Justification for changes and 4UC additions:
Hoo boy this is a big one. I wanted to get Aztecs down first because the changes for them are the biggest and possibly the most controversial.
changing the
base VP component from Floating Garden to Telpochcalli:
First off, Floating garden is not being removed entirely. 4UC moves the building to Egypt and renames it to Nilometer. The +10%
and +1
to rivers are much more thematically suitable to Egypt and the Nile than to Aztecs and their historical relationship to lakes. Egypt needs more than an extra +20% to wonder construction for the Golden Age bonus to feel like more than just a tacked-on afterthought.
In recompense for losing the Floating Garden, Aztecs needed something that kept their golden age, food and large population bonuses intact. The Telpochcalli accomplishes this. Instead of a % modifier, the Telpochcalli gains permanent stacking yields. Like the Floating Garden it also has a powerful pop scaler. Here, the pop scaler is an intentional reference to the later Public school, since the Telpochcalli are some of the first public schools we know of.
Changing the unique warrior from
Jaguar to Otomi
The Otomi takes over for the Jaguar as the unique warrior for Aztecs. In most respects this is a flavor and historicity change, but it does also have balance implications.
Compared to the Jaguar, the Otomi does not have healing on kills or an extra 33% in woods. However, it does have Survivalism I (25% defense and +5 healing outside friendly lands) and a supercharged anti-barbarian bonus (+40% vs the base 25%). The enhanced barbarian bonus also stays on upgrade.
Otomi addresses some problems with the historicity and how inconsistent Jaguars can be on certain starts.
First, the Jaguar was an elite warrior society from the 15th century, it was not ancient. The Jaguar is using a Macahuitl, which was actually a very sophisticated piece of technology that was not developed by Mesoamericans until at least the 10th century. The Otomi are an ethnic group that has a much longer history in the area, predating the arrival of the Mexica by thousands of years. The Triple-Alliance had a military society named after the Otomi, in a fashion similar to the Egyptian Medjay or the French Zouaves. This callback to an older people that still has ties to the Aztec Empire allows us to stretch back into much earlier Mesoamerican history.
From a gameplay perspective, the Jaguar is very inconsistent. In woods, they get +10% defense and +33% CS, making them swingy based on the terrain they are in. If you manage to get kills they never have to stop to heal, but if you are put on the defensive against a larger barbarian force then the healing bonus can fall flat. The Otomi has defense and healing that are far more reliable in any given situation, at the cost of not being as powerful in ideal conditions.
The Jaguar creates an awkward disincentive for upgrading into spearman as it is. They are considerably cheaper than spears at 40%
, and with 10
plus a 33% bonus vs barbarians, they are not only stronger vs barbarians than spearmen in rough terrain, they are also far more cost efficient. If you have a start with a lot of open space for barbs to spawn in, upgrading to spearmen can hurt you. The new Otomi fixes this by making its special Barbarian bonus stay on upgrade. Now Spearmen keep that extra +40% bonus, along with all the other unique promotions, and it doesn't feel bad to upgrade anymore.
Huey Teocalli
The unique grand temple doubles down on Aztecs' existing bonuses for large population cities and religion from warfare. During Golden ages the Huey Teocalli supercharges the yields from your UA and adds an entire population to your city. It also triggers a golden age on construction, giving Aztecs a guaranteed golden age to kickstart their game if you've had a rough start.
New Jaguar Longsword
This is the most logical place to place a macahuitl-wielding Jaguar, and with the Maori Warrior recently moved to become a scout, the slot for a Iron-free longsword has opened up.
Jaguars are entirely focused on getting that last hit; they get a large bonus against badly wounded units and have their old 25 HP heal on kill. With the addition of 2 medieval components, the Aztecs have a more consistent power curve than their existing super-early bonuses.
Movement
Golden Age on on Construction
Faith and +3
Gold, and +2 
Great Work of Music Slot
unhappiness from Religious Unrest
Population instantly when a 
Science
