The upcoming 'Baltic' DLC - what Home City Cards & Minor civs do we want to see?

[SirBarnzy1]

@Deadlyint

Always been a sucker for Infinite Native cards.

Knights of the Mediterranean introduced the Ottomans, Germans and French new native units to add to their homecity weapons(Treaty mostly). Hope it touches the other civs too like Spain, Portugal and British in this regard.

Also…Since Denmark will be out. I assume they will have a fairly cool new Ship card.

Same here.

I’d love these civs to have more (infinite) native cards available to them. All three of the aforementioned had vast empires so more variety covering many regions would be most welcome.

I also still feel that all Euros should get Royal Embassy wagons in some form or another as a general Euro trait, with their most linked Royal House natives being linked to them.

[MatM1996]

@IvanZvania

Son ideas y especulaciones. Los daneses también tienen torps en su cultura, no son únicamente de los suecos.
Después de todo es un tipo de casa, en la vida real no recolectan nada, eso lo hacen sus residentes, no los edificios

Si,un reskin de los torps puede ser…

@RatcicleFan

I don’t get why Scandinavia is a single one

Because it’s the same map as AoE 2 and AoM but with trade routes…

@MUTYLATOR5553

Serbs make no sense to be civ in AoE 3. I would definitely prefer this to be a revolution option for the Ottomans and Russians civs. Whereas the Croatians could be a Revolution option for the Germans and Italians civs.

What do you mean? You have the Principality of Serbia (1815-1882) and before that the Serbian revolution (1804-1817) which I do accept as an Ottoman revolution…

@MUTYLATOR5553

Greeks would be the only ones who would have a solid foundation to become a full-fledged civ in AoE 3 from the Balkans. In a sense, the fall of Byzantium opens the AoE 3 time frame, while the independence of Greece is the decline of the AoE 3 time frame. A mix of archaic Byzantine units along with 19th century Greek units could be cool. Greek Fire could be epic.

Yes, something similar to the Italians… you put the AoE 4 Byzantine units in the Commerce Age and then the Phanar units in the Industrial Age…

@MUTYLATOR5553

If anything, PLC should share an Architecture Set with Russians civ. In both of these countries, log structures predominated.

The Central European Architecture Set could appear when the umbrella Germans civ is split.

Personally, I think that the current European Architecture Sets should be reserved for post-colonial civs. European civs should receive completely new - continental - Architecture Sets.

Yes yes it can be…

@MUTYLATOR5553

I think we can expect Ox Carts - known from Nords civ from AoM. This is pretty much a sure thing.

Yes, or at least a card…

@StoreyedPlate74

Ironically, out of all the non-British civs that have the US as a revolt, I think the Dutch are probably the ones that makes the most sense due to how important the Dutch colonists were during the formation of the US as nation in the beggining.

Yes, for New Amsterdam which later became New York…

@StoreyedPlate74

I would replace the Barbary States and Hungary for Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, I think they are more fitting.

Na, the Barbary States are fine because they were Ottoman puppet states…

@M00Z1LLA

I think the best potential revolutions for Portugal would be Zanzibar and Canada. They controlled Zanzibar for 200 years before being expelled by the Omanis. And in Canada, they mapped and claimed Newfoundland and Labrador and settled fishing colonies in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

@M00Z1LLA

Making it explicitly Zanzibar would be much better fit than “Swahili Coast”.

Good revolution options seem to follow one of two criteria. Either they are a revolt of a settler colony, or the revolt of an ethnic minority from a contiguous empire.

The other Swahili cities were populated by the native Africans, but Zanzibar saw a large amount of Arab settlement so it was essentially a settler colony. And the Zanzibar Sultanate covered most of the Swahili Coast anyways so it is broad enough.

That’s a good one…although I would see Zanzibar Sultanate being represented by Omanis and maybe some cards for Portugal…

@SirBarnzy1

For the Portuguese, it’s a tough one - throughout history it was mainly the Dutch and Omanis (which even more validates them as a future civ!) kicking them out of their colonies! There’s actually very few that rebel and revolt in the timeline.

@SirBarnzy1

Omani is a reasonable revolt option too because as mentioned before, they expelled the Ports out of their territory all the time, though I’m on the fence as I feel they would do better as an actual civ (though Mexico and US exist as both)

Yes I agree, they could include Persia with Oman and in the process cover two continents (Asia and East Africa)…

@GalacticSet8679

Corsica could work for France too, give they revolted against the French when first purchased. Napoleon’s parents were involved in the revolt as well.

@SirBarnzy1

Corsica is a fantastic idea for a French rev.

They revolted from French but they were unsuccessful - they also revolted previously against the Geonese so would also make a good revolution from Italy too! They also established a Corsican Rebublic inbetween, established by Pasquale Paoli who incidently fought with Napoleon’s father.
In-game they could be quite fun with a reliance on guerilla units and stealth.

