Sundiata
-
Posts
2.332 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
60
Posts posted by Sundiata
-
-
The Kingdom of Kush: Voyage a Meroë,
au fleuve Blanc: au-delà de Fâzoql dans le midi du royaume de Sennâr, à Syouah et dans cinq autres oasis, fait dans les années 1819, 1820, 1821 et 1822 : accompagné de cartes géographiques, de planches représentant les monuments de ces contrées, avec des détails relatifs à l'état moderne et à l'histoire naturelle
In this post, I will be sharing 60 plates from the book, "Voyage a Meroë", written and illustrated by Frédéric Cailliaud (a French naturalist, mineralogist and conchologist) and Jomard, Edme-François (a French cartographer, engineer, and archaeologist). As with the Lepsius Collection, I'm sharing all of the plates relevant to ancient Kush because of their rarity and historical value in general. What makes the plates so valuable is that they represent the earliest archaeological survey of Kushite remains in Sudan. Many of the sites have since been destroyed or degraded. These plates were produced between 1819 and 1822, just over a decade before the infamous Italian "explorer"/treasure-hunter, Giuseppe Ferlini destroyed over 40 Kushite pyramids in his search for gold... As such, these plates illustrate the most complete and in intact state of Meroitic pyramids in "modern" times, as well as many details on temples now lost. If you pay attention, you will see that the Lepsius expedition, some 20 years later, surveyed many of the same sites, and gives you an idea of the quality and accuracy of the works.
About Frédéric Cailliaud:
"He travelled in Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia, collecting minerals and making observations. He was a part of the military expedition that his patron Viceroy Muhammad Ali sent south to conquer the Kingdom of Sennar, but also marched further into Fazogli where Caillaud searched for outcroppings of gold while the commander Ismail, son of Muhammad Ali, enslaved locals and slaughtered all who resisted him. Although he failed to find any sizeable deposits of gold in the mountains along the modern Sudan-Ethiopia border, he did make a sufficiently detailed survey of the area to be published after he returned to France in 1827.
"Shortly after his return, he published Travels in the Oasis of Thebes, with never-before-seen information on the people and places of the Western Desert. His Travels to Meroë (mer-oh-ay) not only offered similarly pioneering information on the peoples and regions south of the Nile’s first cataract, but also constituted the first scientific survey of Sudanese monuments. In addition, he brought back a large corpus of correctly copied textual material that, along with objects in his newly acquired collection, helped the historian Jean-François Champollion decipher the hieroglyphic language of ancient Egypt. So esteemed were Cailliaud’s contributions to knowledge that in 1824 he was awarded the French Legion of Honor."[1]
He was curator of the museum at Nantes from 1836 to 1869" -Wikipedia-
I will simply share the plates in their original order. Download the images to appreciate the details (they're very HQ).
- Naga = Naqa
- Ouad-Beyt-Naga = Wad Ben Naqa
- El-Mecaourah = Musawwarat es Sufra
- Assour = Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
- Mont Barkal = Gebel Barkal (Napata)
- Nouri = Nuri
Voyage a Meroë, the plates:
SpoilerWad Ben Naqa, Typhonium of Bes pillars with Hathoric capitals (WBN200)
Naqa, Temple of Amun with kiosk in upper image. Lion temple and Hathor Chapel in lower image.
Naqa, Hathor Chapel, also known as the Roman Kiosk, because of it's Greco-Roman elements.
Naqa, Lion Temple of Apedemak
Naqa various temple plans
Famous pylon of the Lion Temple in Naqa featuring King Natakamani and Queen Amanitore.
Reliefs of a procession of gods and a procession of goddesses and royalty on either side of the Lion temple in Naqa.
Back-side of the lion temple in Naqa
Facade of the Amun temple in Naqa
Plans of Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure and the smaller secular enclosure.
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure, the central temple
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure, central temple plan
Musawwarat es Sufra, the Great Enclosure, plans and column details
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë. This rather large pyramid actually belonged to Amanishakheto. One of many pyramids completely flattened by Giuseppe Ferlini. He actually found a large horde of gold in this one, dubbed Amanishakheto's treasure.
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Pylons at Begrawiya Royal Necropolis at Meroë
Nuri Royal Necropolis
Nuri Royal Necropolis
Gebel Barkal, the site of Napata, and home of Amun
Gebel Barkal, the site of Napata, and home of Amun
Gebel Barkal Royal Necropolis
Gebel Barkal Royal Necropolis
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal Royal Necropolis
Gebel Barkal Royal Necropolis
Spiralling peak of Gebel Barkal and ruins of temples
Gebel Barkal and ruins of temples
Gebel Barkal and plans of temples
Gebel Barkal relief of King Senkamanisken
Ruins of the Great temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal. Probably the holiest site in all of Kush.
