Buried in all the RoR news is something I don’t see a lot of people talking about. Taking a look at the RoR steam page, we can find a description of the AoE2 Roman civs unique units. Included is this interesting line: “…the Centurion, a heavy cavalry unit that increases the power of nearby Militia-line units…” Now we don’t know exactly what that means, but at first blush, it seems to me that this unit will have some kind of stat-boosting aura for melee units around it. If I’m right, then that’s certainly a new kind of unique unit.
What do you think? Like it or dislike it? What do you think “increases the power of militia-line units” means?
2 Likes
I would interpret it in the same way as you did, what exactly the stat boost will be, one can only speculate.
Does it make sense historically? Certainly, aside from the fact that the centurion should never be cavalry, but also an infantry unit.
Does it make sense from gameplay perspective? Certainly not. Let’s suppose the effect is strong enough to actually make a reasonable difference, i.e., investing in the unique unit is strictly better than just adding more ordinary units. Then it just paints a huge target sign on the centurion, to be picked off first by the opponent’s ranged units.
1 Like
If it boosts nearby Militia-line units, I think that it may well have an area/radius of effect?
Would it also affect the Legionary UU as an additional melee infantry or just the Militia line?
If it’s a radius of effect, then this reminds me of the General/Patriot mechanic of Rise of Nations, also given to hero generals Alexander & Napoleon in their namesake campaigns.
1 Like
My guess would be they were inspired by AoE3. The Japanese have Daimyos which are calvalery “heros” and buff units in a radius. They give untis more attack.
3 Likes
Guy who gave the caravansarai effect to units am I a joke to you.
7 Likes
I think centurion will have some sort leadership aura, which gives +1 attack ,+1 melee and pierce armor.
1 Like
It’s not only a Unique Unit feature. The aura effect could also apply to normal units and buildings, opening new possibilities for civ bonuses,
Think about Condottiero: historically he was the leader/founder of a mercenary army, so he could get a similar bonus.
Monks and Monasteries could also give similar effects to a Monk-based civ.
2 Likes
Rus monks have an area of effect in AOE IV.
Meanwhile, I still have no idea what the Legionary’s role would be. Given how many unique units has the “sturdy infantry” description already.
1 Like
Celts now have AoE healing castles and Indostanis have that Carabansei that heal and speed trade carts.
Centurions are the first unit tonyave this but we already have those 2.
And well, everyone have their own opinion but i would like that some civs have bad bonises or techs replaced with a small aura effect.
Not only that, it could be used to balance some bonuses, e.g. if Poles Villagers’ regeneration is too OP, you could link it to TC and/or Falwark aura effect, so it could be used mainly in defence.
i am happy with this. i think it fits well with a slightly weird expansion like this. I am thinking of this as an ‘official custom scenario’. I am glad however that this won’t come into normal ranked play as Romans won’t be playable there
From my understanding only the milita line gets the aura bonus. IMO it should buff the legionary as well.
1 Like
Has it been confirmed that the AoE2 Roman civ wont be in Ranked? I think they will be. I believe it’s only the AoE1 content that won’t be in 2 (and therefore won’t be in multiplayer).
It’s possible that Legionary might be roman Militia line top upgrade either from long swords or two handed etc…
4 Likes
Forgotten Empires smartly borrows things from other Age games, and with regard to the Centurion’s ability to increase the power of nearby units, it appears to be very similar to the Aquilifer, which is a unit in our version of the Romans for Age of Empires Online. The Aquilifer is a melee infantry unit who also has an automatic Damage Buff Aura surrounding each unit that buffs the DPS of all friendly units within its radius.
Since the historic Aquilifers carried the Roman standards into battle (those tall flag looking things) and since there’s tons of references in the historical record to the Roman troops rallying behind their standards and almost being empowered by that morale, we wanted to capture that particular essence in the Roman civ. So the entire thing clicks into place pretty nicely.
The Centurion sounds essentially like a cavalry version of the same. Though historical Centurions were infantry units, they still were commanders of groups of legionaries, so it seems reasonable for them to borrow that idea from the Aquilifer. AoE2 unfortunately is very limiting in civ design because of its strict use of a shared unit roster across all civs, so it isn’t shocking to see Forgotten Empires melt a couple of units into one for gameplay design purposes.
Looks like a fun civ!
That’s a good point. Similar to the Winged Hussar for Poles and Lithuanians.
Or a reskin of the milita line with some tweaks.
Yes, I think they will work similar to winged hussars for Poles and Lithuanians.
1 Like
not 100%…on steam it says the romans will be
“Available in singleplayer and unranked multiplayer games.”
considering that it specifies unranked multiplayer, I think it’s reasonable to think that they are not available in ranked multiplayer
2 Likes
Agreed. i just put out a video on my youtube channel going over exactly this piece of news. Definitely limits the appeal of the expansion pack for those of us that are more multiplayer focused.
I do still think the centurion is an interesting unit because it means the engine can support this kind of unit now. I can imagine future civs or modders taking advantage of the buff mechanics in exciting ways, even if we never see the Centurions themselves on the ladder.