New Resource? Favor

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

Perhaps the mod can take a cue from Delenda Est and add a meta resource. In DE you gain the Glory resource by building Cult Statues and praising them with your units. In Millennium AD perhaps you can gain the Favor resource that you use for Temple techs, special techs, and training heroes. How it's gathered could be by building Temples/Mosques/Churches.

[AIEND]

Whether this resource is called "Glory" or "Faith", just don't let the game look like a wizarding world.
In addition, the way this resource is obtained, the temple (and the priests stationed), the trickle of statues, and the spoils of war to kill the enemy are preferred, and the way in AoM that the commoners worship the temple is too complicated.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

Just trying to make religion a factor without making it complicated. 

[Lion.Kanzen]

I get the point, but religion is very primitive in this part of history and it's not much different from the earlier period.

The part of medieval thought comes from Aristotelianism and Hellenistic thought.

( No all man born to be free, no all men are equal, some born to rule and other to be slave).

Especially in the west. The Byzantines are more into Eastern thought.

In is Islam they go back to the time of the law of Moses. And every action goes eye for an eye. 

European medieval thought is trapped by rule of institutions and kings.

The greatest contribution of this era are the copyists and the scribes.

In the case of religion there are 3 non-Christian elements that move it.

Gnosis is to say thought of Eastern religions that were mixed with Greek philosophy.

Gnosis is based on asceticism thinking. (The material world is bad, I must flee from it).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

The pagan heritage, the only thing that advanced was that they no longer sacrificed animals..They continued to rely on charms to combat curses. (This originated in Egypt many millennia ago).

The Christianity of this time quite limited.

They continued with the idea of needing priests.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Neoplatonism had an enduring influence on the subsequent history of philosophy. In the Middle Ages, neoplatonic ideas were studied and discussed by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoplatonism

philosophy goes hand in hand with religion in the medieval period.

Those who could read the Bible and the Greek authors were the lords who could pay for their education, the feudal lords.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medieval-philosophy/

The common people were tied to the clergy, and were still mired in pagan superstition.

Liberal ideas would not appear until later with the Protestant Reformation and the printing press on the same dates.

This way people could access philosophical and theological ideas, they would overthrow the ideas about kings and about the clergy.

since it would replace the reign of the institutions, the monarchs and the clergy with the idea of the supremacy of the law.

John Locke is an example of this new style of Christianity that sought to get rid of the Catholic idea and look for new ideas in the Bible.

A more practical idea and away from pagan thought and classical thought .

https://blog.supplysideliberal.com/post/2019/2/10/john-locke-on-the-supremacy-of-the-people-the-supremacy-of-the-legislature-over-the-executive-and-the-power-of-the-executive-to-deal-with-rotten-boroughs

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Lion.Kanzen

[AIEND]

5 hours ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Just trying to make religion a factor without making it complicated. 

I think what you want to add is more like an abstract "confidence", "morale", "authority" kind of resource to visualize, so I don't think it should be limited to religion, victory in war and the majesty of the king and the development of culture and economy should be related to this, and I should even say that I think the latter is more important than religion, killing enemies and building grand palaces, colosseums and other facilities are the main source of providing such resources.

[Lion.Kanzen]

1 hour ago, AIEND said:

think what you want to add is more like an abstract "confidence", "morale", "authority"

we definitely do not have that same vision of medieval culture.

It is difficult to subject all cultures to such abstract ideas.

How would you define China and its surroundings in the middle ages, especially after the fall of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the dynasty Sui.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Latin Virtus/Virtue us better for @AIEND concept.

The term virtue in Latin (virtus) signifies power, strength, and ability. And even goodness. 

There are several things that differentiate the Middle Ages from the Ancient Ages and one of them is not exactly religion even though theological issues were still addressed.

the only thing he achieved is that the issue of materiality went down the path of ascetism instead of the hedonistic path.

From the Greco-Roman cosmological point of view there are two paths

Refuse pleasures and escape to an austere life.

Or

Let yourself be carried away by worldly currents and accept all kinds of pleasure.

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by Lion.Kanzen

[AIEND]

15 hours ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

we definitely do not have that same vision of medieval culture.

It is difficult to subject all cultures to such abstract ideas.

How would you define China and its surroundings in the middle ages, especially after the fall of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the dynasty Sui.

China's Middle Ages was an era of re-order, basically the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty first had to restore the past international status of the Han Dynasty, and strike at the new forces that arose after the Han Dynasty, such as Goguryeo, Turkic, and Tuguhun, which was not difficult at first, but more new civilizations began to rise, such as Tubo, Silla, Uighurs, etc., so this stage was always unstable, even if China eliminated the main opponent for a while, there would be new challengers.
Therefore, by the middle and late Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, China had abandoned the idea of eliminating all enemies and paid more attention to the internal social and people's livelihood construction.

[Lion.Kanzen]

maybe we can have a mechanic like the scholars from Delhi Sultanate from AoE IV.

https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Scholar

 

Units healed by a scholar gain +50% attack speed for 3 seconds with the Zeal technology. Scholars can also garrison inside military buildings, boosting production by 100% with the Efficient Production technology.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Virtue= Philosophy+ Faith/Religion + Knigthood.

