The Timurid Empire. I’m not sure where exactly you would place them, but they were a Turkic-Mongol empire with a unique blend of both cultures. In my opinion, they are a civilization that is long overdue for an addition to the game.
The Timurid Empire should not be added to the game as a variant civilization. It should be introduced as a completely independent civilization of its own.
Done. [20 characters]
Honestly, I’d love for them to add the Persians.
The problem, however, is that during the game’s timeframe (800–1600), there was a huge number of Persian dynasties in the Iran region:
Now, thanks to the new previews of the Vikings, we know they won’t just represent the pagan Viking Age but also the transition to the Christian era and Viking kingdoms—even the Kalmar period (1380–1520).
Given that, I’m starting to better understand how they’ll handle future “main” civilizations (as opposed to variants). I think the Persians could be introduced as “Iran,” “Iranian Intermezzo,” or under various other names, but I’d prefer to see how they handle the Vikings first before finalizing my concept.
That said, the Persians are definitely a civilization many people are clamoring for.
Speaking of the Vikings (off-topic), I’m pretty sure that if you choose Christianity as your religion, you’ll gain much bigger advantages. The game seems to have a special love for Christians. Just look at the Templars. It’s as if the Pope’s own son designed them…
The Persians are added. By the way, aren’t the Abbasids the AoE4 equivalent of the AoE2 Persians?
If they can be added as a civilization, they’d be one of my favorites!
The Timurid Empire was probably a second Mongol variant…
Yes, I think these will be new variants:
Seljuk Empire: A variant of the Ottomans without gunpowder
Khwarazmian Empire: The second Abbasid variant
Ilkhanate and Timuid Empire: The second and third Mongol variants
Safavid Empire: The third Abbasid variant based on the Persians from Age of Empires 3 (when they come out next year)…
Exact…
If I remember correctly, the Persians in AoE2 and the Delhi Sultanate in AoE4 are much more similar to each other. Delhi already speaks Persian, and they have elephants too. That’s pretty much it. 
Of course, the Abbasids in AoE 4 would be the Saracens in AoE 2, while Delhi Sultanate would be the Persians in AoE 2…
OK, that makes sense. But about the Persian civ concept – did the Persians and the Delhi Sultanate exist at the same time? If not, why does this Persian civ concept topic exist?
Actually, Delhi Sultanate is Hindustanis in AoE2. Yes, the units of the Delhi Sultanate speak Persian, but the civilization is based in Northern India just like the Hindustanis and not in modern-day Iran. A Persian civilization can become a thing in AoE4 with the Khwarazmian and Safavid dynasties as some of the dynasties available to the civ (which I have in my concept of the Persians) and if the Persians receive a variant, it can be in the form of Order of the Assassins. Seljuk Empire wouldn’t be a variant of the Ottomans because doing so would partly turn the Ottomans into basically what the Turks from AoE2 are, which is an umbrella representation of more than one Oghuz empire (though it’s not just the Seljuks and Ottomans that are represented within the umbrella Turks civ). Also, the Ottomans might not receive a variant because for one, not all civs need a variant and two, a variant for the Ottomans would be difficult to come up with. Now I do agree with the idea of the Ilkhanate and Timurid Empires becoming variants of the Mongols because they are viable ideas that would fit as variants of the Mongols.
Regarding how the Vikings are being presented—incorporating the Scandinavian Kalmar period—it now appears that every new major civilization is intended to represent the evolution of a region’s cultures over a long span of time, generally within the game’s timeframe (800–1600).
They did this with the Abbasids: while their roster reflects the early Abbasid period (800–1252), the official website states that the Imperial Age represents the Caliphate under Mamluk Sultanate rule (explaining the inclusion of Culverins and Handcannoneers).
For the English, their early bonuses stem from the Anglo-Saxon period: their Men-at-Arms (Age I) are Anglo-Saxon “Hearth Troops,” and their defensive villagers reflect Anglo-Saxon paranoia and protective measures against Viking raids. By Age II, the focus shifts to the Norman period (White Tower); Age III covers the Angevin era; and Age IV spans the Hundred Years’ War and the Tudor period.
The Mongol build reflects the era of Genghis Khan and the Yuan Dynasty (with Rus and Chinese vassals), yet their Landmarks span various periods. These include the era of dominance over China (Karakorum: 1220–1388) and the post-Yuan period—when they adopted Tibetan Buddhism and continued to clash with the Ming from Mongolia—exemplified by the White Stupa, which is based on the Erdene Zuu Monastery built in 1585.
I say this because I had my doubts about how to represent the Persians, but now that I know how at least the “Civ Main” are represented in the game, rather than Persians, “IRAN” could be represented as a civ. And yes, he thought it would be good for them to start between the stages of: Intermezzo Irani (II), Mongol Dominion (III), Safavid (IV), although the change between periods could also be optional, it seems that the Viking will be, similar to the dynasties of China. I’m waiting for more clues about the expansion before sharing further thoughts.
