Ok, I initially planned on doing the RoR part of my polls before tMR came out, but irl had other plans and here we are. This isn’t necessarily too much of a problem considering my next polls will be about AoE2 proper anyway, but it’s still a little bit frustrating.
Before we start, I have to say most of those polls have been taken by a very low number of forum users and increasingly so over time, which might be due not only to the fact that more people are interested in AoE2 but also to the disappointment in the RoR game mode after its release. Anyway, it means the results might not be as conclusive as I’d have liked.
Also, the time period polls might have been a very bad idea.
Anyway, without further ado…
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As for the AoE2 series, I started with a poll about what should be the focus of the next dlc. We only got 33 voters and 142 votes, but the results are quite interesting.
The top 5 includes Western and Northern Europe (57%), the Pontic Steppe (39%), Central Asia (33%), South Asia (30%) and Northwest Africa (27%).
As very honorable mentions (over 20% picks) we have the Balkans and Northeast Africa (24% each), and Mesoamerica, Southeast Asia and my own concept of “Forgotten Cradles” (a dlc focused on the Cradles of Civilization that are still missing from the game) at 21%.
As regular honorable mentions (between 10 and 20%), we have Italy (18%) and the Near East and Bronze Age (15%).
Those results should reassure people who think the general annoyance on the forums when we talk about adding European civs to AoE2 means there’s a hate for the continent in general: When this is the one place that lacks content, players notice and want it to be fixed. The areas occupied by the so-called “Barbarians” (Celts, Germans, Scythians…) are especially requested, but the Balkans and Italy also have good scores.
It’s also worth noting that few parts of the world actually have less than 10% of the votes: Only the Andes, Iran and Arabia do, and the latter two might be considered as part of the Near East. So pretty much every area that was active in this time period could be considered.
The Bronze Age is the only time period that received more than 10% votes however, and it’s worth noting that most of the civs who could appear in such dlc were from the Near East (which received an equal number of votes) or nearby regions, so maybe it only reveal a hype for this place more than anything.
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With 68 voters and 327 votes, this poll had by far the highest number in the RoR category, which once again makes it seem like there’s a real hype for European content in this one game mode. It also confirms some hype for the “Barbarians”, considering the top 5 include the Celts (57%), Scythians (55%), Germans (45%), Dacians (35%) and Gauls (33%).
As very honorable mentions, we have the Etruscans (32%), Thracians (27%), Huns (26%) and Britons (20%).
Honorable mentions include Goths and Illyrians (14%) as well as Celtiberians and Lusitanians (11%).
Finally, I proposed quite a few options for a Greek split but it doesn’t seem like an appealing idea at this point, with the highest score for one of the resulting civ being 5%. Sorry for the Spartan fans.
Most people voted for 3-4 civs to be added (36%), 5-6 (17%) or even More (11%). It’s worth noting considering in most of my polls the 1-2 or None options tend to be among the higher ones.
So, first I’d like to point out the Celts being extremely high in this poll, but the possibility of a split for this still not existing civ being quite popular too, with one of its component (the Gauls) being part of the top 5 and another one (the Britons) being relatively close behind and with quite a good score. In my opinion, it shows that there’s potential for this civ to appear as an umbrella first to be sure to represent as many civs as possible at once, alongside the Germans and Dacians, only to be split later DoI style into Gauls, Britons, Celtiberians and maybe Lusitanians. Despite also being popular, the Scythians would probably better fit in a dlc centered around the Steppe (as I’ll mention again later).
Another possible dlc would be a Balkan one with the Illyrians and Thracians alongside a new Greek campaign. As for the Etruscans… I’ll take care of them later.
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Due to the sheer number of possible candidates for this poll, I had to split it into two part with the first one the Pontic Steppe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Anatolia and Iran, and the second one Mesopotamia, the Levant, the Arabian peninsula and Egypt. Both poll had pretty much the same number of voters (34 and 35 respectively), but there was a relatively big gap in the number of votes (154 and 109) which isn’t really surprising considering there was a lower number of possible civs. As a result, I will merge the votes from both polls.
The top 5 include Scythians (a freakingly high 70%), Hebrews/Israelites (an equally impressive 62%), Armenians (55%), Xiongnu (38%) and Nabateans (31%).
Very honorable mentions include the Canaanites (28%), Parthians/Dahae (26%), Akkadians (25%), Huns (23%) and finally the Arabs, Colchians, Elamites, Lydians, Sea Peoples and Seleucids (all at 20%). As regular honorable mentions, we have the Hyksos, Lagids and Philistines (17%), the Phrygians and Sogdians (11%) and finally the Arameans, Bactrians and Sogdians (11%).
Contrary to the previous poll, the 1-2 option is at the top in both cases (24-32%), followed by 3-4 (19-28%). It’s worth noting that it’s unclear whether people replied to this question for the region as a whole or the specific areas each poll covered.
