MANCHURIAN LEGACY -- A History-First AoE2 Expansion Proposal (LAVAnilla Episode 5)

[@jenexopie464]

That thumbnail took my breath for a sec lmao

[@robbylava]

That was the goal heheheh

[@austinthe710messiah2]

Man, this game is going to keep adding more civilizations for years to come.

[@Ugapiku]

That thumbnail made me click really quick...

[@robbylava]

Heheheh gotcha!

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Sameee

[@friezzerwilhelm]

Same!

[@lordlopikong6940]

I thought it was an update

[@HistoricalWeapons]

It would be called jurchen

[@AdmiralWololo]

Great video! Jurchens (and Tibetans ofc) are top of my list for new Asian civs, and there's a lot to like about your Jurchens build. Lower attack delay for CA is a great bonus that I rarely see suggested, and Iron Pagodas are a must-have

[@jeimmyguizargongorajeinsgo7079]

que primero personifiquen "como se ven las unidades " campeones inkas, y unidades europeas en asiaticos es vergonzoso, se ve horrible en el 2024

[@destruction8946]

Developers might be scared of making an expansion with Tibet because of the competitive scene in china, but I don't think anybody in will really care.

[@fabiancampos4304]

I almost fell off the chair when i saw the thumbnail, 11

[@0super]

I’ll really enjoy watching this after work today. So excited!!

[@mdiddy333]

This is awesome man. I was so excited when I saw the thumbnail haha

[@Scintilus]

I really hope you become part of the AOE Dev team. So much good ideas from your videos. Thank you so much!

[@robbylava]

Thank you so much for saying so my friend, that means a lot.

[@user-dw7ej2rt8l]

fully agree.

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Yessss

[@guanxizheng1418]

well done thumbnail! This is my approach to Jurchens: Cavalry Civilization -Unique building: Hunting Hut(replace house), Automatically collect nearby 5 tiles fish and animal corpses(not include sheep, collecting speed ≈ 1/2 villagers). The first one is free to build, then for each hunting hub you already had, +5 wood cost. -Animal corpse decay 50% slower, if it is within 5 tile range of a house/hunting hut. -When a cavalry unit dies it heals nearby ally cavalry unit by 5. (radius of 3) -Cav Archer can be Trained in Feudal Age, but have less attack and speed. Unique Tech: -Feudalize: You can no longer build Hunting Hut, change all your hunting hut to house. Enable house. You and your teammate gain team bonus: When your farm runs out, or an opponent's farm is destroyed, gain 10 wood. -Sinolization: Team bonus works 200% for you. (some wont stack) Unique Unit: -Banners: Trained in Castle. Expensive Heavy Cavarly Resistant to monk, Each nearby unit you control reduce its ATK, each nearby unit your opponent controls increase its ATK. Regional Unit (for Korea, Japan, China, Jurchen and Vietnam): -Bamboo Shooter: Replace Hand Cannons. Cheap melee Infantry that has a charged atk. Charged attack is ranged and like hand cannons. Fully upgraded melee is about long swordman. Team bonus: houses builds 50% faster

[@tyranitararmaldo]

That thumbnail nearly gave me a heart attack xD

[@Kaliayep]

I just very recently discovered your experiments on revamping and creating new civs for AOE II. It is a great work, detailed, balanced between attention to history and thought experiments on what could be fun to play, quite the equilibrium and the whole thing backed by sources and a synthetic presentation ? As we say in France "Que demande le peuple ?" :) Thanks for your work, I subscribed

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Nice did the exact same thing 2 weeks ago

[@robbylava]

I'm so glad you found me! Thank you so much for the kind words, and I hope you continue to enjoy what I put out going forwards! Tons more plans from here

[@danielalejandrobarramartin5193]

Later the Full China DLC with all ethnicities 😊 and in that you can add the siberian and japanese ones

[@juncheok8579]

Would be cool, i dont think the communist party would be happy about that tho

[@danielalejandrobarramartin5193]

@@juncheok8579 didnt Care about them

[@juncheok8579]

@@danielalejandrobarramartin5193 you don't, but aoe2 devs care about their profits

[@quasibrodo923]

As far as likeliometer I agree. If the forums have any predictive power, it seems that something in africa would be the next DLC, but Jurchens and Khitans to me seem like the lowest hanging fruit, and I'd expect them soon......unless the CCP doesn't like it.

[@ozzy-bj3ov]

Absolutely amazing video! You've come incredibly far, you should be superbly proud of yourself!

[@robbylava]

Thank you so much for saying so Ozzy!

