For $15, we need to be getting a lot more than what we would get from the old $10 ones. That is currently not the case. Adding a new architecture set would add a lot more immediate value. I’ll still buy the DLC as-is, but I’ll be a lot happier when the Armenians and Georgians have architecture that fits them. I’ve posted pictures demonstrating what the architecture could look like in the past, but that was before TMR. So, I’m posting the stuff again, with explanations.
For the Feudal Age, I can picture the buildings being stone with wooden planks in certain places, reminiscent of the villages of Ushguli and Dartlo:
(We’ll get to the towers later)
In the Castle Age, the buildings are more explicitly Armenian in nature, and feature reddish or gray stonework with arched wall niches and conical domes everywhere. The style would be based on Armenian churches specifically, not the vernacular architecture seen in Georgia, implying a greater level of technological and architectural development. So, it fits.
Stuff like this. Maybe the buildings can be gray to match the Armenian Wonder, but having the buildings be a dark color is very important, as that matches Armenian architecture way more than the Mediterranean set does.
For the Imperial Age, the few buildings that change can resemble the style of Georgian churches, something along the lines of this building:
That way, we can get proper Caucasian buildings without the Fortified Church, which was designed with the Mediterranean set in mind, looking out of place. I think it’s a good compromise.
For the towers, I have special stuff in mind. The Watch Tower would be based on the specific type of tower seen in Keselo in Tusheti:
In the first picture I posted, you can also see examples of towers in Ushguli with the same type of roof as the above picture.
For the Guard Tower, it would basically be a slightly shorter version of the Svan tower that’s already in the game. All that would really need to be done is modify the model slightly (along with the destruction animation) and add a player color. Not that difficult for the official team to do.
For the Keep, it would be based on the type of Vainakh tower that can be seen in the Dartlo picture. I’d post other pictures from the North Caucasus, but those towers are thinner and not a good representation of what I think they should look like.
Overall, I think going with architecture similar to what I posted here is a good call, and everyone will be satisfied with the DLC. Plus, it will feel more like a proper Caucasus DLC as opposed to adding civs vaguely resembling the Armenians and Georgians without the proper architecture.
Hopefully the devs see this post and consider what I’ve said. Architecture is an important part of Age of Empires to me, and some civs don’t feel right with the wrong sets.
