Hello,
I’d like to share a concept idea for a future main Age of Empires title. The series have already covered classical antiquity and middle ages extensively with several titles, but the Bronze Age—from around 2500 BC with early cities and citadels to the collapse around 1200-1100 BC—offers something completely new.
The Four Ages
| Age | Name | Key Unlocks | Historically |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Age of First Cities  |
Villages, basic bronze tools, early trade posts | Early urban growth (~2500-2000 BC) |
| II | Age of Chariots  |
Chariot units, fortified centers, workshops, scribes, storages | Empire expansion (~2000-1600 BC) |
| III | Age of Palaces  |
Elite bronze gear, grand architecture, wonders | Height of power (~1600-1200 BC) |
| IV | Age of Upheaval  |
Raider ships, proto-iron weapons, survival tech | Invasions and decline (~1200-1100 BC) |
6 Base Game Civs
Only fully assymetric civs, (not like AoEIV…), unique units, buildings, and playstyles.
1) Kemet (Egyptians) — “River State + Ranged Supremacy”
Core identity: safe food engine + elite archery + strong fort-town control.
Economy model: Irrigation + state labor (you place canals and farms near them scale hard).
Unit roster
Infantry
- Medjay Spear (anti-chariot. strong in formation, weaker while moving)
- Khopesh Guard (shock infantry, short burst DPS, good vs light)
- Temple Levies (cheap bodies, bonus near shrines)
Ranged
- Composite Bow Corps (elite archers, slow to train, great value)
- Slinger Auxiliaries (cheap skirmish, counters archers)
Chariots
- Pharaoh’s Chariot (high micro payoff, fragile)
- Two-Horse Bow Chariot (harass unit, strong on open ground)
Siege
- Sapper Teams (fast wall damage, vulnerable)
- Stone-Throw Crew (slow, defensive siege)
Navy
- Nile Oared Galley (cheap, great river control)
- Sea Raider Bireme (costly, strong boarding)
Support
- Priest of the Estates (healing + morale buff, also boosts farms/monuments)
Signature mechanics
- Canal Network: irrigation zones increase farm output + enable “estate” upgrades.
- Monument Authority: building monuments unlocks entire branches (not small upgrades).
2) 
Hittites — “Treaties, Vassals, Heavy Chariots”
Core identity: elite chariot warfare + vassal economy + fortress logistics.
Economy model: Tribute + annexation (you can turn neutral mini civs into vassals)
Signature mechanics
Vassal Network: subdue minor map civs (like AoEIII style) for tribute + auxiliary troops or unique techs.
Treaty Tablets: tech line that lets you pick buffs (economy / diplomacy / military logistics).
Unit roster
Infantry
- Border Spear Phalanx (anti-chariot wall, slow, very tough)
- Royal Axemen (armor breaker, great vs elites)
- Hill Skirmishers (fast javs, punishes siege crews)
Ranged
- Composite Archers of Hatti (mid-tier, durable archers)
- Sling Lines (cheap ranged screens)
Chariots
- Heavy Chariot Corps (tank shock, main win condition)
- Noble Runner Chariots (faster, flanking, anti-archer)
Siege
- Ramming Cart (anti-gate, short range)
- Stone Slinger Engine (mid game pressure)
- Siege Logistics Wagon (support unit, reduces setup time / increases ammo)
Navy
- Anatolian Coast Cutter (weak but fast, scouting + raiding)
- (Hittites aren’t supposed to be navy kings—on purpose.)
Support
- Treaty Scribes (not healers: they boost vassal tribute + reduce upkeep near outposts)
3) 
Assyrians — “Momentum Conquest + Siege Culture”
Core identity: pressure civ with strong timing windows and map infrastructure.
Economy model: War economy (attacking and capturing sites fuels production with passive bonuses, staying passive hurts you).
Unit roster
Infantry
- Ashur Spearline (fast anti-chariot infantry, weaker in prolonged fights)
- Iron Forerunners (late-game mass infantry, cheap, upgradeable)
- Club Stormers (anti-building/anti-siege rush unit)
Ranged
- Hunt-Bow Archers (high DPS, low armor)
- Shielded Slingers (ranged screen unit)
Chariots
- Raid Chariots (hit-and-run, burn economy)
- Command Chariot (support aura, not really a hero, just a staff platform)
Siege
- Battering Ram Teams (fast, terrifying vs walls)
- Tower Ladder Crew (enables wall assault, creates “breach points”)
- Stone Engine (late artillery)
Navy
- River Assault Boat (boarding-focused)
- Cargo Denial Skiffs (anti-trade)
Support
- Road Marshals (support unit that speeds allies/units on roads, boosts reinforcement)
Signature mechanics
- Roads & Outposts: your empire literally moves faster, siege deploys quicker near roads.
