Pretty simple. I’m going to take each civilization’s assigned architecture and rate it out of 10 for how much it fits the civ historically. Some consideration will be given for sets that encompass multiple regional styles, so even if a set isn’t fitting for a civ in all ages, if it’s fitting in at least one age, it will get points.
Enough said. Let’s go!
Armenians: The Mediterranean architecture doesn’t fit them at all. It’s very Romanesque and Italian, while Armenian architecture was distinctive and unique, with a lot of angled domes and pointed roofs. They should ideally share a set with the Georgians, but since the Feudal Age architecture isn’t that unfitting, I’ll give them a 1/10. The later ages are totally absurd though.
Aztecs: This architecture fits them very well in all ages. The only issue is that buildings were traditionally covered in adobe and weren’t pure stone like depicted in-game. Nonetheless, I’ll give it a 10/10.
Bengalis: Bengali architecture from the time period was always made out of brick, with a distinctive reddish color seen in the Castle and Wonder. Since those buildings were specifically made for the Bengalis, they won’t count, and the other buildings simply do not capture the vibe of Bengali buildings. Even the Feudal Age buildings, which are quite orangish, are still too light for the color. 0/10
Berbers: This architecture is quite fitting for the Andalusian settlers descended from the Berbers, who built using a distinctive Moorish style that the set is partly based on. However, North African Berbers built buildings out of mud, like the African set currently in the game. If there were ever an Andalusians civ, the Berbers would have to lose this architecture and gain the African set, because Al-Andalus is the only reason this set fits. 5/10
Bohemians: The set somewhat resembles the Czech Gothic buildings present in the area during the Middle Ages. However, the Central European set is a better fit overall for the buildings present in cities like Prague, as while the roof color is fairly on-point, the wall color is too dark, and in early and late ages, the style is far too Slavic. Hopefully this one gets changed eventually. 3/10
Britons: The set is very quintessentially English, with the wattle-and-daub style present in the Feudal and Castle Ages fitting very well. However, I couldn’t find any kind of English buildings that resembled the Imperial Age buildings, as they seem to be largely French. 9/10
Bulgarians: The architecture of Bulgaria only tangentially resembles the Eastern European set, and only in the Castle Age. Both the Feudal and Imperial Age sets seem to be quite off. It would be better if they received a new Byzantine set. 4/10
Burgundians: Burgundy proper has clear wattle-and-daub architecture, and Belgium has several cathedrals and town halls in the Flanders area that closely resemble the Imperial Age architecture. I’d say this is a good fit. 10/10
Burmese: The Southeast Asian style seems to be reasonably good in the Feudal Age, but in the Castle Age and beyond, the style is clearly much more Cambodian. Even the Feudal Age architecture has its problems, but the buildings are at least made of the same materials and have somewhat similar roofs. 3/10
Byzantines: The Mediterranean set is too pasty-white for the Byzantines, which had more of a tan or brown color for their walls. The tiles on the roofs look basically correct, but Byzantine architecture has a big focus on domes, and the Mediterranean set, especially the Monastery, is improper in that regard. Ironically, the Middle Eastern set, which they had initially, would’ve been a much better fit. The current set is fine at a glance, but really doesn’t fit when you look into it. 3/10
Celts: The Western European set seems to fit the Celts pretty well when it comes to Castles and Monasteries. However, when it comes to other buildings, it falls short. Scottish and Irish buildings, even the houses, are mostly made of stone, and while the Feudal Age set properly has thatched roofs, the buildings are wattle-and-daub, which, as far as I can tell, was not used in Scotland or Ireland. 4/10
Chinese: The Imperial Age architecture is really the only one that fits. However, even that has clearly Japanese-style walls; only the roofs are really correct. The rest of the architecture is largely Japanese, with much less ornate, more utilitarian buildings, with houses on stilts and with paper walls instead of stone. 4/10
Cumans: The Cumans were a nomadic civilization and didn’t build any buildings, so any existing architecture set is not going to be a good fit for them. 0/10
Dravidians: Dravidian architecture seems to only really resemble the actual set in the Imperial Age, where the buildings get the most ornate. I couldn’t find any Tamil architecture that actually resembles the Feudal and Castle Age architecture. 4/10
Ethiopians: The only age that has any architecture even slightly resembling Aksumite architecture is the Imperial Age. Even then, the changes are only slight, so it mostly resembles Malian architecture instead of Ethiopian architecture. If the buildings changed style more noticeably, the score would be higher. 3/10
Franks: As far as I can tell, the Western European architecture set fits the Franks very well. There are some clear examples of wattle-and-daub architecture in France, and the Imperial Age buildings are very clearly French-inspired. This is a perfect fit. 10/10
Georgians: Oh boy, this is a rather personal one. The only similarities that the Mediterranean set has with Georgian architecture is pasty-white walls and reddish tile roofs, and even then, I could only find one example of that. The rest of the Georgian buildings are totally different, with a very unique style that no currently existing set resembles. The Feudal Age set is somewhat fitting, especially with the dark-colored stone buildings resembling mountain village architecture, but even then, it’s only a vague resemblance. Like the Armenians, they should receive a new architecture set. 1/10
Goths: This one is a total misfit. Unlike the Cumans, both the Visigoths and Ostrogoths built buildings, but they resembled the Italian buildings of the day because they settled in Italy. If the Mediterranean set wasn’t already so bloated, I’d suggest moving the Goths to there, because that’s actually a good fit. 1/10
Gurjaras: As far as I can tell, the main Indian style that the set was based on was Gurjara-Pratihara architecture, which has the same kind of style as the Feudal Age buildings, down to the color. However, the rest of the set is so vague that it’s hard to properly judge any of the civs’ appropriateness. I’ll just give it a 6/10 and move on.