So, with some civs scoring extremely high (as I said, as far as 70%), it’s quite obvious that there’s a demand for this area. The most obvious options imo would be a Steppe dlc with Scythians, Xiongnu, and maybe the Xianbei or a new Hittite campaign, and a Palestinian/Jordan one with the Hebrews, Nabateans and Canaanites.
It’s also worth noting that the Seleucids are a relatively popular pick despite being a dynasty (though the multiethnic nature of their empire might explain this), and they might fit in a Persian dlc alongside the Parthians and a new Persian campaign.
The Akkadians are a special case which I will mention again later, but they received a good amount of votes despite being already represented in game as Sumerians.
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Despite this region being fourth in the “Next dlc” poll, it only received 52 votes from 20 voters. I have to admit I probably made a mistake by not mentioning which states were represented by each civ, something I had decided not to do in the RoR polls because many of those people simply never formed a state, but it sometimes resulted in the voters not knowing what a civ represented and this poll suffered the most for it. It is evidenced by the fact that some people complained about the absence of the Maurya and Gupta Empires, two very relevant dynasties that were in my mind part of the Magadhi civ which received very few votes probably as a result of this lack of clarity.
But let’s not get carried away. The top 5 include the Harappans (35%) which is the civilization of the Indus Valley, the united Indian umbrella (30%), the Dravidians (25%), the ######## (20%), and finally a tie between the Bactrians/Yuezhi, Kushans/Yavana and Magadhi (15%).
Bengalis and Tamils count as honorable mentions (10% each).
Most people voted for 1-2 civs to be added (29%) or 3-4 (23%).
I see this poll as a bit of a failure both because of the lack of clarity and the low number of votes, and am not sure what conclusions to draw from it aside from the fact that the Indus Valley has some potential but would make little sense alongside an Indian umbrella. My first instinct would be putting the Harappans into a Forgotten Cradles dlc (more on that later), the ######### Magadhis and Dravidians in an Indian one. Maybe the Bactrians and Kushans could appear in another one representing the various invaders of India who created multicultural empires (as well as Northwest India in general). Not sure what I would use for the third civ/campaign.
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This poll was at a record low in terms of voters with only 16 of them, but still managed to beat the previous one in terms of votes with 63.
The top 5 includes the Xiongnu (56%), Funan/Khmers (37%), Huns (25%), and a tie-in at 18% between the Austronesians, Xianbei and Jomons, though it’s worth noting that the last four received an equal number of votes as the “None” options and the “I don’t know” option is as high as the Huns. In those conditions, I’m reluctant to count the civs who scored lower as honorable options, considering there are 7 different civs at 12% alongside the “I don’t care” option.
Most people voted for 1-2 civs to be added (37%) or 3-4 (18%), though the second option is at the same level as the “I don’t care” option.
I also kind of see this poll as a failure and am not sure I managed to properly represent China. Anyway, the Xiongnu and Huns were already present in the West Asia poll, so I guess only the Funans truly shine here and I would dare to say the existence of the Lac Viet makes them a must have. I would tend to add them alongside the Austronesians and a Lac Viet campaign.
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Far more successful than the previous two, this poll received 122 votes from 34 voters, being on an equal footing with the West Asian ones. I don’t know if the topic is the only reason or if finally bringing back instances of states paid off.
The top 5 include the Nubians (an insane 73%, and you should get used to see them), Numidians (55%), Ethiopians (50%), Libyans (23%) and finally a tie between the Yemeni and the Berbers (17%).
The Bantu and Lagids receive honorable mention at 11% each, and the Tuaregs form the only civ with 0 votes.
Most people voted for 3-4 civs to be added (39%), while the 1-2, 5-6 and “None” options all received 13% of the votes.
To me this case is pretty obvious: I think a dlc about Northwest Africa with the Numidians and Libyans (plus a Carthaginian campaign) and one for the Northeast with Nubians and Ethiopians (plus a new Egyptian one, possibly?) would do the trick. Obviously, I wouldn’t be against more content.
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The last of my regional polls for RoR, this one dropped back to 55 votes from 17 voters. It isn’t really surprising, considering this area of the world didn’t interact with the other ones and any civ coming from them would logically lack a good chunk of the common tech tree. Nevertheless, it got more attention than the East Asian poll and more votes than the South Asian one.
The top 5 include the Olmecs (52%), Mayas (41%), Zapotecs (29%), Otomi/Teotihuacanos (29%) and a tie between the Caral, Chavin and Nazca (17%), though the last tree received as many votes as the “None” option and the Otomi had an equality with the “I don’t know” one.
Finally, the Moche are the only honorable mention with 11% of the votes, though for once the “All of them!” also managed to score this high!
Most people voted for 3-4 civs to be added (42%), and surprisingly the next options are “None” (25%) and “I don’t know” (17%)
Even though I should consider this poll as a failure on the same level as the South and East Asian ones, I think the results are more relevant. I would tend to say the Olmecs and one of the Andean civs (probably the Caral) could be added in a “Forgotten Cradles” dlc while the Mayas and Zapotecs (and maybe the Teotihuacanos) would join in a Mesoamerican one.
