From Fixed Civilizations to Civilization Creation: A Possible Future Direction for Age of Empires
The Age of Empires series has always been built around one core concept:
Civilizations.
For many years, players have mainly experienced the game through official historical civilizations.
Each civilization has:
- A historical background
- A unique identity
- Different technology choices
- A distinct gameplay style
This system is one of the most important parts of AoE.
However, I think the future of civilization design should not only be:
“Adding more civilizations.”
A bigger possibility is:
Making civilizations themselves into something players can create, explore, and compete with.
The future civilization system does not need to replace classic civilizations.
Instead, it can expand around them.
I think there are three possible directions:
- Classic Civilizations
- Civ Editor / Sandbox Civilizations
- Random Civilization Generation System
These three systems can exist together and create a complete civilization ecosystem.
1. Classic Civilizations: Keeping the Identity of AoE
Official civilizations should always remain.
Players should still be able to experience civilizations like:
- Franks with strong cavalry
- Britons with powerful archers
- Mongols with mobility
- Byzantines with defense
The value of these civilizations is not only balance.
The most important thing is:
Identity.
Players are not choosing only bonuses and technologies.
They are choosing:
- Culture
- Historical background
- Different way to play the game
Therefore, fixed civilizations should continue to represent the traditional AoE experience.
2. Civ Editor: Expanding Possibilities Within the AoE Framework
The first step toward more civilization variety could be an official Civ Editor.
However, I do not think it should be a completely unlimited creation tool.
Unlimited freedom can easily create meaningless combinations.
Instead, it should allow players to modify civilizations inside the existing AoE framework.
For example:
- Civilization bonuses
- Technology availability
- Unit access
- Unique Units
- Unique Technologies
The purpose is not to replace official civilizations.
It is to allow:
- Historical variations
- Alternate designs
- Campaign civilizations
- Community balance experiments
A civilization is not interesting because everything is possible,
it is interesting because different systems combine into a meaningful identity.
3. Sandbox Civilizations: Player Creativity
Based on Civ Editor, players could create their own civilizations.
Examples:
- Alternate history civilizations
- Fictional civilizations
- Different historical timelines
This mode does not need to focus on competitive balance.
Its purpose is:
Creativity.
Players can ask:
“What if this civilization developed differently?”
“What if this faction created another military tradition?”
Sandbox mode becomes a place where players explore possibilities.
4. Random Civilization Generation: Discovering Civilizations Players Would Not Create
Sandbox creation has one limitation:
Players usually create what they already imagine.
A Random Civilization system creates a different experience,
it allows players to discover civilizations they would never manually design.
However, it should not be pure randomness.
Randomly combining technologies can easily create meaningless civilizations.
For example:
- Religious technologies without a religious identity
- Cavalry technologies without economic support
- Defensive technologies without a complete defensive system
Therefore, civilization generation should be based on:
- Culture Templates
- Technology Preferences
- Bonus Pools
The goal is not random power.
The goal is:
Creating civilizations with unexpected but logical identities.
Technology Preference: Making Random Civilizations Meaningful
Technologies should not simply be:
Available or unavailable.
They should have different generation priorities.
This does not mean:
“Strong technology gets higher priority.”
It means:
“How suitable is this technology under the current rules?”
The value of a technology changes depending on:
- Map type
- Game speed
- Victory condition
- Host rules
For example:
In a rush-focused game:
- Champion
- Halberdier
may not deserve the same priority as early military options.
Meanwhile:
- Crop Rotation
- Two-Man Saw
- Guilds
become much more important in late-game games.
Instead of removing them, they can become:
Late Economy Technology Package
This keeps the generation system from wasting too many choices on technologies that do not fit the current game.
Different Rules Create Different Civilization Development
The same technology can have different value under different rules.
For example:
If friends want to play:
A Monk Conversion Competition
then:
- Religion technologies
- Economy technologies
- Long-term development
should become more important.
At this point, technologies like:
- Fervor
- Redemption
- Block Printing
should not necessarily appear as one package.
They can become individual choices because players are choosing different religious development paths.
The system should understand:
Not:
“Which technology is strongest?”