Hindustanis: This is a big one. The Hindustanis, as a representation of the Muslims in India, need to have an architecture set that matches. Indo-Islamic architecture is very cool, but aside from the Wonder and Gol Gumbaz, there isn’t anything that resembles that. The Central Asian style is close, but it’s too bright and has domes the wrong color. The Middle Eastern set is the right color, but doesn’t have enough arches or domes. The issue with the current set is that it’s simply too Hindu. Giving the Hindustanis one of the other two sets would be better, but none of the currently existing sets match its unique style. 1/10
Huns: The Huns were nomadic, so any currently existing set does not fit, just like the Cumans. However, I will say that giving them the Mediterranean set to represent assimilated buildings would work if there weren’t so many civs using that set already. 0/10
Incas: The only real resemblance that the Mesoamerican set has with Inca architecture is the Feudal Age set, which has similar stonework. That might even be entirely unintentional, since the Incas were already ruled out for The Conquerors due to them not having architecture that resembles the Meso set. I originally didn’t have a problem with it, but looking at the set now, I have to agree with the original devs. It’s just hard to really immerse myself in the civilization without buildings that resemble it. Perhaps another American expansion can add a South American set shared among the civs from that region. I’ll give this points for the stonework in the Feudal Age being similar, but that’s it. 2/10
Italians: The Mediterranean set was originally unique to the Italians and redesigned in DE. Every age still clearly matches Italian architecture, with the big emphasis on arches and vaulted roofs. This set is a good fit in every way. 10/10
Japanese: The set is clearly based on medieval Japanese architecture, with the limited decoration, paper walls, and raised buildings being clear features of that style. Even the Imperial Age architecture, with Chinese elements, is mainly Japanese in style, so this is another perfect fit. 10/10
Khmer: The set is clearly tailor-made for the Khmer, with every age resembling Cambodian temple architecture to a T except for the Feudal Age. The Feudal architecture is based on Thai vernacular architecture, and unfortunately, the Siamese are not in the game. However, I found examples of Khmer houses that resemble the Feudal Age, so it still fits. It’s a little odd to have all buildings from the Castle Age onward be based on temple architecture, but sets often have to generalize when faced with few surviving examples in order to set each age apart, so this is an acceptable departure. The set is a perfect fit. 10/10
Koreans: Korean architecture, from what I can tell, is much more reminiscent of Chinese architecture than Japanese architecture. Because of this, the Imperial Age buildings are actually quite close, especially since they seem to have similar walls to Japanese buildings. However, most Korean buildings are ornate like Chinese buildings, not humble and utilitarian like Japanese buildings. I’ll give this a 5/10 because it’s about halfway correct and halfway incorrect.
Lithuanians: The Feudal and Castle Age buildings fit very well, as wooden buildings and brick buildings were both built in Lithuania. However, the Imperial Age buildings don’t seem to resemble anything in Lithuania. Overall, this is a good fit. 8/10
Magyars: There are a few examples of buildings that resemble the Eastern European set, but overall, the architecture of Hungary seems to be mostly German. In the mod days of Forgotten Empires, the Magyars did in fact have the Central European set, and that was a good fit. There are examples of Hungarian buildings that resemble either set, so I’ll give this a 5/10, exactly in the middle. I could see this civ getting moved, but it’s not necessary.