[@francescomariablasetii]

Hi Robby! I'm extremely pleased with the new type of content: I binge-watched all the Lavanilla playlist on my laptop in a day and this video is my favourite out of all of them, followed by the Mountain Royals remake. I think you're doing a great job and I think that you're handling this shift in content quite well. As an history nerd and game designer myself, I really like your Civ-Theorycraft content, especially because I can use it to discover new topics and civilizations of the past; however, I always struggled with your game-design phylosophy. It's radically different to what I'm used to do and what I like, too much boundary pushing for my taste. I think that one of the core strenghts of AoE2's game design is its "building blocks" or "LEGO-style" approach: through the use of a really small number of generic units, with clearly defined strenghts, weaknesses and gameplay, Ensemble studios was capable of portraying a lot of history and gameplay into the game at the same time; yes, there are a lot of wrong or weird things but, in a lot of ways, they managed to create the feeling of commanding a famous civ of the past in "its natural habitat and strenghts". For example, you're going to spam cavalry with the Huns or you're going to deploy incredibly strong infantry and skirmishers with the Aztecs. The generic unit system, with its rock-paper-scissors design, it's incredibly solid and easy to pick up but also extremely customizable, as time shown. That's why I do not like the introduction (or substitution) of too many units or complex new game mechanics that kinda "get in the way" of this game structure. I think that it's possibile to pack a ton of flavour, history and gameplay using the original system as a base, a system that it's still far from being stagnant or lacking in options IMO. So, yeah, I can finally see your work portrayed in a way that resonates with me and the game I love, thank you very much!

[@robbylava]

Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words my friend! I won't lie, I do love pushing the boundaries and hope to do so again someday. But for the meantime, I'm glad you and so many others have found something that resonates more with your sensibilities on my channel. Hope you continue to enjoy what I put out! Got tons more plans going forward, and I hope to have you along for the ride.

[@weifan9533]

Haven't really communicated with you or watched your videos due to my health issue (got a quite severe infection/allergy with my left eye), but wow you got some amazing builds and ideas. I also got some interesting ideas for the Jurchens and the Songhai, and I'll probably start writing them on the Fandom page once I recover. Stay tuned!

[@robbylava]

Hey! Great to see you in the comments my friend, thank you so much for the kind words! Get better soon, and I look forward to speaking with you more!

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

love the video I just had a thought, and i was wondering why you do not include some gameplay clips in your videos. When i first descoverd your channel, i almost clicked off because i thought it was just some rushed PowerPoint made by some random guy who did no research. of course, now i realise that is the exact opposite from the truth. However, I think some stimulant is good for your avridge 15 year old boy like me who, while finds your videos amazing once starts watching them will struggle to commit to a long 40 minute power point lecture (not to be rude but some people may see it that way). I am not complaining and i understand it would be really hard work with the editting but you could be celebrating 1 milion subs not 1k becouse that is how manny you truly deserve. I hope i do not come across as overly critical this your channel. After all you're the one with the 1.5k subs. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@kaarolus4503]

Robby man you only get better and better! What a video! Congrats!! I really hope you were part of the AoE team, you have such great ideas. I loved the idea of making a whole expansion build btw

[@robbylava]

Thank you so much for saying so my friend! I'm really proud of this one and thrilled that so many people seem to be enjoying it.

[@robbylava]

CORRECTIONS: - I am dumb and the Snow Leopard has been in the game since RoR. I genuinely had no clue lol

[@akaMaddy]

2024 and im still learning/discovering things i didn't know all those years since AoK... 😅 You're not alone here mate. 😁

[@Temudhun]

Akhtually, it was introduces with the DE/TlK, but the wiki makes it confusing by separating AoE1's snow leopard which was added when the game was ported into AoE2 with RoR and AoE2's snow leopard which was already hanging around.

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Lol

[@0super]

This is perfect

[@epicseadragon1692]

Thanks for the video, I would purchase the DLC you propose! About the last bit on China: Yes, there is a potential geopolitical issue... but mostly, splitting China is, much like splitting Turks, a Gargantuan task! :)

[@Grevnor]

Hell yes! 😁

[@Nedzizzle]

This was really really exciting, especially to see the art (it made it feel like it was already on the way)! You have amazing marketing skill, and a new subscriber. The way you teach us history by tying the techs/units/bonuses/buildings to the historical civilization is terrific. I never knew about the Jurchens but after looking them up I'm like yeah those guys belong in AOE2 I hope this happens, and you get picked up by the DE team! Great work

[@robbylava]

Thank you so much for saying so! It means a lot to hear. Really hope you enjoy some of the other stuff I have planned for future!

[@elliottnahum]

As a mongol/hun player, yes we need an archer scout, just to create more chaos!

[@Giagrus]

On a separate note your Slavs vid had me thinking about the long shot civs. My idea was making them like vassal or foederati or treaty civs where on the map a settlement of that minor civ is placed and to get its bonus or UU u have to defeat them or maybe just the Town Center. Similar to AoE 3 but your not building a trade post but you have to conquer them to get their bonus or UT. Just a way to bring the long shot Civs into the game.

[@robbylava]

You and many other people have mentioned ideas like this, and I definitely want to try to tackle something of that nature at some point! Might be a while into the future, but I think it has serious potential.

[@javikus]

Крутое видео, так держать!

[@Giagrus]

Take my money now. LOL Just awesome format and legit looking. For a second I though we were getting a new DLC. I think you gave the devs their new DLC. Just great overall. Keep up the great work.

