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Preface

Director's Commentary by Wijitmaker

WHY WE CREATED RaW

This mod was made for a special someone. Me ;). This is what I always wanted in AoK, and once I knew that there was a possiblility to make it myself, I had to do it. So after I made it I thought I'd share it with the rest of you. I hope you all enjoy it. I know a lot of people might have covered some aspects differently, but this was my vision, and that is why you see what you see.

The first issue that comes up when you decide to tackle a complete civ replacement is that a mod can never add new content, just modify or replace existing content.

WHICH BUILD SET TO REPLACE?

I felt you couldn't replace the Middle Eastern or European sets because they were all enemies of Rome, and could be played against Rome and still make sense. I narrowed it down to either the Orientals, or the Mesos. I thought the Mesoamericans would fit the best, for a number of reasons:

  1. The Aztecs have strong infantry (which complements Rome).
  2. Neither have gunpowder (historically accurate).
  3. I really liked the AoE priest and Meso's has the extra .SLPs so it doesn't change the other civs.
  4. Only two civilisations will be affected.
  5. I like the fact that my calvary comes out of the Barracks and has the characteristics of an infantry unit.
  6. Strong siege units.

THE DRAWBACKS

The decision did have a couple of disadvantages, however:

  1. No stable: We resolved that by replacing the Eagle Warrior with the Auxila.
  2. Weak navy: Rome had a strong navy in its day, but would they still have a strong navy compared with the other civs 500 years later?

THE AGES OF RaW

Because the setting is approximately 500 AD, I thought it would not look right for the great Romans to advance equally compared to a civ like the barbarians that it warred against in its era. So I figured if they were going to advance they would do it in this fashion:

  • Dark Age: By 300 AD the Romans were already established as an empire, therefore you won't see the Romans advance from a dark age in Italy. It also had to remain the same because if I messed with it, it would have changed all the civs.
  • Feudal Age: Rome is on the war path. They are going to war to stretch the boundaries of their world, to tame the barbarians. All the buildings in this age were patterned after the first few scenes in the movie "Gladiator". Forts (including tents and other 'temporary' buildings) in the provinces are the norm for Feudal Age replacements. The mod really captures the essence of a Roman war camp in this age.
  • Castle Age: The Romans have felt confident enough to establish themselves permanently in remote regions with towns. So they build their stone structures, and make their presence known. Rome has conquered, and you dare not rise against her.
  • Imperial Age: What used to be a military camp is now a thriving city, complete with marble stuctures, and finely crafted statues. You begin to see a glimpse of the grandeur of Rome that existed in such far-flung cities as Londinium (London), Lutetia (Paris), and Toletum (Toledo).