Gebel Barkal and ruins of temples
Plan of the Great Temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal
Boat stand or altar from Gebel Barkal
Boat stand or altar from Gebel Barkal
Gebel Barkal, ruins of temple B300, the Temple of Mut, with columns with Hathoric capitals and a Bes shaped pillar.
Gebel Barkal, plan of temple B700
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal reliefs
Gebel Barkal, temple B300, the temple of mut with Bes-shaped pillars leading in to a rock cut part of the temple.
-
4
-
Yeah, Hannibal was kind enough to ask me wether it was ok with me, and asked me some follow-up questions to fill some gaps/corrections for the civ.
I didn't see a problem with the faction being present in different mods. Every mod is different by definition. I look forward to Terra Magna for very different reason than why Vox Populi is so interesting.
@LordGood weren't you the original source of the leak?
@wowgetoffyourcellphone also repeatedly said that people could use his developments in DE for their own mods.
Anyway, the main reason I like the civ in different mods is it's the best way to test it out. Mistakes are easily found and corrected, and what still needs doing also becomes a lot more clear.
-
1
-
-
-
@elexis Shieldwolf23's and my own ideas are just that. Possible ideas/visions for the future of 0AD. Neither of us expect them to be implemented. That's not how it was supposed to come over at least. They were just examples. I won't argue the content of your reply, but I'm sure you knew shieldwolf knows that 0AD is open-source and he can create his own game if he likes. Neither of us are coding-wizards like you, and I'm sure you know that as well.
23 minutes ago, shieldwolf23 said:Sorry if by trying to propose that same thing, you'd rather push me to create my own mod. That is not my intention, and I am far from qualified to make something technical. I guess back to being a lurker then, me useless inconsiderate, good for nothing wolf.
This comment makes me sad, and is exactly the type of comment you don't want to see from your fans/player base.
@WhiteTreePaladin About the lower quality maps thing, I also think it's an issue. They don't all need to be removed. The ones that can be updated should be updated using the best maps as a benchmark. I also think those totally unrealistic/unnatural looking maps should preferably be moved to a "fantasy map" section in my opinion.
-
2
-
-
@balduin Yeah, they were known to use poisoned arrows. It could be one of the ranged techs...
@Lion.Kanzen The crown on the right looks like the crown sometimes worn by the winged goddess Isis. Golden wings of a vulture. Princesses or Queens could possibly wear it in emulation of the Goddess.
Isis in a relief from Meroe:
Notice the winged serpent symbol on top. This is one of the symbols on the Egyptian shield-placeholders in Kush. A good use of existing placeholders, it seems
-
2
-
-
As far as the casual and competitive game-modes goes, it's just an idea to help relieve the unsolvable difference of interest regarding play styles.
Some people want an "updated AoE", streamlined and straightforward. This could be 0AD classic. Other people are much more ambitious in what they want. As @shieldwolf23 said, a mix between a (simplified) city-managment and RTS. 0AD is the best platform to develop such an idea. Imagine a Real Time Total War with elements of Anno in 0AD. Big cities and epic battles on giant maps, and it's not turn-based, but real time... That's revolutionary. It's basically what "everybody" wants, but hasn't been achieved by any commercial developer yet, although attempts have been made. 0AD casual mode can strive toward realising this dream, of the ultimate RTS/Strategy/management game. 0AD, The Birth of Civilisations, or something like that...
Looking at the improvements to the game over the past few years, I'm sure that within a year 0AD will be able to handle 1000 moving units, greatly expanding the potential for epic gameplay, and this could/should be utilised. I understand that these ideas are so far away from the original concept or the current direction, that it makes some people uncomfortable, so that's why the need for 0AD Classic. These don't need to be competing ideas.
Anyway, these things are definitely not the most important topics at the moment, there are much more pressing concerns regarding the next release, that need to be discussed in a more official framework. There have been many suggestions/requests from many random players on this forum the past months/year. Many of them are repetitive. The same kind of requests keep turning up, for example the capture vs destroy default issue. At least the most popular/recurring requests and suggestions need to be identified and discussed more in depth, and agreed upon resolution/solutions need to be formulated publicly by the development team in response.
-
1
-
-
I agree with most of those things... The game can improve a lot by simply optimising what's already there and utilising more of the already existing stuff. I just like to see more "useless" stuff, like statues or shrines or gardens, just for the sake of it. Those kind of small things lying around in Atlas, that never see the light of day, could add diversity and beauty without affecting gameplay, but giving casual players the option to beautify their town as they wish. It would add a lot of fun, to players like me, to whom the AI is more of a background disturbance that's easily put in check (even on very hard, the AI is quite predictable, although clear improvements have been made here).
-
- Yeah, a bunch of new icons need to be made for Kushites, for both buildings and units.
- Sound of the pyramids is ok for me, but I'm always open to suggestions
-
Actually those are the smaller "forest elephants" The name of the elephant should be "Kushite War-Elephant", or, another attrictive name I once saw for them in a Yale publication was "Apedemak's War Elephants".
