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Hello all,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am SunWukong, although you might have guessed it, that is not my real name. I am the acting secretary of Beelim Solutions; and an honourary member of the Modderf*ckers, two groups dedicated to working on projects based off the game engines for Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots, and Zero-K.

My major problem currently now is that I am building a RTS mod, covering the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries (as well as the First World War, somewhat like Victoria II extended). My biggest problem are the Mesoamerican civs, which I feel, are often neglected by many RTS games and people because they are frequently dismissed as being technologically inferior (which isn't always true).

So far, we have 5 factions covered by my game which I feel are important:

Spanish Empire
Nueva Espana (covers the Aztecs, is still busy assimilating them)
Portuguese Brazil
The Mayans
Captaincy-General of Peru (which is also busy assimilating the Inca)

The startoff date is roughly around 1600 AD.

Over time, I want the Inca and Aztec to slowly evolve from native empires to Spanish colonial possessions (with their own units shared with Spain) and into modern Mexico and Peru. That one I have solved, but I haven't done the same with the Maya, which I think are fascinating enough.

My first problem with the Maya was that after 1821, they didn't have much influence. I decided to have them evolve into this semi-historical entity called (Gran) Colombia which had llaneros cavalry, based off Simon Bolivar's army, but I realised that the area covered by Gran Colombia does not include Mayan territory. To make matters worse, most territory, I have read, belonging to the Maya was actually expropriated to Mexico by 1900, although there arose once a state called the "Maya Free State" which even enjoyed British protection for a while.

Does anyone know how to fix this dilemma? I would like to make the Maya as "normal" as possible (whatever that means) but it's just too difficult. So far we've got the following bonuses and units given to them, which I think are not really that accurate:

  • First senate is free
  • Gain food from lumber posts
  • Units are hidden and heal in your territory when not attacking or under attack
  • Conscript units have additional hitpoints
  • Scouts spawn from your barracks, and can move through forests
So these people are still masters of the jungle despite what happens, even if they no longer build on a frequent and environmentally damaging basis.
Here's the unit roster:
  • Javelineers => Heavy javelineers
  • Spearmen => Heavy spearmen => Libertador Chosen Men
  • Llaneros [3] => Llaneros cavalry [4] Medium cavalry, representing a balance between the cheapness of hussars and the hitting strength of heavy cavalry
  • First Nations archers => Matchlock cacique [2]
  • Batab warbands [1-2] => Guerillas [3-5] faster, stronger and stealthy units, better than normal militia.
  • Missionary [3] an agent unit recruitable from the Presidium
  • Possibly: armed caravans and merchants and supply
The ancient Maya rely heavily on militia to save the day, unlike the more expansionist Aztec and Inca who had their own special regiments of units. After that, however, it's hard to say what happens (or what ought to happen next). I tried adding some Bolivarian-styled units, but it just didn't work out well.

Can anyone give me some ideas, perhaps for say line units, artillery and/or cavalry? please don't try to suggest an ancient Mesoamerican unit like a "Jaguar Knight" that rides horses!
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