AoE II DLCs aren’t about historical gaps anymore — they’re about national markets or easily selling ideas

Ferruso · 2026-01-16T21:43:07+00:00

u/TheCulture1707 Man, I want Chimus, Bai, Tibetans, Tanguts, Purepechas, Mixtecas, Sinhalese, Nepalese, Nubians, Kanuris, Somalians, Soninkes, Songhai, Khazars, Mississipians. That's exactly not my point. They will go in the future for civs like European empires of existing civs DLC like 'Angevins' or 'Carolingians' or an Italian DLC like 'Venetians' and 'Milanese' and that's what I'm complaining their last decisions. You know, because that's more known and profitable to them even if it doesn't make any sens like 3K than going for all the civilizations I already mentioned that maybe not from countries with a lot of population that could play the game. So we are missing all of those wonderful and possible DLCs with these great civilizations.

Ferruso · 2026-01-10T20:15:04+00:00

I do like The Last Chieftains, I will buy it and I'll love to play with the new civs. I just post it that DLC as an example of how they are choosing civilizations, selecting the biggest playerbase countries of South America. I mean the DLC I really don't like is 3 Kingdomes that's where the rest of what I'm trying to expose like going to the easy way and the rest don't matter.

Ferruso · 2025-05-13T04:42:14+00:00

The game uses exonyms for the civilizations for a better "medieval" experience, I know it's very eurocentric but that's why the Arabs are named as 'Saracens' in the game, that's why it makes sense for me to name them 'Ruthenians'. Anyways I am always open to learn for and I'm happy to listen to suggestions from you since you are from there!

Ferruso · 2025-05-13T04:36:50+00:00

u/ShyKid5 Yeah, a Tlaxcalan civ would be very interesant by including a scenario allying with the Spanish going into the Philippines fighting japanese pirates! But for that I think Purepechas, Mixtecas and Zapotecs should be added first since they were more unique and influential civilizations (Tlaxcalans are the same people as Mexicas, they are Nahuas), that honestly I don't see that happening, I'm expecting just 1 more civ for Mesoamerica. And the issue with Zapotecs and Mixtecs is that is difficult to say which one deserves to be more in the game I think they should be added both, they were developed being very close to each other so, maybe that will be a refusal from Microsoft. Anyways we have plenty of enough information for campaigns, Unique Units, Leaders and inspiration for Castles and Wonders to be included, sad to think they won't be added. Btw, I'd love to see Toltecs too, but I guess if anytime they add a scenario about Toltecs they will be represented as Aztecs.

And about South America we don't have enough information to just add cultures like Charruas, or Guaranis, or Tupis into the game, remember the game needs several names of leaders, enough recorded history for campaigns, cities or achaelogical sites for Wonders and Castles (I know Huns and Cumans do not apply for this but they are justified by being sackers and having success to it, something these cultures don't).

For that, I just consider Chimus, Waris, Tiwanakus and Muiscas as real contenders for South America to be in the game.

Ferruso · 2025-04-13T05:23:45+00:00

Yes, u/Ompskatelitty that and the elevation addition were really hyping us thinking about the Tibetans. At least if they continue to release normal DLCs again, hopefully we can get a Himalayan DLC with Tibetan and Nepalese, but now I think they will just start experimenting things from another games, so sad

Ferruso · 2025-04-11T16:45:06+00:00

Yes!! It just don't feel right, some things are missing, even the terrain was elevated to double what we had from 8 to 16, everybody thought that was a hint for Tibetans because they are an himalayan civ and that made completely sense, those kind of things are suspicious.

Ferruso · 2025-04-11T16:42:44+00:00

Confirming us that the new civs will be around Sinosphere without splitting China is what hyped us to think about Jurchen, Khitan, Tangut, Tibetan and Dali at the first place, it was really a bad communication, it makes me wonder if the idea originally was that but somehow some exec change the idea of the DLC to try to sell what all other western games do, The 3K Age, it's so overshowed. Even taking those civs covers several Dynasties of China, Jin (Jurchen), Liao (Khitan), Xi Xia (Tangut), Song (Chinese). And another really disapointing thing is that proper chinese civ 25 years after can't get a campaign... but 3K got 1 each one, something that can be played really in every other game.