[@robbylava]

Hehehe thanks so much for saying so my friend! Really, really glad that you enjoyed it.

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

Gotta have the Tangut Xi Xia in there as well (though they're in what is now norhwestern China). Just call it something far eastern related. UU for the Tanguts could be the Iron Sparrow Hawk. It's medium cavalry unit lighter than the Iron Pagoda. Still armored but mobile shock cavalry. Fully armored rider, unarmored horse, faster than Paladin line. Maybe give them hussar level speed. "The Iron Sparrowhawk cavalry of the Xi Xia Empire was heavy cavalry that became achieved an almost legendary status whilst still in use. They were said to be able to walk hundreds of Li a day (one Li equals approximately 500 meters and 1,640 feet) or thousands on horse. They were most adept in sudden maneuvers and arrived unexpectedly at their enemies like lightening striking. Upon encountering enemy forces in the open, the Iron Sparrowhawks often formed sudden charges on the opposing forces." They were part of the imperial forces, and was usually away on campaign. They were especially noted for their endurance and agility. It is said that they would also had a way of attaching their lances to their armored horses so that even after the rider was slain, the horse would have still thrusted into the enemy ranks.[ The even heavier cavalry of the contemporary Jin (Jurchen Jin) dynasty, the Iron Pagoda Cavalry, which was likely the heaviest shock cavalry the far East would see, is thought to have been directly influenced by the Iron Sparrowhawks in both military tactics and equipment.

[@Edelweiss1102]

Damm this is easily your best work so far Robby, congrats! I'm really busy currently, so I can't comment as often/detailed as I used to, but this and the last couple of videos have been a real blast. At a quick glance, all the features and civs really seem well-thought-out, feasible and not completely broken. A ranged Scout sounds scary on paper, but with its stats being shite in DA and being very expensive for FA, I don't think it would be to oppressive outside annoying some villagers. Late Game Khitans sound pretty broken, but I think the 2 population space and high costs of the Pishi and their average eco would somewhat balance it, and you always have the option to beat them before that. They really might be your best build so far, and I like them, just like the reworked Jurchens, Silans and Koreans. Definitely big respect for going so in depth with your builds now and being willing to make compromises for more feasibility and better gameplay, which does take a lot of efforts to work out all the details and nuances and is definitely more challenging than throwing some crazy ideas together. This could as well be an official DLC and I would 100% buy it. Hope you are doing great and the newly spawned villagers has gotten Loom by now. I had lots of fund and would have keep watching with "just" the civ builds from about a year ago, but I'm definitely curious about and looking forward to what you have in store for us, more videos like these would be awesome.

[@robbylava]

Wow, thank you so much for the kind words edelweiss! I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait to show you more going forwards! I got big plans hehehe

[@santiagoruedaarango4087]

Great job! Very nice!

[@robbylava]

Thanks very much for saying so my friend!

[@vigora]

Nooo i want my spliting of Spain ,in Castille , Navarra ,Aragorn and the Emirate of Cordoba first and a better campaing of the reconquista or the aragonese expansion around the mediterranean sea. With almogavars , "jinetes" genitours for every one.

[@afz902k]

Well in that case also Leon and Galicia should be separate civs, but it's getting kinda ridiculous :D

[@merdufer]

The Khitan tech cost bonus is really weird in practice, especially in a mirror match. You end up with two players constantly check their tech costs to see if their opponent has researched a tech first. It doesn't sound like very fun gameplay to me. Something like "technology from the previous age costs 40% less" would have a much more straightforward gameplay purpose.

[@robbylava]

A little weird, Yes, not very straightforward, yes, but I quite like it. Fits the history better, and I really enjoy stuff that forces people to play the game differently. Definitely not the most plausible thing I've ever created, but unless play testing reveals it to be a serious problem I don't think I would want to change it. My original goal was to have the Khitans player also get a little notification when an enemy researched a technology to make the frequent checking less needed, but that isn't feasible in the genie editor as of now.

[@bjarkekiaer]

Great video, Robby! And that thumbnail certainly doesn't hurt. Looking good! Three civs is a lot to comment on, so I'll stick with just the Khitans: Ensign: Looking good, man! Look-in' good! Bonuses: - *Rubber band techs:* I like this idea, but maybe 40% is a tad high. We'll find out if/when it can be properly tested. Also, will it work with enemy free techs as well? - *Double armor effect:* Nice and simple. Excellent! Although, only the cav archer getting it from archer armor feels a bit... weird/off? I get that you're going for "cavalry" bonus armor, it's just strange. Probably just me, though. Moving on... - *Mounted unit bonus attack:* Their old team bonus made into a core and ditching the footwalkers? Don't mind if I do! Wait, how would it work technically? Since skirmishers have bonus against both archers and cav archers, do the cav archers get +2 against skirms? Fully upgraded, they'd kill and E-skirm in two less hits. That's nothing to sneeze at, but I don't think it's too strong either. - *Team bonus...es:* Two, TWO team bonuses?! You mad lad, Robby! It's quite cool, though, and fitting with their dual governance theme. - *Expensive enemy fortifications:* Well, well, well... well, well, well, well. Considering this is no longer busted like the year 3000, I'd say it's a win! - *TC = moneh!:* I like the idea... but maybe 100 gold is a bit much? You can kind of see it as getting the stone cost reimbursed (if you squint, cross your eyes, and stand on your head - but still!) It's a nice variation of the Britons' bonus, but as a team bonus it seems slightly too strong. Again, this might just be me. Unique/regional units: - *Pishi:* 2 pop? 2? Pop!? Why are you doing this to me, Robby? (

