Sundiata

That whip though What do you think about Star Citizen?

Another interesting note is that global sea levels have risen by 130 meters since the last glacial maximum, c. 20.000 years ago, rising more than 100 meters over a 7000 year period from 14.000 years to 7000 years ago. Not exactly a sudden deluge, but it's effects on pre-historic human populations and their movement (often traveling and living on the coastlines) would have been significant, and definitely left some kind of mark on the collective global memory. Areas between landmasses which were previously connected and probably "densely" populated according to Pre-Historic standards became submerged: British Isles and Europe were connected, the Aegean sea and islands used to be coastal plains, The Adriatic, Black and Caspian Seas were much smaller, the Bering straight, South-East Asian Islands and the Asian mainland (Sundaland), Australia and Papua New Guinea, India and Sri Lanka, Arabian Peninsula and Iran Korean Peninsula and China (perhaps even Japan) Distance between Yemen and the horn of Africa became negligible Basically every coastline of the world was affected.

Maybe you should check out Terra Magna mod for those Xiongnu I think we all want Scythians

Basically Xiongnu with lots of Germanic mercs? Nice... Here's the source for the Total War emblem. Not too shabby... Other Hunnish stuff:

I didn't say Mauryan fortifications, did I? (although even they were built with multiple moats) I don't know anything about the specifics about the design of perishable wooden doors on the gates of 2000+ year old fortifications... God knows I'm not looking at Viking gate designs for inspiration... I'm looking at Indian gates of later times to extrapolate what earlier Indian gates may have looked like. This is a necessary step if you're going to feature things like doors in a game representing 2000+ year old civs. Or we could just start scrapping everything that doesn't have a primary period reference, like 90% of the Carthaginian civ and about 50% of everything else. Also, we do actually have period Maurya references about elephants assaulting fortifications. The Arthashastra mentions something called nagarayanam, the art of assailing forts and cities with elephants.... It is clear from all three of those references that elephants of the attacking armies advanced up to the actual fortifications breaking through the earthworks in the third example... Also, please allow me to quote myself from the previous page on this very thread: So as you can see, I'm not arguing that elephants are siege-equipment, or that it should be their primary purpose. BUT, the idea that elephants have any problem with destroying buildings is 100% ridiculous. As I said, a fortified wall might be a little much, but what do you think most ancient structures were built from anyway? I'll give you a hint, it's like 90% clay/mud/brick/wood/straw... As I said before, Asian elephants can way more than 5 tons. Their hide is so thick it takes specialized rifles to shoot them. Their tusks, without blood vessels, are way denser than bone, and are actually enlarged teeth, embedded 1/3 into their skull. Ivory is a natural "high strength nano composite". I mean, they use it to fight other 5 ton elephants... I'd like to emphasize (again) that elephants weren't primarily used as siege-equipment, but removing this very soft abstraction from the game (not really even an abstraction, more like a rarity), whilst swords and spears and even arrows can take down structures, is utterly ridiculous in my opinion. In addition to that, I don't even see the problem with elephants. They're super vulnerable as it is. An elephant sent to attack a garrisoned fortress in-game, simply dies... In addition, they are often too unwieldy to use effectively on the battlefield. I'm just going to end this post with angry elephants trashing stuff so you people will grow some respect for the destructive powers of the mighty elephant I'll end with a picture I took myself of some African elephants

To be fair, I don't think there's much specifics available about taking down gates during sieges of 500 -1 BC in general... The Carthaginians for example are based almost entirely on very limited secondary sources and other civs like the Seleucids are obscure. Even the Ptolemies leave many unanswered questions, including about their use of war-elephants, and the Kushite war-elephants are also attested from rare finds, not from thoroughly documented period battle reports specifying siege tactics. Elephants were notorious for breaking down gates on the Indian subcontinent, to the extent that fortifications were specifically being designed to withstand elephant attacks (pikes on gates and a secondary lower wall, to keep whoever is on the back of the elephant from scaling the primary wall). The Mauryas are in the game... Elephants seem to have been an element during sieges... As much a liability as an asset, but an element nonetheless. So they were also used to break sieges. So perhaps that should be one of their explicit bonuses. They'd need to be more mobile than they are now though... Can't their obstruction box or whatever be reduced in size to allow them to move more smoothly. I mean, it's an organic unit, not a rigid log. Male Asian elephants weigh more than 5 tons, and wild elephants routinely destroy entire villages in some parts of South Asia. Breaking down a fortified wall seems a little much, but simple structures are no problem. Also, I like your avatar...