[Lion.Kanzen]

http://modernerrantry.com/index.php/2016/04/27/chivalry/

The Western conception of chivalry, originating as a martial code of honour among the warrior elite of Charlemagne, underwent significant development from the early medieval to the high medieval. The classical archetypes of heroism, with its divine heroes such as Herakles, were perhaps a starting point, and certainly reappeared explicitly in the Renaissance. Alexander’s cavalry Companions offer further inspiration, as do the Roman equites. However, the different values of Christianity vis-à-vis Hellenic paganism meant that European chivalry developed beyond simple veneration of strength, courage and honour – although these remained important. In the catechism of Roman Catholicism there are seven virtues which reflect the moderating influence of Christian on Hellenic values. The four cardinal virtues identified and espoused by Plato, and adopted by the Church Fathers, were prudence, justice, temperance and courage. To these, however, were added three ‘theological’ virtues: faith, hope and charity (or love). The idea of a knight as being a warrior for his feudal lord, a defender of his faith and the generous, magnanimous protector of the weak incorporates the cardinal and theological virtues, and therefore exceeds the limited focus of the Hellenic heroic tradition. The evolution of chivalry from martial honour in the 8th century to chivalry as the Christian masculine ideal in the late Middle Ages is indicative of broader developments in Christian theology and western philosophy, as well as historical context such as the Crusades.

Aristotle held that virtues were not mere acts, nor superficial habits such as tea-drinking, but fundamental character traits strongly disposing someone to virtuous action. The actions of a virtuous man are virtuous because he is virtuous. Seemingly tautological, the meaning of this is revealed in “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit”. Arête is translated as both excellence and virtue; arête is the root of aristocracy, meaning that a good aristocratic system is rule by the excellent and virtuous. For Aristotle, to develop one’s moral character requires constant, conscious effort, to make it habit. Training oneself in virtue was necessary to achieve eudaimonia (‘flourishing’, ‘well-being’) and therefore necessary to live a worthwhile life. Further, to live and breathe virtue required practical wisdom, phronesis (for an example, see here), so that one knew how best to act, having considered the situation and its implications. This practical element, the notion of training oneself in virtue, fitted the aristocratic custom of sending the children of nobles to serve in other households as pages and squires before becoming knights, during which time the chivalric arts and Christian values were to be instilled.

[Lion.Kanzen]

What does it mean to cultivate virtue? Aristotle’s ethical system is based on his belief in the rationality of human beings. Acting rationally does not mean simply gratifying our urges and impulses as “people seeking a life of gratification are no better than grazing animals”. A flourishing life must satisfy our rationality. The cultivation of virtue is a rational pursuit; Aristotle argues that virtue is not a trait with which we are born, but something that can be learned. Learning virtue is not simple, either. It takes conscious effort and diligence until it becomes habit.

The distinction between man and animal runs right through the human species itself: only the best (aristoi), who constantly prove themselves the best, and who prefer immortal fame to mortal things are really human; the others, content with natural, temporal pleasures, live and die like animals.
– Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

Build your life around virtue

If you are serious about living virtuously, it makes sense to try and maximise your chances of success by building your life around virtue. Aristotle does not advocate a life of hermetic solitude. Instead, he points out that a complete life requires combining action with virtue. An important element to virtue ethics is called phronesis, or practical wisdom. This implies a life of action, not just thought.

 

For Aristotle, the most effective way to better oneself is to work for the betterment of friends and community. Virtue ethics may seem like a very self-centred philosophy, concerned solely with personal excellence. While it is definitely more personal than utilitarianism, it is worth remembering that many virtues only exist in relation to other people – for example, kindness, charity and justice. Virtue ethics implies acting on the public stage.

http://modernerrantry.com/index.php/2015/09/06/practical-virtue-ethics/

 

 

Homer’s Odyssey is the classic tale of errantry. Set after the Trojan War and The Iliad, Odyssey is the story of its eponymous character’s adventures as he tries to return home. For ten years Odysseus faces adversity of mythic proportions: being trapped in the Cyclops’ cave; avoiding the monstrous Scylla; being strapped to mast to hear the sirens; being held as a sex-slave by a demi-goddess; a brief sojourn to the underworld. And, of course, being caught up in the schemes of the Olympians at almost every turn. In his fantastic adventures we find the wisdom of the ancients.

 

While Aristotle considered virtues good in themselves, admirable and worthwhile for eudaimonia, the virtues of Christianity were those communicated from God to man, both in the Old Testament and in the life of Jesus Christ. In the Christian formulation of virtue ethics, to be virtuous was a divine duty, a basic and necessary element in following the teachings of Jesus. Chivalry, then, which espoused and codified the virtuous life, had not only the rational philosophical groundings of Aristotle, but also a heavenly mandate. Chivalry was at once a formulation of medieval virtue ethics and duty ethics, which is perhaps unsurprising given that Aquinas and other theologians were influenced by Cicero’s On Duty in addition to Aristotle. Chivalry was more than piety as it required performing good deeds.

 

 

The following table shows the usual chivalric code and the seven virtues (an adaptation of the four cardinal and three theological virtues outlined above). The links are clear, illustrating both chivalry’s Christian and classical groundings.

Chivalric code
Believe in and defend the Church
Respect and defend all weaknesses
Love your country and perform feudal duties
Show no mercy to the Infidel
Never lie; always be honourable
Be generous to everyone
Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice

Seven Heavenly Virtues
Castitas – purity, chastity, honesty, wisdom
Benevolentia – kindness, loyalty, compassion
Industria – persistence, effort, diligence
Patientia – patience, mercy
Humilitas – humility, modesty, bravery
Caritas – generosity, sacrifice, love
Temperantia – self-control, justice, honour