While ancient Chinese civilization is quite appealing, this civ in game is way too complex and hard to play, especially for new players. While some people might enjoy it, many others who prefer a more straightforward macro so that they can spend more time on microing military units can find it much less enjoyable.
(Chinese indeed have a variant civ - Zhuxi’s legacy that have stronger military units, but this civ is also of high difficulty to macro and a little fictional (might not be preferred by history fans)
So if the devs are going to make any new Chinese variants, a separate Ming Dynasty with easier macro and strong military units in my opinion can be a good option, featured with Imperial Army, Silver Trade, and Gun powder (not many people actually spend long time with Ming Dynasty anyway, considering it is the last dynasty in the game and the really high cost to go there).
For this civ, the macro on Imperial Officers can be greatly simplified than current original civ and Zhuxi. The Imperial Officers only collect tax, and it is automatic, so people don’t have to micro them.
(Yep just let your biggest son (太子) or your prime minister (内阁首辅) regent the country (监国) for you. You are emperor on horseback! (马上天子) Leave trivial to the mortal!)
TC cannot train Imperial Officers, they can only be produced from Imperial Academy. After completion, the Imperial Academy instantly grant 1 Imperial Officer for free. Then the Imperial Academy will slowly produce 3 more Imperial Officers automatically through Imperial Examination without any further cost.
In feudal age they have unique heavy calvary units called Three Thousand Battalions (三千营, or maybe just Sanqian Calvery? also later as 神枢营), originally some defected Mongol calvaries and part of emperor’s imperial guards. They should have very fast movement speed (give them 1.88 like horseman?) high attack speed, but lower melee armor. They should also have buff aura (say movement speed, sight of seeing, or attack speed?) later cause they sometimes function as honor guards or messengers. (Yuan raiders seems like these guys, although specified at killing workers).
So in game they work firstly as early knights in feudal and for their buff (maybe acquired through some technology) in later game big fights.
Starting from feudal, each Village can save a charge and instantly summon Qi’s Army (戚家军 or 鸳鸯阵 maybe in actual) with cool down (like Ninja guy for Sengoku Daimyo), include 4 spearman and 2 shield guy with very low damage but high armor. People can fast castle protected by this Qi’s Army
(They are actually some militia protecting their village)
In Imperial age, by building Great Wall Gatehouse, Ming Dynasty unlock Guanning Calvary (关宁铁骑), expensive heavy calvary with high HP. They do not have a normal charge. When charging, they fire a triple shot with Sanyan Handcannon (三眼铳) at a longdistance. After this fire charge, their first hit is dealt with a hammer damage with bonus against heavy (well believe it or not, some website say after shot they use their handconnons as hammer, I have actually never heard about such thing before), then they do normal damage with Dao
In Age 3, there are some technologies to produce silver. Farmers grow tea, mulberry tree to make silk, and black smith make porcelain, so they gain passive silver income. The traders can also unlock technology to gain additional silver. In Age 4, player can produced battalion with imported arquebus and Frankish cannon with only silver (arquebusier like Jannisary, higher attack speed than normal Handconnoneers; Frankish cannon, maybe a battalion of Culverin and Ribauldequin?)
(Historically, Ming Dynasty do a lot of trade with Portugal and Spain, selling tea, silk, porcelain for silver. The later economy of the Empire is established on silver as currency. They also imported many guns and cannons from Portugal and Spain)
Minor details be like they have early Handconnoneers in Age 3, and have unique technology to upgrade them with Sanyan Handconnon (三眼铳, Handcannon with 3 barrels) to do triple shot
(Historically, Ming Dynasty have this Marvelous Machine Battalion (神机营, elite Imperial Army equipped with most advanced firearms))
This civ might not have Zhugenu (they already have feudal knight, and Qi’s army for early aggression and defense respectively), firelancer (not very good anyway and outdated for Ming dynasty)
Other units could be the Changdao Swordsman (the Changdao was used by the Ming from 1560), the (Ming) Arcabusier (the arquebus was used by the Ming from 1558), the Iron Troop (these units were used by the pirate and loyalist Ming general, Koxinga, to expel the Dutch from Taiwan in 1662 (if you consider the Malians, it reaches the very limit of the game’s chronology in 1670)), the Iron Flail (or Sanjiegun, which was used by the Ming until the 15th century), the Meteor Hammer (basically the Bulgarian Konnik from AoE 2)…
And as siege units, you could use the flamethrower (it’s the same as the flamethrower from AoE 2 or the Byzantine Cheirosiphon from 4), the hand mortar (which would work like the Japanese Ozutsu but with two men) (the Ming used hand mortars from 1413) and the flying crow (there are images of this from at least 1350 (which would work like the Nest of Bees, but launching only one super strong rocket)…
Matt, AoE3 Chinese Civilization is primarily based on the Qing Dynasty, not the Ming.
On the other hand, most of the Chinese elements in AoE3 very carelessly mix elements from various pre-Qing dynasties.
Flamethrowers, for example, are from the Song Dynasty and were hardly used in the Ming.
Keshik is obviously from the Yuan Dynasty or simply from the Mongols, enemies of the Ming.
Zhuge-nu are from the Warring States period (475-220 BC); the technology fell into disuse afterward, but was reinvented by Zhuge Lian during the Three Kingdoms period (219-280 AD).
The Flying Crown is also believed to have been an experimental Song weapon.
A warrior monk as a scout instead of a Chinese general isn’t from a specific era, but rather a creative choice, and it actually displeased many Chinese players. - Steppe Rider, the only unit that would properly be Manchu, and obviously not Ming.
I disagree with some ideas:
Meteor Hammer and Iron Flail: While the Chinese developed several types of weapons, these are not exclusive to them, and there is no evidence that they were used en masse on the battlefield, much less by cavalry troops. The iron flail is very difficult to handle and can injure the user or the horse if used while mounted. The meteor hammer is a flail, a weapon also used by Europeans; it is not unique to the Chinese.
Mortar: It’s not even unique to China. Europeans also manufactured their first mortars. Nor is there evidence that they were used en masse. They are simply the Chinese version of the “mortar” from Age of Empires III, made smaller to be inferior to the version used by European civilizations.
The Iron Troop is a very good idea, but it’s important to consider that it was a special troop created in the final stages of the Ming dynasty, before its fall, by a general who continued fighting to the end against the Manchu army. Perhaps it should be unlocked in the Imperial Age, with a certain Landmark or mechanic.
There are tons, tons of ideas for unique units for a Ming variant, that aren’t from Age of Empires III; in fact, it’s preferable that they aren’t from Age of Empires III.
True, I didn’t want to overthink it and included them because I liked the units and because the game’s encyclopedia said the Ming dynasty used them. But yes, the Chinese units in Age of Empires 3 are a mix of Ming and Qinq (basically, the steppe units are Qinq, not so much Yuan)… I added the Iron Troop at the end because I remembered them, but I had discarded them because they’re more from the Qinq era than the Ming, since they’re from 1662… There was also the Shaolin master and disciple, but Zhu Xi already uses those… but I’m leaving the units in case the devs want to make a Yuan variant (a mix of Mongols and Chinese) or a Song variant (basically Zhu Xi 2.0)…