This would be so nice... The first slow projectile representing the actual digging of the tunnel, would generate a moving decal of disturbed earth until it hits the wall. The following projectiles could generate dust at the base of the wall, representing the actual sapping. Maybe this could be done by specialized one-time sapping units trained at the siege-workshop. Like, three grimy guys with shovels. One-time units, because, let's face it, those poor saps probably didn't have a high survival rate, and I assume it would make coding a little easier if they just die at the end of the attack. They would build a simple tunnel entrance, and then enter, disappearing from sight. Then it would be like 4 slow "bullets": one bullet for digging, generating the decal, and three bullets for each of the sappers. The first bullet only generates the decal. The following three bullets generate dust at the base of the wall. After the final "bullet" hits, the wall collapses (and your sappers die/disappear under the rubble, a worthy sacrifice). You would just task the sappers to attack a wall or any other structure of choice, and they would automatically construct the tunnel entrance at the same site siege-equipment would choose to unpack, out of range of the towers of whatever it's attacking. The entrance to the tunnel (looking like a small mine entrance) can be destroyed by the enemy, thereby killing the sappers (lack of oxygen). (the disturbed ground decal would slowly dissipate over time) So we need a code-charmer huh... Anyone feel compelled? I think most people want this. Also, units specialized at taking out rams, like sword units, shouldn't ignore rams on the battlefield. It's good that that ranged units automatically focus on organic units, but swordsmen should give equal priority to killing organic and inorganic units like siege and rams. This would do a lot to eliminate unnecessary/unnatural/annoying micro when there's rams on the battlefield.

The subterranean slow bolt shooter thing didn't work out? Any plans to make it less hacky? Twas pretty cool... And mind you, I was originally skeptical towards sapping techniques in RTS-games...

Ah, indeed. As it's been brought up before more than once though, including in this thread, elephants weren't primarily used for sieging, although they could definitely take down simple structures and ram gates. Elephants were more of a risky elite battlefront unit, used to scare the living daylights of anyone on the other side. Their ability to take down structures should be a nice extra, but not their main feature. That task belongs to proper siege equipment. Wasn't @LordGood working on a tunneling mechanic to undermine walls? That's another siege-tactic that was pretty universally used (and effective), and can help mitigate the lack in other siege-equipment for some civs.

I've mentioned it before, but I think every civilization needs a battering ram as the standard close range siege-equipment. It's not some kind of technological marvel that only the brightest thinkers of the ancient world could figure out. It's just a glorified log to smash down a door... (see the Xiongnu ram) As with many civ-specific details in this game, the fact that some civs have rams and others don't doesn't seem to be based on anything tangible/not based in history. It's rather a cheap way of differentiating civs. The reason this annoys me, like starting walls for the Iberians or free houses for the Ptolemies, is that they not only seem to be poorly thought out, but actual historical nuances between the civs that make sense are continually shunned for "balance" concerns.

0AD needs a civilian aspect with villagers forming the backbone of the economy. It's really that simple... Citizen soldier concept should remain, but they should have bonuses for building military structures, and penalties for gathering resources, so that villager units are the logical go-to for all economic activities, citizen soldiers only being used for eco during an emergency/expansion. This means "women" will become villagers, 50/50 men/women. As mentioned in another topic, specific female representation can be preserved through a specialized healer unit trained at the temple (female clergy). Male priests would be used to boost general attack stats instead (morale, when implemented). Generals and the likes could influence other attack stats, relating to formations or battalions.