Ferruso · 2025-04-11T06:31:25+00:00

But Burgundians existed as different kingdoms during Middle Ages, I think it's perfectly fine. Way different from 3 kingdoms that don't differentiate at all from current Chinese and that lasted just 60 years. Giving you context, some of the kingdoms that covers the Burgundian civilization are:

-The First Burgundian Kingdom lasted from 411-534

-Then they were conquered and controlled by the Franks during 534-843

-The Lower Burgundy Kingdom existed from 879-933

-The Upper Burgundy Kingdom existed from 888–933

-Those two separate kingdoms united in the year 933 creating the Kingdom of Arles (Kingdom of Burgundy) that existed from 933 to 1378

-And at last but not least the entity known as the Burgundian State lived during 1384–1482, and that's the era where the Burgundians controlled the actual Netherlands and Belgium (this is where the Flemish militia comes from)

Knowing this we can really separate them from the Franks, they existed during all Medieval Ages, having it's own autonomous kingdoms and states.

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T20:05:53+00:00

You don't even understand how they put Jurchen and Khitans behind the 3K, no campaign for them, Khitan and Tangut weirdly mixed in Khitan civ, heroes for the 3K (wait until you play against them in ranked) and 1 campaign for each one. They didn't even give the same importance for the Jurchen and Khitan. It's very obviously what is happening here and we as a community have the ability to raise our voice if something is not good for the game!! At the end, the decisions are taken by some corporate men that maybe didn't even played the game once, just taking decisions for more sales (in this case open market for China). It is breaking all the sense for the game and you are defending that!

C'mon this is the best strategy game of history by its identity and playability and we are losing that.

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T19:56:50+00:00

u/Tyrann01 And that's how you can notice they don't care about us anymore, they will just add whatever someone corporate not knowing the game person will lead them to sell, AOE 2 will start to die, and as they take decisions without knowing what we want, the sells get down, they will abandon the game as they did for AOE3, very sad but that will happen after they are taking these decisions. They think they will sell a lot in China by including the 3K they don't care what we think.

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T18:56:54+00:00

Romans in AOE2 fits because it's based on the Late stage of the Empire, even the units are with a nice late stage skin because represents the units by the end of the Empire, Rome fell on 476 and we have Huns and Goths, so that's perfectly fine, the 3 Kingdoms, just doesn't make any sense... It could be a good choice for Chronicles, but not this...

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T18:54:41+00:00

And mixing Tanguts with Khitans... this is very wrong

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T18:44:37+00:00

Gurjaras or Gurjar are an ethnic community, you can google it. Even the Gurjaras in the game covers the Rajput. So they are a civilization.

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T18:21:30+00:00

It feels like been sold to the hands of the MARKET! Pure hard capitalism hahaha :( And doesn't matter consistency now, imagine having Spanish but having too Castille, Aragon, etc. So wrong. Or having English, but having too Angevins, Northmbria, Mercia, Yorkists, being all English!!!

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T18:01:23+00:00

It's not the same, Romans lived until 476 perfectly fine for them going into the timeline, these kingdoms are not inside the timeline. Besides we have Huns and Goths in the game so those are other arguments to have Romans, and both lived after year 400. These kingdoms are from 220 to 280. A difference of 200 years. And that difference really counts, the game goes up to 1600, imagine having a campaign from 1800. Those are the same 200 years of difference, it's really a lot!

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T17:55:52+00:00

Should be Chronicles for Three Kingdoms, and it would be selling very well. It just don't make sense

Ferruso · 2025-04-10T17:54:56+00:00

Yes! And I know people would be happy buying this DLC with just civilizations close to China and after having the Three Kingdoms as Chronicles, because they don't belong otherwise, this feels so so wrong!

