Uzbek Civilization Concept

Background

The Uzbeks follow a long line of Central Asian empires such as the Kipchaks, Mongols, and Timurids. While in the era of AoE3 they weren’t civilization ending juggernauts like their predecessors, the steppe peoples like the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Dzungars were still formidable. They clashed with each other and fiercely resisted Russian, Persian, and Afghan encroachment. The Uzbeks led several powerful khanates, the most powerful of which were the Khanates of Bukhara, K_iva, and K_kand. These khanates contained a mix of nomadic steppe peoples as well as the settled inhabitants of the great silk road cities.

Civilization Archetype

Geographically, the Uzbeks are an Asian civilization and for the most part, the Asian suite of buildings and aging up with wonders would fit them well. However, I’d strongly prefer if they did not use the Consulate system in the design because it is by far the biggest contributing factor to the shortcomings in the design of the original Asian civs. In addition to following the Asian template, the Uzbeks could follow a Steppe Civilization sub-type and have shared elements with Islamic Civilizations. They could share hero units like Khans, and have some shared building types. Kazakhs could serve as a second Steppe Civilization.

Home City

Bukhara would be the obvious choice as it is the capital and namesake of the Khanate and later Emirate of Bukhara which was the strongest and longest lasting Uzbek state.

Leader

There are a few good options for potential Uzbek leaders.
Muhammad Shaybani established the Bukhara Khanate.
Imam Quli Khan led the Khanate of Bukhara at the height of its power.
Shah Murad was the first Emir of the Emirate of Bukhara and was highly revered.

Buildings

Steppe Nomad Buildings:

Along with Uzbeks, there could be additional steppe civs such as Kazakhs that share these buildings.

Pasture - Fusion of Stable and Livestock Pen that trains cavalry, Sheep, and Yaks.

Yurt - Like a House but spawns a Sheep when constructed.

Islamic Buildings:

These buildings could be shared with Muslim civs like Ottomans, Persians, Mughals, and Omanis.

Bazaar - Islamic Market equivalent. To set it apart, it could have some mechanics or technologies that subtly allude to their extensive trading in captive humans.

Caravanserai - Tavern equivalent for Islamic civs. It could have perks like garrisoning Villagers or acting as a shipment point.

Mosque

General Buildings:

Castle
Rice Paddy
Town Center
Barracks
Dock
Walls
Trade Post
Native Embassy
Consulate??? - I’d strongly prefer not having this, but if it is a must, British, Russians, Ottomans, and Chinese would be the most obvious alliance options.

Units

Don’t take the stats too seriously, I’m just giving specifics to help outline their general role. Some balance tweaks would obviously be needed.

Barracks Units:

Recurve Bowman

A fast firing archer with a higher than average multiplier against light cavalry. Overall stats and cost could fall somewhere between Yumi and Fulani.

Mergan

Mergan means sharpshooter or archer which would incline it to be a light infantry unit. However, the most prevalent type of guns across Central Asia were matchlock muskets. Therefore, I’ve put them in the role of musket infantry, but given them a bit of extra range at the expense of health. Most of their matchlocks had a bipod making a bayonet cumbersome so most Uzbek warriors carried a sword as a sidearm. To be in line with other sword wielding musket infantry they should have a higher base attack but lower anti-cav multiplier. They could be depicted with a Kalpak hat as shown below. Another potential name for these units could be Cherik (a term for auxiliary warriors).



Sarbaz

Sarbaz were foot soldiers in Uzbek and Persian armies so this unit could be shared with a Persian civ. Uzbek armies were primarily cavalry so they only get a passing mention, but Persian descriptions of them indicate they were agile swordsmen armed with scimitars like shamshir or kilij. I’ve given them a slight bonus against heavy infantry to offset the lack of a rifle infantry unit.

Pasture Units:

Navkar

These were the basic cavalry soldiers of the Uzbek armies. I’ve made them like a slightly cheaper and weaker Hussar.

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Batir

Batir is a Turkic and Mongolian honorific title meaning hero or valiant warrior, which was roughly equivalent to a knight. Their depiction could draw on the heavy cavalry of Uzbek predecessors like the Timurids and Kipchaks. They could be decked out in full lamellar armour with a Kipchak face mask and armed with a lance. Functionally, I’ve depicted them as tanky cavalry like a Cataphract, with dual resistances and a bonus against infantry. Something like a Lifidi Knight with a slight lancer bonus.