But:
“Which technology creates the intended gameplay experience?”
Host Rules: Players Define the Civilization Environment
Because every game mode values different things, civilization generation should not have one permanent rule.
The Host should define the framework.
For example:
Candidate Technologies
On pure land maps:
- Remove naval technologies
In 1v1 rush games:
- Reduce the importance of trade bonuses
Universal Technologies
A Full Tech Tree mode could give all civilizations the same technology access.
Then differences come from:
- Civilization bonuses
- Unique Units
- Unique Technologies
- Team Bonuses
This creates another interesting question:
Are civilizations defined by restrictions?
Or by their actual design identity?
Technology Preferences
The system can provide recommendations:
- Naval maps → more naval options
- Rush games → more early military options
- Late-game games → more economic and complete military options
But the final decision should always belong to the Host.
Civilization Bonus Pool: Creating Civilization Traits
Civilization generation should not only consider technologies.
Civilization bonuses should follow the same principle.
Their importance also changes depending on:
- Map type
- Game speed
- Victory condition
- Host rules
For example:
Economy
- Farm bonuses
- Villager efficiency
- Trade bonuses
Military
- Infantry bonuses
- Cavalry bonuses
- Production bonuses
Defense
- Building durability
- Wall bonuses
- Tower bonuses
The generation tool can provide recommendations based on the selected ruleset.
For example:
- Naval maps may increase the priority of naval-related bonuses.
- Rush-focused games may prioritize early military bonuses.
- Late-game settings may increase the value of economic bonuses.
However:
The tool only provides suggestions,
The Host decides which options are included.
Hosts can define:
- Number of bonuses
- Rarity
- Forbidden combinations
- Strength limits
Therefore, civilizations are not created through pure randomness.
They are generated within a framework defined by the players.
Culture Templates: Keeping Logical Identity
Complete randomness may create meaningless civilizations.
Culture Templates provide a foundation.
Examples:
Steppe Template
Focus:
- Horse Archers
- Cavalry
- Mobility
Possible restrictions:
- Strong mounted units
- Limited infantry options
East Asian Template
Focus:
- Technology
- Defense
- Gunpowder
Mesoamerican Template
Focus:
- Infantry
- Eagle Warriors
Possible restrictions:
- No cavalry
- No gunpowder
Templates do not create civilizations directly.
They create possible development paths.
Official Tools: Provide Framework, Not Answers
The most important part of civilization generation is not the algorithm.
It is the rules.
Different communities will have different ideas about balance.
Therefore, official tools should provide:
- Templates
- Recommendations
- Balance checks
- Generation options
Examples:
- Land Map Ruleset
- Naval Ruleset
- Rush Ruleset
- Late Game Ruleset
- Monk Ruleset
Players can use official templates or modify them.
Rules can also be saved and shared.
SSR Civilizations: Rare and Memorable Results
One of the most exciting possibilities is discovering rare civilization combinations.
However, SSR should not simply mean “strong.”
It should represent a rare combination of:
- Bonuses
- Unique Units
- Technologies
- Synergies
Through:
- Civilization Seeds
- Replays
players can share memorable civilizations.
From Entertainment to Competition
Random civilizations can also create a new competitive format.
Competitive play does not require fixed civilizations.
It requires:
Fixed generation rules.
The development could be:
Early Stage
Players experiment freely.
Middle Stage
The community discovers interesting and balanced rules.
Later Stage
Players develop:
- Standard bonus pools
- Standard templates
- Standard civilization seeds
The competition becomes:
Not:
“Who picked the better civilization?”
But:
“Who plays the generated civilization better?”
Similar to card games:
The result is random, but the rules are fixed.
Conclusion
The future of AoE civilization systems does not have to be only:
“More civilizations.”
It can become:
A system where civilizations themselves can be created, explored, balanced, and shared.
Classic civilizations preserve history.
Sandbox civilizations provide creativity.
Random civilizations create discovery.
Competitive seeds create a new form of competition.
The goal is not replacing the civilizations that made AoE special,
the goal is expanding what a civilization can become.
And this idea may not only apply to AoE2,
it could become a future civilization system for the entire Age of Empires series.