Japan Civilization Concept for AoEIV_ by GoldenArmorX

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
5

JAPANESE CIV. CONCEPT FOR AOE IV

BY GOLDENARMORX - EXTENDED VERSIÓN - PART3

6).- Unique Technologies

Japanese unique technologies v1.4
Japanese unique technologies v1.41168×978 94.1 KB

Japanese unique technologies v1.3
Japanese unique technologies v1.31168×978 105 KB

Legend:

  1. Bajutsu (II).- Cavalry moves 10% faster
  2. Omikuyio (II).- Increases the profits of the sanctuary by 20%.
  3. Kyojutsu (III).- Archers on foot attack 20% faster.
  4. Yabusame (III).- Bushis get the Yamabushi ability that improves their attack speed for 6 seconds.
  5. Naginatajutsu (III).- Sohei monks and horsemen attack 15% faster
  6. Ninjutsu (III).- Ninjas get the ability to hide in the middle of combat for 10 seconds.
  7. Kenjutsu (IV).- samurai and spearmen attack 15% faster
  8. Battojutsu (IV).- Increases the damage of the Iai attack of the katana samurai by +3.
  9. Sojutsu (IV).- Yari Samurai attack 15% faster.
  10. Jokamachi (IV).- You can build villagers in your keeps and shinobis
  11. Bulletproof armor (IV).- Daimyo and katana samurai get a 30% defence aggainst gunpower units.
  12. Iconography in lacquer (IV).- Recharge time between conversion of missionaries reduced by 33%
  13. Red Seal Ship (IV).- Merchant ships become Red Seal Ship, with 20% more speed and acquire a cannon range attack.

Optional:

  1. Shugendo (IV).- Increase the health of Monks by +50 HP, and Sohei by +20 HP.
  2. Satori/ Zen Ilumination (III).- Increase the sight of Monks by 100% and Soheis by 50%.
  3. Kaihōgyō (III).- Increase the move speed of Monks by 50% and Soheis by 10%.
  4. Zen Minimalism (III).- Houses, Urban Center, Monasteries and Castles cost 20% less wood.

Note: All of the optional techs are from the castle age Landmark “Golden Pavillion”. As you see, they improve your monks and soheis.

7).- CLANS

Japanese clans of the sengoku era Techs v1.2
Japanese clans of the sengoku era Techs v1.21920×1189 176 KB

1. Date: (Technology)

  • Bonus: Sendai Urban Development: Economic Buildings and Economic Technologies are 30% cheaper.
  • Frozen Food (III).- Infantry and Cavalry costs -20% of food.
  • Sendai Dou (IV).- Light Infantry and ranged infantry get +2/+2 armor.
  • Commercial: Keicho Embassy: Missionaries are 20% cheaper and get +50 HP.

History: The Date clan is known as one of the clans that brought economic and cultural development to the Sendai region of northern Honshu. Regarding his military achievements, he was a charismatic leader who did not hesitate to invest in equipping all of his army with heavy armor, in order to create a military force powerful enough to control the entire country, managing to seize all over Northern Honshu. Only the threat of Toyotomi Hideyoshi thwarted his expansionist plans, so he decided to be his ####### and subsequently rebel by later allying with Ieyasu. Date Masamune opened the doors to foreign technology and with it also to Christian evangelization in his domain. In the Edo period with foreign maritime carpentry techniques, he succeeded in creating the first Japanese Galleon, nicknamed the “Datenmaru” with which he undertook an embassy voyage to Europe. This embassy came to meet with the Pope, to whom Date himself wrote a letter encouraging him to continue evangelizing the rest of the country. Unfortunately, Ieyasu started a persecution of Christians that prevented Date from continuing with his plans to connect Japan to the rest of the world, especially Spain, and the country was closed for 250 years.

2. Takeda: (Cavalry)

  • Bonus: Takeda Clan Cavalry: 20% cheaper cavalry.
  • Commercial: Minting Gold: Gold mining generates 10% more profit.
  • Takeda Ryu (III): Archers on horseback +1 attack and +1 rangue.
  • Akazonae (IV): horsemen now have a intense red armor, they generate an aura that decreases the damage of enemy rangued units by 20% in a radius of 2 spaces.