-
Yes, donkeys shouldn't sound like camels
- The whole Nuba thing depends on wether or not someone models the building for Nuba mercs, and wether this is wanted. Nuba and Blemmye mercs would complete the historical unit roster, but seen as this isn't Total War (yet), they might be overkill. I'm for them, but I leave this decision in the hands of the community. African Bushman shouldn't be called like that anyway. That's actually the Nuba tribesman.
- For the gates, it was decided not to do the narrow gates because of pathfinding issues that would arise in regard to siege weapons and elephants passing. Potentially upgrading a "regular" gate to a stronger "narrow" gate that doesn't allow elephants or siege to pass is an interesting idea.
- Yes, palisades should ideally be replaced with mud-brick walls. I don't think wood would have been wasted on wall construction, but smaller mud-brick walls are very common throughout Kush. Doesn't need to be anything special, just simple, relatively weak walls.
- I think Kushites should definitely rear sanga-cattle as their main source of meat/milk. I recently found a bunch of reliefs in pyramid chapels depicting these cows in the presence of Gods and Kings, once again illustrating their importance. The herds were seen as a sign wealth and authority and were even used to do payments/loans. They also exported them to Egypt. Someone needs to model this species although I think an existing model of (Indian) cow can be "easily" adjusted to reflect the features of Sanga cattle.
- About the outpost, don't they look the same for every civ?
-
1 hour ago, Grugnas said:
the reason why I don't get what you are talking about is because in order to play a game, you have to be at least two players.
But most people play against an AI.
None forces you to use the same build order, but as long as it is the most efficient way to win, there is always a human player who will use it and people "hungry" for win who will copy (basically like in any rts).
There shouldn't be any strategy that's always effective. That's why adding more civs with unique traits an diversifying the civs is interesting. It throws off the predictability of a game.
As long as none prevent you from "sim city" around in offline, I can't see the point.
I understand, but building an empty, lifeless city is no fun. Building diversity, variety, and functionality are somewhat neglected. So are random animations to bring things alive.
If you mean that some players want some construction and economical "more oriented" game ( let's say like roller coaster tycoon, sim city which aren't rts at all ), I can only guess that that's not the way the game meant to go at first by judging the fact that the game was actually developed from an AoE mod and not from a sim city mod.
Again, I understand this point, but don't you think that this is selling 0AD short? AoE really wasn't as great as some people think. It was very limited, and I was always under the impression 0AD would be everything Age of Empires wasn't. Otherwise I'd just go play AoE, I mean they have the whole HD thing now, so why not? Because I don't want to. I believe in 0AD and it's potential.
Still nothing prevent a "Second" Justus ascension with enough time to make a conversion mod in such a way.
Yeah, but it's still a loss. And how long will it take before someone starts another ambitious project like that?
As said, most of "online" players (if you want to) talk about simple number tweaks that can be done in hours with the ability to change the game experience, completely different from new content that may require much more time.
Good things require time and effort. Working on 0AD is a sacrifice, in a way, I just want it to be sacrifices that are worth it.
Don't want you to think that our "wishes" conflict, but you should consider to watch things from a realistic point of view.
Last year I thought adding a playable African civilisation to 0AD was impossible, yet, with tremendous help from the community, the Kushites are now a playable faction. I started playing the game when 50 pop would cause unbearable lag, and I can now move many hundreds of units without any lag. Multiplayer, was once just a dream... So I ask you to be more bold! More ambitious about what this game can offer, because it's a lot.
38 minutes ago, Feldfeld said:About the proposition of splitting singleplayer/online game style, i see few issues there. I think mods could handle much more efficiently single player desires.
- Can the devs keep up 2 games at a time while they seem to struggle with only one ?
- If some features are officially implemented in singleplayer but not in multiplayer, it would raise some issues are people would be constantly asking for one or an other feature in singleplayer to be in multiplayer too. Also, it would be quite disrupting for players that decide to go play online after having played offline. I believe that most of online players started by playing offline before.
Fair enough, but if 10 or so unofficial mods can be supported, why not 2 official ones, instead of only one? Also, the casual player mode would essentially be the expanded version of the competitive mode, so it would be logical/intuitive which features would be in what version. I also don't see any reason why both modes couldn't be played both offline and online. One is just more tailored for competitive play and the other for expanded gameplay.
-
This is exactly what I mean. Conflict of interest. Online desires are not the same as single player desires... I don't understand how there are still people that don't see this?
25 minutes ago, Grugnas said:-
Im sorry but i have to say that this totally makes no sense for many reasons:
-
This is a game and, just like any other game, it is made of numbers. Far away from a visual novel. (You just proved my point... This is absolutely not how most people play the game)
-
gameplay somehow implies balance. (I hope that's not all it implies...)