[@robbylava]

Thanks as always for your lovely review in the comments my friend! I'm really glad you like so much about this one! There is so much to go over in this comment... I don't even know where to start responding to it. I think, to keep things easy, the things I would clarify are 1) Mongols faster firing cavalry Archers would be changed to kick in in Castle Age or maybe only have reduced effects starting in feudal age to compensate for them getting the scout archer. I do think it would be too strong if they had it faster shooting from the get-go. 2) I consulted extensively with my mod Squad on the Pishi, and I'm quite pleased to say that everything it is shown to do here DOES seem to be possible in the genie editor! So on the practical front at least I believe it is a viable unit. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and share your thoughts. Were there any other specific topics you wanted to go over with me in more detail? If so I'm happy to do so!

[@bjarkekiaer]

I'd very much like to get clarification on these questions, if you'd be so kind: 1) Will the rubber band tech bonus work on free techs as well? 2) Do cav archers get +2 bonus attack vs skirms? Seeing as skirms have bonus against cav archers in two categories, it'd seem fair if that were to be the case. 3) Does the Pishi 4 bonus levels maximum or from having 4 TCs maximum (3 bonus levels)? (Apologies if it was mentioned and I forgot.) Also, I know that the Pishi can be implemented as described. My issue with it is not from a technical perspective, but rather an aesthetic one, so to speak. Pop count is a great way to balance units, which is how it's done in both AoE3 and AoM. But AoE2 doesn't really do that as a staple, and it's only done in diminishing fashion, not increasing (as far as I know, anyway). Like I mentioned, it'd probably mean you should increase War Elephant pop as well (don't you dare touch my phanties!). I don't know. It's probably just me being grumpy about 2+ pop units in AoE2 more than anything (pout, pout, pout). At any rate, that's enough rambling about fictitious units for me today. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my comments, Robby!

[@robbylava]

@bjarkekiaer Of course! 1. Yes, that is the intention 2. No, the intention was just plus 1 3. Intention was four bonus levels And I understand your reservations hehehe. I can see why people would be a little dubious on that front, but since it is technically implementable and does, to me at least, totally feel like something an official civilization might try at some point I think it's fair game

[@DimitryDonskoy777]

Hi Robby I have a new Idea about a dlc named Aoe2 Legends of the North Campaign Featuring 1) Vikings civ- Harald Hadrada campaign 2) Scotts civ - Robert the Bruce campaign ( New units - Claymore swordsman good against cavalry available at castle age in castle, Lochabar axe man available at age 4 as an infantry counter in barracks ) 3) Irish civ - Brian Boru campaign ( Unique units Glassgallow an infantry unit available in caste age which is counter to heavy infantry with trample attack) Hobelar - An unique upgrade of light cavalry available to Scotts, Irish & Britons Woad raider - A regional unit available to Scotts and Irish Varangian guards - A special unit available in Harald Hadrada campaign that can build longboats in water *Hope You Like*

[@robbylava]

Cool ideas for sure! I have serious plans for both of those regions as well

[@navinkumarpk86]

Snow Leopards are already in the game. Maybe add Yaks and Takins...

[@afz902k]

I swear I heard him say Kingdom of Valheim

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Love that game

[@chappy3125]

Absolute banger yet again 🔥 can't wait for those other Korean civs

[@pquumm]

As someone native to Northeastern China (aka Manchuria), I think this would be a terrific idea! That part of the world has an immensely rich history that could be exploited for the campaigns.

[@robbylava]

Thanks so much for saying so my friend! I completely agree.

[@meninbike1602]

ggs!

[@Pudrzo]

I was thinking A LOT about Teutons civ, and it bothers me because it is bascially some strange take on teutonic order . In my opinion we NEED to split germans and italians in some sort of Holy Roman Empire DLC. For me the German split should look kinda like this: Saxons, Austrians, Swabians and Teutons/Prussians (representing teutonic order) and non-german but german-related civs of Dutch/Flemish and Swiss. We could also think about Bavarians, Franconians and other germans but we cant have everything. I actually thought about some of them and came up with pretty cool designs with regional unit od Landsknecht (imperial-age gold-cost-only infnatry) The venetians, the lombards, neopalitoans and even Umbrians (representing papal states) are great italian candidates for some rly good civs to add to this hipotetical "Holy Roman Empire" DLC. I think you should consider making videos about some of em.

