Should civilisations from the time frame of 1-500 AD be part of Chonicles or normal AoE2DE?
Chronicles
AoE2
New Spin Off
Generally not interested in this time frame
0voters
Potential Candidates
Three Kingdoms civs for China
Xianbei (Proto Mongols)
Yamato (Japan)
Sassanides and/or Parthians (Persians)
Gupta Empire (India)
Sarmatians
West Germanic Tribes (Not Goths)
Civs that already exist
Romans
Goths
Celts
Huns
I don’t expect them to be moved to Chronicles but I just want to point out that AoE2 is already tipping it’s toes into late antiquity.
Also the reason why my potential civ list has little European civs in it.
Arguments for Chonicles
No gunpowder
Naval rework
No Late Medieval units (Knights, Crossbows or Trebuchets)
I think the Sasanian Empire lived enough to be considered medieval as well. I think it’s fine. Same for the goths and celts (although I can concede that current goths, and especially celts, do not feel very medieval).
To be honest, one could also argue that many late Antiquity civs are more similar to medieval civs than Ancient ones.
Goths and Celts are really strange in AoE2 but we can probably all agree that no civ should be taken away from AoE2.
Goths in particular rely pretty heavy on gunpowder units (Hand cannons are their only fully upgradable unit) for a late antiquity civ.
The “but they are also Spanish” argument doesn’t make any since the Spanish where added 25 years ago and even before that their gameplay just doesn’t feel Spanish at all.
Goths need a rework that doesn’t require them to have gunpoweder units.
Tricky question. Imo fall of the WRE is the line of the division even though huns and romans exist in aoe2 de.
Goths had kingdoms in spain and north africa past that point. But on the other side why this date should be the line for other continents, where civilizations had nothing to do with romans at all? That being said i don’t see these civs (sarmatians, three kingdoms civs, yamato and others) in aoe2de - imo they should belong in the chronicles
It has to be Chronicles since AoE 2 starts at the end of the 4th century (394 with Alaric and now 383 with VaV) onwards, remember Yamato in AoE 1 which starts in the 3rd century and lasts until the middle of the 8th century fits well since it is late Iron Age and also the Imperial Age of Chronicles has the Roman laurel so it alludes to the Roman Empire…
Of course, the Sassanids reach the 6th century, so if they are medieval, and yes, you are not going to compare the civs of the late Iron Age/early Middle Ages with the classical ones of the Bronze Age…
Of course, the reason the Goths had gunpowder is because they lasted in Crimea until the 15th century (1444) where they were conquered by the Tartars and were vassals of the Ottomans aka they received arquebuses and gunpowder units…
Of course, the Spanish cover the period of the Reconquista in AoE 2…before that they are Goths…
Tbh, I would extend Chronicles timelines a bit further tbh. As in covering Roman-Sassanid war and early Islamic expansion. Aka until end of Umayyads. Because Roman-Sassanids have cool drips. Early Islamic military was very very different belongs more to Chronicle era than the medieval theme civs we got.
Just simply give Gastrephetes but keep the tech tree same. Possibly a unique Chronicle themed siege units acts close to bombard canon. AKA AOE1 Catapult
This might be confusing because they look like Crossbows.
I generally don’t like that they act exactly like Hand Cannons (because they are literally just a reskin).
It looks like the new Asian civs will get the Traction Trebuchet that acts like a Bombard Cannon.
The Rome at War mod actually had a catapult instead of trebuchet that didn’t need to pack/unpack but moved slower.
The basic game mechanics in chronicles are the same. Aside from water and special techs, the division is mostly visual and historical period. You can even activate them in skirmish against medieval civs.
They could potentially re-used Huns and Goths as enemies in a Roman chronicles campaign without adding new civs.
It is not like AoE1 that has a drastically different and incompatible tech tree.
Escaping the prospect of making actual new civs from the timeframe of game. (So we keep waiting forever for Tropics and other remaining areas to get covered)
It kind of feel like they are going to be remaking AoE1 again through chronicles, with better gameplay and unit variety and more improved and deep design for civs.
The thing is that the medieval ages is a European timeframe. Scholars usually makes it begin in 476 or around 500. Note that late antiquity is sometimes linked to it (after 300), so the proposed period could be easily divided.
At the same time, medieval China is considered beginning with the three kingdoms in 220.
One could argue that medieval Japan starts in 1185.
So that the answer would be: split the proposed period. Before 3rd century: Chronicles. After: normal.
There are only 3 civs yet, we don’t know their future plans.
The names of the ages aren’t really meaningful (what the hell are castle and imperial age supposed to be?), especially when many civs don’t exist in every “age” already (huns not even feudal age).
