I also haven't seen any new aoe buildings implemented ingame, but I've made a few models for the now cancelled mod Age of Italy. If you want you can use them.

Some examples:








If I were you I would not draw them in photoshop from scratch, but first make the general shape in sketchup and then go into photoshop. I think it will be much easier.

I also think the very limited palette is more a hinder than a help. It makes getting good ingame results much harder.

[This message has been edited by Thompsoncs (edited 04-26-2013 @ 07:28 AM).]

What's the fun in not drawing it by hand=D. I guess I get some of my perspectives wrong in my image so 3D models would help out here.

While your 3D models are good I don't really see their functionality in game.

The palette doesn't work because you use new textures. Most aoe buildings use very little color variation so it's easier to use pixel art here for your textures than the ones in google sketchup.

Finished building:

[This message has been edited by Jan dc (edited 04-26-2013 @ 02:30 PM).]

Have you not ultimately decided on leaving, Thompsonics.

Looks great, definitely has an AoE feel too it.

Any ideas for buildings to make?

A palace or fortress perhaps?

Ever thought why on one made new units for this game,even in the old days I don't think anyone ever bothered to make new unit graphics even developers didn't

The developers made RoR and its units. After that they got occupied with aok.

Hmm don't really see how a fortress or palace would fit in the game.

they should have at least added new graphics for legioner and centurians.

why wont a palace fit it? it can be something like the aok castle you can place them to expand your empire

It'd be pretty darn cool if AoE got more ancient wonders. I'd love to see more variety in that department. Even if you couldn't build it, it'd be something nice to have in the scenario editor.

Jan dc & Thompsoncs, if you could make some new Wonders that fit well in the game, I'll be very happy to include them in v2.0 of UPatch - the unofficial patch for AOE!

Your work looks great and there is already a demand for new Wonders.

I could give it a try to make 1 or 2 wonders.

So the wonders that already exist for these civs are:
Greek = statue of Rhodes
Egypt = pyramid (of Cheops?)
Assyrians = temple(don't know the name)
Rome = Colosseum
Choson = temple(is it the one in Beijing?)

It's not easy finding decent wonders but these could work:
Babylonians = Hanging gardens or Ishtar gates(the latter seems the most doable)
Minoans = palace at Knossos


I think I'll try the Minoan wonder first. Flat roofs, red pillars, white/yellow color for walls and roofs.
First I'll have to make a basic shape, preferably in a 3D program. Thompsoncs if you have time could you help me with this? It's not easy though to get the perspective right in sketchup.

Have you not ultimately decided on leaving, Thompsonics.

I'm in HG retirement, but since I can still post and still watch a few topics on heavengames I will occasionally post a few things. The aoe modding forum being one of them.

While your 3D models are good I don't really see their functionality in game.

The palette doesn't work because you use new textures. Most aoe buildings use very little color variation so it's easier to use pixel art here for your textures than the ones in google sketchup.

The models were made for my mod, in that mod they had purpose. For example, I tried to make an entire celtic/barbarian style, the rest are wonders, camps or just some stuff to put in the scenario editor. Some of the latter can still be used, I suppose the celtic/barbarian models dont really have use outside my mod.

Alternatively you can make textures in photoshop with proper palette and use those textures in sketchup.

Jan dc & Thompsoncs, if you could make some new Wonders that fit well in the game, I'll be very happy to include them in v2.0 of UPatch - the unofficial patch for AOE!

I dont have a lot of time available, but I might be able to help a bit. The above temple was meant as the temple of artemis (think it was meant to be seleucid wonder, but it can be a macedonian wonder).

I think I'll try the Minoan wonder first. Flat roofs, red pillars, white/yellow color for walls and roofs.
First I'll have to make a basic shape, preferably in a 3D program. Thompsoncs if you have time could you help me with this? It's not easy though to get the perspective right in sketchup.

I you can provide a decent example of this palace of knossos and what you want with it (probably needs to be simplified a but) I will try to make it. It looks quite big on google pictures.

[This message has been edited by Thompsoncs (edited 04-28-2013 @ 11:23 AM).]

@Jan dc: Great, I'm looking forward to seeing them.

You could consider doing some sort of more general Wonder that could apply to more than 1 civ.

Here is a detailed description of current Wonders in AOE and what they are good for (this should help you):

Sumerian Ziggurat:
- historically accurate usage: could be used by all Mesopotamian cultures (Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian). It's not very realistic for other civs to use it, but since it looks like a giant temple, it's a possible compromise for Persian and Hittite.
- in UPatch it's used by Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Hittite, Persian.
- in the original game it's very foolishly replaced with Pyramid for Sumerian and Assyrian (Hittite, Persian are still using it).

Egyptian Pyramid:
- historically accurate usage: only for Egypt
- in UPatch it's used by Egyptian and Phoenician - since Phoenicians now use Egyptian tileset (it's historically closer to them than Greek and after the other changes only Egypt had it, so I added it also to Ph.) and I didn't wanted to change only the Wonder to something else.

Asian Temple:
- it fit realatively well to the assigned civs: Shang, Yamato, Choson.

Greek Statue:
- historically accurate usage: only for Greek, but since it looks somewhat universal, it could also be used for Minoan, Macedonian or some other civs.
- in UPatch it's used by Greek, Minoan and Gaia (Nature).
- in the original game it's used by Greek, Minoan and Phoenician.