- Spoils: winning fights creates “loot piles” that villagers can claim for burst resources (but you should be careful because enemy villagers can also loot them)
4) 
Mycenaean Greeks (Achaeans) — “Citadels, Armor, Shock Warfare”
Core identity: fortress economy + elite infantry + aggressive decisive pushes.
Economy model: Palace redistribution (storage/production efficiency is centralized).
Unit roster
Infantry
- Citadel Shieldmen (heavy line infantry, great vs ranged)
- Dendra Panoply Guard (elite heavy, slow, terrifying)
- Torch Raiders (fast infantry that burns storages/workshops/ports)
Ranged
- Achaean Archers (solid all-round)
- Stone Sling Youths (cheap, fast to mass)
Chariots
- Noble Shock Chariots (frontline punch)
- Skirmish Chariots (harass, anti-archer role)
Siege
- Wall Sappers (breach specialists)
- Stone Haulers (slow but durable siege crew, easier to protect)
- Siege Mantlet (mobile cover for infantry pushes)
Navy
- Aegean Long Oar (fast transport/raid ship)
- Bronze Beak Rammer (expensive, high impact naval shock)
Support
- Palace Quartermasters (increase production speed + reduce cost inside citadel radius)
Signature mechanics
- Citadel Radius System: best economy/production happens around your citadel complexes.
- Prestige Musters: spend prestige to call temporary levy waves (big timing attacks).
5) 
Minoans — “Sea Lanes + Craft Economy”
Core identity: strongest naval/trade civ with fast, elegant armies.
Economy model: Workshop efficiency + port networks, less dependent on raw mining.
(if you have ever been to the Knossos palace in Crete, it really looks like this)
Unit roster
Infantry
- Labrys Guards (shock infantry, limited cap, very strong)
- Harbor Spear Militia (cheap anti-raid)
- Cliff Runners (fast flanking unit, bonuses in rough terrain/coasts)
Ranged
- Javelin Mariners (hit-and-run, excels near water)
- Sling Artisans (ranged + small repair aura to ships/buildings)
Chariots
- Ceremonial Chariots (not mainline tanks—more like fast support/harass)
- Courier Chariots (economic unit: boosts trade/transfer speed)
Siege
- Dockyard Fire Pots (anti-ship siege)
- Light Shore Rams (fast, for coastal assaults)
Navy
- Aegean Trade Cutter (builds sea-lane income)
- Boarding Galley (close combat naval)
- Fire Raft (disposable naval siege)
- Repair Barge (support ship)
Support
- Palace Artisans (upgrade “quality tiers” of units via craftsmanship rather than raw +damage techs)
Signature mechanics
- Sea Lane Economy: your “farms” are trade routes; blockades are existential.
- Craftsmanship Tiers: upgrades improve efficiency + survivability, not just stats.
6) 
Babylonians — Canals, cities, scribes, and “policy power”
Economy: urban taxation + ration stores + canal agriculture
Signature mechanics
- Granary/Ration System: food can be “rationed” from central storages to boost training speed
- Scribal Schools: instead of generic upgrades, you enact Edicts (economic/legal/administrative policies) that change how your whole civ functions (pick a few, commit hard).
- City-Core Power: the bigger and more intact your urban core (walls, gates, districts), the stronger your economy, Babylon wants real cities, not scattered outposts.
Unit roster:
- Infantry: gate spears (anti-chariot), shielded city guards, axe/club assault troops
- Ranged: mass slingers + trained bow companies (cheaper than Egypt’s elite archery)
- Chariots: “noble chariots” as expensive shock + lighter pursuit carts
- Siege: ram crews + wall-sapper teams + late stone engines
- Support: scribes that boost building speed / reduce edict cooldowns (no healing focus)
- Navy: river barges + escort craft (Babylon’s navy is functional, not dominant)
Balance philosophy - no dumb “readability” arguments!
Since the AoEIV devs could not/did not want to figure out what unique units are and how they work…
Every civ still fits the same counter grammar, but expressed differently:
- Anti-chariot infantry exists for all civs (but not identical).
- Ranged screen exists for all civs (slingers/javs/bows vary).
- Siege exists for all civs (ram/sappers/firepots/towers vary).
- Navy exists for all civs (some dominate, some merely survive).
- Late tech pivot exists for all civs (bronze strain → alternative scaling).
Practical constraint:
It is understandable that fully unique rosters can sometimes overwhelm especially new players, so the UI needs:
- (not the same dull units and icons like AoEIV, it should maintain artistic uniqueness) but…
- tooltips that say “Role: Anti-Chariot” even if the image and unit name differs
- a counter preview in the unit panel (“Strong vs / Weak vs”)
That keeps the game learnable without homogenizing it.
“Bronze Age” gameplay hooks
In the Bronze Age, power depended less on local resources and more on long-distance trade, because the key ingredient of bronze, tin, was rare and had to be imported across vast networks linking Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Aegean, Central Asia, and beyond. Palaces and city-states rose or fell based on their ability to secure, protect, and tax these trade routes.
