While I get that this DLC is focussed on AoE1 content (which is getting a new civ after a gap of 25 years), I would really appreciate more content for AoE2 side of things.
Well, you know what this DLC is also focussed on Rome, so you know what we could get - a brand new Romans/Byzantines campaign.
With a civilization so rich in history as the Romans, we can have a 10-12 scenario campaign encompassing some or all of the following heroes with the playable civilization interchanging between Romans and Byzantines as need be:
Constantine the Great
Justinian the Great
Heraclius
Basil II (the Bulgar Slayer)
Alexios Komnenos
Palaiologan Dynasty
The sheer time frame and number of opponents being fought will give a variety in the opponent civilizations (not to mention you have a variety in playable civilization as well).
Now here comes an interesting mechanic. The Byzantines are a (monk,) defensive and naval civilization, which will be needed in some scenarios. With the Romans being an infantry and cavalry civilization, they can focus on the offense which will be useful in other scenarios. This will truly make the experience of the campaign very rich focussing on different playstyles.
I hope you people like this suggestion and the developers see this thread. It may not be practical to come up with a new campaign in 20 days, let alone a 12 scenario one, the devs can do what they did with the Forgotten in that they release the campaign some time later.
Having on average 2 scenarios each would feel underdevelopped, meaning most scenarios would be large-scale grand conquest (at least until the Paleologos emperors). Conquer conquer conquer, sometimes reconquer the same area you fought for the last scenario. Which would feel repetitive, a good campaign needs being cut with varied types.
They should have one full campaign each, 5-6 scenarios each. This would also leave more time for developping characters and a better focus on important individual battles.
The first three guys you quoted are good for an aoe2 Romans campaign while the last three for a byzantines one. I actually think aoe2 timeframe should start either with Diocletian or Constantine but I’m the minority in it lol.
While waiting for return of Rome, you could try an 8 scenario campaign I’ve made called “Constantinople - the end of the ancient world” that encompasses the first three of the emperors you named, it starts from Constantine, goes through Justinian and ends with Heraclius defeating the Sassanids, just before Muslims invasion, where proper byzantine history starts.
Sorry for this self promotion but judging by your post I thought you may be interested!
I think Constantine sounds like a good start for one reason : he christianised the Roman Empire, making christianity a major religion instead of a weird underground cult. Also founding some obscure city on the Bosphorus.
Indeed! Many people say that anything before Theodosius is too early for aoe2 but I mean there was nothing classical anymore in IV century Rome and aoe1 just doesn’t do a good job at portraying it while in aoe2 would be easier, already having Huns and Goths in game.
Probably aoe1 stops in the third century with Aurelian and palmyrians (aside from coming of the Huns…)
The Coming of the Huns was an outlier, like Lepanto in AOE2 (yes some campaigns are even later in the rest of the world, but Europe was getting ahead of everyone technologically so it ends earlier in Europe, even though there is a crossover with AOE3). They wanted a scenario to mark the end of Rome.
Around 300 is indeed where I put the line. Aurelian and Diocletian reformed the Empire making it more stable (I would argue TOO stable, Honorius ruling 30 years feeding his pet chickens could never have lived that long before and Valentinian III living as long while only being marginally less awful, making it backfire in the West…), then Constantine adopting christianity while the barbarian invasions intensify. The roman cavalry UU, the centurion, has a Chi-Rho painted on his shield, which is what Constantine ordered his soldiers to do before the Milvian Bridge.
The Christianization of the Roman Empire can be regarded as the prelude to the end of antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages - it was a very important reform.
That’s why the Roman civ icon should be Chi-Rho and not some weird chicken that leaked once.
In addition, since this DLC only offers Roman civs for AoE 2 (for logic, also replacing other civs with Roman civs in the relevant campaigns), the game update for the premiere of this DLC should bring completely new Architecture Sets for free:
Byzantine (Byzantines and Bulgarians)
Italian or Iberian (the Mediterranean Architecture Set splits into two)
For the Spanish, the western european style they had in The Conquerors was more accurate to the northern kingdoms, instead of the more famous andalusian style from regions taken later in the Reconquista.
