My ideas for new Civilizations

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

Here’s my ideas for new Civilizations, units and technologies.

New Civilizations:

Europe/Old World:

  • Scandinavians (the successor to Vikings)
  • Swiss

Africa (new Southern African architecture set):

  • Benin
  • Kongolese
  • Shana
  • Swahili

Asia (new secondary South East Asian architecture set):

  • Tagalogs
  • Visayans
  • Javanese

Mesoamerica:

  • Zapotecs
  • Tlaxcaltecs

New Common/Regional Units:

  • Blow Dart Infantry (requires Alchemy, see below) → Elite Blow Dart Infantry (Imperial Age/Regional Unit)
    Blow Dart Infantry and their Elite counterpart fire short range darts that have poison damage, requires Alchemy in Imperial Age to unlock access to, available to some Civilizations which lack any access to gunpowder units or Bombard Towers).

  • Hunter Scout → Hunter Warrior (Feudal Age/Regional Unit)
    Available for the Benin, Kongolese, Shana, Swahili, Visayans and Zapotecs who traditionally lacked access to horses. They replace Scout Cavalry and have similar stats to Eagle Scouts. They have the ability to hunt animals for food. The inability to gain access to them in Dark Age, but still be available on skirmish games makes them decent, but not powerful.

  • Bowman line - Bowman → Reflex Bowman → Reflex Archer → Elite Reflex Archer (Feudal Age/Regional Unit/Replaces Archer Line)
    Available for Swahili, Visayans, Zapotecs, in addition to the existing Civilizations of the Aztecs, Maya, Inca, Mapuche, Muisca, and Tupi. A cheaper version of the Archer line for Civilizations who did not have Crossbow (and therefore Arbalest). Less HP, slightly better rate of fire.

For Mesoamericans, the Militia line should remain as is, but the unit sprites/look should reflect more on those warriors who wielded obsidian swords and wooden shields.

New Technologies:

  • Irrigation → Terrace Farming → Crop Rotation (Mill/Settlement)
    Replaces the Horse Collar and Heavy Plow, same effect, just different name. Available for Shona, Swahili, Visayans, Zapotec, Aztec, Tlaxcaltecs, Maya, Inca, Mapuche, Musica and Tupi. Essentially the Civilizations that lacked any access or exposure to horses in the Feudal Age

  • Alchemy (University)
    Replaces Chemistry for Civilizations without access to gunpowder units, needed for Blow Dart Infantry, same effect as Chemistry

Civilizations who have gunpowder units in the Castle Age should get Chemistry in Castle Age as a perquisite to unlock such units. Bohemians should only have access to Hand Cannoneer in Castle Age.

  • Reformation (Monastery)
    Needs Redemption as a prerequisite. Allows Monks to convert enemy Monasteries, even if there are relics inside.

The Vikings, having not historically had gunpowder, should have Cannon Galleons removed and replaced with Catapult Galleons (or Dromons).

Scandinavians

  • Unique Tech: Crucible Steel (Castle Age) and Danelagen (Imperial Age)

  • Crucible Steel
    Militia line +1 attack

  • Danelagen
    Villagers generate 10 gold if killed by enemy units

  • Unique Unit: Hird (Infantry)

Swiss

  • Unique Tech: Zwischgold (Castle Age) and Frame Saw (Imperial Age)

  • Zwischgold
    Blacksmith technologies no longer require gold, cheaper if there are less Blacksmith Technologies to upgrade

  • Frame Saw
    Villagers gather wood 15% faster

  • Unique Unit: Reisläufer (Infantry)

Benin

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry

  • Can get Stables in Castle Age for Knights, Cavaliers and Battle Elephant

  • Can get Cavalry Archers

  • Lacks Cavalry Armor upgrades

  • Has Cannon Galleon and Bombard Towers

  • Unique Tech: Benin Bronzes (Castle Age) and Capital Tolls(Imperial Age)

  • Benin Bronzes
    Trade Carts move 10% faster (in addition to Caravan, so 30% total)

  • Capital Tolls
    New Houses give 10 gold, Castles 50

  • Unique Unit: Ekaiwe (Infantry)

Kongolese

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry

  • Lacks Cavalry units

  • Has Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon and Cannon Galleon

  • Unique Tech: Textile Engineering (Castle Age) and Advanced Metallurgy (Imperial Age)

  • Textile Engineering
    Villagers have +10 HP and + 1 pierce armour

  • Advanced Metallurgy
    Infantry, Cavalry (converted) and Hulk-line +3 attack

  • Unique Unit: Ngao Mbeba (Infantry)

Shona

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry

  • Lacks Cavalry units

  • Lacks Gunpowder units

  • Catapult Galleon replaces Cannon Galleons

  • Unique Tech: Dry Stone Construction (Castle Age) and Mhondoro (Imperial Age)

  • Dry Stone Construction
    +10% HP for Castles, Walls and Towers +2 melee and pierce armor

  • Mhondoro
    Barracks units get regenerative HP

  • Unique Unit: N’anga (Warrior Monks, similar to Armenian Warrior Priest, but with an Elite version)

Swahili

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry

  • Can get Stables in Castle Age for Knights and Camel Riders

  • Lacks Cavalry Armor upgrades

  • Lacks Gunpowder units

  • Catapult Galleon replaces Cannon Galleons

  • Unique Tech: Bloomery Iron (Castle Age) and Poison Arrow (Imperial Age)