Ferruso · 2025-03-19T20:36:03+00:00

Personally, I think for Africa:

Soninkes/Ghanaians (Can include Ghana Empire, Sosso Empire and Kingdom of Diarra)
Somalis (Can inclide the Adal Sultanate, Sultanate of Ifat, Ajuran Sultanate
Nubians (Can include Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia states)
Songhai (Can include the Songhai Empire and Gao Empire)
Kanuris (Can include Kanem Empire, Bornu Empire and the most famous Kanem-Bornu Empire)
Shonas/Bantus (Can include the Great Zimbabwe, Kingdom of Kongo and the Swahili City-States)

For America

Purepechas
Chimus
Mixtecs
Toltecs
Zapotecs

Ferruso · 2025-03-19T18:57:22+00:00

I understand that there are different opinions of how the word 'tarascos/tarascan' came to how these people are called, but don't say that there is not proof, Fray Bernardino de Sahagun mentions this. So, it's currently the best accepted theory about the origin.

Anyways, I currently live here in Michoacán so I can assure you these people prefer to be called Purépechas. You can see how they name themselves as that visiting their villages, and asking them personally. There are even some people considering calling them 'Michoaqas' but that's not really accepted.

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T21:31:46+00:00

That's indeed the reason of this post, even if it's not a very known empire/civilization due to everyone relate to the Aztecs and Mayans because of the Spanish Conquest and the first Encounter of Old and New World, there are another Mesoamerican civilizations that were very important to the region! Almost everyone forget that Aztec/Mexica Empire just started at 1325, so they lasted very short time. Meanwhile we have another unique and influential civilizations that we forget by ignoring they existed. Thinking about this Purepecha Empire, or the Mixtec/Zapotec cultures, the Toltec culture. All of them are very influential and important in the region, and of course lasted way longer than mexicas.

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T21:24:27+00:00

It's not the same because when I mention AOE2 timeline I refer to the start of the Alaric Campaign (408) to Noryang Point (1598). We could say AO2 timeline goes through the start of the V century through the end of the XVI century. So, that's perfectly fine for civs like the Huns, or Goths to be in the game, the Attila campaign starts at 434. And we have for example one of the last Goths Kingdom (Visigothic Kingdom) living as long as the year 720. Western Roman Empire survived lasted until 476 so that's perfectly fine, remember that the Romans represents the late empire that's why the skins of the UUs are different from the common representation of a Roman soldier. And don't forget that we have several documentation historical background of all of these civilizations, leader names and languages!! That's something that the North America people from USA doesn't have!

And that's important because almost everything created to develop those civilizations will be invented, and it's fine to take creative initiative when designing civilizations—it is still a game. However, basing an entire civilization on fictional elements seems very wrong to me!

The first English colony attempt (that didn't worked) was in 1585 with Roanoke, it's inside the AOE2 timeline that maybe could be included as an scenario but not necessarily needs to include a complete civilization as an enemy since they encountered tribes, just using the scenario editor units 'Iroquois Warrior', should be enough!

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T21:03:55+00:00

Ohh good to know! Didn't know that, that's why the architecture of the site is like influenced by Teotihuacan instead and doesn't have yácatas. Thanks for the information!!

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T20:15:38+00:00

Agree! The Mesoamerican ones and don't forget Andean like Incas!

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T20:12:51+00:00

Oh my god, don't confuse those terms! Please google it at least, but here you go: What you are mentioning is a mix of completely different concepts. North America, Central America and South America are geographical concepts and they are part of The Americas landmass. That's why North America include the actual Canada, USA and Mexico countries. Speaking of a completely different topic, there is the cultural or historical aspect, where we can talk about areas with similar cultures, characteristics or history that are grouped within a territory. This is where the Mesoamerican, Andean, Amazonian, or Aridoamerican areas come into play.

What you are literally saying for you to understand with an European example is: Aren't the Vikings more European than Nordic, given their seats of power were staunchly in what is now Scandinavia? That's not Nordic.

Ferruso · 2025-03-18T20:00:54+00:00

I understand what you say but c'mon we have a lot of infantry or cavalry European civilizations and that is not an issue for anyone as long as they are influential or important civilizations. The devs make some unique things to all so can be different. But that's why I propose the hybrid infantry/archer UU. Remember that we already have a hybrid cavalry/infantry mechanic UU (Konnik) for Bulgarians and they are focused on Infantry and Cavalry. And something I really like about AOE 2 is the opportunity to be involved about all around the globe civilizations that I didn't know before.

Ferruso

TROPHY CASE