We’ve all asked for culturally accurate unit art sets for Age of Empires II, but what about the recently released Return of Rome DLC? It’s a bit silly commanding Greco-Roman-looking units when you’re playing the Shang or Egyptians, isn’t it?
I am proposing four unit art sets:
- North African for Egyptians and Carthaginians. Characterized by mahogany skin (as you can see in the ancient Egyptian wall painting and the faint traces of paint on the Carthaginian mask referenced at the bottom) and black hair often worn in braids. Most units’ attire would be referenced from the Egyptian culture, but some of the higher-ranking melee infantry units such as the Broad Swordsman and the Phalangite could be referenced from Carthaginians instead. (I know Carthage developed from a Phoenician trading post, but I figured that they would have incorporated some North African locals into their population, and Carthage is the only North African civilization we have other than Egypt anyway.)
- West Asian (or Middle Eastern) for Babylonians, Assyrians, Sumerians, Phoenicians, Persians, Hittites, and Palmyrans. These would have bronze skin and black hair, with men often sporting full beards. Unit designs would be modeled after Mesopotamians, Hittites, and Persians.
- East Asian for Shang, Choson, Yamato, and Lac Viet. These would have light brown skin and black hair, with men often wearing little top knots. Unit design would be modeled after early Chinese soldiers (think the terracotta army).
- European, or the default skin tone, for Romans, Greeks, Macedonians, and Minoans. Most units would remain unchanged from the default, but the chariots could be referenced from Mycenaeans for example.
All these unit sets would be independent of the architecture sets already in the game. For example, the Carthaginians would combine the North African unit look with the Romanesque architecture they already have.