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Mangudai

Mangudai were originally elite bodyguards of the Mongol Khans and they feature as a unique Mongol unit in AoE2 and AoE4. However, the Manghud clan from which they were drawn was still going strong long after the Mongol Empire and became the ruling class of the Noguy Horde and Emirate of Bukhara. The depiction I’ve gone with is a more expensive but faster firing Cavalry Archer.

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Zamburak

The current depiction of Zamburaks in the game as weak light cavalry is extremely far from reality. Zamburaks actually functioned as highly mobile artillery. Indians already have Howdahs for their light cavalry, so there is room to give them a different function that works better for an Uzbek civ. If they were given a design similar to Rifle Riders, they would fit in very well with an Uzbek civ. They should also deal siege damage to reflect the fact that it is a cannon. Rebalanced costing and a limber animation may be needed to keep them balanced.

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Castle Units:

Darbzen

Darbzen are a type of Ottoman cannon that originated as “battering guns” in sieges, but eventually came to also refer to smaller and medium sized cannons. The Turks exported their cannons across the Muslim world as far as Somalia, Indonesia, and most importantly Central Asia. Darbzen could serve as a Falconet equivalent for most or all Islamic civs including Ottomans, Persians, Mughals, Omanis, and Uzbeks. The depiction I’ve given it is that of a tanky Falconet with slightly less range.

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Hand Mortar

The Mongols and Timurids used a variety of primitive gunpowder weapons like hand cannons, so giving Uzbeks Hand Mortars could represent this legacy and give them a capable anti-artillery and siege unit. Alternatively, Darbzen could be made stronger at sieging and Zamburaks could be better at anti-artillery so that Hand Mortars are not necessary.

Dock Units:

Being in a landlocked region makes finding a navy very difficult, but the Uzbek Khanates did include the Aral and Caspian Seas, so they would have had access to at least some ships.

Fishing Boat

They had access to fishing in the Aral and Caspian Seas so fishing vessels are perfectly reasonable.

Mes Sal

These were rafts consisting of a wood and reed base atop several inflated animal skins. They were used in the river networks of Central Asia as cargo barges, troop transports, and even makeshift pontoon bridges. These could act as a weaker but more numerous Galeon equivalent that trains and transports units. Since they are constructed mainly from hides, a large portion of their cost should be food.


Camel Boat

Camel Boats consisted of two large boats joined together into a catamaran. They were named as such because of their heavy lifting capacity (just like a camel). These could do the heavy lifting of the Uzbek navy and act as a scaled down Frigate equivalent.

Galley

Uzbekistan borders large seas like the Caspian where proper ships are needed and these could be represented by the existing Galley unit. Turkmen pirates were enough of an issue that Persia needed to construct a naval fleet on the Caspian so the Uzbeks would have presumably had something similar.

Ogurtjoy

A type of Turkmen pirate vessel that raided the Caspian Sea. This could be a separate ship type, but since the source material is so limited, I think it would be best as a card that shipped Privateers and some Turkmen units like Qizilbash.

Foreign Ships

Russia brought a significant naval presence to the area with the Caspian Flotilla and Aral Flotilla. The Persians also had their Northern Fleet in the Caspian. A tech that gives access to foreign ships like Monitors would be a good way to complete the Uzbek navy.

General Units:

Khan

Mounted explorer unit shared with other steppe civilizations. Could share the stun ability of other Asian civs as well as other abilities like the AoE4 Khan.

Bolobomist

Military musicians that boost nearby units. Could function similarly to the Mehter.


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Villager

Just the standard Asian Villager.

Wonders

As an Asian civ, Uzbeks would age up with wonders. However, wonders in general could use some tweaking. Rather than aging up with one of a kind monumental constructions, the Asian wonders should instead be iconic, but less specific examples of architecture. These more generic landmarks would be much better fits for the Asian civs, and could possibly even be shared by multiple civs. Below are some examples of architecture that could serve as wonders. These are mainly specific buildings, but similar structures can be found throughout Central Asia. I’m skipping over the function of these wonders, so feel free to provide suggestions.

Great Mosque

Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Kalyan Mosque

Grand Madrassa

Registan
Kukeldash Madrasah
Chor Minor


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Silk Road Bazaar

Chorsu

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Ark Citadel

Ark of Bukhara
Kunya Ark Citadel


Grand Minaret

Kalyan Minaret
Kalta Minor Minaret
Islam Khoja Minaret

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Howz

A Howz is a pool used in Persian gardens and architecture. Probably a better fit for Persia, but they were present in Uzbekistan.

Cards

A few possibilities for unique Uzbek cards. I’ve focused on shipments that give them a connection with their neighbours on the steppe.

