tropic kettle
After playing the demo about 40 hours, I starting to feel like that crossbows are too early and do not fit the age 3. In age 3 we still have Spartans/Spears/Shortswords, the cavalry and siege equipment just got unlocked and you have already crossbows.
Better pacing would be :
Starting with Slinger -> Archers -> Crossbows
OR
Early bowmen -> Archers -> Crossbows
OR
Place them to Age 4.
proper bough
age 3 is the time of the Han Dynasty (as shown by Imperial Dynasty design) and the Han Dynasty was pretty much the peak moment for crossbows.
Maybe the Age of Kings has some kind of heavier crossbow to represent its use in the European Middle Ages. Perhaps we get longbows (Japan, Britain)
languid dirge
They should at least change the sprites to look Chinese instead of European
It feels weird to have medieval looking armies running around in the age of iron
vernal mango
The age of iron also includes the early middle ages. Including the migration period, during which the Frankish empires used crossbows.
At least the real world iron age.
Also, Europe had crossbows for just as long as China has, they were just more primitive.
languid dirge
Iron age also encompassing part of the middle ages is very weird to me
If you have a separate age of renaissance and enlightenment, let’s not make 1200 BC-1000 AD all part of 1 age.
Also, crossbows weren’t seen in medieval Europe until ~11th century AD
vernal mango
The real iron age ends with the end of the migration period.
Which is also part of the early middle ages.
languid dirge
That really depends on the region
In most places it ends around 1-500 AD
only in Northern Europe does it end at 800 AD
even so, crossbows weren't used even in 800 AD in Europe
vernal mango
Also, crossbows weren’t seen in medieval Europe until ~11th century AD
The romans used arcuballistae as early as the 5th century BC, and Scottish art shows crossbows in the 6th century AD.
languid dirge
Yes, there will always be exceptions, however the crossbow model we see in Millennia is clearly a medieval European crossbowman
vernal mango
Yes, there will always be exceptions, however the crossbow model we see in Mille...
That's just an issue in art direction though.
languid dirge
Not to mention that crossbows are distinctly seen as medieval technology. Yes they did exist in Greece and Rome and China way earlier but that is not the point
They could very easily add a Composite bow or Recurve bow unit instead, and put crossbow in age of kings
vernal mango
Crossbows were heavily used in bronze age China and to a lesser extent iron age Greece. I'd rather they simply make the unit look more ancient and leave the Age 4 crossbows to stand on their own merits instead.
And again, the late iron age romans had them.
A more accurate change would be making the crossbow unit look different.
languid dirge
Romans had crossbows but they didnt look like that
Greeks as well
A good name for those would be Belly Bows
or Gastraphetes
I also really wouldn't mind a Chinese/late Roman inspired age or national spirit that loved engineering/technological advancements
And add an early version of crossbow to it
make the normal ranged unit of the Iron age a Composite bowman, which was way more common
vernal mango
The roman crossbow wasn't a belly bow, since they were also used from horseback according to the writings that survive. And the Scottish depiction of 2nd century crossbows looks identical to medieval crossbows.
shut bobcat