[@robbylava]

You bet I am! Not only have I tackled some of those civilizations already on my channel, but I think doing full DLC proposals for them is absolutely in the cards at some point. I can't promise it'll be soon, since I have a ton of requests from a ton of commenters that I need to work through first, but eventually you can be absolutely certain that you will see Italy and Germany on this channel in a big way.

[@slayer19978]

I was hoping theyll add the teutonic order which is different from the holy roman empire

[@Crossil]

Oh wait, I forgot to list appearances. Well Sillans and Koreans we looked over recently. Kaesong is the only Sillan scenario as things stand and Koreans nowadays are covered in Noryang Point, Kaesong and Shimazu scenarios. Khitans are primarily present in Genghis Khan's first two scenarios and the forgotten Kaesong (in the latter they should probably replace the Jin with Liao) and a possible appearances in Kotyan Khan 2, as per the last video. The recent Victors and Vanquished does feature the Kara-Khitai in Seljuk, as the late-game nomadic invading force, although this player is shared with Pechenegs and Uyghurs, the Khitans always appear whereas those two vary based on who you ally. Also, there's Kara-Khanids in this scenario, although I think these should be some form of Turkic civ. Also, I think they should appear in Temujin, but they don't, currently. Jurchens thus have only Genghis Khan 3 from old scenarios. Aside from that, the recent Temujin scenario features the Great Jin again, so that's a second appearance, both of them being the Jin dynasty. There's really not many other appearances that are viable. I was hoping the enemy raiders in Noryang Point could be Jurchens, but they seem to have been more inclined to help the Koreans against the Japanese during this period, rather than to fight the Koreans. If anything, there's an instance of the Japanese attacking the Jurchens and being aided by some Korean troops. As for further civs, I don't know. Some kind of Siberian civ might make geographic sense, as the region has the least available ones currently. Also, very nice Khitan flag choice. Very elegant.

[@robbylava]

Ahhh a good ol' Crossil Campaign Review. Really glad you liked the ensign, I was proud of that one!

[@danielalejandrobarramartin5193]

Wait what 😮😮, ah You got me 😂

[@robbylava]

Ha HA! I feel so evil heheheh

[@stfnknbb]

This is my favorite channel

[@robbylava]

Well thank you very much for saying so my friend

[@stfnknbb]

@@robbylava **is** my favorite channel. I swear to god I'm literate.

[@iwersonsch5131]

Wait so what upgrades would Jurchen CA have? Persian crossbows can be trash units because they lack the Imp upgrades

[@robbylava]

Off the top of my head I believe they miss the last Archer armor upgrade and nothing else. It's true that this is a risky design, but the cavalry Archer is also a far worse unit in general, so I think this has a very good chance of still being balanced despite the scary late game implications. If it ended up being busted I would be more than happy to change it.

[@soulbreakerthelastmanalive]

I wish we could get the Irish and Switzerland as well as a Russia and Philippines. I think it could be quite fun.

[@robbylava]

All of the above are on my list to some degree!

[@erikdw8379]

I'd like to take a moment to talk about the Jurchen Heavy Cavalry Archer, and I guess also trash options in general. Having Heavy Cavalry Archer that are fully upgraded, have less frame delay, and cost no Gold sounds a bit broken on paper, but taking the Jurchen's Post-Imp trash options into account, they really aren't. They're certainly strong, especially when supported by Hussars, but they're not really a unit you can spam freely like other trash units since they're still quite expensive at 100 total resources, especially since the Jurchen Post-Imp eco is quite weak, with no bonus and missing all of the Imperial Age eco upgrades, not to mention still having a terrible Spearmen-line. I think the main weakness of Jurchen trash is civs with strong Hussars like Bulgarians or Tatars, or even Magyars and Slavs that can more easily produce them due to having discounts or top tier farms respectively.

[@robbylava]

Really brilliantly said. I had a very similar mindset going into this design, and I'm very gratified that you put it to words so well here.

[@erikdw8379]

​@@robbylavaThank you. But I would also like to ask if Jurchens still missing Capped Ram was intentional, since now they don't have Niru boosted Trebuchets to compensate for it.

[@robbylava]

@erikdw8379 Yes it is intentional, both for historical reasons and because I felt their unique unit would also provide a pretty solid close range anti building option

[@erikdw8379]

​@@robbylavaI see. On that subject though, would the blast damage of the Liudanshou and Iron Pagoda also hurt friendly units? Especially since you compared the former to a Siege Onager.

[@robbylava]

@erikdw8379 intention was for the former to have friendly fire but not the latter Doing so may prove unimplementable, unfortunately, so if so I'll have to rebalance the unit a bit

[@guitar_jero]

I feel like Chinese should have an Imperial Age upgrade to the Fortified Wall: the Great Wall, buffing their hp and armor as well as allowing archers to garrison and shoot arrows.

