[Mod] Historical Units and Architecture

Thank you for the reply.
I think I will go with the first option, in case I ever need to go back to the original AoE, it will be easier. Also if you update, I won’t have to copy paste files every time.

By the way, have you ever tried restoring a MP game using the mod? Were there any issues or tricks to perform, if so?

Lastly, the italians have a regular monk skin, so I’m not sure why it got bugged in the game. Maybe any unit that has a special skin gets bugged in all civs in a match regardless whether the specific civ uses the standard skin or not?
Actually, no civ had a special monk because the other 3 AIs were all European civs with the Christian monk.

I don’t have any idea about restoring the game for MP games. Do let me know if you discover some tricks. It might help guide other users.

I have replaced the default monks(christian and meso) with new units as well so as to keep AI behavior same for all civs and thus keep it uniform throughout.

The Tsar Konstantin could be used as Cavalier/Paladin replacement for far eastern civilizations, like the Chinese. War chariots where common use among many Chinese dynasties, maybe they where used on other far eastern cultures, I don’t know.

Unfortunately non of the eastern asian civs get paladin. Tsar constantin has a ranged attack of throwing a jevelin. I shall do some experiment to see if it can be adjusted to look like a melee attack. Thanks for the idea!

you are welcome! They can fit nicely as cavalier too!

They feel quite strange because of the small collision radius of cavalier which makes them way too much packed in a group.

BTW we also have some unused merchant graphics which can be used for kings. Let me know if you have some suggestions regarding them…

When you say Merchant, it’s literally the merchan from the editor?

If so, I dunno, there are a few things you can do with it and the Queen.

First of, a reskin for the King, it could be specific for a civilization (like Spanish or britons have the queen to represent Isabel or Elisabeth, “Germanic” or “latin” civilizations get the Merchant as the king, such as Italians and teutons…)

Second, if you can do this, they may be used as “random” kings textures, each civ got a different king skin…

Thirdly, the merchant can be used as a monk for “protestant” civilizations, but I think they will lack proper animations…

How about Ox cart and wagons? they can be used as reskin for merchant carts for some civs…

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As long as I know, Chinese and other East Asian not used the chariots after the Common Era beginning. Chinese army almost not used the war chariots after Han dynasty (2 B.C.E) because they had learned that the chariots were hard to fight the nomad barbarian horsemen outside of the Great Wall. Before this, they had used the chariots in the long civil war.

When Korea and Japan started to learn the technologies and culture from Chinese people, cavalry had been substituted for the chariots in the Chinese army for a long time, and their land didn’t have many good war horses, so both of they still kept infantry battle mainly.

After Korean army learned the Chinese firearms, they started to copy as well as improve them and use them to fight Jurchens and pirates. One way is putting Shinkichon on the wagon and reinforce the shell of the wagon, it had been helpful in the battle against the nomad and now become the UU.

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The tsar maybe used as genitous replacements for far eastern civilizations. UomostRook9474, I know that War Chariots where used, at best, on early medieval China, and then just sparingly, mostly in cerimonial parades. But it’s a game where you recruit Francisca thrower warriors, from the frank immigration periods at the same time you can recruit knights and cavaliers from the late medieval period of the Kindom of France…

That just make it not “historical”.
The problem between Axe Thrower and Kight is belongs to Franks, not to Asian. You can create another topic for discussing but please don’t use it to be a reason for ignoring Asian culture.

I knew that the game has so many unreasonable designs but chariots are definitely bad idea here.

What I meant is that war chariots and medieval China maybe anachronistic. But axe throwers along with kinights is too.

Likewise, the topic purpose is to help the modder to find usage to some units, not discuss history. I didn’t started.

Anyway, War Chariots where used on the Battle of Mobei, at 119 CE. Early medieval China, true, but medieval nonetheless.

As the franks axe throwers.

And if the modder don’t like it, he is not forced by anyone to use it. Likewise, your game will not stop working if you just don’t use the mod. Just chill.

Back to the tsar chariot use. It oculd be used as genitours replacement, but it has an problem, the chariot is bigger than the genitour, so you will likely find the same problem you already reported.

I can increase the collision radius but it will affect the balance a lot.
Also 2 riders on the same unit makes it odd to have 1 population. Same problem with gidajan elephant archer.
I have a feeling that I should create a separate mod where I should alter the balance for all civs for the new units.

It would be perfect if he could replace some kind of elephant unit, but I don’t know which.

I use your mod, and I have the impression that some units have some other changes besides aesthetics (like the italian champion, I had the impressions it has more reach, but it could be just an false impression)

One more unit model to be used: Joan of Arc
Ideas?

I’ve just fixed the downloading problem of this mod, and I really like it! I definitely will use it in my gameplay.
I’m looking forward you continuing to improve it, too, and it’s great that you’re open to suggestions :slight_smile:

Some wishes I have are:

  • I’d LOVE that villagers were also culturally skinned, at least in 5 possible categories: European, Sub-saharan African, Native American, Middle Eastern and East Asia. Maybe Indian and Stepparian, too.
    Since villagers are the most used unit during the gameplay, I think this re-skin would make the experience even much better!

  • It would be pretty that farms were also culturally-shaped, with wheat for Europeans, rice for E.Asians (already existent texture) and corn for N. Americans, for example. An “inconvenient” for this is, however, the possible unrealistic mismatch between type of crop and terrain (e.g. we could plant rice over desert…)

  • Probably you are working on it in this moment: I’m waiting anxiously the designs for the previous units of those you’ve already shaped, like Hunnic Cavalliers (original Cavallier design seems more armoured than Hunnic Paladin, and it creates a sort of paradox), or Viking Two-Handed Swordsman, that has a long sword while Champion has an axe.

  • Although I like all of your champion designs, it worries me that in some cases they aren’t reconognizable as champions, and it can do some trouble during the gameplay (especially when champions are enemies). I don’t know if the solution can be moddifying the designs a bit, giving a least realistic but more “uniform” designs; or completing the designs of all the unit line, creating a recognozible style for each civ or family of civs.

  • The idea of re-shaping the civs using culturally realistic criteria could be extended to sounds, also. Some in-game languages of the original game are mistaken or imperfect, like in Byzantines (their language was Koine greek, not Latin), or in Goths (Gothic language is known at some extent, or at least reconstructed, so its a pitty that in-game voices were a copypasted Teutonic voices). There are other cases too.
    I don’t know if it modding this feature is in your plans, or if you have (or have not) contact with people experienced in languages or locution. Btw, If you are interested I can help!

Thank you for your job! :slight_smile:

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Hello! Just a question: Can I download this mod and play it without installing the Custom AI that is provided with it? Thank you.

I used scenario editor graphics for the new models. Making villager models is the hardest since they have the largest number of animations. I may be able to do some simple reskins like darkening the skin tones for africans in future but implementing them with proper AI functionality is another challenge because AI treats any new unit introduced as a military unit.

Sure it will be great to get a greek voice set. Aoe2 community might find it very useful.

Yes the mod can be played without the custom AI installed. It is optional.

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Juggernaut, push the designers to make the horse knight unit in your DP as an editor Unit. It could be added to the game as a Ghulam unit.

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I did a request for this unit in this thread:

I hope it caught the attention of devs, if not, then it will be great if some other people also supported and kept the thread active for a bit longer.
Anyways my profile picture is kind of a reminder to them.