History: The Takeda clan is a clan whose roots are from the Muromachi period. The clan had 3 main branches spread all over Honshu. During the Sengoku Wars, Takeda Shingei of one of the major clans, expanded all of the clan’s domains into eastern Honshu, coming to adjoin the Go-Hojo clan, the Oda clan, and the Uesugi clan, from which the latter spawned. a great rivalry, which almost leads to his death in a battle. His clan is renowned for continuing one of the schools of archery on horseback, the famous Takeda Ryu school, and when the idea of cavalry charges became popular in Japan, the clan did not hesitate to incorporate heavy cavalry Lancers into their military strategies. , creating the famous Akazonae unit, whose red costumes symbolized the clan’s dedication to fighting to the death and bravely. A famous clan subservient to this is the Sanada clan, of which the young Sanada Yukimura would rise to fame as one of the best warriors of the Sengoku era, falling in the siege of Osaka Castle while defending the last son of the Hideyoshi line.

3. Uesugi: (Bonos)

  • Katto Kanrei: You get the Bonus of each age of “Virtous Goverment” as if you were a independent clan.
  • ############# avatar (IIII):** Sanctuarys generates 50% more gold. Your Daimyo have the ############ Avatar" Ability, it generates gold equal as a Sanctuary.
  • Nagamaki swords (IV): Heavy cavalry exchange their odachi for a Nagamaki, which gives them +4 attack.
  • Kurumagakari: Infantry and monks acquire “Tactic Retreat” active Ability, units with less than 50% life obtain a 100% bonus speed for 15 seconds, but is canceled if they attack (Alternative tech).
  • Trade: Ramie Monopoly: Traders get a flow of 20% food of their incomes in each travel to the markets.

History: The Ueseugi clan was a clan descended from the Fujiwara clan. Originally his clan were servants of the Kanto Kanrei clan, a political checkpoint in the Kanto region. However, they rebelled and took control of the Kanto Kanrei, being recognized by the emperor. The clan took center stage in the sengoku wars, when one of its leaders, who had taken the robes of a Buddhist monk, Uesugi Kenshi, rose up to conquer all the surrounding territories. He was famous for using the ideology of the military luck god ############# to infuse his soldiers with fervor, as well as being a great statesman. He dominated the Aezonage trade, creating a monopoly where he earned the best part. It is said that he had his own group of ninjas. He was known for his rivalry with Takeda Shingen, with whom he fought countless times. Finally neither of them died at the hands of the other, both died of illness, Kenshin being the last to say goodbye. Due to having taken vows of chastity, he did not leave any descendants.

4. Go-Hojo: (Keeps and Ninjas)

  • Bonus: Network of Castles.- Defensive Buildings are 25% cheaper and are built 50% faster.
  • Sogamae (III): Increase the health of walls, towers, and gates by +40%.
  • Fuma Clan (IV): Increase Shinobi stats by 20% more HP, 10% more speed, and 20% more attack.
  • Commercial: Tokuseirei: Each time you age up or your Daimyo die, you get the gold you spent in economic upgrades until now. Technologies already charged one time do not return money.

History: The Go-Hojo clan, its true origin is not really known. They were a clan that borrowed the name of the Hojo clan from the Kamakura era, under the idea that they would revive the clan’s past glory and manifest it in the Sengoku era. Interestingly, like the Hojo, they were good defense builders, they built several castles and defensive fortifications, with which they always disputed territories with the Takeda, Oda, Ieyasu and Uesugi clan. They are known as good economic administrators, creating a prelude to what in Edo would be the Murake. They either implement the Tokuseirei, commonly a Imperial Family ###### that happens once an emperor or shogun die, which consist in ordering return of land sold and dissolution of all debts of all peasant, only that they apply it every time a Hojo Daimyo die. They were conquered by Hideyoshi whom they recognized as the leader of Japan. A clan subordinate to them is the Fuma clan, a clan of ninjas faithful to the Hojo who caused notable events including having caused the destruction of one of the Takeda clan’s military camps during the battle of ###### one of them Fuma Kotaro He would go down in history for his great achievements in espionage and assassinations.

5. Oda: (Spearmen and gunpowder infantry)

  • Ashigaru training (Bonus): Spearmen, Horsemen and ########### Arquebusiers are 20% cheaper and produced 30% faster (-23% prod. time). Spearmen and Horsemen upgrades are free.
  • Nagae Yari: Spearmen 100% range and 15% attack speed.
  • Triple fire: ########### Ashigaru gain +20% attack speed (2.13 → 1.73) (2*0.8+0.13)
  • First Church in Japan (Commercial): Misionaries are 40% cheaper.

