No answers in ten days? Shame. Anyway, I have now a quite finalized version of the attributes and characteristics of the first ten factions for the first release and want to share it with you, to get your opinions, and maybe some constructive critics. The factions of the first release are taken from the Mediterranean and its surroundings, Europe and the Middle East. This is exactly the same area of the world 0 A.D. is set in, so there won't be trouble with biome changes. Note that with these faction I went for regional criteria rather than for ethinc. I am well aware, for instance, that ancient Gauls don't have anything to do with modern French or that the ancient Hittites are not related to modern-day Turks. Also, the boni for almost all civilisations are taken from the period where they were at their strongest. Both are for the sake of simplicity and gameplay purpose. (I suppose you don't want changing civilisation attributes either, something I played around for some time, but which I eventually abandoned) France France is a rather defensive and cultural-minded civilisation which can also develop a good offensive power if played correctly. They have a better cavalry than the average European nation and posess the strongest defensive structures of the game. Representation: Ancient Era: Gallic Celts Medieval Era: Franks/Feudal France pre-Modern Era: Absolutistic/Napoleonic France Modern Era: Modern France Bonusses: Leadership: This provides French "General" units (military support units that give a movement and attack speed bonus to your troops, similar to heroes in 0 A.D.) with a greater "aura", meaning their bonus affacts more of the surrounding units. Generals are also cheaper to acquire for a French player. Advancement: This provides French players with cheaper technologies, representing the fact that France was for a long time the leading cultural power of Western Europe. Britain Britain posesses the strongest late-game navy in the game and is thus best suited for naval maps. It also posesses a strong light infantry arm and, later in the game, a strong airforce. Representation: Ancient Era: Brythonic Celts (maybe with some Pictish influence in later ages) Medieval Era: Anglo-Saxon/Norman feudal England pre-Modern Era: Colonial/Imperial Britain Modern Era: Modern Britain Bonusses: Rule the Waves: British naval transports carry twice as much units, to emphasize their focus on colonial attempts. Together with the strong military navy, this bonus should give Britain a great edge on water maps. Colonialism: British players can acquire territorries on provincial maps just by building two military buildings on that territory (rather than have to build a town centre on a specified settlement). This is meant to be representative of the British colonial empire. Germany Germany has good infantry from the very start of the game, which enables it to do some nasty rush attacks. However, Germany is strongest in the late ages of the game, where it gets strong industrial units such as tanks and aircraft. Representation: Ancient Era: Germanic Tribes Medieval Era: Holy Roman Empire until the rise of Habsburg. pre-Modern Era: Kingdom of Prussia Modern Era: Unified German State Bonusses: Industry: Germany was a industrial powerhouse after its unification. To represent this, German citizens gather metal and oil at a faster rate. Federalism: As opposed to the centralism of many past and modern states, Germany is even today a federal state, the origins of this system dating back to the Holy Roman empire where it was a loose confederation of single states. German civic centres' economics will grow at full rate even if not connected with the capital civic centre. (a recent idea was the economical development of cities and territorries) Russia Russia has the fastest light cavalry in the game, which enables them to raid frequently and effective. It relies on numbers of its soilders rather than on quality, backed up with some or the greatest industrial units in the late game. Representation: Ancient Era: Skythians and Sarmatian tribes Medieval Era: Rus/Early Moscowite pre-Modern Era: Tzaristic Russia Modern Era: Soviet/Modern Russia Bonusses: Russian Winter: The vast landscapes and harsh climate of the Russian lands have spelled doom for many invaders throughout the whole history of thet country. In the game, this will represented by enemy units suffering movement and attack rate penalties as well as reduced resistance to damage and a lower stamina regeneration rate when invading Russian territorry. Grand Population: Reflecting the numerous Russian population and the huge armies made of it throughout the history, a Russian player