Age of Empires II: Age of Kings

More information on the Berbers and Malians.

More to come, and it does indeed look like the Ethiopians and Portuguese are also present.

I haven't played AOE 2 HD in a while.

Such a good time to have a PC with the most outdated driver card ever

Woohoo, my country is in Ao E, at last!

edited 3rd Nov '15 11:22:42 AM by Quag15

So what interaction did Portugal have with Africa? Refresh my historical memory.

It already was in Age of Empires III.

In the mid-late Renaissance, Portugal was the first country to begin establishing overseas colonies and and building a global empire, about a century before anyone else did. It started with Africa, mainly trading for valuable goods such as gold and ivory. Unfortunately, they were also the first European power to kick off the slave trade in Africa.

Portugal will likely be a naval-focused civ, given this history.

edited 3rd Nov '15 12:32:51 PM by TotemicHero

Oh yeah, silly me (dope slaps self).

This. However:

Yes, but slave trade was already a thing in Africa before we appeared (I think there are Islamic sources on this). It doesn't excuse our major role and participation in it, naturally.

edited 3rd Nov '15 12:46:48 PM by Quag15

Information on the Ethiopians.

And trash war? (free Spearman line upgrades)

edited 4th Nov '15 3:42:13 AM by EarlOfSandvich

Shotel Warriors vs Huskarls! Spam war!

And now, the Portuguese

Cartography in the dark age for allies? Holy shit!

Also, a first look to sate your interest:

edited 4th Nov '15 6:15:30 AM by EarlOfSandvich

New generics:

• Castle Age tech from the Barracks: Arson. Makes all melee units do +2 damage to buildings.
• Castle Age University tech: Arrowslits. Towers do more damage, with upgraded towers receiving more of a boost.
• Castle Age Siege Workshop unit: Siege tower. Up to 10 foot soldiers can garrison inside, and the tower will deposit them on the other side of an enemy wall. Doesn't work on double-thick walls.
• Feudal Age Dock units: Fire galley and demolition raft. Pretty much what you'd expect.

Berber tech tree:

• No Arbalests, Halberdiers, or Paladins.
• Genitour (team-available unique unit, like the Condotierro) is a mounted skirmisher and, like the skirmisher, doesn't cost Gold. Looks like a sweet trash unit.
• Camel Archer is a cavalry archer that beats other cavalry archers.
• No Shipwright (but they get all naval units), Keeps, or Bombard Towers.
• No Siege Rams or Siege Onagers, but they do get Bombard Cannons.
• Pretty good Monks and Blacksmith, and economy is missing Two-Man Saw.

Ethiopian tech tree:

• No Hand Cannoneers, Champions, or Paladins.
• Shotel Warrior is a speedy Glass Cannon, with 16/18 (!!) Attack, but only 40/50 hp and no armor at all.
• No top-tier ships apart from the Galleon, and no Bombard Towers.
• Pretty good Monks and Blacksmith, and a flawless Siege Workshop. Combine with the increased blast radius from Torsion Engines...ouch.
• Pretty damn good economy, missing only Crop Rotation.

Malian tech tree:

• No Hussars or Paladins. Archery Range is only missing Parthian Tactics (but also no Bracer), and Barracks is only missing Eagle units (duh).
• Gbeto is a ranged infantry unit, like the Throwing Axeman, but stronger (10/14 Attack), faster, longer-ranged (5/6 range), and much squishier (30/45 hp and no armor). Also, the only female combat unit. No, Spanish Villagers don't count.
• No Fast Fire Ships, Elite Cannon Galleons, or Shipwright. Also, no Bombard Towers.
• Monks are only missing Illumination. No Siege Rams or Heavy Scorpions.
• No Two-Man Saw.

Portuguese tech tree:

• No Parthian Tactics, Squires, Hussars, Camels, or Paladins. Africa hates Paladins.
• Great navy and fortifications (no Fast fire Ships or Hoardings).
• Organ Gun is an anti-personnel siege unit. Think tougher Hand Cannoneers with More Dakka and no minimum range.
• Caravel is basically a naval Scorpion with an attack bonus against Galleys.
• Feitoria is a unique building. Available in the Imperial Age, it automatically generates resources over time. It also eats up 20 population, so don't go nuts. It doesn't work as quickly as 20 villagers would, but it costs less (250 each of wood and gold vs 1000 food), and a Feitoria doesn't care if you've exhausted all the Stone on the map.
• No Siege Ram, Siege Onager, or Heavy Scorpion, but flawless Blacksmith and University. Also, Arquebus (Unique tech extends Ballistics to all gunpowder units) should make their Bombard Cannons pretty damn scary.
• No Gold Shaft Mining. Good thing their units get Gold discounts.

Setup options:

• New game mode: Sudden Death. Lose your (only) Town Center, lose the game.
• New standard maps: Kilimanjaro (massive central hill dominates the map), Mountain Pass (snowy, rugged Nomad variant), Nile Delta (start on resource-poor islands, migrate to the rich mainland and control the ocean), Serengeti (Arabia variant), and Socotra (start with lots of villagers and resource deposits, but the small island setting means your enemies are right on your doorstep, and a rock wall keeps everyone on the island).
• African maps have ostriches and zebra in place of deer, fruit bushes in place of berry bushes, and elephants in place of boar. Baobab trees also come with 200 Wood.
• New terrain: cracked sand. Building a house on sand is little better than the proverb suggests.
• New special maps with various gimmicks. An example is Snakepit, which stations all players along a linear, winding path through the jungle. Have fun acting as the gatekeeper for the rest of your team!

Hookay, that should be everything in the video.

edited 4th Nov '15 2:02:32 PM by ABNDT

If only they could release this for non hd aoe2

On our tech tree: While it's fairly true to history (props to the inclusion of the feitorias, whose impact in globalization trade in history cannot be underestimated), it feels weirdly unbalanced. No Siege Rams? Weird. On the other hand, fuck yeah Arquebus and Organ Gun!

Also, it would've been a crime if they didn't included the Caravel.

edited 4th Nov '15 1:50:10 PM by Quag15

Why no Paladins anywhere? :S

Good question. As it stands, even with this expansion included there are only eight civs with access to this unit.

Considering the last Paladins to stroll through Africa, I doubt they'd be welcome.

I'm going to buy this on the 16th of December. It'll be a good reward after I complete my class. :)

African Kingdoms is out, and also 20% off. Also, balance changes. Changelog.

Ooookay...Good Bad Bug ahoy! In the 4th mission of the Sundjata campaign, I secured an alliance with Mema by rescuing their princess, and she offered me the aid of her Gbeto forces in return. Thing is, they won't. Stop. Coming. I finished the scenario at 570/125 population, and that's including heavy losses from my We Have Reserves tactics.

edited 5th Nov '15 5:55:26 PM by ABNDT

I remember my friend Max wished there was an ability in the game called "Salt Earth," which would destroy your enemy's farms.

I just ran across this batshit-crazy match w/commentary. If you have a couple hours to set aside, it's well worth your time.

I played as the Mongols today. :)

It didn't end well. -.-

Bump, because there is something I should get off my chest.

Why can I not play as the Ethiopians?! >.<

Has anyone managed to beat the last level in Sundjata's campaign? Fucking wonder...

EDIT: Nevermind, I've managed to beat it, after some 5 or 6 attempts (with lots of saves in between).

edited 14th May '16 9:47:04 AM by Quag15