By PF2K on Sep 28, 2019 at 4:49 PM
  1. PF2K

    PF2K Lead Developer
    Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2017
    Messages:
    953
    Likes Received:
    3,272
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Header_-_Week_17.png

    Hello there Celeste players! We are back with another Roman reveal blog.

    As we develop the Romans, each week we will be revealing the Romans to you building by building, unit by unit, and technology by technology. We are not just showing you what the Romans will be, but showing you how we are building them, who is building them, and also why we are building them the way that we are.

    This week, we are finally beginning to reveal our Roman Cavalry, starting oddly enough with the Gallic Horseman. We will also return to our Capital City and reveal the three Roman Residences.

    Gallic Horseman
    ================

    Gallic_Horseman_CloseupV2.png
    Gallic Horseman With Epic Armor and Epic Spear equipped.

    Cavalry is strange topic in Roman military history. The Romans had one of the best ground games in world history, but this was almost totally the result of its disciplined and fierce infantry.

    Though in the early years of the Roman Republic, wealthy soldiers comprised a strong cavalry regimen, as Rome's power grew, they placed more and more emphasis on their Legions. The best warriors didn’t want to be on horseback. They sought glory on the front lines. The conventional wisdom was that the Romans put so much emphasis on its infantry that Roman cavalry grew inferior and played a more supporting role to the Legionaries and Centurions.

    For centuries, Rome was a land-based city-state that marched its way to victory, mostly around Italy against other, less organized infantry. It was not until they confronted the dominant Carthaginian Empire in the Punic Wars that the Romans faced well trained cavalry (as well as specialized ranged units and world class navies). And they quickly learned how outmatched they were.

    In earlier blogs we’ve discussed the impact on the Romans of the eye-opening domination of the Carthaginian ranged units and navies. But Rome suffered other catastrophic losses due to its weak cavalry, which was easily routed by the more experienced and specialized horsemen that Carthage hired from around the Mediterranean, notably light Numidian cavalry (from present day Algeria and Tunisia in Northern Africa) and heavy mounted Gallic Horseman (from present day France, Belgium, Switzerland, and thereabouts).

    Here you can see the Gallic Horseman next to the other Horsemen in Age of Empires Online (without any gear except Epic Spears equipped):

    Horseman_Lineup.png

    After suffering embarrassing defeats, the Romans kept reassessing and regrouping. They were resilient. And during the Punic Wars, the Romans repeatedly confronted the reality that their inferior cavalry was no match for Carthage's mercenaries. So the Romans matched Carthage’s Gallic and Numidian Horsemen with their own Gallic and Numidian Horsemen. The Romans ultimately wore Carthage down, vanquished them, and assumed control of its entire empire of Northern Africa, Spain, and the Mediterranean. No longer an upstart military city, the Romans came out of the Punic Wars as a global superpower and continued to outsource their cavalry from neighboring provinces for many centuries.

    In fact, when Julius Caesar conquered Gaul (from 58 to 50 BCE), he employed a strategy of dividing and conquering the various Gallic people that relied heavily on his own hired Gallic horsemen fighting under the Roman banner. He played the rival Gauls against themselves and soon there were none left. (Indeed, it was during the Gallic Wars that Julius Caesar himself coined the term Divide and Conquer. Latin: Divide et Impera.)

    Though the Romans today may best be known for their Legions and Siege Weapons, it was the Romans’ ability to cherry pick the best strategies of their own enemies that gave them their unfair advantage. The Romans did not conquer their world because their military was the strongest. The Romans conquered their world because their military was the most adaptable. This is best represented in our Auxilia Camp.

    Here you can see the Gallic Horseman with Epic Armor next to other heavy cavalry who wield Spears as their weapon of choice:

    Heavy_Cav_Lineup.png

    From a civ design perspective, the original plans for the Romans included at least five different Cavalry units. Since that is a full two units more than any other civ (the Greeks have three), we obviously needed to pare it down. Again, we are building a civ that doesn’t even focus on Cavalry, so we need to be choosy.

    We will dissect those hard decisions in future blog posts, but for today, we are excited to announce that the heavy Gallic Horseman has made the Roman roster and will train in the Auxilia Camp. Since balancing can shift the civ around at a moment's notice, we do not want to get too detailed about unit stats, but we have a few details about the Gallic Horseman that we can share today.

    First, we need to get something off our chest: the original Roman Gallic Horseman was recycled into the Norse Horseman, so by including him, we run a real risk of unit redundancy. However, this is the only time when the original Devs grafted an original Roman unit onto a different civ that we allowed the unit onto the Roman roster. And we deliberated very carefully before making this exception.

    Gallic_Stats.png

    Our Romans were in need of a heavy cavalry unit, and historically, the Gallic Horseman was the strongest candidate by a mile. It is not like we could just choose a different powerful Roman Cavalry unit. Rome didn’t have one. However, ours is going to be noticeably different than his Norse cousin - he will be quite a bit stronger, quite a bit more expensive, and will not take the field until Age 4.