Thanks! I try...

Don't forget hair, 19th century West-African military culture, paganism, the phenotypes of South Africa and AOM. If there's anything you feel like sharing about yourself, or some other cool thing you have in mind, I'd say go for it! (as long as we only go off-topic in one dead thread at a time, I think it should be ok ). Check out this tiny Alaskan Tyrannosaurid, called the Nanuqsaurus (A) (for comparison, B is Tyrannosaurus Rex): Isn't it cute? Kind of like a morbidly obese Deinonychus without the the murderous claw. The Flintstones' equivalent of an overweight Rottweiler. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boooy? Who's a good b-... AAARGH, IT JUST ATE MY ARM! DAMMIT"

Jesus Christ...

@Genava55, lol, I just watched that one a few hours ago myself... Nice video's...

Civil disobedience... I couldn't care less what Paul Mcarthney and his 1.2 BILLION dollars net worth thinks about his "lost" revenue or copyright laws. Greedy dirtbag... I never even bothered downloading his mediocre music... And to do it under the guise of protecting the little guys... Ugh, makes me so sick... The little guys will not benefit from this AT ALL... Resist!

It's all over the world, it seems. Last year I was back in Belgium (Antwerp) for 5 months, working in a grocery store, and I got held up at gunpoint! A second guy was threatening a little 50+ year old lady co-worker with a knife... They were some nervous little idiots so nobody complied and then some drunks from a nearby cafe who had seen it all happen from a distance rushed them. They got away, but without any cash... Of course the shop lost several thousand Euro in revenue while it was closed... Idiots... It was the 11th armed robbery in 9 years or so... Antwerp seems to be turning into a little ghetto... In Ghana too, crime is on the rise. They just broke into my neighbours' home a few days ago... Hunger will jump any wall... As a species, we, the human race have been grossly mismanaging this planet and its resources for too long, and we're slowly but surely paying the price. We have money for war, but no money to feed the poor. Let alone create a world where everyone can lead a meaningful life. Supposedly our living standards have never been higher, but desperation is rising in every corner of the globe. Wonder where it will all go. I guess I'll just be playin 0AD as the world slowly burns One of the reasons that I like the Wildfire games community so much. People are just dedicated to creating the best game they can make. Where you're from, what god you pray to (or not), what you look like, what your political views are, are all irrelevant. People don't seem to care (not that there isn't room to explore each others worlds, obviously). Which is beautiful in its own way. I don't even know for sure who's male or female... Doesn't matter. What you can offer to improve the game is what matters. People here also have a genuine interest in history, which is really nice! A healthy level of critical thinking and good manners are also pleasant. There's almost no profanity here either, which is a welcome relief on the internet.