History: The Oda clan claims descent from the Fujiwara clan. Even In the Sengoku Period, the Oda was a small clan, they did not have a contingent of samurai as powerful as other clans, however they gained strength by opening the doors to Westerners and acquiring technology that other clans did not have. Oda Nonunaga became famous when he defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto’s army, which outnumbered him 10 to 1, using a diversionary tactic and scorched earth, letting Imagawa destroy several of his castles, only to use a massive cavalry charge to destroy the smaller divisions of Imagawa and then kill Imagawa himself in his campment. From there, the Oda clan was absorbing the neighboring domains one by one. He stood out for using unconventional tactics, such as giving special training to Ashigarus spearmen and arquebusiers (mercenaries or villagers on levy, not nobles), arming his atakabune ships with steel (tekkebune, technology that the rest of the clans would copy), or innovating with the volley fire, having regiments of arquebusiers coordinated to make successive attacks. He was a promoter of Christianity, allowing the construction of the first chapel in Japan. Many Jesuit missionaries wrote about Oda, his tactics, and his public life. Oda had a certain detachment towards Buddhism: when the Ikko-Ikki, peasants allied with warrior monks, threatened the edges of his domain, Oda razed his lands, even burning the mountain where his main temple was located, with all the people who lived in it. This act of warlike cruelty against the Buddhists earned him the nickname “Demon-King”. Oda even managed to overthrow the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, declaring himself governor of Japan. However, he could not hold his position for long, his trusted general Mitsuhide betrayed him, burning the temple where he went to pray, and destroying his main castle, Azuchi castle. Oda would later be avenged by his ####### Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whom Oda raised from peasant levy to samurai, and that later he would manage to control all of Japan.

6. Tokugawa: (Samurais)

  • Bonus: Marriage alliances.- samurai with katana, yari, yumi or horo, cost 20% less gold.
  • Tombokiri.- Samura with Yari replaces is weapon with a Tombokiri, and get +4 of attack
  • Nanban Armor.- samurai with katana, and yumi get +2/+2 armor
  • Commercial: Dutch trade.- Imported bombards and culverin are 40% cheaper.

The original name of the Tokugawa clan was Mikawa. They were a separated branch of the Minamoto Clan. This clan was algo known to maintain itself through diplomatic alliances, mainly using marriage arrangements that allowed it stability with neighboring clans. One of the best examples is ###### ######### one of the Sanada brothers who was married to the daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, Ieyasu’s servant. Also the Daimyo Date Masamune, his second son married one of Ieyasu’s daughters. In fact, one of the reasons why many of the clans went over to his side in the battle of Sekigahara, was because he cultivated many relationships with them, in addition to the promises of land distribution after the battle.

It could be said that Ieyasu did the same as the Hansburg house in Europe, by expanding his influence with political marriages, only instead of generating a Carlos V with blood from all European dynasties, Ieyasu was “father-in-law” of almost half of the most powerful feudal lords.

Tokugawa clan was either interested in nanban trade, specially with the Dutch, with whom they would have a very special relationship. After the first Dutch ship ran aground in Japan, his clan turned the remains of metal artifacts from the ship into armor, known as Nanban armor, imitating the European style. Tokugawa commanded his most trusted men to wear these armors. He was also known for promoting his generals, of which Honda Tadakatsu would be the most popular, especially for the use of a giant spear-sword called Tombokiri, which would become one of the 3 legendary spears of Japan in the future… Another feature that Ieyasu added in the Sengoku era was the addition of “siege cannons” to Japanese warfare, which he obtained from foreign traders and, after Sekigahara, from the Dutch. Interestingly, his clan was also responsible for “banning the cannons”, as Ieyasu’s descendants, already in the Tokugawa shogunate, feared that people would rebel, creating more and more restrictive measures to the point of closing the country and even sentencing anyone who tried to escape from it to death.

7. Mori: (Ships)

  • Shipyards: (Main Bonus) Ships are produced 10% faster.
  • Murakami Piracy (III).- Destroying enemy building and ships gives you +50 gold.
  • ############ (IV)**.- Kobayas acquires an automatic attack of horokudamas (10x2 damage, range: 4) that set other ship.
  • ######### Ryoshu Rengo (Economics).-** All your military units are 5% cheaper, including ships.