Malay: Indonesian architecture seems to somewhat resemble this set, not as much as the Khmer, but still close enough. The Feudal Age architecture is a little off, as it doesn’t resemble Indonesian vernacular architecture nearly as much, but it’s still fine. 8/10
Malians: Other than the Imperial Age, this set clearly fits the Malians. While the stonework of the Town Center in the Feudal Age resembles Central African buildings, the other buildings in that age resemble Malian buildings enough that it doesn’t detract too much. 9/10
Mayans: I’d say that the Mesoamerican architecture actually fits the Mayans quite well, as Mayan architecture wasn’t that drastically different from Aztec architecture. 10/10
Mongols: Despite the fact that the Mongols were nomadic, when they settled down, their capital city’s buildings actually resembled the East Asian set quite well. For that reason, I’d give them a 6/10. It’s not the worst choice for sure.
Persians: The Middle Eastern set was the best choice when the Persians were first added, but now that the Central Asian set exists, which is clearly based on Persian architecture, that set is the ONLY good fit for the Persians. As it stands, the current set is very bland and doesn’t fit them well. 2/10
Poles: I can find many good examples of Brick Gothic buildings in Poland, and there seems to be some evidence that wooden architecture was present. There are some examples of half-timber architecture as well, like in Germany, but that seems to be a lot less common. While certain elements of the Eastern European set are clearly Russian, overall, it’s a good fit. 8/10
Portuguese: Just looking on Google Images, I couldn’t find too many Portuguese buildings that resembled the Mediterranean set, but the ones I did find were quite similar. Portugal also has a heritage of Romanesque buildings, which the Mediterranean set is clearly inspired by. Not perfect, but there’s also nothing else that fits. 7/10
Romans: Roman houses very closely resemble the Mediterranean set in the Castle Age, especially with the roof tiles, walls, and columns and arches. The Feudal Age architecture also resembles Roman buildings pretty well, but not that closely. However, the Watch Tower and Guard Tower are both clearly based on reconstructions of classic Roman observation towers. While the Imperial Age is still too Renaissance, the remaining Castle Age buildings are quite close, so this is an accurate set. 8/10
Saracens: The Saracens, who mainly represent the Arabs of the Levant, Egypt, and Iraq, have the Middle Eastern architecture set, which is predominantly based on styles existing in those regions. Thus, this set is quite literally tailor-made for them, and is therefore a perfect match. 10/10
Sicilians: The architecture of Sicily during the Middle Ages was a unique blend of Arab and Norman styles, fittingly enough called Arab-Norman architecture. While the Norman aspects are quite apparent in the Mediterranean style, the Arab elements are not present at all. Sicilian buildings in real life were quite similar to Spanish buildings after the integration of Islamic elements, and that just isn’t present in the set at all. Overall, it’s only a vague fit, but not a strong one. 6/10
Slavs: The Slavs are actually based on Kievan Rus, and the architecture they have is very appropriate for that. Vernacular Russian architecture of the time consisted of interlocked logs like in the Feudal Age, and other buildings were made of brick like in the Castle Age. Most churches were white with black, silver, or gold roofs, which is very similar to the Imperial Age architecture. Every single age is fitting for this civ in terms of architecture, so it’s a perfect score. 10/10
Spanish: Similar to the Sicilians, medieval Spain was largely a mix of Mediterranean and Arab styles, and this is not accurately captured in the Mediterranean set. While the pure Spanish buildings resemble the existing set quite well, most notable buildings in Spain at the time were a fusion, so this is not fully representative of the style. 7/10
Tatars: The Central Asian style they have is clearly based on Timurid architecture seen in certain cities like Samarkand and Bukhara. It’s a perfect representation of the style they used, and nothing else could possibly fit better. 10/10
Teutons: The Central European style, with its half-timber walls and orangish roof tiles, is very distinctly German, with many examples being found online of buildings that look like that. While the Monastery is clearly Georgian for some reason, that’s not enough to take a point off, and everything else is completely spot-on. 10/10
Turks: While Ottoman styles from 1453 onward leaned increasingly Byzantine, Seljuk and early Ottoman buildings were quite distinctly Muslim, so the Middle Eastern set being given to them is not as egregious as it seems. While the style is still far too Arab, it’s at least Muslim. 5/10
Vietnamese: While prior to DE, they erroneously and offensively had the completely incorrect Southeast Asian architecture, they received the East Asian set in DE. This is much more accurate, although still not completely so, because the set is mainly Japanese, and traditional Vietnamese architecture is essentially an exaggerated form of Chinese architecture. Still, though, in the Imperial Age, the roofs are not completely wrong, and the Castle is also decent. It could be better, but it’s the best out of the ones available. 4/10
Vikings: The Central European set may seem like an odd choice, but it’s actually pretty accurate in the Feudal Age. The gray, wooden buildings with vertical support beams are quite similar to Scandinavian architecture during the time. It’s not perfect, and the later ages are completely wrong, but it’s enough to keep immersion in the early stages at least. 6/10
Well, what did you think? Is there anything I missed? Would you rank any civs differently? Let me know.
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