Yes, that’s a good one…an Italian and French rev…

@OperaticShip743

At least 2-4 new minor factions would be enough. We’re not expecting 9 royal houses like in the last DLC. Nobody expected that, actually.

@SirBarnzy1

Just an annual reminder to set your expectations bar low for Royal Houses. Maybe regular Natives (Inuit for example) are not included here, but it’s probably best to assume no Minor Civs - anything different and it’s a nice bonus.

Still, it was to be expected, considering that they put like 9 royal houses in more than 30 maps… let’s be thankful that we have 15 skirmish maps and 15 historical maps…

@MikaelJakson_Hee_Hee

Everyone who has something to add can do it

Yes, I was in charge of updating the articles on the campaigns with minimaps, flags and treasures because nobody wanted to do it because they “don’t know the game” (the admins are mostly AoE 2 players who have little or no understanding of AoE 3 campaigns)…last night I finished the Lakota campaign and today I’m starting the Asian campaigns (this week Japan, next week China and the next India)…and then I’ll review the articles on the historical battles and the original campaigns that I forgot to update a bit more…I think I’ll finish everything for the Baltic DLC…

@M00Z1LLA

I’d be content if it was just Inuit. They lived in Denmark’s Greenland territory so they’d be a great fit for this DLC.

I don’t think so, the Inuit are Native Americans, I would keep them in case they add a Native DLC with Tupi and Mapuche (you change the Tupi for the Guaranis and the Mapuches for the Tehuelches)…

[M00Z1LLA]

Great Auks would be perfect for Iceland.

The last documented Aurochs lived in Poland so this DLC would be the perfect time to add them and spice up maps like Vistula Basin. And they also still lived in Wallachia and Bulgaria during the time of AoE3 so they could feature there.

Hopefully more AoM assets than just Aurochs can be shared with AoE3. Wild boars are another thing from AoM that is sorely needed. The fact that they just reused the warthog for European maps makes KotM look like a low effort mod instead of official DLC.

[Quirriff]

I thought Great Auks were fitting since they did exist in the AOE3 timeline, in fact the reason they became extinct is because sailing vessels would stop at their breeding grounds during trans-atlantic journeysl Auks were such easy prey for hungry sailors.

As for Aurochs: they became extinct only about 50 years into the age of sail (basically aoe3 timeline). So i’m sorry to say they’re borderline.

[StoreyedPlate74]

@MatM1996

the Barbary States are fine because they were Ottoman puppet states…

I’d prefer historical revolution over puppet states…

@MatM1996

for New Amsterdam which later became New York

And because of the significant Dutch colonization. In the early US there were still many of them around. One of the first presidents, Van Buren, even had English as his second language

[M00Z1LLA]

@Quirriff

As for Aurochs: they became extinct only about 50 years into the age of sail (basically aoe3 timeline). So i’m sorry to say they’re borderline.

They lasted considerably longer than the Aztecs. The last confirmed one was 1627 and there were remains dated to late 1600s or early 1700s so that’s pretty solidly in the timeframe. I don’t think they should be the primary hunt anywhere, but having the chance of seeing a single herd on a few maps would be accurate. By the end of the game most hunts are wiped from the map anyways. Alternatively, an Auroch bull could be a potential treasure guardian.

[OperaticShip743]

Considering that by the time the industrial revolution comes around, much of the hunt has been depleted, it would make sense for it to be in the game. If it is depleted on the map by the time the industrial revolution comes around, or shortly after,or shortly after, that would be in keeping with real life.

In this context, many animals that only existed in a specific time within the period covered by the game could be introduced without any problem animals that would later become extinct.

[MikaelJakson_Hee_He1]

@MatM1996

Yes, I was in charge of updating the articles on the campaigns with minimaps, flags and treasures because nobody wanted to do it because they “don’t know the game” (the admins are mostly AoE 2 players who have little or no understanding of AoE 3 campaigns)…last night I finished the Lakota campaign and today I’m starting the Asian campaigns (this week Japan, next week China and the next India)…and then I’ll review the articles on the historical battles and the original campaigns that I forgot to update a bit more…I think I’ll finish everything for the Baltic DLC…

thanks for your work^^

[UpmostRook9474]

@RatcicleFan

Given England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are each a separate map, I don’t get why Scandinavia is a single one

Given that AoE2 has a map with the same name, this doesn’t seem incomprehensible.
Splitting it up should be welcomed by the community. I’m not familiar with the geography there. Maybe there is a better way than simply splitting into Norway and Sweden.

