Usac

Believe it or not, crossbows were surprisingly effective against cavalry. Sure, the great wall kept Mongolian civilizations like the Xiongnu away, but crossbows helped against mounted armies as well.

Talking military gameplay standpoint, Franks would probably be highly void of missile units save the axemen and maybe a Skirmisher unit. We all know how France had some of the best cavalry, but they definitely didn't slack on Infantry since that was how they won the Battle of Tours against the Berber cavalry.

There is no Frank civ without a Francisca. I could see it leading to an interestingly ranged unit who does melee infantry damage. It should be a must have, in my opinion!

The actual time appropriate Mongols were the Xiongnu, who may have been linked to Huns who didn't migrate to the Danube some time before their rise.

A cavalry archer could easily be called the Yabusame, and it could fit into almost any era of Japan that happens before archery went out of practice.

This is a Bronze Age era mod, is it not? The Minoans, much like Hittites and Mycenae, were wiped out at around 1200 BCE when the Bronze Age collapsed and the first dark age begun. Then again, this mod does seem to extend beyond the Bronze Age, though to be Fair, I can't find an exact year that the next Age, (Iron, I assume) actually begins in full... and I've tried.

It's a shame that Assyria is seen as just a bunch of evil ruthless killers. I mean, they were ruthless killers, but they earned it! They didn't go all barbarian, they innovated warfare with siege, battle formations to protect frail archers and I think they were one of the first to transition to mounted horseback with a two horseman team to help the archer maintain balance... unless I'm thinking of something else.

Assyrians could travel across water using some inflated skins. I forget how, but there's something here that could be used.

I find the helmets as an odd reference for Mycenae, since Mycenae, like the Hittites, fell with the Bronze Collapse around 1200BCE. Anyways, here's some Mycenaen sword recreations. Ancient Greece also had some of the first directly mounted cavalry, or so it may be believed. While the earliest recorded are either Scythian or Assyrian riders around 800, the ancient Greeks may have directly mounted by 1400BCE.

It's an idea, for sure. The list of ideas is adapted somewhat from my days with AoEO found here and (to a weaker extent) here. Maybe something could work? If someone wants to take something from it, by all means.

I don't recall any Goths in Carthage, or any Gothic camelry. The easiest way to distinguish them is to give them Carthaginian structures, perhaps even a Carthaginian stayle unique naval structure. Most definitely they'd need a fire ship. I can see similarities, but a Vandal campaign using Goths would feel awkward. If it weren't for camelry, a superb navy and a possibly Carthaginian structural look, I'd be okay just calling them just another bunch of European Barbarians... but they weren't in Europe long enough for me to call them that. I won't say "MUST HAVE!" but... European borne barbarians with camels! I'll stop suggesting things though, if that's what you'd prefer. I don't want to cause problems.

That axe is a weapon known as the Labrys. Possibly infantryman? Would it be considered a sword type infantry? Despite having an axe?

Northeast of Turkey, the Khazar empire grew in the 500s based on Tengriism. In the 700s however, that all changed for these users of cavalry and siege: they converted to Judaism and attempted to become a safehaven for Jewish peoples. This factor alone means there are few civs of the era even closely akin to the religiously tolerant Khazars. At the heart of the Khazar military is their Arsiyah, muslim mercenaries who fought in the saddle. Their armies, when on the attack, tended to protect siege engines: catapults and Ballistae, possibly even rams. The Khazars lasted to about the year 1000. While data on the Khazars is not as extensive as some civs, there's something to be said about a civ in the saddle with powerful siege.

What if there were a 3rd option that let you choose a lesser of both. Instead of 25% more of 1 mining, you get like 10-15% for both. The reduced value will be 'safer' but one might find a more focused tech chooser with more defense/army rather than semi-viablity with both. At the end of it, you'll want at least 1 or two of the more specialized techs though to not get left behind.

I hope I'm allowed to make this. Though they only lasted a short time as an empirical force, the Vandals were a fascinating bunch: Germanic people ruling from Carthage and adopting horses and possibly camelry into a growing army on land while becoming a dominant naval force. It's almost the story of rags to riches: The Vandals are much like every other Germanic tribe: displaced by Roman and Hunnic advances through Europe, but it's bad for the Vandali: so bad, that they're mostly driven to the southern edge of Iberia. The only place left to go, is the water. This leads to a life of learning seafaring and a chance to take over Carthage itself. They are the only other barbarians besides the Goths who had the opportunity to actually breach Rome itself. And it fits the timeline somewhat well.... I hope.