Thanks, and nope, I never had issues with weight... It's a lot heavier in water, so I'll never be an olympic swimmer, but even that never held me back from recreational swimming (still a faster swimmer than most ). That said, I've known people who suffered from heavy locks and ended up cutting them because of it... It depends on your type of hair, I guess. Uhu... The 5 Anglo-Ashanti Wars are of a different caliber... Ashantis regularly fielded armies of more than 10.000 fighters, mostly equipped with muskets. The British really struggled tremendously... Even the comparatively small Akuapem state was able to retain it's independence from the Ashanti, and during the Ga-Fanti War, even captured a British and a Dutch fortress, as well as Accra itself (the modern capital of Ghana). Those Akuapem dreams of grandeur only lasted a few years, but hey, it's something right? In North, West and East Africa the use of guns wasn't uncommon from the 18th century onwards. Other military mights of the West African region primarily included the Oyo Empire and the Kingdom of Benin, from Nigeria and the Kingdom of Dahomey (Togo). There were many others, but most crumbled from the inside out, due to European political and economic manoeuvring even before the final military push. The Ashanti were the most "intact" state to enter into all out war with European powers. In other places of Africa, the Mahdist armies of Sudan, the Dervish armies of Somalia, the Abyssinian armies of Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Kongo (Congo/Angola) were particularly virulent in their resistance to European colonization. Most people have heard of the Zulu, and the famous battle of Isandlwana, popularized by the movie Zulu Dawn, but know next to nothing of the other parts of Africa. Cetshwayo definitely gave the British a run for their money, so respects due, but they were small fish compared to the more potent powers of West and East Africa. The Zulu have become one of the archetypes of the "noble savage", and have been "used" to overshadow the much more impressive histories of the continent. Times are changing, but I'm still waiting for a movie featuring the Battle of Nsamankow, or the Battle of Katamanso, or the the Battle of Adwa, the battles for Kongo, the fall of Benin, the exploits of Samori Toure, the fall of Khartoum (it's been done, but bleh), etc, etc.. Anyway, some more traditional Akan warriors and stuff (maybe we can do a colonial wars mod one day, when guns are implemented): Traditional Akan architecture is also quite interesting and unique. It's essentially extinct today, and a only a handful of traditional temples remain Lol, indeed, my spiritual antennae People are so weird... I've had people grab my hair, and even grabbing my beard?! What the H e l l right? Takes some serious self control on my part not to escalate the situation, but I've had to tell people off quite forcefully... Some people think it's public property or something... I used to wear a turban sometimes, but I'm too lazy to wrap my hair everyday... And then I get even more stares... The hair is definitely not for show, so it stresses me out when people can't focus on anything but your hair, so I prefer to cover it. Turbans for the win!

Only when choosing to mix epochs... Looove it!

Or an actual Viking Shield Maiden !!! What do you think of the History Chanel show Vikings? Wow, I thought my hair was long... The longest locks are reaching my knees now... I always said I would trim it when they reach my butt, but I can't bring myself to put scissors to them. It feels so wrong. They do sometimes naturally break off halfway down when they get too long, so I guess it's sorting itself out, lol... Uhu, haven't cut my hair since age 13 (15 years). My dad is from Ghana, where I'm living now. He's actually still in Belgium, lol, but he comes back to Ghana every other year or so. We're Akuapem, one of the smaller Akan tribes (including Fantes, Akwamus, Akyims, Denkyera, etc, with the Ashanti being the most famous of all). The specific ethnicities or tribes that contributed to the modern mix of Akuapem people include primarily Guans and Akyims, but also Akwamu, Ga-Adangbe, Ewe and Ashanti (Ga-Adangbe and Ewe aren't even Akan tribes, but some of them migrated and assimilated into Akuapem over the centuries and the Guans are essentially the original pre-Akan population of the area, still speaking their own language in their own towns). A little bit of history: "Akuapem" means something along the lines of "A Thousand Forces" (Akuw Apem), and was originally actually a tribal confederacy of many disparate groups of people who were living in the Akuapem hills (many of them refugees from wars and slave-raiding). The "confederacy" was established to fight off slave-raiding incursions and oppression at the hands of the Akwamu, another Akan tribe with a ferocious reputation in the old days. The Akwamu (proto)-empire was utterly destroyed by the Akuapem uprising. Akuapems had a reputation of fighting slavery, harboring many runaway slaves from the nearby coast and destroying Danish plantations at the foot of the Akuapem hills because of their harshness. So I was surprised to learn that after the defeat of the Akwamu, In turn, the captured Akwamu leadership was sold into slavery (1730's) by the Akuapem... Karma is a... Very interestingly, Europeans in the Americas often didn't comprehend where exactly their slaves were coming from, or in this case, that they weren't slaves at all, but nobles, warriors, generals and chiefs! 150 of the Akwamu "slaves" that were shipped to St. John in the Caribbean very quickly ignited one of the earliest and longest lasting slave rebellions in the history of the Americas! They took over almost the entire island for a 6 month period before being "defeated by several hundred better-armed French and Swiss troops sent from Martinique". Quite perversely, the Akwamu didn't liberate the other African slaves, and captured the islands' plantations intact... They simply took over the plantations, slaves included, intending to run them as usual... Other Akan slaves that were taken to Jamaica also runaway and established independent communities in the interior. The British never managed to subdue them (Maroon wars) and eventually settled a treaty with them, recognising their independence. Similar story in Suriname. Very few among the maroons of Jamaica and Suriname can actually still speak Twi (Akan language)! I actually cried the first time I saw a video recording of an old Jamaican maroon speaking Twi. I was shocked! One of my uncles once travelled to Suriname and could speak Twi with some of the Maroons he met there! Other Akan "slaves" were taken to Haiti, and their martial culture helped facilitate the Haitian revolution, the most successful of the slave-rebellions, confidently defeating the Napoleonic armies! The Akan slaves were known as Coromantee (derived from the name of the Ghanaian slave fort of Kormantine in Koromanti), and garnered such a fierce reputation that attempts were made to pass legislation banning the import of Akan slaves: "Edward Long, an anti-Coromantee writer, states: Such a bill, if passed into law would have struck at very root of evil. No more Coromantins would have been brought to infest this country, but instead of their savage race, the island would have been supplied with Blacks of a more docile tractable disposition and better inclined to peace and agriculture." Makes me a little proud, to know that our compatriots were not docile, but rather "savage" in their resistance to enslavement My hair, and where I'm from (some cultural shots from our traditional festivals, a royal funeral and Ashanti military traditions):