[UpmostRook9474]

@M00Z1LLA

For maps, Iceland would be an obvious inclusion. It would be awesome if it had a volcano. But Iceland also has some challenges like not actually having any large land animals that could work for hunts. I really hope they’d add some new fauna like seals instead of putting animals that don’t fit. Maybe also Greenland sharks, narwhals, and giant squids for guardians and icebergs for nuggets. All of that stuff would be great for maps of other areas like Svalbard, Greenland, or Norway/Fjords.

Assuming there are no new type of huntable animals, maybe Iceland can be a map with lots of sheep. Players start the game with extra sheep, and/or need to actively scout for unowned sheep.

It may be an island surrounded by sea but itself smaller than Borneo. Additionally, the actual movable land is shaped like a crescent-shaped croissant due to the presence of a volcano on one side.

There are sheep on the land and plenty of cod in the sea. Since the bases are close to the coast, it is obviously beneficial to actively develop on the water, fish and build a navy. However, due to the small land area, the short distance between players and the lack of obstacles, there are risks in focusing too much on the sea.

[M00Z1LLA]

@MikaelJakson_Hee_Hee

Finally, Seal Clubbing

If you really want to scratch the seal clubbing itch you can do it on my Ungava map thanks to InnateJaguar501’s seal models.

[Kingfisher1787]

Seems like a very cool idea. Perhaps players should start with a dock wagon and a livestock pen. If it had limited hunts available and higher than normal sheep numbers this could be useful. It would probably need to be coded as an actual pen though, farms and other special buildings would be too strong.

[M00Z1LLA]

@Kingfisher1787

It would probably need to be coded as an actual pen though, farms and other special buildings would be too strong.

That’s a good point. A livestock only map would probably not be too fun since you wouldn’t get much out of them until they fatten and there’d be a massive imbalance between civs (any civs not requiring food for villagers or with an alternate pen would do much better).

I think there would still need to be some limited food sources so that there’s a chance for the sheep to be found and fattened before you really need them.

1. 1-2 starting herds of seals and/or great auks along the coast near the player but very limited or no hunts beyond that.
2. Sparsely scattered berries throughout.
3. Plentiful sheep in the interior.
4. Start with a fishing boat.
5. Crates of Hákarl that gain food over time (like the Swedish Surströmming crates). I’d say this would be best as something from a treasure where you receive a shipment after defeating some Greenland sharks.

That would keep the start fairly normal before you had to adapt to a lack of hunts.

[Kingfisher1787]

@M00Z1LLA

@Kingfisher1787

It would probably need to be coded as an actual pen though, farms and other special buildings would be too strong.

That’s a good point. A livestock only map would probably not be too fun since you wouldn’t get much out of them until they fatten and there’d be a massive imbalance between civs (any civs not requiring food for villagers or with an alternate pen would do much better).

I hadn’t even considered India or the Dutch yet (good catch). I had Mexico, Farms, and Villages in mind (Farms and Haciendas would be strong for villager gathering and Villages actually fatten animals slower until later).

@M00Z1LLA

I think there would still need to be some limited food sources so that there’s a chance for the sheep to be found and fattened before you really need them.

Absolutely.

@M00Z1LLA

1. 1-2 starting herds of seals and/or great auks along the coast near the player but very limited or no hunts beyond that.
2. Sparsely scattered berries throughout.
3. Plentiful sheep in the interior.
4. Start with a fishing boat.
5. Crates of Hákarl that gain food over time (like the Swedish Surströmming crates). I’d say this would be best as something from a treasure where you receive a shipment after defeating some Greenland sharks.

That would keep the start fairly normal before you had to adapt to a lack of hunts.

A “Cascade Range” food style but with sheep and more water could work. Sorta like Cascade Range meets Hispaniola? A few hunts and berries, but more fishes and whales. Personally, I think a somewhat short rush distance could be nice too. Some civs will have trouble with the limited food and giving them some aggressive options would be nice.

[UpmostRook9474]

@M00Z1LLA

since you wouldn’t get much out of them until they fatten and there’d be a massive imbalance between civs

Interesting issue. Perhaps the sheep that the game starts with could be the fatten ones already so the diffirence between civs might be minimized as the Livestock Pen and equivalents would not be needed for the fatten sheep. Additionally there are plenty of cod and potentially berry bushes so the food won’t come entirely from sheep.

The idea is originally just from my assumption that there are no huntable animals on the map of Iceland. If there will be huntables, the assumption and the following idea themselves are fundamentally unnecessary.

Personally, a map with no huntables would be interesting since no existing map seems to do so.

[M00Z1LLA]

As long as there’s some food source (berry bushes, etc) to occupy your starting villagers for the first few minutes a map with no hunts would probably work fine.