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The first of my time period polls for RoR, it received a respectable (for this side of the game) 116 votes from 33 voters. Contrary to the regional polls, the time period ones are meant to have only one dlc worth of content at least on my part. Voters however tend not to take this notion into account.
The top 5 include the Nubians (54%), Harappans (48%), Olmecs (33%), Elamites (27%) and a tie between Akkadians and Mayas (24%).
Honorable mentions include the Hurrians (18%) as well as the Canaanites and Mycenaeans (12% each).
Most people voted for such dlc to include 4 civs (33%) or More (17%).
Most of the civs with good scores were already quite prominent. The only exceptions would be the Hurrians and to a lesser extent the Elamites, who rose from 8 and 20% votes respectively in the first West Asian poll. As for the Mycenaeans, I just didn’t think about including them in the European poll.
If a dlc with a focus on the Bronze Age was to be made, I think it should probably include the Akkadians, Elamites and Hurrians (and possibly a new Sumerian campaign considering the Akkadians would take back the Sargon one). The Mycenaeans could maybe be added, but I think they are quite a stretch. As I mentioned earlier, the Harappans and Olmecs could still be part of the Forgotten Cradles dlc, and I don’t think the Nubians should be part of a time period dlc even though (and actually because) they scored high on this poll and all of the next ones, which means they could be seen as a relevant civ in all time periods.
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This poll covers the time period going from the Late Bronze Age collapse in the 12th century BC to the Wars of Alexander the Great in the 4th. I didn’t expect it to gain too much attention especially compared to the other time period dlc’s, but it still received 149 votes from 31 voters.
In the top 5, we have the Celts (64%), Scythians (51%), Nubians (41%), Etruscans (35%) and Ethiopians (25%).
A very honorable mention goes to the Medes and Thracians (22%) and a regular one to the Lydians, Mayas and Zapotecs (16%).
Most people voted for this dlc to include 5+ civs (38%) or 4 (34%).
Despite the results being completely different, I would personally put the Etruscans, Medes and Lydians in this poll, as all the other relevant civs already have their place somewhere else. Lydians could also be replaced with an Assyrian campaign.
I have to mention that I wanted to include the Hebrews in this poll but completely forgot. I hope it didn’t mess the results too much.
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This time, the poll covered the rise of the Roman Republic and Empire, from the Samnite Wars to the Crisis of the Third Century, alongside other major empires such as the Mauryas, the Han dynasty and the various Diadochi Kingdoms. To my surprise, it didn’t garner so much attention with only 16 voters, but they still cast an impressive 105 votes.
The top 5 includes the Scythians (56%), Gauls (50%), Germans (50%) and a tie between the Ethiopians, Armenians and Magadhis (37%).
Very honorable mentions go to the Dacians, Nubians and Parthians (31%) and Britons (25%).
As simple honorable mentions, we have a number of civs far too many civs.
Most peoples voted for 5+ civs to be added in such dlc (38%) or 3 (31%). To be honest, I think the old Rise of Rome already cover this time period so I’m not sure such dlc would be needed…
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Finally, the last poll covering the fall of Rome (Ruin of Rome?) got 109 votes from 21 voters.
The top 5 is Huns (47%), Goths and Nubians (38%) and Vandals and Germans (33%).
Very honorable mentions are granted to the Ethiopians and Armenians (28%) and the Magadhis/Guptas (23%). Too many civs are tied as honorable mentions at 14%, ### ### ################### got 19%.
Most people voted for this dlc to contain 4 civs (25%) or either 2 or 5+ (19%).
I think personally, if such dlc was created, I would the Huns, Goths and Armenians in it.
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Conclusion
In summary, I think the best bets for new dlc’s would be North European barbarians, Steppe nomads, Northeast and Northwest Africa (separately), Palestine/Jordan and the Bronze Age, followed by South Asia, the Balkans, the Celt split, the Archaic period and “the Forgotten Cradles”. The Americas, Southeast Asia and Late Antiquity are a little bit more ###### but could still be attempted.
As usual, I’ll finish on the list of civs who received 50% votes or more. This time it’s a little bit more complicated, as some of them got this score several times, but here are the results: Nubians (73% in Africa, 54% in Bronze Age), Scythians (70% in West Asia 1, 56% in Middle Classical Era, 55% in Europe, 51% in Archaic Iron Age), Celts (64% in Archaic Iron Age, 57% in the Europe), Hebrews/Israelites (62% in West Asia 2), Xiongnu (56% in East Asia), Armenians (55% in West Asia 1), Numidians (55% in Africa), Olmecs (52% in the Americas), Ethiopians (50% in Africa), Gauls (50% in Middle Classical Era), Germans (50% in Middle Classical Era). As you can see, Nubians, Scythians and Celts are in high demand, and the Hebrews are close behind.
Hopefully people liked reading this analysis and will be present when I come back with new polls taking the last two dlc into account!