

Potential African Civ:

Hunt resources last % longer and do not decay

Buildings cost % less resources (both wood and stone) but have % less HP

can Fortify Town Centers

Do not build Castles

Trebuchet, Petards trained at the Siege Workshop

UU (shirmisher like unit a little stronger). trained at the Archery range from Feudal Age, good against archers but also against camel and elephant units.

UT. Fortification (researched in every TC separately cost X stone Y gold) TC gets more HP, range attach (changes visually) and gains access to Castle techs (a bit weaker than a Castle and stronger than a Krepost)

UT. Camel & Elephant units get extra speed and or armor

Team Bonus. Town Centers research techs % faster

There are two main themes about this design. One of them is a culture that did not build huge castles and forticications perhaps because of the terrain or they didn’t need to. That’s why we have them have cheaper buildings with less HP. Also their TCs can take the function of castles if needed. The team bonus also suggest TC efficiency when it comes to technology research. This should exlude aging up researches.

The other theme is around hunting warrior traditions and knowledge about certain species. Here we have the lasting longer and no decaying bonus which suggest knowledge to preserve the hunted meat and also unique unit that can deal well against camel and elephant units having breeding and hunting traditions with these animals (plus we now have a lot civs with elephant and camel units makes sense to have dedicated unit). In this direction we have Unique Technology applying bonus to camel and elephant units, too. The civ is supposed to have battle elephants access.

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Third upgrade to the scorpion.
Second upgrade to the hand cannon.
Third upgrade to the cavalry archer.
Obvious things like free blacksmith line and unit line upgrades for the once still remain camel knight eagle etc.
Canon ships without minimum range or fires multiple projectiles.

3

I have a very similar concept actually:

Zimbabweans
Defensive civilization
Hunt lasts 40% longer
Spearmen avaible at dark age, (+5 vs eagles)
Skirmishers fire 33% faster
Recieve 300 stone at castle/imperial age
Team Bonus: Infantry +2 LoS
Assegai Spearman
Hit Points: 60 (75) Unit Cost: 60F 30G
Attack: 8 (10) ROF: 2
Armor: 0/2 (0/3) Range: 0
Upgrade: 1000F 800G Speed: 1.15
+10 (16) vs cavalry, +7 (9) vs camels, +20 vs eles
Washambuliaji
<Infantry +6 vs buildings and economic units>
Cost: 300F 200G
Citadels
Upgrades Town Centers to Citadels
Cost: 1000W 300S
2 Likes
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Nice one. seems the right direction for African civ/ I like your ideas

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A list of boni I made a while ago:

Eco boni from various mods which I really like:

Economic techs available one age earlier

  • Towncenters spawn 1 Villager in Feudal/Castle Age; Towncenter build in Castle/Imperial Age spawn 2 Villager
  • Farms are 2x2 instead of 3x3
  • Mills, Lumber Camps, Mining Camps are mobile but have slightly less HP
  • Blacksmith upgrades are automatically researched for free an age after they become available
  • Upon Age, receive 1/2/2 free villagers.TC built in Castle Age spawn 2 free villagers
  • Villager work 6% faster
  • Drop-off buildings merged
  • Eagle Warrior upgrades free
  • Castle Age upgrade 25% cheaper
  • Economic units return 50% of their cost when killed
  • Start with +2 villagers but -150 food
  • All units cost 5% less
  • Receive 50 stone and 100 wood per age
  • 5/60 wood 4/50 food and 0/15 stone per minute generate in Dark/Imperial Age
  • +5 Villager HP for each Towncenter technology
  • Can create Cows from Town center which cost gold. Cost gold
    Blacksmith techs cost -50% food
  • Dropsites research at twice the speed.
  • Castles get +2000 HP (probably too strong)
  • Towncenters (TC bonus starts in Castle Age), Houses, Docks and Markets build 40% faster

Gold mines last 30% longer (=240 gold more each tile)

Bundle 2:

  • Villager +1 range per Age, benefit from Fledging, Bodkin Arrow, Bracer and Chemistry, do pierce damage.
  • Villager do +1 damage vs villager (to compensate that they do pierce damage)

Military boni:

Siege technologies 40% cheaper

  • Infantry armour technologies affect cavalry and archers, whose armour technologies are no longer available
  • Pikeman +1 range from Castle Age on
  • Barrack upgrades cost no gold
    Stable upgrades 50% cheaper
    Chevalier available in Castle Age (Probably without Blood Lines)
  • Fletching, Bodkin arrow and Bracer are free, but require a blacksmith
  • Projectiles are faster
  • Stables and scouts can be made in the dark age
  • Spearmen available in Dark Age
  • Archer-line upgrades free (too strong probably)
  • Archer line benefit twice from Bodking Arrow, Bracer and Chemistry (no Crossbow upgrade)

Sources:

AoE2 Gold and Glory Mod 4

The bold ones have been used either as balance measure or are part of new civs now.

