Currently, most generic unit designs are based on European styles, which greatly reduces immersion when experiencing campaigns focused on non-European civilizations. This issue has improved through updates since the Definitive Edition: redesigned appearances for trade cart, monks, castles, flags, and so on have significantly enhanced the visual identity of different civilizations.
The idea of regionally distinct appearances for generic military units has often been raised in the community. However, this would increase the learning curve and make it harder to identify units of the same line. For example, players can now easily distinguish between the three stages of the knight line (Knight, Cavalier, and Paladin) because of their unique appearances. If each civilization or region had a different look for these units, it would become harder to memorize the distinctions between their levels. A commonly proposed solution is to make regional appearances resemble the original silhouettes while reflecting cultural details. Still, this would transform the game’s overall look considerably.
My proposed approach is to give regionally distinct appearances only to editor-only units (such as Heavy Swordsman, Heavy Pikeman, etc.) and some rare units (like Imperial Skirmishers) and high recognizable single-tier units (such as Villagers or Hand Cannoneers).
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Regional appearances for 3 current editor units:
Give Heavy Crossbowman, Heavy Swordsman, and Heavy Pikeman regional looks. Besides creating new designs, an easier method would be to reuse unique unit outfits — for example, the Huns’ Heavy Pikeman could be a dismounted Tarkan with spear. Since classic campaigns also serve a teaching purpose (helping players learn civilization characteristics), the tech trees should remain unchanged — i.e., players normally shouldn’t be able to produce these special units. However, these units can enrich scenario armies and represent various factions on the map. In heavily modified campaigns like Victors and Vanquished, these special units could also be available for both players and AI. -
Two new editor units:
Add Heavy Knight and Heavy Lancer, both featuring region-specific appearances to serve as unique heavy cavalry units. -
Rename “Archers of the Eyes” to “Heavy Archer”:
Make this a general editor-exclusive archer unit with a regional look and remove its golden glow effect. In Saladin campaign, the original name and glow effect can be reintroduced through editing. -
Regional looks for Imperial Skirmishers and Imperial Camel Rider:
The Imperial Skirmisher doesn’t currently fit the Vietnamese visual style, and other civilizations can only train it when allied with Vietnam. So there’s no need for a “Heavy Skirmisher” editor unit if we have an Imperial Skirmisher with regional appearances.
Imperial Camel Rider, only available to Hindustanis, could receive a Mongol skin(riding bactrian camel). This could serve as an editor unit and fit perfectly into first Mongol campaign scenarios without affecting ranked gameplay. -
Regional villagers:
Male villagers can mostly keep their current look, with minor adjustments — African civilizations having darker skin tones, and American civilizations changing pants. Female villagers should receive fully regional designs. As one of the most frequently appearing units, the villager is truly in need of this update. -
Unique appearances for Hand Cannoneers and Bombard Cannons:
Since both units are highly recognizable and have no upgrade lines, giving them regional looks would not cause confusion. -
More unique hero appearances:
No explanation needed -
Regional appearances for unique buildings (e.g. Settlement, Feitoria):
Just as American civilizations cannot build stables, the scenario editor still includes stable models with an American style.Settlement and Feitoria deserve regional appearances too. Like the Trade Workshop that fulfills diverse roles in campaigns, Settlement and Feitoria with regional appearances could also significantly improve immersion and gameplay variety in campaigns. -
Distinct building style for the Three Kingdoms civilizations (Han dynasty architecture):
To emphasize their uniqueness, the Three Kingdoms civs should share a dedicated Han-dynasty style architecture set. Their castles and wonders should also be unified. Currently, Wei’s castle (Bronze Bird Terrace) is more of a palace than a fortress, so it would better serve as the wonder, while its current wonder could later fit a Xianbei civilization. -
Unique African Islamic Monk:
The two African civilizations currently share a monk model based on Christian tradition (with the Mequamia prayer staff). Malians should instead receive an African Islamic monk model.