However, Iceland might not be the best option for this given that Oldenburg would be the only option for natives, and one of their units is a hunter that would be useless on a map with no hunts. For that reason I think it would be best if they added a new hunt like seals to give the hunters some use.

@UpmostRook9474

a map with no huntables would be interesting since no existing map seems to do so

There are Eurasian Steppe Survival and Black Forest Nothing that do this already. But both of those are pretty weird.

[UpmostRook9474]

@M00Z1LLA

However, Iceland might not be the best option for this given that Oldenburg would be the only option for natives, and one of their units is a hunter that would be useless on a map with no hunts. For that reason I think it would be best if they added a new hunt like seals to give the hunters some use.

That makes sense. The Hunters need huntables.
Other missing maps of Europe, like Svalbard, Shetland and the Faroe Islands, may have similar characteristics (fish, whales, livestock like sheep and reindeer, and maybe huntable seals) to Iceland, except without a volcano.

@M00Z1LLA

Eurasian Steppe Survival and Black Forest Nothing

I’m not familiar with maps with special rules. I rarely play them.
Not sure if a map starting with an agricultural building and no hunts is feasible. Every player start the game with a free Mill or Rice Paddy, no matter what civ it is. A plain or basin with a long history of agriculture might be suitable for such a theme, but such places are already mapped in Europe.

[OperaticShip743]

Could these types of threads have influenced the decision to delay the release of the DLC, plus they are too busy with other games?

[zeppelino24]

I have a slight suspicion that the new content for AOE III DE is too much, which is why they are taking so long to release the new DLC, possibly the October patch will come loaded with a lot of new content and for that reason they decided to release an update first to prepare the ground for when the DLC is released later, AOE III players are already more familiar with all the new features that the new expansion will bring, in theory it has some logic since if you are going to add too much new content and overload it with more content new from new civilizations, possibly many people will not know how to assimilate so much information, I am grateful in advance that they have requested a public apology on the official website and that they give us as compensation a new great update, for the moment we will be able to receive this end of the year happy with everything new that will come in the patch and entering the new year we will prepare to obtain the long-awaited Poland and Denmark DLC

[MatM1996]

@StoreyedPlate74

I’d prefer historical revolution over puppet states…

Yes, it is a valid option… but the Ottomans did not have so many historical revolutions…

@StoreyedPlate74

And because of the significant Dutch colonization. In the early US there were still many of them around. One of the first presidents, Van Buren, even had English as his second language

@OperaticShip743

Considering that by the time the industrial revolution comes around, much of the hunt has been depleted, it would make sense for it to be in the game. If it is depleted on the map by the time the industrial revolution comes around, or shortly after,or shortly after, that would be in keeping with real life.

In this context, many animals that only existed in a specific time within the period covered by the game could be introduced without any problem animals that would later become extinct.

@UpmostRook9474

Assuming there are no new type of huntable animals, maybe Iceland can be a map with lots of sheep. Players start the game with extra sheep, and/or need to actively scout for unowned sheep.

It may be an island surrounded by sea but itself smaller than Borneo. Additionally, the actual movable land is shaped like a crescent-shaped croissant due to the presence of a volcano on one side.

There are sheep on the land and plenty of cod in the sea. Since the bases are close to the coast, it is obviously beneficial to actively develop on the water, fish and build a navy. However, due to the small land area, the short distance between players and the lack of obstacles, there are risks in focusing too much on the sea.

Yes, of course, of course…I think the same…

@MikaelJakson_Hee_He1

thanks for your work^^

Yes, we do what we can… now that the DLC has been delayed, I have a little more time until next year, or even by Christmas I might finish everything…

@UpmostRook9474

Given that AoE2 has a map with the same name, this doesn’t seem incomprehensible.

And in AoM too… it’s simply a continuation of map names from the saga…

@OperaticShip743

Could these types of threads have influenced the decision to delay the release of the DLC, plus they are too busy with other games?

@zeppelino24

I have a slight suspicion that the new content for AOE III DE is too much, which is why they are taking so long to release the new DLC, possibly the October patch will come loaded with a lot of new content and for that reason they decided to release an update first to prepare the ground for when the DLC is released later, AOE III players are already more familiar with all the new features that the new expansion will bring, in theory it has some logic since if you are going to add too much new content and overload it with more content new from new civilizations, possibly many people will not know how to assimilate so much information, I am grateful in advance that they have requested a public apology on the official website and that they give us as compensation a new great update, for the moment we will be able to receive this end of the year happy with everything new that will come in the patch and entering the new year we will prepare to obtain the long-awaited Poland and Denmark DLC

Yes, anything is possible… I was very critical of the delay of the DLC, but if the DLC later brings a lot of content (maps, battles/historical maps and even campaigns) I can accept the delay, but yes, it has to bring a lot of content…