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New factions proposals: Steppes tribes and maybe more...


Michael the Great
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That's great! i hope i could see more improvements from 0 A.D. team. (y)

I don't think we have any philosophical reasons against having more than 6 factions per part. It just seemed like a nice round number and limited the amount of work required of us to get the game pushed out. So, if a modding group creates a full faction or even most of a faction and presents it to us, we'd probably take a good hard look at including it in the official game. We are an Open Source community after all. So, if you could get a team together and make a faction, then by all means do it. Even if we don't include it as an official faction, we could possibly endorse it or give a small stamp of approval. And like I said, we are Open Source, so you really don't need our permission to create new mods for the game. (y)
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I heard there are others begin to create a new mod that include China, but what you suggest Spartacus and Christians is quite impossible to be done because Spartacus and the Gladiator rebellion was not so strong enough to be considered as faction and Christians are no Civilization and they are people suffered Roman tyranny that choose to liberate themselves from oppressions. Jews however was a Civilization and in 0 A.D. time line they did exist.

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As for the Jews, to be honest I think that they should not be implemented unless the game is set back another few hundred years with the days of David. The only other relatively significant part to mention for them would be the Maccabees. And even they existed for only approximately 107 years, nothing to match any of the other powers already planned with their longevity or strength. But when they were around does not fit well with either the first part's focus or the second's. The best way to have them be implemented in my view would be as easter egg units if anything.

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The heyday of Israel was before the age of empires, when small kingdoms ruled the Earth. I'm pretty sure the entire kingdom of Israel at its prime had fewer inhabitants than just the city of Rome did at its prime, so it is difficult to justify the Jews as an entire faction, especially when the extent of their direct political influence was so limited. We include the Iberians and Celts because these peoples had millions of inhabitants spread over hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. :) Sure, the Jews have an outsized impact on Western culture, but it's not until much much later that this is felt. :) That's really all I'll say on that, other than I would love to include a few easter eggs for them: The Temple and maybe 2 units. If someone wanted to make a Jerusalem scenario or revolt scenario they could probably use Persian and Carthaginian buildings pretty easily! :) I think both Persian and Carthaginian textures would work quite well if someone wanted to make some mods.

Regarding "Christians" yeah, I think an Early Byzantine/Eastern Roman faction would cover them nicely. The soldiers will have the common 'Christian' symbology for the times emblazoned upon them. Their "temples" will likely be Byzantine churches or monasteries. Their heroes will likely include the first Christian emperor, Constantine (who converted on his deathbed) and other Christian/Greek imperial figures. I actually look forward to working on them. I'm thinking Greek Fire ships and cataphracts galore.

I'm thinking the Byz slingers would be pole slingers.

Pole_Slinger_First_Preview.gif

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When you build the Byzantines, it would be great to include the 7th/8th century flamethrower as an easter egg or cheat code unit, just for the heck of it.

I think we'll be a somewhat liberal with the Eastern Romans/Early Byzantines. I can't see not having Belisarius as one of their heroes, even though he comes after A.D. 500, and Greek Fire ships, even though they are out of our time range too.
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  • 1 year later...

This isn't bad. It would probably be better to make this a more generic "Steppes" civilization, then branch into Sarmation and Scythian sub-factions (like the Greeks). Because the Scythians, as far as I know, weren't just a simple branch off of the Sarmations. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Indeed the Sarmatians ans Scythians were two different people, with different beliefs and values, but a more or less common way of life.

For example horsemanship was extremely important for both of them and in war they both relied on mounted and foot archers as well as heavy lancers.

One big difference: Sarmatian women had equal rights as their men and they fought together, but Scythian men looked down upon their women.

Speaking of civ specific technlogies / civ bonusses, the scythians and / or Sarmatians should get a lumberjack bonus, because the Greek for example got the wood for their triremes from them.

This was also the reason why Darius the Great started a campaign against the Scythians and their Sarmatian allies in 514 B. C.

Because without this wood, he thought, the Greek navy wouldn't be such a pain in the @#$%.

Between the Hellenic States and the Sarmatians and the Scythians where well established trade routes across the Black Sea, which brought Greek goods and ideas to the steppe.

For example, in military architecture, as seen in the fortress of Neapolis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythian_Neapolis).

It is also the Greek who were the first to write about the steppe people:

The Greek name Sarmatai sometimes appears as "Sauromatai", apparently through a folk etymology associating them with lizards (sauros).

Suggestions for this association include the Sarmatian's use of reptile-like scale armour and dragon standards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatians), something to keep in mind when choosing a Sarmatian civ symbol and modelling their units. The guys from Total War did a good thing picking this one for the Sarmatians:

Symbol_sarmatians.png

I also like the idea to "pack / unpack" their buildings, since their most famous building is the yurt, which is a tent.

In my opinion, this would add great strategic depth to the game.

I would be really excited if the Sarmatians and / or the Scythians came into the game!

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  • 3 weeks later...

How about the Greeks?

Navy - Pentecounter, Trireme

Infantry - ekdromoi - light infantry similar to militia, gymnitai - infantry upgradable to psiloi - light fast unit, hoplites, peltasts - range units, pezhetairos - spearman, shieldbearer, thorakite - armoured unit with sword, toxotai - archers

Siege - battering rams, catapults, ladders

Cavalry - light - kataphraktos, heavy cavalry, dismountable - hetairoi

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How about the Greeks?

Navy - Pentecounter, Trireme

Infantry - ekdromoi - light infantry similar to militia, gymnitai - infantry upgradable to psiloi - light fast unit, hoplites, peltasts - range units, pezhetairos - spearman, shieldbearer, thorakite - armoured unit with sword, toxotai - archers

Siege - battering rams, catapults, ladders

Cavalry - light - kataphraktos, heavy cavalry, dismountable - hetairoi

Er... did you play the game? We have 3 types of Greeks: Athenians, Macedonians, and Spartans, while a generic Hellenes faction that mixes all of them is in some scenarios. Also, Ptolemaic Egypt is on the way (that's sort of Greek), and Thebans may make it in as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Er... did you play the game? We have 3 types of Greeks: Athenians, Macedonians, and Spartans, while a generic Hellenes faction that mixes all of them is in some scenarios. Also, Ptolemaic Egypt is on the way (that's sort of Greek), and Thebans may make it in as well.

The Thebans, when they come in the game?In Alpha? In Beta? You can see them by the civilsation info, but they aren't available in the game.
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