Lol, in a real jungle, there is no place for a CC, or anything else... You wouldn't even see your units through the jungle cover Kakum National Park:

Ha, I also have "meters" of hair, but it's nothing like Rapunzel, lol... More like something in between Ziggy and Damian Marley I am an English and Dutch speaker. I can understand Afrikaans a little bit. It sounds like a thick accent, or a dialect of Dutch. But there are always a some mystery words making it difficult to understand the details. My mom is actually Belgian/German/Polish, with a bit of a "Nordic", actually Germanic, look (blond hair, blue eyes). I definitely don't have that Nordic/Germanic look though, lol! My sister and her Haitian fiancée (also West African and West European ancestry) have a one year old boy, with pretty African looking features and and a soft afro, but he's relatively light-skinned, his hair is blond and he has blue eyes, like my mom! Their next kid might be as dark as Shaka Zulu, who knows. When mixed people have kids together, they can go any direction. Genes are pretty cool...

Because the empire is known as the Maurya Empire, or the Maurya Dynasty, founded by Chandragupta Maurya. "Mauryan" is also often used as an adjective though.

We need details! What kind of farm? Any pictures? Maybe we should make this into a "farms around the world" topic

How interesting! What kind of cheese? From cows? You have cattle? Pictures of the fjords are always welcome! Maybe someday someone can make a nice specific Norse map based on your home area I'm not much of a farmer myself, but I have a very healthy respect for it, and fantasize about my own little dream farm one day I did grow a field of sweet peppers a while back. In the middle of the dry season, which was exceptionally harsh. That was a memorable experience... I just wanted to prove that it's possible to farm in the dry season, away from a source of water, on depleted soil, without pesticides, planting seeds directly in the field (without nursery). Lord knows it didn't make me rich, but it was fun! I also discovered that my garden is essentially an archaeological site, lol! Preparing my field, I started stumbling across significant amounts of pottery shards, which is strange, because our land used to be a bamboo-forrest in the jungle outside of town. Nobody has lived here in living memory but us. The pottery wasn't on the surface either, but buried between 10 and 30 cm in the ground! Pottery of the type that hasn't been produced or used here for a very long time. I always suspected there were some ancestors here on account of iron slag spread across the back of our garden. I actually found remains of ceramic pipes coated in molten rock with a metallic shine (part of the bellows?), and finally, at a depth of more than 30 cm I found a heavily corroded iron blade. Also found a corroded iron axe-head. Some of the iron slag actually has square marks (from tongs used to move the hot slag out of the way?).