-
i thought that delenda est and other mods focused on aesthetics and "gameplay design". (the creator of Delenda Est, just threw the towel in the ring out of frustration...)
-
I still can't understand the difference between competitive online gameplay and casual offline if not for some aesthetic ( i take starcraft 2 as example) and some content relative to an hypothetic storyline. (use your imagination... There's a million things that can be added and changed in the game. Things that competitive players would oppose, because it would mess up their precious build-orders. but single players would love and encourage. We want to build cities! Raise armies. Manage an economy. Rule an Empire! 0AD doesn't do any of these things, but has the potential to... Forget AOEII and it's ridiculous 200 pop-cap and overrated game-play. Let go of that dogmatic interpretation of RTS. Think bigger! Think outside of the box. Much more is possible!)
-
I guess that skirmish cavalry spam wins in offline games too. (...? I'm not talking about balance considerations here.)
-
Online keeps the game alive as long as you have friends to play the game with. (So it's just a given that the game is dead without "friends"?? How is this useful info for the mass of offline players?)
-
Online players have to deal with frustrating mechanics almost everyday because OP tactics get viral. (MOST PEOPLE DON'T PLAY ONLINE)
basically someone could just let women deal 100 hack damage and let any civ being able to train any unit from any building. there you go with the possibilities
(ok...???)
You're either unwilling, or unable to understand how the majority of single players play the game. For most casual players it's not about a brainless rush to crush your unexplainably aggressive AI-opponent as quickly as possible, nor is it about crunching the numbers and figuring out the perfect "build-order" and unit recruitment schedule. People want to immerse themselves in the game, imagine the town of their dreams. Then build it. Beautify it. Defend it. Expand it. People want to be able to create something unique with every game. Something worth fighting for. People want to fight epic battles. Not build exactly the same base, game after game because "that's the ideal build-order" and then send a handful of people to kill some women and call it an invasion-army.
-
2
-
1
-
1
-
-
On 10/6/2017 at 6:09 PM, feneur said:
I'm not going to be the moderator of any discussions, I've more or less left the project. I try to help out with the forums, but that's about it.
On 10/6/2017 at 6:09 PM, feneur said:There was quite a lot of design discussion and decisions which were made in the projects early days, but not only have all those people left the project many years ago, a lot of things has happened which has put things in new light (features have been cut due to time constraints or technical limitations, and sometimes been added/added back later, other games have brought new ideas, etc.). So I do see that there might be a need to re-evaluate things.
Ok, thanks for the clarifications. So who is "in charge" that could moderate such a discussion, because it seems obvious to me there is actually a want and need for it. @Itms? I just want to remark that it's a new day indeed, full of new opportunities and there are new people bringing with them new possibilities (a lot of them just get frustrated with the lack of direction/clear tasks/vision). Off course, solving every hiccup in the game, or establishing an updated and feasable design document that everybody agrees on isn't going to happen overnight, but it's high time we as community (players and developers) work towards that.
The specifics of this document should be discussed noted and officially pinned somewhere easy to access.The old design documents haven't been followed and are simply too old and obscured. I don't think most of the "new" people are familiar with them.
This...
3 hours ago, shieldwolf23 said:0 AD's strength is it's continuing development, but it is also it's greatest weakness, especially if there is no one taking a clear, decisive lead. While we address how community members act and react on how the core team treats them, could we agree that this is the best time to have a focus group, involving active members and modders, and re-evaluate what are the things that the game needs? Preferably a design document that everyone interested on it could focus to achieve?
1 hour ago, shieldwolf23 said:What I'm trying to say is, all you guys who make things possible, could try meet and agree on things so that would be the basis of subsequent changes. With a clearer line for the main game, the modders/ contributors out there could in theory, help out with what needs to be done.
I think most people want Optionality/Diversity/Aesthetic Pleasure/Historicity/Logical Gameplay/Intuitive Mechanics/Epicness/Scale/Immersion... Other people just want to play a numbers game: Stats/Counters/Balance/Efficiency. So here is a small/major suggestion for 0AD, another thing that seems obvious to me... "Split" the game in to two modes:
- Online/competitive (classic RTS): streamlined gameplay with a focus on balance
- Offline/casual (2017 RTS): focus on a large diversity of options and possibilities, aesthetics, expanded gameplay, buildings, units and beautifications, no limts (even if it seems pointless to the competitive gamers, they should just stick with classic RTS mode)
This would literally solve the systemic conflict of interest between competitive and casual players. Both communities need to be appeased, but neither of them can possibly be satisfied with the same game! This needs to be understood by everyone! Conflict of ideas is good for the development of the game as it constantly drives us to look for the best ideas. Conflict of interest however (as we see here between casual and competitive gamers) is highly detrimental to the development. If the two are developed separately from each-other, focussing on the ideal mix of elements for each play-style, development and motivation would increase. Developments in either version can be adapted (or not) at will in the other version. I'd even be so bold as to say it could be done relatively easily (looking at how fast some of the mods are created). You'd just have to choose one of two modes: "Classic RTS", or "Enriched RTS". Classic RTS would play very well on low end computers, while people with high end gaming computers could get a lot more adventurous/epic in how they play 0AD.