Yam Route - Enables Steppe Riders at the Castle and increases building line of sight

Timurid Siegecraft - Ships Desert Raiders and enables Petards at the Castle

Noguy Khanate - Ships Mangudai and improves them

Dzungar Khanate - Ships Zamburaks and improves them

Sibr Khanate - Ships Tatar Archers and enables them at the Embassy

Kalmyk Khanate - Ships Keshiks

Kazan Khanate - Ships Cavalry Archers

Ogurtjoy Pirates - Ships Privateers and Qizilbash

Renegade Russians - Ships Cossacks and a Heavy Cannon

Cavalcade Concealment - Enables Khan to create a dust cloud that conceals units (a strategy used by Timur)

Skull Cups - Gain a large bounty when killing heroes but losing your hero gives a bounty (was done to Muhammad Shaybani by the Persians)

16 Likes

achei muito interessante seria legal ter essa civi junto com outra civilização do oriente médio

1 Like

I’ll just move my sources into a comment because it seems like every second thing got censored and it won’t display properly otherwise.

HISTORY OF THE RELIGIOUS AND MILITARY ADMINISTRATION IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN KINGDOMS
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MILITARY ADMINISTRATION AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE ARMY IN THE ###### KHANATE




FIRANGI, ZARBZAN, AND RUM DASTURI: THE OTTOMANS AND THE DIFFUSION OF FIREARMS IN ASIA
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An Historical Account of the British Trade Over the Caspian Sea
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Mastering of Traditional Waterways of Kazakhs

Traditional Transport among the Peoples of the Aral Region

Pedagogical Principles of Military Administration During the Reign of the Mangit Dynasty

Stages of Development of Military Equipment and Weapons in Bukhara (18-19 Centuries)

HISTORY OF KARAKALPAK ARMS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS IN THE XVII-XVIII CENTURIES

Military Role of the Ottomans in Mughal Warfare in the First Half of the 16th Century

Weapons and banners of Dzungarian Oirat in the middle of the 18th century, based on the Qingding Huangyu Xiyu tuzhi

5 Likes

Not bad, very close to what I had in mind, very good research too, for the most part almost the same I had in terms of possible units.

Where’d you get that cannon model from? I don’t recognize it.

It’s from this mod:

I didn’t actually get a chance to try the mod because the download file seemed too sketchy.

Very neat concept. The Eurasian Steppe is one of the two underrepresented regions in AOE3 where powerful civilizations exist (the other being South East Asia). A few follow-up (and possibly tangential) questions:

  1. What are some mercenaries and local native the Uzbeks could recruit? Part of the uniqueness of a civilization is often based on what types of “unique units” can be shipped from the Home City. However, because this region is currently underrepresented, most of the existing mercenaries and natives cannot be applied here. Maybe the minor civilizations should include: Pashtuns, Kazakhs, Circassians?
  1. Given that there are some clamor on a potential Persian civilization (and I am in support of this), could any assets be shared between the Uzbeks and the Persians? This would make coming up with a potential DLC easier for the developers (or a Iran-Steppe mod easier for modders).
1 Like

I already made a post with potential mercenaries, specifically a Tatar Company.

For natives, the Qizilbash from the Sufi site are already a good fit for the region. But I would split the Muslim holy site into a few different options like this:

Sufi Mosque
Unit: Moro Swordsman
Location: Southeast Asian maps
Shia Madrasah
Unit: Qizilbash
Location: Central Asian maps, India, Yemen, Sumatra, etc
Sunni Ribat
Unit: Ghazi Raider
Location: Most Muslim areas with emphasis on Africa and Western Asia

For actual people groups represented at a native site, I probably wouldn’t go with Pashtuns, Kazakhs, or Circassians. They are all confined to a limited area and would only work on a few maps, and Kazakhs and Pashtuns would ideally be full civs.

Kurds, Armenians, and Bedouins would be the best options for minor civs in the Middle East. They’re all widely distributed and not really significant enough to justify being a full civ. That along with Shia Madrasah and Sunni Ribat holy sites would give decent coverage for the area.

The Sarbaz, Darbzen, and Zamburak units that I suggested here could be shared with Persia. Ghulams could be a unit shared between Persians and Afghans.

3 Likes

Pairing it with Afghans for a Great Game DLC with some Russian and British missions would be awesome. And of course both of those civs have a lot of connections with Persia so they could be included along with them.

3 Likes

It would certainly be very good, Afghans, Persia and Uzbek

1 Like