will be ablew to exceed the game's max population cap by 25%. Italy Italy (or Rome) is a early game civ, having excellent infantry with both strong offensive and defensive stats. It also has good siege and naval capabilities. From the ancient era onwards, the mighty legions are a serious threat to any player. Representation: Ancient Era: Roman Republic/Empire Medieval Era: Italian City States pre-Modern Era: Italian States Modern Era: Modern Italy Bonusses: Legions: Italian melee infantry gets increased formation bonusses if put in formation. Imperialism: The Romans, and later, less known, the Venetians, built great Mediterranean empires. Italian players are able to capture enemy units and buildings faster than any other civ. Balkan The Balkan faction are good defenders, having the strongest hevay infantry of the game and also strong structures and naval units. They are strong in technological aspects and can reach the higher ages faster than the average civilisation. Representation: Ancient Era: Greek Poleis/Hellenistic states Medieval Era: Byzantine Empire pre-Modern Era: Serbian kingdom Modern Era: Modern Greece or Serbia Bonusses: Phalanx: Balkan heavy infantry gains a bonus against other infantry, providing them with fair offensive capabilities. Offensive infantry line is non-accessable or a Balkan player. Philosophy: Ancient Greece is the place where Western science and philosophy originated. Greek produce more knowledge per scholar garrisoned. (knowledge being the ressource to research all technologies) Persia Persia has the strongest cavalry in the game as well as good archers. That means they should be mainly used in the earlier ages of the game, where cavaly has the most significance. Representation: Ancient Era: Achaemenid Persians Medieval Era: Sassanid Persians pre-Modern Era: Choreswm/Safawid/Afghan Persia Modern Era: Modern Iran Bonusses: Wealth: Persian players start off with a bonus amount of every ressource. Special technologies increase wealth acquiring as well. Horse Breeding: Unlike other civilisations, Persians can capture wild horses and bring them to corrals just like in 0 A.D. Garrisoned horses decrease costs and increase production speed of non-mechanical cavalry units. Egypt Egypt is rather defensive, relying on good counter units for enemy offensive units. They are good in a "wall in+build wonder" type of game, since they have good defenses and are bonussed in terms of wonder building. Representation: Ancient Era: Pharaonic Egypt Medieval Era: Arabic Egypt pre-Modern Era: Arabic Egypt (Mamlukes) Modern Era: Modern Egypt Bonusses: Nile Flood: The fertile soil along the River Nile was utilized by the Egyptians, making them one of the first agraric civilisations and the grain suppliers for the ancient world. Egyptian farms yield more food, and citizens can collect food faster from farms. Monuments: The ancient Egyptians build arguably some of the greatest monuments ever, most notably the Pyramids and the Sphnix. The later Arabic culture built great mosques and other buildings in Egypt, too. To reflect this great tradition, Egyptian players have access to wonders earlier in the game. They can also build wonders cheaper. Phoenicia/Spain They are the greatest seamen and traders in the earlier ages, however, their glory wanes in the later ages when Britain comes into play. Thus, they are strongest around mid-game. Representation: Ancient Era: Phoenicians/Carthagenians Medieval Era: Christian Spain pre-Modern Era: Reconquered Spain Modern Era: Modern Spain Bonusses: Exploration: Both Phoenicians and Spaniards were great explorers of their time. Phoenicians were the first to surround Africa, while Spain discovered and colonized the New World. In the game, all Spainsh/Phoenician human land and naval units gain a increased LOS. Trade Masters: Spanish/Phoenician players gain a increased income from all trading routes. Turkey Turkey is something of an all-around faction, with focus on siege and cavalry. They are best used around midgame, where their units are at their strongest. Representation: Ancient Era: Hittite Empire Medieval Era: Seljuk Turks pre-Modern Era: Ottoman Turks Modern Era: Modern Turkey Bonusses: Siege Masters: The Ottoman Turks were very good at besieging cities. Thus, gunpowder siege units gain additional damage bonus against all structures. Multiculturalism: Asia Minor was always made up of many different cultures. At its peak, the Ottoman Empire consisted of many nationalities and made use of that. This is reflected in the mod by having research and training speed at its maximum already in newly conquered provinces. (for you make better use of the local population's skills)