Oh, and:
1 hour ago, Hannibal_Barca said:It would be really nice if the team would decide to add Kushites for example. I'm working on how to make them fit it yet stick out and it could be a great advert for A23
Of course it brings with it additional balancing issues but if properly worked on before should cause no problems
Should be voted whether or not to add them
Definitely agree with this
-
3
-
@Lion.Kanzen That's from an album cover: "African Queens" by The Ritchie Family (1977). Taking it back to the days of disco
SpoilerThe crown on the far right looks like something Kushite Queens would wear, but I think it's better to stick to the primary sources (the many reliefs posted in this thread) as the reference for such things. There's already a lot of accurate examples of crowns for both men and women.
-
3
-
-
11 hours ago, Nescio said:
personally I think it's actually the greatest strength that the game is in constant development and will possibly never be finished. 0 A.D. can always be changed, updated, improved, and expanded, unlike commercial games designed for profit, which have to be released at a certain date and won't be changed afterwards.
My thoughts exactly... It's ever-changing nature is it's greatest strength.
I do understand the frustrations shared by a lot of people, and I do actually think that the team isn't putting enough effort in to attracting new content producers and maintaining the current community of active members, or showcasing peoples' work and promotion for the game in general. The same issues also keep popping up incessantly by new players, and not much is done with it outside of the mods:
- citizen soldier-concept needs a remake: people that work and fight is awesome, but there need to be common labourers, better at economic activities (not only women)
- destroy needs to be the default over capture
- counters are impossible to understand for new-comers, and experienced players trip over this as well
- battalions, formations and armies need to be implemented convincingly
- overly aggressive AI (there should be two more, equally competent AI's: a reactionary one, and a defensive one)
- more variety/options in general, like DE
Yes, I understand, these things need competent people to work on them. But what is the team doing to attract those people? Don't get me wrong, I know there's a lot of silent heroes coding away: @elexis, @mimo, @fatherbushido, @leper, @Pureon, @bb_, @Imarok, @Itms, @fabio, @implodedok, and many others... Shout out to you all for the amazing work so far. I've really enjoyed watching 0AD evolve and improve over the years. I just think you could use some help seen as the to-do list is still quite considerable, and valuable people like @wowgetoffyourcellphone leaving isn't helping development of new content.
I think the true potential of 0AD is often overlooked, and we end up with a game trying to stream-line itself for competitive online game-play, but will feel empty without expanded single player options.
Bottom-line, the game can be a lot more than it is now (expanded economy/technologies, modest city-building elements, battalions and armies and improved battle-mechanics, updated and more realistic maps/smoother terrain textures, etc). It's often remarked how much this game looks like AOEII, but the truth is, 0AD has the potential to be much greater than Age of Empires ever was, or ever will be! I'm very confident we can wipe the floor with the upcoming Age of Empires releases! We just need the right people working on the right things...
Now really wouldn't be a bad time to set up a "game-plan" for the next release. An expansive, and clear, public discussion on the forums about what absolutely needs to be added/changed in the next release and how to go about it, with more considerations for the recurring issues listed above (and the various "requested features" topics). With active participation from the development team, so that people in the community can feel they're being listened to by the people actually implementing changes. Maybe someone like @feneur could start and moderate this discussion, with the first post keeping track of the agreed upon changes.
-
6
-
Is anybody else ready for some Total War style mechanics in 0AD? I know I am...
A lockable battalion system keeps popping up as a requested feature. Being able to add any unit you like to a battalion (with different advantages/disadvantages), and then locking that battalion, would make you select the entire battalion upon clicking one unit within that battalion. Being able to add these battalions to lockable armies (which you can compose any way you like) would be an awesome system. This should be done with easy to understand buttons, where you also set formations and stances.
This would make managing large armies a lot more pleasant. On the more recent models of MacBook pro, 0AD runs like a doozy. I can play with over a thousand pop, without any serious hiccups. I imagine that in future, with more improvements to the game, this ability to generate so many units will be utilised to create much more epic gameplay.
-
4
-
-
20 minutes ago, LordGood said:
build the temples back to back to back and then upgrade them accordingly
Why didn't I think of that, lol! But that still doesn't take away the discrepancies:
We have a perfect Apedemak temple: but the model is now used as a "genereric" temple. Apedemak temple upgrade turns it into not-an-Apedemak temple...
We have a perfect Amun temple: This is now cut in half and replaced with something that is not an Amun temple...
Why???
-
1
-
-
@balduin The building set is essentially complete ( @LordGood is a 3D modelling machine...). I still need to do my final research and reference posts, including architecture stuff. I will then create an architecture-revision post, for the final draft of the building set. So suggestions can still be made.