[@guitar_jero]

Also I have an idea for a Northern Europe DLC: - Ragnar Lothbrok (Vikings): take York and transform it into a fully-fledged Viking campaign. - Robert the Bruce (Celts): a challenging Scottish campaign (featuring William Wallace, again). - Brian Boru (Gaels): to make the campaigns more diverse and give the Western European architectural style some love.

[@franciscolopezgiron3131]

Great video! Maybe another idea for a expansion proposal could be Thrones of Britannia (Split of the Celts into your builds on the Scots, the Irish and The Welsh) plus briton rework, maybe(?)

[@robbylava]

Thanks so much for saying so! Something to do with the British Isles is absolutely in the cards, there's just a couple other parts of the world I want to touch upon first before going there. But I can promise you it will happen at some point!

[@user-dw7ej2rt8l]

I do not understand why developers do not pay moders and "theory crafters" and just fire a load of employees. They would just get loads of free material for no work. Just seams like a win to me. Some people would not want getting paid they would just be honored.

[@user-dw7ej2rt8l]

I really hope you do videos like this for the Italians, Chiness breakups and Group some other civs together like your British isles civs.

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

Gotta like my alt acount

[@robbylava]

I have plans to do this for pretty much every civilization and region conceivable, so you can expect to see more content like this going forwards for sure!

[@sigmarschosen]

Of all the terrible AOE 2 takes I've seen, this has gotta be close to the top. Yes to hiring modders; no to firing the dev staff (who have done right by us for years) and paying the modders in "honor"

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

I am not saying the dev team are bad I am saying the dev team are slow. If u can get this high quality content from someone like robby,might as well hire people like him for less money. They would be honored to work on the game

[@BloodyQShark]

Fantastic video you show the image from the thumbnail to Aoe 2 they will believe that a new DLC has been announced. Great unit but I feel some conflict form Liudanshou and Iron Pagoda and the fact that both have a blast radius unlock from the beginning unlike Byzantine Logistica and Slavs Druzhina or Battle Elephant takes great bonus damage from the spear line and is slow. Liudanshou is a Cavalry Archer witch may attack faster than but archer line and skirmisher and can have max +4 armor so you can see the massacre. Iron Pagoda why not go more extravagant like their first attack to reduce the movement speed.

[@SuperMewKittyKatGaming]

so the manchu vs the samsungs

[@qianliang7056]

I think Chinese gamers would be excited about this too. FYI, one of the campaigns that they should have for the Khitans is the story of Yelü Dashi. You should read it, it would make a great campaign.

[@robbylava]

Absolutely, Yelü Dashi was actually my pick for the Khitans campaign in this vid! They have a lot of great options, but in my opinion he is absolutely the best one.

[@qianliang7056]

@@robbylavaGreat! I am impressed a westerner like you knows this part of Chinese/Central Asian history.

[@robbylava]

Appreciate you saying so! It certainly wasn't easy to research heheheh I'm hoping to work with a consultant next time I tackle East Asia so I am better able to find good sources. But I am very glad and relieved that this build worked out despite me doing it by myself

[@blackbellator]

First here

[@ChillyEmpire]

Hey, I do civ concepts for AOE4. I’m really confused with your concept here - I thought AOE2 only had one unique unit per civ? How can your concept have so many new unique techs, units, and buildings?

[@robbylava]

YO! An honor to hear from you my friend! A viewer recommended me your content a couple months back and I absolutely love your work. It's true that most Age of Empires 2 civilizations only have one unique unit, but two and even three are not unprecedented, as are unique buildings.. Moreover, regional units and buildings that only apply to a couple civilizations have also become a bigger part of the game more recently. If you'd like to talk more I'd love to hear from you! I actually sent you an email a month or so ago, and if you'd ever be interested in doing some sort of collab it would be my absolute pleasure to work with you. Thanks for your interest in my work!

[@ChillyEmpire]

Ah that explains it. I was thinking while watching the video that I liked how enthusiastic you were about a lot of these historical details but it seemed like there wouldn't be much ability to express these details in AOE2. I guess I just don't know the game well enough (I played Aoe2 like once as a kid). Thanks for the kind words mate! I'd be happy to collab on something but as demonstrated here I know next to nothing about AOE2 😅

[@robbylava]

@ChillyEmpire That's no problem at all! I know next to nothing about AoE4 hehehe And I'd be more than happy to brainstorm ideas together until we found something that worked well for both of our channels. So no pressure either way, that I'm very glad you're at least somewhat interested in the idea and I would love to hear from you!

[@slayer19978]

I want to see how far they can split the nords

[@MaximusBowman-ev3kh]

He already did three lol

[@user-cg9pz6xo6d]

really cool idea

[@etienne2315]

I wish this was in the game !

[@MrKBS12]

You wanna give the mongols a ranged dark age unit? Mongols already are able to apply pressure earlier than most but you wanna buff their early game?

