I mean, the Hindustanis are clearly based on the Muslim conquerors of Northern India, like the Mughal Empire and Delhi Sultanate. They have a focus on camels (Muslim invaders used them a lot) and gunpowder (the Mughal Empire and Delhi Sultanate both extensively used gunpowder), the Caravanserai and Castle are both clearly Middle Eastern in design, and the Wonder itself is Mughal. The coat of arms is also Muslim. What more do the devs need to convince them to change the architecture? It is completely incorrect for the Hindustanis to be using Hindu temples instead of Muslim mosques.
The Indians received the Middle Eastern architecture initially as a reference to the Mughal Empire (which they were originally entirely based on, like the Indians of AoE3), but they received their own architecture after fan outcry, since they were also meant to represent all of India. Now that India has been split, though, there is no logical reason why they shouldn’t have the Middle Eastern architecture.
Now, I’d be willing to compromise and give them the Central Asian architecture, but I’d prefer the Middle Eastern architecture, as that is more nostalgic for me.
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I’m still not sure whether Mosque is more suitable or Hindu temples. Because majority population itself was Hindu. Also no, Hindustani refers to modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan and a big part of West India. Culturally it does make sense to have Indian architecture. Culturally despite different religion they do look same. Middle Eastern in that sense is not suitable. For instance culturally Hindustani and Gurjaras are much closer compared to South Dravidians. Despite Gurjaras and Dravidians are sharing same religion.
However they can get some unique reworks for various buildings but based on Indian architecture. Like Mosque based on that architecture. Stable can stay the same except Stable being changed for other Indian civs. Bengali/Dravidian still have Camel in the Stable instead it should’ve been horse and elephant like SEA architecture.
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Isn’t there any possibility that the Hindustanis are more based on the Mughal Empire and Delhi Sultanate? I mean, they have a lot of Muslim stuff, and the Wonder is Mughal. I just think them having the Middle Eastern architecture would be more thematically appropriate and feel less…off.
Not really. Just do a simple google search on Indian/Pakistani architecture. You will know it. Culturally Middle Easterns and Hindustani(Pakistan/India) are very different just religion is same. Slight architecture modification in future updates will be the best for them just like Unique Castles that all those civs got.
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Eh, it’s a game, not a history textbook. I think the Middle Eastern architecture is similar enough to Pakistani architecture that it shouldn’t be jarring.
If in doubt, the Central Asian architecture can always be used, since the Tatars also represented the Timurid Empire, creator of the Mughal Empire.
That’s not a good way to represent things. Pakistan is not similar enough to Middle Easterns. Game itself says Hindustani itself is a combination of cultures like Persia/Tatars/India and others. If you don’t know yet actual word India came from Pakistan’s Sindh river. This is a medieval period not modern day. Mughals themselves established on India and never really looked back at Central Asia.
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Indian buildings are more accurate no need to change anything.
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Then how come they’re called Hindustanis?
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Because that was the term that Muslim settlers/invaders ended up using to describe India.
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Is that because the people were Hindus and worshipped at Temples and not at mosques?
Didn’t the Mughal and Delhi invaders somewhat convert the people to Islam?
Either way, I think it makes a lot more sense for them to have the Middle Eastern architecture if they’re representing these invaders (which they definitely seem to be).
Are they representing the invaders or are they representing the empire? I think it’s okay because the majority of the Hindustanis were Hindus.
Even if we consider the Hindustanis being the invaders yet they are far away from middle East. There architecture style would have been closer to central Asia (Uzbek Afghan) rather than middle East which is too far from there. Just look at old buildings from that period they built and you would know. And not too long after the styles from invaders and locals merged to create an entirely new style. So current set is good as it is.
i think what msft wants here is that hindustanis doesnt just represent the invaders or just the native hindu population, but rather their amalgamation.
this is even visible in the name: hindu-stan ie land of the hindu, but with the turkic naming system
similarly the unique tech sultans was renamed to be less muslim (new name: great trunk road)
while the caravanserai is culturally more middle eastern and the new UU is turkic
considering that the majority of people living there were hindu, the indian building style seems appropriate
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Its easy for the developers to introduce an Indian style mosque building for the Hindustanis only. The Bengalis and Dravidians use buffalo trade carts while Hindustanis and Gurjaras use camel ones. Ditto the variation for the kings. It can easily be done. While they are at it, we need regional monks. Its absurd European monks are used by everyone except American civs…
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I don’t really see why they should get a different building, the Indian architecture set is meant to represent hinduist, buddhist and muslim states all at once and aside from the Hindustani each of the Indian civs had rulers of at least two of those religions in this time period. Specifically both Gurjara and Bengali muslim states existed.
The Hindustanis are overwhelmingly meant to represent the Muslim Indian factions. Mughals, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Delhi Sultanate. Unlike the others you mention which are meant to mainly represent the indigenous Hindu/Buddhist kingdoms…
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The Hindustanis only represent the Turco-Iranian factions, which were not the only muslim states in this time period. The Delhi Sultanate started crumbling during the 14th century, and many indigenous powers took the opportunity to reclaim independance without necessarily rejecting Islam (before being later absorbed again by the Mughals, durign the 16th century. It includes the Sultantate of Bengale (obviously Bengali) as well as the Sultanates of Malwa, Sindh and Gujarat (arguably better represented by Gurjara in game, especially Gujarat) among many others.
Cental Asian Architecture or Turkic or the mix of two
Anyway, if you’re going to give the Hindustanis different architecture from the other Indian civilizations, I think Central Asian would do just fine. It would be nice to have a third civilization with that sort of architecture, and it does look rather “Middle Eastern” to me anyway.