The only building that LordGood modelled that isn't in either of the mods, is the (oh so important) Amun temple. In @Hannibal_Barca's mod, the original Amun temple is cut in half. You can build a generic temple (which is actually an Apdemak temple), and then choose to upgrade it to an "Apedemak temple" (actually one half of the original Amun temple), or an "Amun temple" (the other half of the original Amun temple). I think it's an attractive option for gameplay, but not historic, and to be honest, I really want to see LordGood's original (complete) Amun temple in-game. It's such an amazing model (my favourite), and it's the most recognisably Kushite monumental structure apart from the pyramids. It's so historical... I know its size is a bit awkward, but that's the point! These structures were awkwardly large, and I don't see why this most important type of building in Kush can't be represented as such. It's size will be warranted because special techs will be researched there, making it important. It will be their special building, and yes, I know, they already have pyramids, but Kush can be a faction that demonstrates a greater architectural diversity. A benchmark for other civs. The most logical way of differentiating/diversifying the civ's from each other is allowing them to build their iconic structures (not just one special building, but potentially several). Just to clarify why the Amun temple can't be a wonder: there were at least 8 of these monumental temple complexes in ancient Kush. I have some idea's for the wonder as well, but more on that later.
Optionally, two mercenary camps for Nuba and Blemmye mercenaries can still be modelled, giving access to cheap trash units (Nuba) and camel units (Blemmye)
New textures (Kushite specific reliefs) need to be created. I hope to do this myself (creating outlines and color-schemes), and @Lion.Kanzen (photoshop magic). Generally, the textures can still use a small rework (at least some white plaster for the CC and other important buildings), but more on that in a future architecture post.
Building props, like stone ram- and lion-statues, and statues of Kings still need to be made.
Icons for buildings, units and techs.
Some units and structures need renaming, and we need to start looking for native names as well. We will use the little Meroitic that we know, modern Nubian and Ancient Egyptian as the base-languages for Kushites)
The units still need a lot of work. Some are already (almost) perfect. Others are still using mainly ptolemaic placeholders, which work well for now, but they'll have to be replaced in the coming months. @wackyserious was making some really nice progress a little while back in this thread, but those units haven't been implemented yet (not entirely finished yet). @wowgetoffyourcellphone, with help from @stanislas69 created a bunch of new units, implemented in Vox Populi.
The main things that needs work for units are:
- shields (shape, pattern, decoration)
- bronze scale armour (corselet), for champions
- Heroes: Piye and Amanitore need to be replaced with Nastasen, Arakamani, Amanishakheto or Harsiotef (see time-period). Amanirenas should remain.
- weapons: sword and scabbard, Epsilon axe, narrow armour-piercing axe and a large hooked blade-axe, or a mace-axe still need to be modeled
- cavalry: Noble cavalry lancer needs to be modelled (I'm still working on an illustration)
- feathers for the Nubian units.
Techs:
Most techs are generic for now. Kushites have a very expansive history (lot's of info in this thread), and I believe we can create an almost exclusively civ-specific tech-tree for this faction, if in name only. So the tech-tree probably still needs a lot of work in terms of specifics and naming.
I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting...
As you see, most of what still needs to be done actually relies on us, providing the artists and modders with the correct information and references so they can continue working. I'm falling behind on my part (I've been quite busy lately), but I'm trying to get my last reference posts organised, so I can move ahead and create good illustrations of shield types and provide indigenous names and other more specific things.
-
1
-
The kingdom of Kush: NEWS!
Vox Populi (mod) makes an updated and playable version of the Kushites available!
After Delenda Est(download here), a second mod, Vox Populi (by @Hannibal_Barca) , has now featured the Kingdom of Kush as a playable faction, debuting many new models by @LordGood, replacing all Ptolemaic (building) placeholders, and adding many new units created by @wowgetoffyourcellphone, with additions like new weapons and hairstyles by @stanislas69.
About Vox Populi:
"This mod tries to address the main "weaknesses" of the current release: it aims to balance "op/up" units, it adjusts technologies and introduces some variety along the way
As the name implies (Vox Populi = Voice of the People) , this mod is open to all suggestions of the 0 A.D. community and there is a high chance that if several "known" players agree on a suggestion, it could be added in here."
Download here: https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/22869-vox-populi-the-ultimate-balance-mod/
Special thanks to everybody involved in the development of this faction so far. Progress over the last few months has been considerable, largely due to the efforts of LordGood and Wowgetoffyourcellphone, and now Hannibal_Barca has given us the distinct pleasure of trying out all the new goodies for ourselves, in-game, along with many new balance considerations, aimed at improving gameplay. Thank you all!
Screenshots:
SpoilerI played a rather lengthy game and had loads of fun! Played against 2 very hard AI's, but they were busy massacring each other so I had time to set up a nice little fortified town and satellite settlements.
