Firstly, Anubis’ Compendium file says he is depicted with the head of a jackal. Since 2015 we now known that those north African animals we’ve been calling “Jackals” for the last ~3000 years are actually just wolves with a jackal-like appearances due to convergent evolution, unrelated to jackals and 100% wolf.
Secondly, the Elk’s Compendium file claims it is the same species as the Red Deer. Since 2004 we now know that the American Elk and the European Red Deer are not only not the same species, but they’re not even closely related. The Elk/Wapiti is more closely related to Japanese Deer than to Red Deer.
Since the point of the Compendium files is to teach the players about the animals, histories, and myths featured in the games, such outdated information should be replaced with up-to-date information so as not to spread misinformation.
These bits of misinformation are egregious because inaccuracies in other Compendium entries were fixed in Retold, such as correctly identifying Elder Cyclopes as the sons of Oranos, not of Kronos.
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While I agree with the sentiment in principle, that it should be updated for greater clarity and the Compendium should obviously strive for truth, you are, respectfully, not totally correct:
Correct about the re-classification of the African Wolf as no longer a variant of the old Golden Jackel, but they are related to Jackals and can produce hybrid pups. Though yes, they are wolves and should be amended.
Correct too about the Elk, although minor correction in that the Elf IS closely related to the Red Deer.l, though not it’s closest relative so should be changed. Elk are closest to Sika Deer, part of the Eastern Clade of Cervidae, whose closest relatives are the Western Clade consisting of Red Deer and Hangul Deer.
But yes, I do agree overall. Facts are crucial
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Mountain Giants and Rock Giants are both “Bergrisi” and the Rock Giant upgrade even changes their name to that.
The Mountain Giant upgrade changes their name to Jotun while the Rock Giant ability is called Jotunmodr.
Frost Giants are of course also Jotun and so are multiple of the gods.
Yeah, but all wolves are able to hybridize with jackals, not just the African wolf.
I don’t think being different clades is considered “close” relation within a genus but I may be wrong.
The Compendium doesn’t even claim they’re closely related, it claims they are the same thing.
In fact, the Elk has been the game since the original release, meaning it was created under the assumption it WAS the Red Deer, as it was featured exclusively on Norse biome maps.
And in Retold Odin even summons Elk rather than a European animal.
A more accurate move would be to entirely replace Elk with Caribou on every Norse map other than Vinlandsaga, since that is the only Norse biome map meant to take place in America. They can stay on Tundra maps since those are meant to be Canada (the trees on the map are Black Larches, a Canadian tree).
They can easily fix the Elk Compendium by copying over the AOE3 description, which is “Elk are large deer with shaggy manes and pointed horns. The Shawnee word for them is “Wapiti.” They live in northern forests in large herds of up to 400 individuals, dominated by a matriarch. Stags iform harems in the fall mating season. Stags are preyed upon by mountain lions, wolves, and bears.”, but they are still left with the fact all their Norse European maps have Elk on them.
AoE3DE the Indians still have European cows as Holy Cows despite the correct cow model being in the game since they added the African DLC 4 years ago.
Yeah, but Odin summoning Elk was added in Retold, it’s not a leftover of the original game.
I just wanted to mention that this is a reaccruing issue.
To be fair, AOE3 DE never replaced older content with stuff from its DLCs, unlike AOE2 DE.