    Also, the Gallic Horseman will be the only Age 4 Anti-Cavalry Cavalry unit in the game, making him a giant defenseman roaming the field neutralizing those powerful late game Cavalry such as the Greek Hippikon and Persian Cataphract.

    Third, since he is Celtic by birth, we have decided to revisit some of the unique Celtic gear. (Historians can’t even agree on how to define Gauls and Celts, but for our purposes it’s enough to say all Gauls are Celts, but not all Celts are Gauls.) At any rate, in addition to equipping the same Heavy Spear, Light Armor, and Soldier's Gear as other Horsemen, the Gallic Horseman will use Warpaint in a nod to his heritage. (And to the grouch who is about to complain below, yes, we realize that the Romans would never wear warpaint. We also realize that Gallic Horsemen were not Romans, did not dress like Roman soldiers, and dressed like, um, Gallic Horsemen. It's a game. Let's have some fun and take the Warpaint down from the shelf.)

    AuxiCamp_Lineup.png

    Having introduced you to the Gallic Horseman, we have now announced three of Rome's four Age 4 units in the last few weeks. But you are going to have to be patient for Number Four. As the final Roman Officer Unit, he is the most Roman of all Romans and is going to be a civ capstone, so we need to savor him for the very end. Meanwhile, we still have seven other unannounced Roman units from the other Ages, including most of the Age 3 units still. Will the Auxilia Camp include the tanky Gallic Horseman’s nimble partner, the Numidian Horseman? Will the Roman Eques make an appearance? What about the other two potential cavs? Who are they? Is there a fifth secret cav we are keeping from you? You’ll find out soon!

    Roman Residences
    ==================

    Residence_Lineup.png
    Every AoEO civilization contains three different residences that can be built in your Capital Cities, and the Romans are no different. Here are the Small, Medium, and Large versions.

    Now let's have a look at all Small, Medium and Large Residence buildings for every civilization + the three alliances:

    Small_Residence_Lineup.png
    Medium_Residence_Lineup.png
    Large_Residence_Lineup.png

    We had some concept art for these, but we were not completely satisfied that they captured the essence of Roman houses. Specifically, they all had normal peaked roofs and lacked the classic open-air atrium/compluvium.

    Residence_IRL_1.png

    Since these inner courtyards and gardens usually appeared only in the grandest of Roman homes, we saved that feature for the large residence. At any rate, we hope you will agree that these Residences will be terrific additions to your Capital Cities.

    Residence_IRL_2.png

    As per popular demand, here's a sneak peek at the animations of the three Roman Residences next to each other. Subtle, but beautiful!


    We are continuing to march towards Rome, but we are not sure that we will have a new unit for you next week. We still have plenty of buildings to show, so we will see you all then!

    Thank you so much for your support, everybody, and see you next week.

    Project Celeste Development Team

    What do you think about this week's blog? What would you like to see next? Let us know in the comments below!

    ========
    Missed the Roman Civilization's announcement? Find out about it HERE.

    Project Celeste is completely free and always will be. However, we gladly accept donations for our overhead costs, which are larger than we have budgeted. If you want to support us, you can do so HERE.

    Read every Romans related blog HERE.

    Tell your friends! Join our Discord HERE.
    =========
     
  2. Loading...


Comments

Discussion in 'Romans' started by PF2K, Sep 28, 2019.

    1. Andy P XIII

      Andy P XIII Moderator
      Moderator

      Joined:
      Nov 14, 2017
      Messages:
      562
      Likes Received:
      837
      Trophy Points:
      93
      Come at me, bro. I’m ready.
       
    2. Jeinx

      Jeinx Moderator
      Staff Member Moderator

      Joined:
      Nov 21, 2017
      Messages:
      480
      Likes Received:
      365
      Trophy Points:
      63
      That's One sexy horseman :D
       
    3. kyogo

      kyogo Long Swordsman

      Joined:
      Jun 29, 2019
      Messages:
      20
      Likes Received:
      30
      Trophy Points:
      13
      Love the design of the gallic horseman and the idea of reuse warpaints, but i hope that the eques (that is pretty more roman) Will be great as this celtic buddy.
      Residence for me are perfect.
      Great job guys, as always!
       
    4. FinishedBlock21

      FinishedBlock21 Hippikon

      Joined:
      Aug 16, 2018
      Messages:
      178
      Likes Received:
      171
      Trophy Points:
      43
      I love the window detail on the large residence and the way it actually reflects the real life Roman residencies! Amazing, keep it up!
       