Temple guards, guarding a temple..
- Pervy Priest: My child, it's been a while since I saw you in the temple. Is everything alright?
- Probably Underage Girl: Oh, I'm fine, just been real busy, you know...
- Pervy Priest: Too busy for Amun? Why don't you step inside for an offering of milk and sensual... Huhummmm... I mean ritual oils, my dear.
- Probably Underage Girl: Euhm... No thanks... I have errands to run...
- Pervy Priest: I have incense [smiles creepily]
- Probably Underage Girl: Ok, I think I'm going to go now... [walks away in an awkward hurry]
- Pervy Priest: Ok, but remember, Amun is always watching... Always [whispered softly under his breath]...
An army on the move. A zebra watches. He knows they're not here to hunt him. It's something else they're after.
Target acquired
"That Ptolemaic scum doesn't stand a chance!", "YEAH!!!", "Attaaack!", "Kill those imposter-Egyptians!!!"
Holding the high ground, raining down death. Meroitic noble archers and Nubian bowmen don't only look great, they're awesome at killing stuff from a safe distance.
In the aftermath of battle, the High Priest gives praises to Amun for delivering a glorious victory. Behind him, a Meroitic swordsman overlooks the carnage, surrounded by death, existential questions race through his mind: "Is this truly the glory of Amun?", "Was it really all worth it?" "Oh god, I killed so many people! Am I a monster?" "Have we become the enemy?", "I never knew victory smells like a pile of fresh corpses defecating all over themselves..."
-
3
-
1
-
-
@LordGood Boom! "Drops the mic..." Perfect! I love the way the lions are patiently waiting for their Mediterranean snack. That look...
About the lions, the trick is to keep them well fed. Having a sharp stick handy at all times also helps. Also, don't try this at home...
Those heavy chains remind me of those Nigerian circus hyenas:
Spoiler
-
I was actually surprised to find so many depictions of lions in Kushite art, including in a domesticated context, on a leash, or attacking captives. It's similar to earlier Egyptian examples, who actually imported lions from Kush. It's also very similar to the tradition of keeping lions in the Abyssinian empire (modern day Ethiopia). Haile Selassie is the most famous example, who had as many as 30 lions "guarding" his palace in Addis Ababa. These lions belonged to a genetically and phenotypically distinct subspecies of lion, smaller, and with a darker mane, which also runs across their underbelly (probably related to Barbary lions), now thought to be (nearly) extinct in the wild. I imagine that these were the same species of lion used by Kushites, and by extension Egyptians. Perhaps, like the North African Elephant, these were easier to handle due to their smaller size, and a longer/intenser exposure to human populations than their larger cousins?
SpoilerEmperor Tewodros' lions, one of Haile Selassie's predecessors:
Haile Selassie's palace guards:
Modern descendants from Haile Selassie's lions at the Addis Ababa Lion Zoo
It seems to be an East African thing...
-
1
-
-
@LordGood Hohohooo!!! Amazing! I really love it! Thank you
SpoilerI think the lions could use a little more contrast/shading and detail (just a little), especially the left one (because it's closer to the viewer). Perhaps the pyramids in the background could have a darker, greyish colour or something, because they're quite inconspicuous right now. At a first glance, the right ear-guard of the Roman soldiers makes it look as if he has a giant lower lip, perhaps a more defined line or something could make it more clear, or remove it (doesn't need to stick out like that).
It's so funny I was watching a video on Roman military equipment explaining those metal studs underneath their sandals just yesterday. Lovely detail!
reference for the curious:
SpoilerQueen Amanitore (successor of Queen Amanirenas) smiting her enemies with swords and a pet lion:
The Roman captive from the temple to victory in Meroe's Royal City:
The context of the now lost fresco, showing the prisoners (including a Roman, 2 Egyptians and 2 Nubians) underneath the feet of a Meroitic ruler, very possibly Amanirenas, a prince (Akinidad?) standing behind the throne. This is where the Meroe head was found (bronze head of Augustus). The skull in the wall was a morbid joke by the photographer.
The remains of the structure where the reliefs were found. Garstang built a modern structure on top for protection, in vain, as this structure seems to have disappeared since then.
-
1
-
-
@LordGood
, putting a smile on my face! With regard to Kushites, I still have to drop a bunch of reference materials which will influence the final design for the Kushites, but it's a lot, and I've been rather busy lately. I'm sure you'll love to go through that stuff (lot's of architecture stuff) when I drop it, and get a lot of inspiration from it. I'll try to get that done in the coming days (weeks?). It will allow for more detailed urban scenes and such.
If you're really itching to create something now, how about Queen Amanirenas with pet lions and a bodyguard? Perhaps a Roman prisoner, on his knees, arms tied behind his back?