Roman Colosseum:
- historically accurate usage: Romans only. But since it looks like a large amphitheater, it could be used by some of the civs that Rome conquered - mostly Carthaginians and Palmyrans.
- in the original game & UPatch it's used by Romans, Carthaginians, Palmyrans and Macedonians.

The biggest problems with current Wonders are:
- Phoenician Pyramid must be replaced with something else
- Ziggurat is not very appropriate for Persian and Hittite, a more general Wonder could help - some sort of Temple in Mesopotamian style that could also be used for Phoenicians.
- The Colosseum is too Roman for other civs, a more general Roman style Wonder (or similar) could be useful.

Minoans are not a big problem, since they could easily use Greek Wonder (they already have Greek buildings anyway), but they could have unique Wonder as well.

As I remember, Wonders in Rise of Nations and AOM are great. Some ideas could be borrowed from them. I just found out that there is a Hanging Gardens Wonder in RON.

[This message has been edited by aoe_scout (edited 04-28-2013 @ 11:42 AM).]

Do you have any good pictures of a Persian or Hittite temple?
I know there isn't much left of the Hittite civilization so that might not be easy but a Persian temple should be doable I hope.
A Carthaginian wonder is harder because there is almost no archaeological evidence left and to give them a Roman wonder doesn't seem right. We can say however that Carthaginian architecture is related to Phoenician and let them share a wonder.


I picked the palace of Knossos because it seemed fun to do and as the Minoan civilization was extinged when the colossus of rhodes was build it doesn't seem right to use it for them either. This is a replica

of this

Just figuring out the style of the thing. I also have to apply the aoe palette on it. Does anyone have the aoe palette in .pal format(or any format that opens in Photoshop)?

@Thompsoncs
Obviously we'll have to select a piece from the Knossos palace. I was thinking of a building in the shape of the letter U maybe? With galleries on the sides.
Or a piece from this image.
Either the bottom left or the center left part.

[This message has been edited by Jan dc (edited 04-28-2013 @ 03:09 PM).]

I'll give the center building a shot. It will take at least a few days, perhaps several weeks.

Here is the in-game palette in .act format (also used by Photoshop along with .pal).

The palace element looks good so far (as idea). But proper size and perspective might be difficult. Another big problem (with all new Wonders) will be how to fit with the rest of the building styles, it shouldn't look too different. That's why it must be something simple (like the rest of the Wonders in the original game), using similar colors and style.

Also, there is no need for too much historical accuracy, because the whole game is extremely inaccurate. No need to bother with details like when the Colossus of Rhodes existed (Greek Wonder is nothing like it anyway and Minoans were not even existent in Iron Age). All graphical things in the game are completely imaginary. This is the style of the game, borrowing few ideas from reality, then creating fictitious animated stuff with them.

[This message has been edited by aoe_scout (edited 04-28-2013 @ 04:40 PM).]

You're right, we should keep the wonders semi-historic.

I'll adjust the size to fit the other wonders but even so it seems like all the aoe wonders don't have the same proportions themselves. Perspective shouldn't be a problem as I've plenty of experience with it. And as for simplicity and such that's what I had exactly in mind. I get most inspiration for textures from other aoe buildings and at most I'll recolor some here and there but I'll make sure it will fit.

Thanks for the palette.

@Thompsoncs
No problem. Just keep it simple, you don't need to add small details, just the big geometric shapes. I can add those details later. It's mostly to get the symmetry and perspective right.

[This message has been edited by Jan dc (edited 04-28-2013 @ 05:16 PM).]

http://www.daviddarling.info/images/reconstruction_of_Carthage_1.jpg

Maybe just create a generic palace or something for civs that don't really have wonders? I know a lot of civilizations had palaces in ancient times So maybe creating something like that would work for them.

And what would such a generic palace look like?


@Mahazona
I've seen that round dock building before but without the tower. Maybe I can replicate something like it for Phoenicia and Carthage(question then is if it should have water underneath it, real terrain or drawn on it).
I think that building is also in other rts games like 0AD and Celtic Kings: the punic wars, so I might be able to base it on those graphics.

[This message has been edited by Jan dc (edited 04-29-2013 @ 11:11 AM).]

Dock building would not be appropriate for Wonder, except on islands may be. If you use this style to create some Government building or Palace, it could work.

Both Carthage and Phoenicia were naval civs so it would make sense but it's probably not very practical.

I agree, it might be beautiful and realistic in many ways, but completely not practical in the game, especially on maps like Hill Country and Highland. Sad, but true.

That's why they didn't include the Colossus of Rhodes, but some big statue instead.

[This message has been edited by aoe_scout (edited 04-29-2013 @ 03:47 PM).]

Was looking up Hittite monuments and Eflatunpinar caught my eye. Video I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9AyVbR2Jgo
and a website: http://www.hittitemonuments.com/eflatunpinar/

Though not a building, it is a monument that's still around and I think it would be rather unique to have in the game.

[This message has been edited by Cyrix (edited 04-29-2013 @ 07:00 PM).]

As you know Carhage had quite the port, but as you mention it would look silly in waterless maps. As an aquatic construct and if kept that way, I think it would be more difficult to defend than 'land' wonders.

Maybe a lighthouse, or a temple instead? Both Carthage was founded by Tyrians and as the rest of the phoenician cities and colonies they shared basically the same pantehons.