    5. Servimomia

      Servimomia Woad Raider

      Joined:
      Nov 23, 2017
      Messages:
      36
      Likes Received:
      60
      Trophy Points:
      18
      Astonishing job, one more time..
      Cool idea using a warpaint for this unit. residences look very pretty as well.
       
    6. Fraxure022

      Fraxure022 Berserker

      Joined:
      May 18, 2019
      Messages:
      141
      Likes Received:
      150
      Trophy Points:
      43
      I really like that you’re paying homage to his Celtic heritage by dusting off war paint. I’m not crazy about the notion that this Celtic Horseman is better than my beloved Celtic Horseman. I would’ve liked to have seen his hat as well.

      The houses look great. Y’all are acing the art for these guys.
       
      MatrixSoft and happysmurf like this.
    7. Andy P XIII

      Andy P XIII Moderator
      Moderator

      Joined:
      Nov 14, 2017
      Messages:
      562
      Likes Received:
      837
      Trophy Points:
      93
      Remember the Celtic Horseman is their only cavalry and a core, indispensable Age 3 unit. There’s very good reason he’s beloved. Rome’s Gallic Horseman will likely be more of a role player. Sure, he’s a beast, but he likely won’t be as core a unit as the others.
       
      MatrixSoft, bbgambini and happysmurf like this.
    8. Bahram

      Bahram Desert Trader
      Staff Member

      Joined:
      Aug 13, 2019
      Messages:
      62
      Likes Received:
      113
      Trophy Points:
      33
      What a marvel are those houses! Would that one of Bahram's patrons invite him for a party!
       
      MatrixSoft and happysmurf like this.
    9. Fristi61

      Fristi61 Champion

      Joined:
      Jun 22, 2019
      Messages:
      40
      Likes Received:
      79
      Trophy Points:
      18
      Looks great as always!

      My original guess for the cavalry lineup was something like a light or ranged missile auxilia (probably Numidian cavalry) in age 2, a basic melee auxilia (probably Gallic or Germanic) in age 3, and finally the Roman eques as the heaviest unit in age 4.

      I guess I got one of the units right, but not the order they appear in. The blog also says it'll be the only really powerful Roman cavalry unit so I would guess either the eques is just not in there at all or it's been altered for gameplay purposes.

      Re war-paint, historically it was probably mostly just the Britons that used it, and even that evidence is a bit sketchy. But the game already crossed the bridge on including it as part of the overall Celts civ broadly in 2012. If the Celts get it, so should a Celtic auxilia unit, that way the game is consistent with itself.

      Just my 2 cents ;)
       
      happysmurf and Andy P XIII like this.
    10. Alzerus

      Alzerus Champion

      Joined:
      May 4, 2019
      Messages:
      72
      Likes Received:
      86
      Trophy Points:
      18
      As ever, great reading, I always enjoy the reasoning and background to the work you guys do, it shows great love and attention without straying too much from historical correctness even though it's a game.

      The Gallic Horseman looks cool and a great idea to take the Warpaint off the shelf for this unit. I'm delighted with the artwork for each of the Roman houses, brilliant detail and work, absolutely love them, I'm a big fan of city buildings.

      Fantastic work!
       
    11. TheSpaniard

      TheSpaniard Berserker

      Joined:
      Jan 15, 2019
      Messages:
      128
      Likes Received:
      238
      Trophy Points:
      43
      BuT wHeRe'S mUh PiLuM

      In all seriousness though, glad to finally see some cav revealed.

      If Numidian cavalry made the team, it'd be really cool to see them as the first ranged cavalry unit that throws light javelins (vs. the other ranged, javelin wielding cavalry units being chariots).

      But if I had to guess, I'd say Numidian was cut (and, per Andy's love for a future possibility of a Carthage civ, saved for Carthage--which I'm ok with because I want Carthage too). Instead, if I had to guess, I'd say we'll see Roman eques as Age 2 cav out of the castellum, and then a "surprise" age 3 cav unit, probably from Auxilia. Iberian or Germanic horsemen? A chariot unit? A different cav from Africa or the Middle East? Perhaps it's the final officer unit? I have no clue.
       
    12. MatrixSoft

      MatrixSoft Champion

      Joined:
      Jul 29, 2018
      Messages:
      52
      Likes Received:
      88
      Trophy Points:
      18
      Great work, Cav Gallic and the houses of the capital are impressive, Rome is getting more amazing, keep it up, hug.
       
      Andy P XIII and happysmurf like this.
    13. John Quincy

      John Quincy Long Swordsman

      Joined:
      Aug 15, 2018
      Messages:
      19
      Likes Received:
      30
      Trophy Points:
      13
      Yes to the Warpaint! It's the point of a game to have fun. Thank you for that. The residences are the best looking in the game. Thanks again for the update. My excitement builds and builds!
       