  • Bloomery Iron
    Archery Range, Barracks, Stable and Castle Units get +1 attack

  • Poison Arrow
    Bowman line and Maasi Archers deal poison damage

  • Unique Unit: Maasi Warrior (Infantry) and Maasi Archers (Archer)

Tagalogs

  • Has Bombard Cannon, Cannon Galleon (and Elite) and Bombard Tower

  • Unique Tech: Maharlika (Castle Age) and Lantaka (Imperial Age)

  • Maharlika
    Infantry and Archers provide 2 gold for each equivalent enemy unit killed

  • Lantaka
    Prerequisite for Merchant Warship

  • Unique Unit: Datu (Infantry)

  • Unique Ship: Marchant Warship (upgrade of Trade Cog, fires small - mid range cannon fire)

Visayans

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry

  • Lacks Cavalry units

  • Lacks Cavalry Armor upgrades

  • Has Hand Cannoneer and Cannon Galleons

  • Has access to Alchemy and Chemistry (effectively +2 attack)

  • Has access to Blow Dart Infantry

  • Unique Tech: Crab Claw Sails (Castle Age) and Poison Plants (Imperial Age)

  • Crab Claw Sails
    Karakoas gain 10% speed increase

  • Poison Plants
    Militia line and Pintado Warriors deal poison damage

  • Unique Unit: Pintado Warrior (Infantry)

  • Unique Ship: Karakoa (fires arrows and can transport upto 10 Archers and/or Infantry)

Javanese

  • Has Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannons and Bombard Towers

  • Catapult Galleon replaces Cannon Galleon

  • Unique Tech: Djong (Castle Age) and Cetbang Artillery (Imperial Age)

  • Djong
    Double Transport Ship capacity

  • Cetbang Artillery
    Hand Cannoneer + 2 attack, Bombard Cannon + 10 attack

  • Unique Unit: Kshatriya (Cavalry)

Zapotecs

  • Mesoamerican militia line

  • Hunter Scout replaces Scout Cavalry and Eagle Scout

  • Lacks Cavalry

  • Lacks Cavalry Armor upgrades

  • Lacks Gunpowder units

  • Catapult Galleon replaces Cannon Galleons

  • Can get Slingers

  • Unique Tech: Human Sacrifice (Castle Age) and Canal Irrigation (Imperial Age)

  • Human Sacrifice
    Monks can instantly kill low HP (-5) Archery, Infantry and Cavalry units, instead of converting

  • Canal Irrigation
    Farms provide an additional +100 food

  • Unique Unit: Lightning Warrior (Infantry)

Tlaxcaltecs

  • Mesoamerican militia line

  • Has access to Archers and Crossbowmen

  • Can get Stables in Castle Age for Xolotl Warrior and Knights

  • Lacks Cavalry Armor upgrades but can get Husbandry

  • Has Hand Cannoneer and Bombard Tower

  • Unique Tech: Tepoztopilli (Castle Age) and Hildago (Imperial Age)

  • Tepoztopilli
    Spearman and Skirmisher line +2 attack

  • Hildago
    Cavalry Units return gold when killed by enemy units (not converted)

  • Unique Unit: Cuachicqueh (Infantry)

2

Wont having a scout that can hunt be op as you can take out the enemy food supply?

What does this mean?cavalier available in castle is already in game.

Its going to look visually odd having foot units come out of a stable.

3

You won’t get them until Feudal Age and even then they could be weaker in HP, they won’t be trainable at a Stable, they come from Barracks. Massing them could be a tactic to hunt down animals on the map making them unusable for the opponent, but then again most games tend to go to farming eventually anyways.

They can get Stables in Castle Age reflects to the Civilizations who had horse only after contact with outside sources. For example, Knights can be trained in Castle Age and Cavalier in Imperial for the Benin. The Benin did not breed horses in any significant number due to disease making them unable to survive in the region, but used horses for nobility. This applies to Civilizations who unlock Stables in the Castle Age. Therefore an appropriate Scout Unit will be available for them in Feudal Age.

4

You will still get one as the starting scout.

Ok so this is a eagle replacement unit then.how you wrote feels like its stable unit.

Why not just make it a castle uu for them and get rid of the stable completely?making buildings available one age past everybody else is not a great design and is confusing.

5

So give them lower HP and damage. They can only carry so much food. Also, if carrying food, it can make the unit slower when moving.

Why would it be confusing? It would be clearly stated in the stats (civ bonus) and shown on the tech tree. They will not have any advantages because of a lack of Cavalry specific technologies or armor, but still get access to these base units (and possibly upgrades of unit).

In addition, if you give some of these Civilizations Redemption, they can train such units from converted Stables.

6

Be honest with us, was this post manifested by an ai chatbot?

It’s way too well formatted has hallmarks like those arrow things no human can reasonably whip up fifty times back to back and so on and so forth

7

Is it that hard to work out the formatting in this forum? And I’ve been editing the OG post as I come up with ideas.

8

Doesn’t seem so, the chatbot would hallucinate missing units instead of leaving them blank:

9

That’s because I haven’t come up with ideas for them yet.

10

Respectfully, posting unfinished concepts in separate threads seems a bit low-effort to me (although still leagues better than posting chatbot hallucinations).

If you have unfinished ideas you wish to gather feedback for, you can post in an existing thread:

You can also do as I do, that is make a Google doc and allow web users to comment on it:

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