In a next-gen Age of Empires set in this era, trade should be a strategic lifeline rather than a bonus, cutting enemy trade should cripple their bronze production, while controlling sea lanes, river ports, and caravan cities should be as decisive as winning a major battle.
Tin & Bronze supply
Bronze units/upgrades need reliable access to copper + tin (or trade). If the map denies tin, you feel it, like you’re supposed to.
Palace vs. Port vs. War-Camp economies
Not every civ “booms” the same way:
- Egypt = irrigation + monuments
- Minoans = ports + sea lanes
- Hittites = vassals + treaty economy
- Assyrians = conquest logistics
- Mycenaean Greeks = citadel-driven production
- Babylonians = city-core taxation + ration/edict economy
Chariots done right
Chariots are terrifying on open ground, awkward in rough terrain, and countered by disciplined spear formations. Terrain + scouting matter more than “spam the best unit.”
Upheaval pressure in Age IV
Trade disruption becomes a strategic lever: raids, blockades, and border wars can choke enemy bronze tech—without a forced “global event.”
4+1 flagship campaigns
1) The Trojan War (Mycenaeans vs Troy/Wilusa) 
Beachheads, raids for supplies, building siege lines, holding a strait city that refuses to fall.
Troy is campaign-specific (and a minor civ in skirmish maps).
2) Kadesh & the Great Kings (Egypt vs Hittites)
Chariot warfare at scale, fort towns in Canaan, diplomacy/vassals, and “win without total annihilation” objectives.
3) Roads of Ashur (Assyrian rise)
Relentless expansion campaign: secure river crossings, build roads/outposts, take fortified towns, keep momentum.
4) Lords of the Aegean (Minoans → Aegean power struggles)
Island control, trade dominance, piracy suppression, and the strategic shift from sea power to fortified mainland rivals.
5) Pyramids of the Nile
Unify Egypt and construct wonders.
Expansion idea: SEA PEOPLES
Make them a full civ with a unique identity: migration/raiding confederation that thrives when trade breaks.
- Mechanics: portable camps, ship-based raiding economy, Mongol-style resettlement town centers, rewards for disrupting trade routes.
- Campaign: end-of-era chaos across the Eastern Med, ports burning, alliances shifting, survival wars.
Minor civ allies on maps like in AoE3-style
These show up as neutral settlements you can annex or ally with for unique units/techs, great variety without bloating the ladder roster:
- Troy / Wilusa (campaign civ + ally option)
- Ugarit (trade techs / port buffs)
- Alashiya (Cyprus) (copper/bronze access boosts)
- Mitanni / Hurrian states (chariot tactics)
- Elam (mountain warfare + elite infantry)
- Kerma/Nubian kingdoms (archery + gold)
DLC plan (moving the ports + China/India)
- DLC: Canaanite / Phoenician Mariners (trade league, colonies, contracts, best “merchant-navy” design)
- DLC: Indus Civilization (urban planning + standardized craft economy)
- DLC: Shang China (bronze foundries, walled capitals, chariot aristocracy)
- DLC: Akkadians/Sumerians
DLC: Sumerians — “Temple Cities + Canal Power + Early Urban Warfare”
Core identity: dense city cores, strong economy scaffolding, defensive stubbornness.
Economy model: Canals + temple redistribution (urban planning > raw expansion).
Unit roster
Infantry
- Lagash Shieldwall (heavy early line; strong in formation, weak while chasing)
- Temple Wardens (elite spear + shield; buffs near temples/ziggurats)
- Canal Militia (cheap pop-efficient infantry; fast to raise during raids)
Ranged
- Slinger Files (cheap ranged screen; strong vs archers)
- Reed-Bow Archers (mid-tier archers; best behind shields/walls)
Carts / Early “Chariot-era” role
- War Cart Crew (early shock platform; great on flat ground, bad in rough terrain)
- Courier Cart (support; speeds trade/canal logistics and carries small supplies)
Siege
- Mudbrick Ram Team (fast gate pressure; vulnerable)
- Wall Underminers (slow, steady breach specialists)
Navy (river focus)
- Canal Skiff (cheap river control + scouting)
- Cargo Barge Escort (protects trade barges; light combat)
Support
- Scribes of the Archive (research + boosts villagers efficiency; enables “edicts” style upgrades)
Signature mechanics
- City-Temple Economy: temples/ziggurats act as economic engines (storage, rations, work quotas) rather than just tech buildings.
- Canal Grid: canals don’t just boost farms — they connect districts for production/transfer bonuses (break the grid and the city slows down).
- Cylinder Seal Intelligence: periodic “seal audits” reveal nearby enemy trade/units briefly (light intel, not map-hacks).