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We should also think of more “gimmicky” stuff too.
Ships that can build and repair other ships(villager on water).
Ships that can train other units like a building on water,i think this is in aoe3 already .
Mercenary building where you can train other uu’s.
Units that will gain or loose hp/attack overtime.
Units that cost double or no pop space at all.
Tech that can force enemy players to ally for a limited time.
One building to train all the available units rather than have multiple buildings like now.this would fit a meso civi as all units are footman.
Buildings which can heal nearby units without garrison.
Monk who can only heal only but much tougher.basically a banner man to incase moral.

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Just some random boni:

  • Technologies cost x% less food/wood/gold
  • Military units cost x% less food
  • Villagers +1 pierce armor per age
  • Bonus damage armor for certain units (like cataphrat) (for exame +1 Archer armor for archers so they take 1 less bonus damage from skirmishes)
  • Herdables killed by military units still contain food
  • Rams/Siege towers can garrison more units
  • Archer line fires additional projectiles
  • Building which can train mercenaries (units that only cost gold, are trained instantly and have a limited amount of upgrades)
  • unique 3x3 mill (like folwark) which lets Villagers garrison in it (like khmer house, only protection), Villagers garrisoned generate a small amount of food (good farm eco protection for raids)
  • civ where all building cost stone, but stone contains x% (high amount) more resources
    → this civ has many possibilities because every building could be modificated slightly and techs and units could cost more wood to give it a use
  • lumberjacks don’t need a lumber camp to drop of ressourses but work x% slower
  • farms work x% (high amount) faster but contain x% less food or/and cost x% more wood
  • techs cost x% less but take x% longer to research
  • UU which has a unique mechanic where it has to charge (like the coustillier) and then it highers it shield to get into a defensive position where it gains +x pierce armor and/or +x% movement speed. Ends when the unit attacks. (useful for gap losing for Infantry units against ranged units)
  • receive 50 food when building a mill/receive 50 wood when building a lumbercamp
  • civ that starts with a unique scout, Infantry unit wich moves relatively slow, has the LOS of an eagle scout and similar stats (gets 5 attack when reaching feudal). It can place something like a torch at a position of choice which gives vision on that position without having to have your scout there.
  • UU that gains hp when killing another unit
  • receive x amount of resources when destroying an hostile building
  • unique monk which can sacrifice a friendly unit (one shits it) to get a faster/instant conversion (one time per sacrifice) or get a faster/instant heal (amount of time per sacrifice)
  • civ that gets some kind of knight in feudal age (same cost as knight and relatively high training time) that has 1/2 armor 60 hp (without bloodlines) and 6 or 7 attack. Can be upgraded to knight when reaching castle age
  • civ with Infantry UU that can be upgraded with different paths in imperial age to stay a Infantry UU (but gets stronger) or to get mounted or to get ranged (had this idea for the samurai since they were archers and horseman too, but are only displayed as Infantry, feature with bonus damage against UUs could stay but get modified for the different versions)
  • walls on the water

Some of these bonuses are not my own idea but I don’t know exactly who came up with them and sometimes I could have been thinking about the same thing as another person

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chinese already have this.

we already have this for sicilians.

this sounds like a terrible idea.

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More than terrible you have to start mining stone from the start and completely breaks the consistency with all other civis.

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exactly. not only would your stone mines have to have huge amounts of stone, your allys could mine your stone too and completely break the game by having more stone buildings then normal.

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I meant technology discount with a specific ressourse but a higher percentage, for examples technologies costl 50% less wood

The Sicilian bonus reduces the bonus damage by 50% but I suggested flat numbers so it would be stronger with less bonus damage (for example archers against Spearman) but significantly weaker with high bonus damage (like halbedier against knight)

Yeah, you’re probably right

Thought of it in the same way as the Mayan bonus that for example a villager gathers 10 stone but only 2 are gone and sending this stone to allies would have to have a huge cost

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sounds like a very un aoe2 like mechanic.