Why the Spanish? Well, a lot of people have been clamoring for them. It's the most globalized language after English - a testament to their long lasting imperial influence. The AOE fanbase is huge in Latin America, so it'd be a popular seller. And you just know the soundtrack is going to slap!
For Spain I wanted to design a 3-star difficulty European civilization, with an emphasis on tempo. The personality of this civilization is very much characterized by their unique history in this period. As Spain, you'll always be the underdog. On the surface, the civilization does not have much to offer - they have next to no starting civilization bonuses, which is why it's so important for Spain to pursue the Reconquista.
The Reconquista mechanic allows Spain to unlock tempo-swinging resource rewards, as well as unique mechanics that permanently buff your empire. It's kind of like playing an RPG. Once you complete the Reconquista, you'll be one of the most powerful civilizations in the game (which is fitting considering the timeline of AOEIV).
After researching the Inquisition tech, killing enemies grants Reconquista points. And after researching Vassalage, earning Reconquista points also nets you gold. This is meant to thematically tie into Spain's history of religious crusade and plunder. I'm also imagining "+15 gold" indicators coming up when enemies die - a callback to earning EXP in Age of Empires 3!
Spain constantly wants to accrue Reconquista points. They have the option to do so peacefully by making their Missionaries Proselytize, but it'll likely take too long or be too expensive. It's much faster if they kill enemy units. This means Spain is always incentivized to aggress. If they commit enough, the resource rewards in the Reconquista will help offset their economic costs. If they overcommit and then fail to achieve the next Reconquista tier however, they're gonna have a bad time.
Spain Civilization Concept
For Age of Empires IV
Why the Spanish? Well, a lot of people have been clamoring for them. It's the most globalized language after English - a testament to their long lasting imperial influence. The AOE fanbase is huge in Latin America, so it'd be a popular seller. And you just know the soundtrack is going to slap!
For Spain I wanted to design a 3-star difficulty European civilization, with an emphasis on tempo. The personality of this civilization is very much characterized by their unique history in this period. As Spain, you'll always be the underdog. On the surface, the civilization does not have much to offer - they have next to no starting civilization bonuses, which is why it's so important for Spain to pursue the Reconquista.
The Reconquista mechanic allows Spain to unlock tempo-swinging resource rewards, as well as unique mechanics that permanently buff your empire. It's kind of like playing an RPG. Once you complete the Reconquista, you'll be one of the most powerful civilizations in the game (which is fitting considering the timeline of AOEIV).
After researching the Inquisition tech, killing enemies grants Reconquista points. And after researching Vassalage, earning Reconquista points also nets you gold. This is meant to thematically tie into Spain's history of religious crusade and plunder. I'm also imagining "+15 gold" indicators coming up when enemies die - a callback to earning EXP in Age of Empires 3!
Spain constantly wants to accrue Reconquista points. They have the option to do so peacefully by making their Missionaries Proselytize, but it'll likely take too long or be too expensive. It's much faster if they kill enemy units. This means Spain is always incentivized to aggress. If they commit enough, the resource rewards in the Reconquista will help offset their economic costs. If they overcommit and then fail to achieve the next Reconquista tier however, they're gonna have a bad time.