The Mori clan was a small clan from the western region of Honshu. In the sengoku era, the clan decided to make a pact with all the neighboring clans to seize their domain. Under the concept of ####### Ryoshu Rengo, all the inhabitants of the neighboring lands had the same rights and principles, and under this premise the leader guaranteed better rights to all the people. ### #### ###### #### duties, and now everyone also had to fight if there was a war. The Mori were experts in managing marine warfare, which was fought by shooting arrows from ships or by boarding them with infantry. His navy engineered the use of horokudamas and fire arrows, which they used to more effectively destroy enemy ships. They also included the Satsuma clan in their marine, known to be Wukou pirates. They were at war with both Oda ######## and Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Although they resisted the Oda clan fiercely, they were eventually defeated and became Hideyoshi’s ######## He contributed greatly to the construction of ships for the invasion of Korea.

8. Motochika (Villagers):

  • Peasant Lands: (Bonus) Villagers get 1 gold every 5 seconds they harvest a farm.
  • Motochika’s 100 Thesis (III): Villagers are created 30% faster (20 sec → 14 sec).
  • Ichiryou Gusoku (IV).- Villagers change their knife for a katana with +5 attack, and get +2/+2 armor.
  • Cheap Army: (Economic) Spearman, Archer and Horsemen are 20% cheaper.

History: The Motochika clan was a minor clan in the ####### region, one of the four main Japan islands. However, during the Sengoku Jidai they managed to defeat the ruling Hosokawa clan, and take over the entire island. One of their clan leaders, Chosokabe Motochika is famous for using the mass levy strategy combining it with peasant rights: the peasants were allowed to own the land they harvest, obtaining greater personal gain for their crops, but in exchange they would have to fight for their Daimyo in wartime. This levy was not weak, because every farmer that fight was armed with armor and swords or spears, forming a corp called “Ichiryo Gusoku”. However the peace don’t last enough in sengoku times, because Hideyoshi Toyotomi invaded ######## There are reports that the army in ####### was not as technologically advanced as in the Honshu region when Hideyoshi attacked the island. The reason for Motochika’s success, in addition to his military expertise, was also due to the fact that his strategy strengthened the numbers, reaching the point of recruiting 40,000 warriors during the Hideyoshi invasion. Unfortunately, they could not against the 160,000 soldiers who attacked them from all fronts when they surrounded the island by sea. Finally Motochika agreed to be Hideyoshi’s ####### Motochika is also famous for creating “Motochika’s 100 theses”, a list of judicial laws to organize the territory and formalize the army, separating it from the peasantry, a measure made to please Hideyoshi, although due to deliberate judicial holes, in theory he continued to provide privileges to the peasantry, and some possibility of independence or self-defense.

9. Shimazu (Infantry):

  • Tsurinobuse: (Main Bonus) Infantry is 10% faster.
  • Jigenryu.(III)- Samurai with Katana get a Nodachi, with +3 of this base attack, and +3 charge attack.
  • Zazen jin (IV).- ########### arquebusiers and Yari samurai acquire Stealth active skill, last 20 sec.
  • Satsunan School: (Economic) Inspired by the laws of Neo-Confucianism, Infantry tier III and IV upgrades cost 50% less.

History: Being a separate branch of the Minamoto clan, the Shimazu clan is known to be one of the most battle-hardened clans of the Sengoku period. Because their domains were on islands with limited resources, they had to develop a warrior culture to defend themselves against, if not invade, rival islands. Most of his tactics included subterfuge attacks, traps, and ruses to defeat the enemy with tactics rather than brute force. Due to their geographical proximity to China, one of their subordinate clans from ############ were the first to make contact with the Europeans. In the art of war, they invented the Tsurinobuse, a technique that consisted of surrounding the enemy with movements of camouflaged troops on both flanks. They also invented the Zazenjin, military units of spearmen and arquebusiers who waited for the expected moment to rebel and attack by surprise, even dying if they could guarantee victory or retreat. Within this region many great swordmans would be born, as Minamoto Musashi, as well as the fencing master Togo Shigekata, inventor of Jigenryu. This school has a unique Iatsu style transmitted only onto people from the clan. As the Togo was a subordinate clan of the Shimazu, they serve as a elite troop and even ###### himself would become a Shihan (master instructor) of the Shimazu clan.