[@robbylava]

So this is definitely something I anticipated people being concerned about, but I'm actually pretty confident it won't be a problem. The only change I would make is to have their faster firing cavalry archer bonus only kick in once they hit feudal, maybe to a lesser extent than usual. The main thing that makes the Mongol early game so powerful is their scout Rush, which they have some bonuses for and capitalizes perfectly on their hunt bonus. Scout archers would not benefit nearly as directly from this hunt bonus and would also be harder to mass up. So if anything, I am guessing this change would probably slightly nerf the Mongol early game by taking the line of sight boost off of their scout Rush.

[@MrKBS12]

@@robbylava would the scout archer be able to lure boar easily cause all I can see is the laming that'll take place. Even losing one boar would be heinous not to mention picking off deer as well

[@robbylava]

@MrKBS12 Great question! Intention was for them to not be able to target deer, and while I could see them maybe having a slightly better boar lame than usual I don't think it would be better enough to become a viable strategy.

[@RyzerYang]

Great Idea! In addition I would consider to rewrite Han Chinese to become more defensive civ.

[@heavenbright2342]

Khitans, Jurchens, Tanguts, and Tibetans should be released as Dynasties of China and the current "Chinese" civilization renamed to Han. Either or Options A or B: A: -Khitans -Jurchens -Tanguts -Tibetans -Han B: -Liao -Jin -Xixia -Utsang -Song

[@widodoakrom3938]

Better malay dlc split the malay and also added native Australian

[@quasibrodo923]

Would really like to see a tanguts build.

[@robbylava]

It is 100% in my plans to do so!

[@quasibrodo923]

@@robbylava Free Idea. I tried theory crafting a build for tanguts once but it was really hard to find well sourced info. Only thing I could find that i found interesting was a reference to a "Bubazi" a "Mountain infantry". Thought it'd be cool if it was something vaguely eagle-like that actually has an attack bonus uphill.

[@erikdw8379]

Second I guess.

[@hau410929]

我確實有被這縮圖嚇到 身為東亞的玩家 我非常希望有此擴張概念!!

[@robbylava]

非常感謝你這麼說！我希望你喜歡。

[@NightBlado]

So where do I download this DLC?

[@robbylava]

Not out yet, but as soon as it is I will be announcing it on my channel. Thanks for your interest!

[@user-su7xo3cu7n]

난또 진짜 dlc 나왔는줄 알았네

[@jeimmyguizargongorajeinsgo7079]

que primero personifiquen "como se ven las unidades " campeones inkas es vergonzoso, se ve horrible en el 2024

[@afz902k]

You're right but it's gotta be very carefully done to avoid ruining readability... And it might ruin the nostalgia aspect for some, so it could have a mixed reception. Would be nice to get as a toggle in the settings I guess, or optionally as a cheap DLC which I would gladly buy

[@jeimmyguizargongorajeinsgo7079]

@@afz902k si pero que lo hagan aunquesea como opcion, en pleno 2024 que no exista esa opcion se ve horrible, se siente horrible. y que sigan cobrano por cada civis nuevas, cuando ni siquiera se toman ese trabajo, es vergonzoso.

[@navinkumarpk86]

Tibetans please!

[@robbylava]

I actually did a build on them last year! It's in my old LAVAnte-garde style, but there are plenty of aspects of it that I think hold up pretty well. Will definitely be taking another crack at them sometime though!

[@Sumpfkrebs]

When will this expansion be released?

[@robbylava]

Hoping to do so sometime in the next couple months! Will 100% be releasing plenty of videos about it when that happens.

[@alejandrocanelo3058]

I dont think the korean heungdeoksa is a useful tech. You usually don't go for the castle age unique tech in castle age, and by that time, +4 LoS is not too useful. It's just a buffed portuguese bonus at that point. I'd use my resources on units or aging up. Regarding the one vill per university tech, I think it's too weak too. Usually you just go for ballistics and chemistry early on, sometimes for masonry in late game, and rarely tower upgrades. That's roughly +4-5 vills by mid imp. Sure, cheaper and early siege engineers gives +1, so around 3 extra vills in castle age. I see it like a nerfed bengali bonus, which isn't that great. The team bonus is neat though. I like the concept of a tech oriented civ.

[@robbylava]

I'm monitoring both of those aspects as well. If either feel weak in practice I'm happy to buff them up.

[@nicolinrucker5181]

...Scout Archer... a ranged scout to start with... ...the sheer amound of micronerd harass would win games on it's own in Dark Age.

[@HistoricalWeapons]

Jurchen not Manchu

[@ville4090]

They sadly can't add the Tibetans for political reasons but the Tanguts are a good proxy since they're closely related to them and have similar cultures. The Jurchens deserved to be added in as well.

[@roderic3261]

I had the same dread thought but historical facts cannot be denied nor there is any particular law infringement in historical depictions in any sort of media

[@javierramos185]

I would prefer that they do visual reworks to the civilizations that already exist than to add more, there are already like 50 civilizations it is impossible to remember everything

[@user-gy8dn1ce6j]

Yo and Vivi will be blocked /_\

[@hieratics]

We actually need the Aragonese/Catalans, Aquitanians/Occitans, the Bretons, the Welsh, the Irish, the Navarrese/Basque, the Dutch/Flemish, and other missing European cultures first

[@ywk9738]

I hate the idea of expension in current times. It'll either lead to failure or alienating the DE audience. As for me who already spend ton of money on this game i really don't want the HD shenanigan repeated.