The Delhi Sultanate was founded by a Turk. Its rulers and military elite were predominantly Turks and people from the Central Asian-Iranian world. The vast majority of its population, however, consisted of the native peoples of India. Persian was also one of the most important languages of administration, diplomacy, and high culture, particularly in the eastern part of the Islamic world. It had a status somewhat comparable to the international prestige English has today. If you look at depictions of the Tughlaq dynasty, you can even see the iconic Turkic mustache.
Similarly, the Timurid Empire and the Golden Horde were states ruled by Mongol-origin dynasties that became heavily Turkicized over time. You can look at the term “Kipchak Archer.” The Kipchaks were a Turkic people, and Kipchak Turkic eventually became a very important language throughout the Golden Horde’s territories.
For this reason, I don’t think it makes sense for the Timurid Empire to be introduced as a variant civilization. It should not be added to the game as either a Mongol or Ottoman variant. It should be a fully independent civilization of its own. In AoE2, the Tatars essentially represent the Timurids.
Well, the concept of Variant has changed. Variants are no longer just the original four civs sharing 99% of the tech tree with other civs, plus a few unique units (like Joan of Arc, Zhu Xi’s Legacy, or Order of the Dragon).
Starting with the Knights Templar and Lancaster, variants can now be something distinct while still sharing one or two elements with the base civ (such as language, a wonder, or architecture).
That said, after working on a Timurid concept (Timurid Civilization Concept), I can say that making the Timurids as a variant wouldn’t be very possible at the moment.
For start, the Timurids:
The sticking point is the architecture: there is currently no Persian architecture in the game. The only ones who could feature Persian architecture are, curiously enough… the Persians… or rather, “Iran” as a new civ.
Shared Units or traits - variants. Now, the Jin Dynasty also broke the tradition where only variants shared units with their parent civ. They possess the Traction Trebuchet—alongside the Mongols—because the Mongols stole the blueprints and engineers for this unit from the Jin; yet, the Jin Dynasty is a variant of China, not of the Mongols.
For that very reason, I think that in the future, the Timurids could be a variant of Iran (since they controlled Iran for a century) or of the Mongols—given their origins in the Chagatai Khanate and the remnants of the Ilkhanate.
Of course, they would need to feature “Persian architecture” with Timurid elements (blue), and their language could be either Persian or Chagatai.
Exactly, everyone is right…
First should be african civ then Malian,Ottoman,Rus variant then Spanish then Timurid.
a spanish and aztec civ dlc would be more interesting
Yes, for me it’s going to be a Silk Road variant DLC in May (Ghana/Songhai Empire, Seljuk Empire and Novgorod Republic) and at the end of the year, Spanish and Aztecs (ported from AoE 3)…
The African subcontinent is highly underrepresented in video games and media. The kingdom of Benin was roughly the same size and population as the launch civ England and has a full rich history of its own.
Population of Benin in 1500 was between 900,000 to 2.9 million people compared to England (2.5 to 3.5 million people) and Scotland (between 500,000-700,000). In size Benin was 90,000 square km squared, England 130,000 km squared, and Scotland a mere 78,000 km squared.
Not to mention the largest city in Benin was much larger compared to England and Scotland’s largest cities. In 1500 there were 100,000 people in Benin city, London 50,000- 60,000, Edinburg 12,000 to 15,000.
I am not saying we shouldn’t add Scotland. Heck, I am quite excited for this dlc. Just because Benin looks smaller on a traditional world map than it really was, does not mean it was not significant.
Of course we have larger empires like:
I would rather have Benin and Songhai over Ghana because medieval Nigeria has no representation anywhere and Ghana is going to play very similar to Malians anyway with toll outposts and such.
This should be the next dlc based on polls alone.
Yes lets do it and hopefully many more.
Yes, I meant it as a Mali variant…for Benin, Ghana, and the rest, I’d prefer they include the Hausa from Age of Empires 3 as new civ or at least Malian variant civ…
Emir: Royal Hausa hero with a fealty aura. Explores, fights, builds Palaces, Universities, and Trading Posts. Good against cavalry.
Sanga Cattle: Herd animal. Fattens over time. Fattens faster if tasked on a Livestock Pen, Farm, or Village.
Griot: Griot. Inspiring musician and storyteller who can increase the work rate of buildings and speed of nearby units. Uses instruments to intimidate enemies which slows their attack speed.
Fulani Archer: Foot Archer armed with a short bow for a fast attack. Good against Heavy Infantry and Ranged Cavalry. Can gather Livestock.
Maigadi: Powerful heavy ranged infantry with a deadly hand attack.
Raider: Mobile Hand Cavalry with decent siege damage. Good against light infantry and villagers.
Lifidi Knight: Heavy hand cavalry with a lot of hitpoints.
Xebec: A powerful, agile mercenary warship that fires faster at close range. Inflicts high damage.