10. Otomo:

  • Improved emplacements weapons: (Main Bonus) Emplacements of towers and Keeps are -50% cheaper and 100% faster to improve.
  • Kunikuzushi.- Gunpowder siegue units, Keeps and Towers increase their attack speed by 20% and attack by 10%.
  • Fist Nippon Hospital/ Tenshō embassy.- missionaries have a healing aura of 2 HP per second around them.
  • Open Nanban Trade (Economic): Nanban Trade Units, Traders and Trade Ships -20% Cheaper and are produced 20% faster.

The Otomo clan is known for being the clan that opened the doors to Christianity in Japan, and to the Portuguese artillery. Since daimyo Otomo Sorin converted to Christianity, the region had the most converts during the Sengoku era. It was also the first region to use muzzle-loading guns (culverins) for fortresses and military attacks. They even paid for aid to portuguese carraks to destroy many forts of their enemies. The Kunikuzushi, or “countries destroyer” is known as one of Otome Sorin’s favorite cannons. The cland also managed to sponsor a embassy to the Vatican, where the ambassadors managed to meet with the Pope, receiving his blessing. His clan was also responsible for opening the first hospital with European architecture in Japan, as well as testing foreign medicine techniques on his patients.

8) Final Thoughts

My concept is that the Japanese were a complex civilization on the level of China (Difficulty 3/3), only instead of choosing Landmark one must now choose the most auspicious moment to discard the normal bonuses to choose a Clan to join.

  • About dinasties = periods: Although at first I thought that the japanese could build 2 landmarks per era and obtain some units per dynasty, as the chinese, I discarded it in later developments. In fact, I had come up with some unique buildings to generate gold, and that is the way to obtain extra resources, considering that they cannot hunt deer or sheep. However, I think between balancing the clan bonuses, two landmarks, and extra unique units, it would be a civ difficulty ultrahard (4/3). On the other hand, the power of the landmarks would have to be weakened so that they are not so broken having 6 at a time, similar to the Chinese case. Lastly, already counting the normal Japanese units and the extra ones have 25 land units, the Chinese that have 4 extras have 21, with the extra ones on top that I was preparing would be 27, and I think that would generate something… or a lot of imbalance (Feudal: Sohei, Castle: Samurai with Nodachi, Imperial: O-zutsu Samurai.).

  • About Medieval Japan shogunates being different to Chinese dinasties.- The last reason is that I did not want the Japanese concept to be a direct copy of the Chinese, when their historical systems were too different. For the Chinese the dynasty system makes sense because for them there is the concept of “government from heaven”, where heaven judges the ruling dynasties. But for medieval Japan there was a political lie: supposedly the emperor always ruled, but in practice it was certain ruling clans who ruled the country. That is why the concept of Virtuous Government (Tokusei), which was the emperor’s approval of new royal governments, and that each era had to have an aesthetic or at least economic change of some kind, comes in handy.

  • About the number of clans: Initially I though of 12 clans, but I can’t decide which other two clans to include or if it would generate cross bonuses. I even had considered the Toyoromi clan, but it was better for him to be a representative of the 4th independent age. Other clans like the Hosokawa or Imawagami are known for their “Loses” in the Sengoku era against the Motochika and Oda clans, although as I say I am free to more suggestions. The Ikko-Ikki faction even has the problem that they dont have a Daimyo, and many of their bonus would be very similar to Oda or Motochika Clans unique techs.

  • About the Clan System: Considering Kameho3743 Concept, the bonus of each clan could be either an ability of their Daimyo, I’m open to new ideas.

  • About the Shinobi Scout Stealth Ability : The stealth ability compensates his low HP in the first age, and that is easy to kill with archers, and their cost compensates its functions in late ages against economic units, but instead of the war Scout of Mali that replaces horsemen, this unit act as a raider to kill villagers or traders and monks.

  • About other weapons: I was reading a lot about Japanese weapons, although they also used metal axes and maces, as I understand they were difficult to handle and were not “mass” popular, the short yari or polearms of various shapes They were the best way to destroy armor and the ones that did become popular in the Sengoku era, along with katanas and odachis.

9).-Acknowledgment and Bibliografy

5 Likes