[@nathandodson3220]

The balance is not strong with this one.

[@youngmanlogan5812]

Beware the Kara-Khitai, they are without honor

[@shitsujihitsuji1365]

why

[@youngmanlogan5812]

@@shitsujihitsuji1365 it's an iconic line from the genghis khan campaign.

[@jorgeinti]

read maruchan

[@steelprophecy5951]

I don't like Khitans civ at all. - Firstly team bonuses that are applied as nerf to enemy has way too much potential for civ picky play. It would also badly synergize with 10x (but whatever, mods shouldn't be a argument but given AoE2 modding scene I will allow myself to present as one). - Bonuses should not rely on things that enemy is doing directly. Also I think it would be nightmare to balance and implement. Also passive 0 skill bonus. - 2 pop units are bad for AoE2. It is not AoM neither AoE3 and makes no sense to restrict army size by making certain units more population costly, especially when it is pushing the AoM/AoE desing into the game that does not have same mechanics as before-mentioned to actually counter-act and justify high popspace cost. And reasoning between 2 pop cost is just weak. Like many units, Pishi is not exception to its being nobility nor handpicked. - I heavily dislike Pishi. Way to cheap to elite, way to easy to actually obtain bonus (like in late game having ~4 TC is simply easy + you can literally build it anywhere so there is no risk/reward to this unit compared to Leiciai. - Losing Iron Casting actually is ok.

[@kentsang7410]

china forks won't like this

[@mkaali]

Not elegant at all.

[@oakenshield0207]

I want byzantine varangian guard mod pack.

[@DimitryDonskoy777]

Hi Robby I have a new Idea about a dlc named Aoe2 Legends of the North Campaign Featuring 1) Vikings civ- Harald Hadrada campaign 2) Scotts civ - Robert the Bruce campaign ( New units - Claymore swordsman good against cavalry available at castle age in castle, Lochabar axe man available at age 4 as an infantry counter in barracks ) 3) Irish civ - Brian Boru campaign ( Unique units Glassgallow an infantry unit available in caste age which is counter to heavy infantry with trample attack) Hobelar - An unique upgrade of light cavalry available to Scotts, Irish & Britons Woad raider - A regional unit available to Scotts and Irish Varangian guards - A special unit available in Harald Hadrada campaign that can build longboats in water *Hope You Like*

[@DimitryDonskoy777]

Hi Robby I have a new Idea about a dlc named Aoe2 Legends of the North Campaign Featuring 1) Vikings civ- Harald Hadrada campaign 2) Scotts civ - Robert the Bruce campaign ( New units - Claymore swordsman good against cavalry available at castle age in castle, Lochabar axe man available at age 4 as an infantry counter in barracks ) 3) Irish civ - Brian Boru campaign ( Unique units Glassgallow an infantry unit available in caste age which is counter to heavy infantry with trample attack) Hobelar - An unique upgrade of light cavalry available to Scotts, Irish & Britons Woad raider - A regional unit available to Scotts and Irish Varangian guards - A special unit available in Harald Hadrada campaign that can build longboats in water *Hope You Like*

[@DimitryDonskoy777]

Hi Robby I have a new Idea about a dlc named Aoe2 Legends of the North Campaign Featuring 1) Vikings civ- Harald Hadrada campaign 2) Scotts civ - Robert the Bruce campaign ( New units - Claymore swordsman good against cavalry available at castle age in castle, Lochabar axe man available at age 4 as an infantry counter in barracks ) 3) Irish civ - Brian Boru campaign ( Unique units Glassgallow an infantry unit available in caste age which is counter to heavy infantry with trample attack) Hobelar - An unique upgrade of light cavalry available to Scotts, Irish & Britons Woad raider - A regional unit available to Scotts and Irish Varangian guards - A special unit available in Harald Hadrada campaign that can build longboats in water *Hope You Like*

[@DimitryDonskoy777]

Hi Robby I have a new Idea about a dlc named Aoe2 Legends of the North Campaign Featuring 1) *Vikings civ*- Harald Hadrada campaign 2) *Scotts civ* - Robert the Bruce campaign ( New units - *Claymore swordsman* good against cavalry available at castle age in castle, *Lochabar axeman* available at age 4 as an infantry counter in barracks ) 3) *Irish civ* - Brian Boru campaign ( Unique units *Glassgallow* an infantry unit available in caste age which is counter to heavy infantry with trample attack) *Hobelar* - An unique upgrade of light cavalry available to Scotts, Irish & Britons *Woad raider* - A regional unit available to Scotts and Irish *Varangian guards*- A special unit available in Harald Hadrada campaign that can build longboats in water *Hope You Like*