Preliminary Plan for Scythians news

Units

Civic Center Units

• Scythian Woman
  • Like the Spartan Woman, she fights back when attacked
  • Her inspiration aura is 2x stronger than other women
  • Good for commanding slaves
• Slave
  • The Scythians were slavers and slave traders, and this made them rich
  • Good for gathering and dying
• Small Wagon
  • Can "unpack" into Small class buildings
    • Yurt (+10 to pop cap)
    • Storehouse
    • Farmstead
    • Outpost -> Wooden Tower (at 'City' Phase)
      
      

• Tahm-Rayiš (Tomyris)
  • Hero Cavalry
  • Queen of the Massagetae, a powerful Eastern Scythian confederacy. Her army defeated Cyrus the Great and checked his expansionist ambitions.
• Ateas (Ateas)
  • Hero Cavalry
  • United dozens of Western Scythian tribes to form a kind of "Scythian Empire" over his lifetime. Fought against and was killed by Philip II of Macedon.
• Skilurus (Skilurus)
  • Hero Cavalry
  • King of the Crimean Scythians, whose capital was the Greco-Scythian city of Scythian Neapolis. Warred against Mithridates of Pontus.
  • Defensive abilities: unlocks Stone Fortress and Stone Walls as long as he lives

Barracks Units

• Saka Axeman
  • Sword Infantry
• Scythian Archer (male and female actor variations)
  • Archer Infantry

Stables Units

• Sarmatian Lancer
  • Spear Cavalry
  • Cataphract upgrade
• Massagetae Sagaris Cavalry
  • Sword (Ax) Cavalry
• Dahae Cavalry Archer
  • Archer Cavalry
• Scythian Maiden Cavalry
  • Javelin Cavalry

• King's Guard Cavalry
  • Champion Cavalry
  • Can upgrade to a strong anti-building attack (flames)

Mobile "buildings" and how they work

The Scythians start the match with 2 ranged infantry, 2 melee cavalry, 2 ranged cavalry, and 4 women. Instead of a "Civic Center" they start the match with 1 Large Wagon (drawn by 4 oxen) and 1 Small Wagon (drawn by 2 oxen).

• Most structures/buildings pack and unpack into either Large or Small wagons, depending on their class.
  • Large Wagon
    • These wagons are built (like a building) by infantry and women
      • Cost: 100 food, 20 seconds, 2 pop
    • Is not a dropsite, and neither are any of the unpacked buildings
    • Can unpack into:
      • Civic Center
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 200 wood, 200 stone, 30 seconds
        • Territory influence is +50% larger than other civic centers, but has a lot less strength. Territory only serves to prevent enemies from building in their area, like Zerg Creep from Starcraft
        • Can "train" Small Wagons
      • Stables
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 100 food, 20 seconds
        • Trains all cavalry units
      • Barracks
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 100 wood, 20 seconds
        • Trains infantry units
      • Blacksmith
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 100 wood, 20 seconds
      • Market
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 100 food, 100 wood, 20 seconds
      • Temple
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 100 stone, 20 seconds
  • Small Wagon
    • These wagons are trained from the Civic Center
      • Cost: 50 food, 15 seconds
    • Is a dropsite for all resources when packed
    • Gives +5 pop cap per cart, like a house
    • Can unpack into:
      • Yurt (+10 to pop cap)
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 20 wood, 10 seconds
      • Farmstead
        • Pack/Unpack cost: 50 wood, 10 seconds
        • Food gathering improvements
      • Corral (many cavalry improvements and technologies)
      • Outpost -> Wooden Tower (at 'City' Phase) -> Stone Tower (at 'Empire' Phase if hero Skilurus is alive)

Wonder ("Royal Kurgan"), palisades, and docks are built like other civs.

Greek-style stone walls and stone fortresses can be built if the hero unit Skilurus is trained and as long as he lives.

Technologies

Blacksmith pairs focus on soldier weapons and armor improvements vs. capturing and lootong improvements. Scythians were renowned for their metals work, so have tiered metalworking improvements.

Market pairs focus on international trade vs. homegrown economic improvements (typical storehouse improvements, since they have no real storehouse structure), also slavery improvements.

"Great Migration" tech removes packing/unpacking cost (resources and time) and increases wagon speed +50% and health +100%, but removes territory effect from Civic Center (no more Zerg creep effect).

"Great Settlement" tech remove Pack/Unpack ability and makes the Scythian buildings permanent and +100% health and reinstates territory influence and strength to all buildings.