      Andy P XIII and happysmurf like this.
    14. Fraxure022

      Fraxure022 Berserker

      Joined:
      May 18, 2019
      Messages:
      141
      Likes Received:
      150
      Trophy Points:
      43
      I highly doubt the Romans will receive 3 cavalry units. That’d put five units in the Auxilla Camp, which would lead it to overshadow the Roman barracks simply due to the versatility it provided. Additionally, we know the Romans will be Siege focused, with strong Infantry. They’ve got to be weak in some areas, and I’m willing to bet Cavalry is one of them.
       
      happysmurf likes this.
    15. Kulcsos12

      Kulcsos12 Hippikon

      Joined:
      Nov 15, 2017
      Messages:
      181
      Likes Received:
      214
      Trophy Points:
      43
      Five units in the Auxilia Camp? Are you crazy? In the best way, it will be max 4: Balearic Slinger, Cretan Bowman, Gallic Horseman and maybe the Numidian Horseman. It won't overshadow the Castellum.
      1. Romans train their units by their origins, not by their types. With this logic, the Roman Castellum also will have at least 1 cavalry or ranged unit. Since the Veles removed, the only possible non-infantry Roman unit is the Eques.
      2. We know only 1 officer from 4 and one of them also will be in Age 3 with the Centurion. He will be the Decurion, the cavalry officer.
      3. Officers must be in higher Age than their soldiers. (Legionary: Age2, Centurion: Age3) If the Decurion in Age 3, we will get an Age 2 Cavalry somewhere.
      4. If we will get the Numidian Horseman: It will be in Age 2 because they was a fast and agile light cavalry. The Eques had much armor and heavier weapon, so it will be in Age 3 with the Decurion.
      5. If we won't get the Numidian Horseman: The Eques will moved to Age 2 and the Decurion still in Age 3. With this option, Romans will be weak in Age 3 without new infantry and cavalry, so this has a really low option.
      But this in my opinion. Every decision will make by our greatest Devs.
       
      happysmurf and Andy P XIII like this.
    16. Andy P XIII

      Andy P XIII Moderator
      Moderator

      Joined:
      Nov 14, 2017
      Messages:
      562
      Likes Received:
      837
      Trophy Points:
      93
      I can't say that anyone here has figured out the combination of units we arrived at, I love the analysis, and can definitely say that you guys are approaching things very well -- we figure out the design rules and then apply them. Sometimes two different design rules contradict each other, so we have to figure out the best way to break the tie. It's fun to watch others grapple with the same stuff we do.
       
      happysmurf likes this.
    17. Fraxure022

      Fraxure022 Berserker

      Joined:
      May 18, 2019
      Messages:
      141
      Likes Received:
      150
      Trophy Points:
      43
      I don’t recall implying that you were crazy my friend, and would appreciate it if the same kindness were extended to me.

      That being said, you do make a good point I had not considered. It is entirely possible that we get a Roman cavalry unit from the Castellum. I was aware that the military structures were divided by point of origin more so than their role, but that hadn’t really clicked with me until I read your post. For some reason, my brain interpreted that as “Infantry from one, Cav and Ranged from the other”. I think it’s because it was compared to the Egyptian barracks in the blog, and that got my wires crossed.

      With that in mind, their design is more reflective of Age of Mythology’s Atlantean Civ, which is similar to how I thought they’d wind up back in the day. I still seriously doubt the Romans will receive more than two cavalry units because, again, they have to have weaknesses. I hope for a natively Roman cavalry unit, as I prefer the more professional military look the native Roman units have.
       
    18. Fristi61

      Fristi61 Champion

      Joined:
      Jun 22, 2019
      Messages:
      40
      Likes Received:
      79
      Trophy Points:
      18
      Hmm, maybe the Celer ("swift one") could make an appearance? They were a very early unit of native Roman cavalry.
      They could fit in the roster as a basic Age 2 light/raiding cavalry unit from the Castellum, and then maybe you could have Numidian cavalry in Age 3?

      But if the devs are basing Rome mostly on the Late Republican/Early Imperial period, then they're probably too early since they are from the Regal period.

      I guess alternatively you could call that unit the Eques, which wouldn't be very historically correct but would run with the conventional (mis- ;) )understanding that the Romans didn't have strong native cavalry. It's not a terrible offense to run with that though, other games I've seen do as well.
       
      #19 Fristi61, Oct 1, 2019 at 9:55 AM
      Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
    19. happysmurf

      happysmurf Game Developer

      Joined:
      Apr 2, 2018
      Messages:
      21
      Likes Received:
      32
      Trophy Points:
      13
      You guys are right that the romans are a siege based civ, but this does not automatically mean its weak in inf, cav, spc, siege of navy.
      It is all related to how the values are devided. You can make 1 type very weak or all others less powerfull but not weak.
      Hope more info around the last units will clear thinks up.
      But one of the weaknesses of the romans is the difficulty of ideal managment.
       
      Bahram likes this.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice