You seemed to have deleted your message while I was replying, but to answer your question they had different roles, and at least between Shangdi and Yudi, vastly different time periods of prominence.
As I understand it, Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) is a bringer of Chinese civilization. Unlike Shangdi or Yudi (Jade Emperor), Huangdi was not a celestial ruler but an important figure in Chinese myth and history. Shangdi being the supreme deity during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) and ruler of heaven, but he later evolved into the concept of Tian (heaven) with the influence of Confucianism, becoming more abstract and representing a more cosmic force or moral authority rather than a personal god. Yudi (Jade Emperor) emerged much later with Daoist influence, likely during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). He was the supreme deity who ruled and administered over heaven and earth and incorporated some aspects of Shangdi’s earlier role.
I thought it would be a good idea to replace Horus with Khonshu, and make Horus a major god, or alternatively make Osiris the 4th major god, Horus takes his place, Khonshu takes Horus place
I think both could work, siren or harpy. Their depictions are very similar although sirens sometimes associated to mermaids luring sailors. I wanted to put siren because according to Greek mythology they were handmaidens of Persephone. After Hades abducted Persephone, Demeter turned them into bird like creatures to search through the land to find her daughter. So it really fit this god pack. However harpy could also work since they have some relation to underworld.
My wish for Forth Major Gods of base pantheons:
Greeks Major God, Demeter: Eco and Counter units. UU: Skýthis, Amazonian Cavalry Archer (Counters Infantry)
Classic Age: Ares/Pan. Pan should have a technology for Peltasts, like Ares Sword of Deimos. And a Cav tech.
Heroic Age: Dionysus/Persephone. Persephone could be Myth+eco focus.
Mythic Age: Artemis/Hestia. Hestia could be infantry+eco. Maybe Infantry discount, and a great Myth unit.
Specific God paths synergies
Full Cavalry: (Either)-Dionysus-Artemis. Hoplite+Peltast: Pan-(Either)-Hestia. Eco+Inf+Myth: Ares-Persephone-Hestia.
Egyptian Major God, Khnum: Monuments give speed bonus and can be “timeshifted”
Classic Age: Anubis/Geb. Geb should have some Axeman and Defense focus.
Heroic Age: Sobek(Hathor)/Nut. Something that supports barrack-play, either a complimentory MU or Eco.
Mythic Age: Horus/Neith. Neith should have a focus on myth units and Migdols.
Specific God paths synergies
Crocospam: Anubis-Sobek-Neith. Axemen: Geb-Nut-Horus. Spearmen: Anubis-Nut-Horus. Defense: Geb-Sobek-Neith.
Atlantean Major God, Pontus: Melee unit bonus and a Food Gathering tech (for both Citizen and Fishing ships)
Classic Age: Oceanus/Boreas. Boreas can give earlier Contarius and a bonus to them.
Heroic Age: Hyperion/Nyx. I thinks some access to lifesteal would be a fitting myth tech or godpower for Nyx.
Mythic Age: Atlas/Khaos. Khaos could be Myths+Cav focus.
Specific God paths synergies
Cavalry: Boreas-(Either)-Khaos. Fanatics: Oceanus-Nyx-Atlas.
Deliberatly no access to Theia as the Cavalry Focus should be on Quality, not Discount.
I really don’t want any current minor God changed or becomming a new major God, including Hathor.
I agree with this, Atlantis should have some form of water/ocean deity be a major god for it.
I do kinda like the idea of Arkantos being a 4 Atlantean major god, given the campaign lore, but I know i’m in the minority on that, so this is my more realistic preference
They could make Pontus look suspisciously familiar looking like Arkantos (barring the absolutely neceseary crab claws from his forehead). Releasing him with some content like a mythical battle, while implying some ancestral link within.
A tie in with Arkantos with the release would be perfect though.
Man… I thought Poseidon and Oceanus is already enough for sea gods for Greece / Atlantean roots… But it seems there much more of sea gods than I know like this Pontus god
I think it would be cool if Pontus not just benefit fishing, but also give military units water splash damage per 25 seconds
Also connecting to atlantean campaign post Titan Expansions… He can be fit to be Titan God that warn Kastor and the other atlanteans about attack from other nations(factions that hate Kastor because of what atlanteans did to them) (if the devs want so)
A splash attack for melee units would be a cool and fitting bonus, but I really wouldn’t like to have it on a cooldown. Instead something like: “every 4th consecutive attack (resetting after 4sec of no attacks or something)” to insenivise commiting to engagements.
Cool! Imagine the frustration enemies feel when they deal with myth unit- attack like damage in Classical Age lol (if they successfully land 4 consecutive attack, they are able to land bonus hack splash damage which feel like myth-unit damage)
Anyway… You mention Boreas… As far as I know he is the god of north wind( winter) which mean he is god that control ice… I feel his power could be similiar to Skadi’s or Aegir’s one from Norse civil
My idea of having them need to attack consecutively was to make them counterable. If every “splash” would be effectively double damage, their attack would be effectively +25%, but that’s only in the utterly ideal situation. In reality most would die before landing the 4th attack if your enemy deploys counter units. The splash may go off at inoppertune times and in general the bonus damage isn’t frontloaded or evenly applied, it is postponed and so you don’t enough of an early lead. It could often barely feel like a +12% in even fights.
Boreas was an idea of Wind & Cavalry (“Ride like the wind!” and all that) but his god power could definetly have an ice motif, I’m just a little careful of suggesting ideas for godpowers because you are bound to cook up something bonkers or absolutely impossible to balance.
I forget that not every clash is favorable each time you play… Some civil is equipped better in self defencing their bases in Classical Age (so the splash damage can’t guarantee you early lead!)
Anyway great idea with Boreas and all of your ideas you mention! Keep the good job!
Stupid question but why can’t Gods be a Major and a Minor God at the same time?
Different Major Gods can already worship the same Minor Gods so why not make some existing Minor Gods a Major God while keeping them as a Minor God.
For example Hera could be a new major god with Zeus as one of her Minor Gods.
Also why can’t two civilisations have some of the same Gods?
For example Poseidon as a 4th Major God for Atlanteans.
Poseidon could be an especially interesting Major God where you have the choice between a Greek and Atlantean Minor God on every Age Up.
And for future civilisations like the Romans it would make sense to give them Gods from already existing civilisations like the Greeks or Egyptians as well as the hopefully upcoming Celts.
Letting the Romans choose between a Roman and foreign God on each Age up would be pretty interesting and would make a lot of sense.
Isis and Apollo would be good options for that.
In my personal opinion the main thing is that we should simply get more different gods, more mythology more to read, explore and catch interest. Wanting to see more different Gods repressented and see their interpetation can tickle the curiousity. As an example: latest expansion was personally very exiting for me with the Chinese, as I’m not very familiar with Chinese mythology.
Practically speaking it will also prevent newer god packs from being a harder sell. “(Groans) It’s just Hera as a Major God. I’m NOT buying that” is an attitude that is a bad risk of having.
Last and least, but not unsignificant: It makes it easier to talk about the game, no need to be confused (This is why I included the part with Hathor, there are many who would like to keep things as they were). Minor point, but don’t underestimate this part.
On your idea of the Romans though was an interesting idea with the Age up system. I would just personally make it so you could choose between one or two “native” Minor Gods and one “foreign” Minor God, randomized based on your allies pantheon in team games and enemy in 1v1s (preferally a minor god they can’t access). If you are familiar with the mod Mythic Roulette: Divinity Reshuffled then you get the point.
I just mean that it shouldn’t be something completely impossible.
Especially Poseidon for Atlanteans is something I really want to see in the game because it could fix a lot of the logical issues of the campaign.
I don’t think that is a good idea. That would be strange, especially when the gods are from the enemy.
Also it would make little sense for them to worship Chinese or American gods since they didn’t do so historically.
Honestly, I think it would be weirder if you had Poseidon for Atlanteans in relation to the campaign. As it is kinda the point that the (new) Atlanteans feel abandonded by the Olympian gods in the campaign. Old Atlantis is repressented by the Greek and the New Atlanteans (post “Fall of the Trident”) are repressented by the Atlanteans worshipping the older Gods: Titans.
It’s true that the Romans never incorporated/worshipped any American/Chinese gods and my proprosed revision of your idea would only historically make sense with Greeks, Egyptians, Norse, Atlanteans and maybe Celts. But the way they twisted themself into a knot (in my opinion) like telling themselves that the Brits worshipped Mercury, Egyptians worshipping Jupiter and what not.
I would let it slide if you aged up with Xuannü and just think Romans just said “Oh, thats just Minerva” because I think the Romans totally would do that.
Isn’t completely strange that the Atlanteans complete develop a new culture with new units, buildings and completely different technology in less then a generation while living in a desolate wasteland after being abandoned by the gods?
That makes no sense.
They can’t just change from 100% Greek to 100% Atlantean in 10 years.
Adding Atlanteans with Poseidon would allow to make this transition smoother. Then they already have the Atlantean architecture and most of the Atlantean units and technologies.
I think making the god options depend on the players in the match is a strange, hard to balance and potentially broken idea.
I agree, but I don’t think adding Poseidon as a Major god would help with that.
I rather roll with what currently is, than thinking about it like a historian and possibly forcing an interquel between Fall of the Trident and the New Atlantis that’s more likely to make thing make less sense rather than explaining it.
A major balance problem indeed, especially since they would have to balance it acording to current AND potential future Pantheons, you’re right on that.