SpoilerA friend created this sketch of Amanirenas for the Kushites, and put it at our disposal, do with it what you wish
Another take on quilted cotton:
Just realised how terribly off-topic this is :/
-
Just now, LordGood said:
Give me a prompt, Sundiata, its about time I overclocked on a painting. One with some use to be had!
Euhm, I didn't quite get that, lol..
-
19 minutes ago, LordGood said:
I have most of my social links in my forum signature
Ah, I see.. I'm blind sometimes... Hey, if I can save a little extra, I'll definitely commission a piece or two from you!
-
1
-
-
Wow! That's really good! The walls of Mycenae... Very, very good.
Bronze Age.... Mmmm, good times, good times...
[apologies for my ramblings in advance]
SpoilerYou should start a career in historical illustration and become the next Angus McBride! Just a suggestion
There are a lot of civilisations that haven't been properly illustrated before (like Kushites), so there's huge potential in that niche market. With your abilities in historical interpretation of written and archaeological sources, you could fill a huge gap in historical art. Everybody's in to sci-fi and fantasy these days, not that that's a problem, it just leaves a lot of uncovered ground in the type of historical illustrations you make.
Also, don't take this the wrong way (I want to see you become famous with your art
), but I want to offer some suggestions to improve your work (even further). I think your two "weakest" points at the moment are anatomy and level of detail. I love your style, and don't think you should change it, but I think you should also try out a new style, with a stronger focus on anatomical proportions, dramatic stances, intense facial expressions and a higher level of detail. I know this is fully within your capability (I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't), and understand it's mostly a matter of how much time you spend on a piece (oh, that precious resource, time!). The self portrait in your avatar for example, is the direction I'm talking about. Very expressive, and detailed.
If you can make a portfolio of never before illustrated historical events/places/people, with this stronger focus on "dramatic realism", you could really gather quite a following (and commissions, I suppose). Then it's just a matter of where and how to showcase these pieces, though I'd suggest making a dedicated website for your work, and create a presence on all the important social media platforms and art sites (no need to be very interactive, just update with new pieces regularly). You should make as many high quality pieces as possible, free to the public, so your work can easily spread and become known, so you will also get more paid commissions in return. Most important of all, is to tag your work properly and extensively, so people can easily find it when they look for, say, "Ancient Mycenae", or "Mycenaean fortifications", or "bronze age battle", and stuff like that, along with a well-sourced description of the scene. Seriously, tags are more important than the quality of the piece! The more, the better.
I'd love to graduate to your level of illustration one day, and create accurate historical art dedicated to African history, beginning with Kushites. That's why I'm so excited about the pieces you created for the Kushites so far. They're quite accurate, look amazing, and they're unique pieces, never before illustrated. When the Kushites are finished (research, models, full implementation in a playable mod), I'll be using your work for promotional purposes, and probably spread it around on a few forums discussing Kushite/African history and military. They'll be extremely interesting to people researching the subject.
-
1
-
Really?
in Game Modification
Posted
This is a very relevant point, and also the reason why I think it's so important to attract (much) more people to 0AD. I'm really not expecting 10 people to implement the entire design-document and manage the slew of daily user-requests, all on their free time.
I think attracting more people can be done "relatively easily" by updating the main web-site, especially using much better screenshots than the ones that are there now. Video-editing features can be used more often to make pretty "short-video's" introducing all of the civ's in a 45sec. format for example.. Creating a development report every month/two months doesn't seem too much work to do, but essential to maintaining interest (it gives people something to look forward to, in between releases). There used to be these cool weekly development reports on the main site (I totally loved them), but every week is clearly overkill.. There needs to be some kind of "PR-department" creating/managing/planning promotional materials so that, for example, pretty screenshots, or concept art created by lordgood can be featured, new models like stanislass' Thracians or alaexander and lion's Xiognu minifaction can be shown off, or code improvements explained and new mods can be presented. This "PR-team" should have access to the official website/facebook/youtube/twitter/instagram acoounts and update at least once a week (if only with a single screenshot), and contact important gaming-sites ahead of every realese. These relatively low investments of time and effort, that don't even need to be handled by the development team (maybe just reviewed by them), would do wonders in terms of attracting new players and potential contributors. Some are bound to be coders...
0AD is still shockingly unknown, and in dire need of some good ol' marketing! It would just be nice to have something a little more coherent to market. Why not include a simple campaign for the first time. That would be revolutionary. Romans for example. Nothing too crazy. You play 5 maps, one after the other, each incrementally more difficult than the last. Then you integrate it with the tutorial (for the first map at least). Generate random maps with the right setting, and modify to liking with triggers and all. Is that beyond the realm of feasibility?
How often are the Departments of Computer Science in universities contacted? Can't people write specific, pre-determined sections of code as a part of their bachelor's program or thesis or extra credit? It's an open-source project after all... It's historical so there's educational aspects... Advanced classes in digital art departments could probably model a new civ in less than two days (imagine 20 people working on a single civ as a class-project)...