Beefjack interview (Morocco hinted?)

[Zet]

If the civ is Morocco (or the Almoravids) the resource linked to them will be camels

I think we have a winner.

 

[Gucumatz]

I think we have a winner.

How??? Camels are far from really thought of as only being Moroccan/Berber

No, I sincerely doubt Morocco was what the clue referred to

 

[altayrneto]

Dihya al-Kahina has to be Morocco's leader. Firaxis wouldn't pass on that one.

Spoiler :

You have my support!

 

[Dragonflow]

If Morocco is in then the Songhai will finally have a nemesis!

 

[teriaky]

I don't know that much about Morocco's history, any small info how they might turn out, in civ terms? Were they big traders, any stand out units or tactics? Religious? etc.

Short answer: They were mostly involve in the Mediterranean trade, the Trans-Saharan trade and the atlantic slave trade. The black guard and the Barbary corsair were important units in Moroccan history. Berbers were the ones who spread Islam in West Africa. They are a fairly well-rounded civ.

Long answer

Spoiler :

Morocco is populated by berbers, who saw the birth of their culture alomst 3000 years ago. There is a cool division between nomadic tribes and sedentary population. Before the muslim era, the Maghreb (North-western africa) was dominated by Algerians and Tunisians (Carthagians and Numidians).
The Roman conquered the place (difficultly). The romans divided the region in 2: Africa (Tunisia, Tripolitania and eastern Algeria) and Mauretania (Morocco and western Algeria). The Vandals came in the Maghreb and ended the roman domination for a few hundred years, but berber tribes managed to keep Mauretania for themselves. The Byzantines came and conquered Africa but not Mauretania.
The Arabs then came and conquered all of the Maghreb. The region was now definitivly arabic and Muslim. Only, after the Ommeyad Caliphate fell, Mauretania became independant. Multiple dynasties rose and fell, including those very powerful ones

Spoiler :

The Almoravid

The Almohad

the Marinid

the Saadi

After the fall of the Almohad, Algeria was born and Mauretania became Morocco. The middle ages was the golden age of Moroccan culture and science. Due to the reconquista, the elite of muslim Iberia flee to North Africa, giving the region some very great scientist, artist and administrator. Ibn Battuta, a better version of Marco Polo, is maybe the best known Moroccan scolar. Berber traders were the ones who converted West Africa to Islam. The Maghreb played an important role in the Mediterranean trade and the trans-saharan trade. After the end of the reconquista and the discovery of the Americas, the balance of power between the Maghreb and Iberia shifted at the favor of Iberia. Spanish and Portuguese conquered a lot of coastal cities (including Ceuta and Mellila, whom Spain still control). While Christian Iberia was at it'S height, the Maghreb was at it's lowest. The central power in every state was weak and a lot of counties declared there independance, making them easy traget for the Iberians. The Algerian king called the Ottomans for help. The Ottomans, along with the Berbers, fought the Iberian and their Allies in North Africa. However, they prefer to incorporate the region into their empire rather then reesablishing the local kingdoms. Morocco was squeezed betweek the Spanish empire and the Ottoman empire. Due to an admirable use of diplomacy(they allied one when the other was threatening them), the kingdom keeped it's independance. There was then the battle of the three kings, it which Portugal 'tried to put the rightful sultan on the throne'(they wanted to annex it) in which Morocca once again succefully conserved it's independance. The battle killed 3 kings: the sultan of Morocco, the pretender and the king of Portugal, which caused the Iberian Union.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alc%C3%A1cer_Quibir Morocco gained a lot of prestige from this battle and was once again consider as a major player in the euro-Mediterranean world. They then tried to expand in west africa, sending their elite troops (the black guards) to fight the Songhai empire. Even if they were outnumbered, the Moroccan had gunpowder. They managed to conquer the territory, but where could not keep it due to logistic problem. This caused the fall of the last great empire in West Africa. Meanwhile, the Moroccan spend there time trying to reconquer the lost coastal cities. Every battle had it's histoy. They managed to take most of them. They also created with the other North african states (all ottoman vassals) the barbary pirates. They were corsair who pillaged the coast of christians coutries to take wealth and slave with them. They were extremly powerful. During a moment, they could enter the english rivers because the british navy was too scared to fight them. THey brought a lot of wealth to the Maghreb. Eventually, the industrial revolution maked Europe much more powerful the the muslim world wand Morocco was split between France and Spain. It was a protectorate. Morocco gained it's independance in 1956. Right now, it claims Western Sahara as a part of it's territory. This causes a bit of tension between Morocco and Algeria, since Algeria is the primary defender of Western Sahara.

 

[JSMCAG]

If Morocco is in then the Songhai will finally have a nemesis!

OOOHHHHH Whole cities will burn, I tell you!!!

On Topic, I really hope they get in! They seem like a great addition and maybe someone could mod a Reconquista Scenario using them - that could be fun! (Then again, the scenario would require the creation of new civilizations nonetheless - Spain was still divided at the time, and Portugal didn't exist at the beginning, and it's identity wasn't still formed).
Also, if they do choose Dihya al-Kahina as Morocco's leader, then ALL of the Iberian Peninsula representatives (I know Morroco is North Africa, but they conquered all the way up to the Asturias!) is represented by women! Maybe that's why they choose Dona Maria I!

Taking in consideration the Riad like structure in the poster, they are certainly a likely possibility!

 

[SnowKomodo]

Moroccan food is bloody amazing. That would be enough for me to want them in civ

 

[ferretbacon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP4fy9OClog

At 11:00 mins in, he talks about Kasbahs, which, as he explains it, were fortified points along the trans-Saharan trade route.

This might just be what that mysterious structure on the poster is, the one with the trade route next to the castle looking thing.

Pre-canned, pop-culture-reference achievement ready to go:

"Rob the Kasbah"

 

[blash]

And certainly none of the leaders have been naked so far.

she isnt naked. she is wearing a lion.


i dont quite see camels, some gold coins or carpets giving away one particular civ directly. for me it is pretty clear that the resource is buffalos, arguably seals, if they could come up with some way to incorporate tundra/ice tiles into an UA.
everything wouldnt deserve the caution dennis shirk used in the interview.
on top of it many of those "resources" are products (glas, carpets, coins) that use most oft he already existing resources.

morocco seems very likely as already said, too likely to doubt in it. but just to have it mentioned: maybe dennis shirk or the journalist simply mixed up the name of a civ/city state.

 

[cybrxkhan]

So a Kasbah UB or UI, then, huh? Pretty nifty.


A Mooroccan civ could have plenty of focuses - naval raiding with Barbary Corsairs (meaning probably a change in the Ottomans' UA); the military capabilities of the desert nomads; the cultural and scientific achievements and the religious tolerance (sometimes) of the medieval Moorish and Iberian states; the foggara networks used to improve agricultural output (I think); and the Saharan trade routes.

If this is indeed Morocco, I totally look forward to it.

 

[nunor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP4fy9OClog

At 11:00 mins in, he talks about Kasbahs, which, as he explains it, were fortified points along the trans-Saharan trade route.

This might just be what that mysterious structure on the poster is, the one with the trade route next to the castle looking thing.

Pre-canned, pop-culture-reference achievement ready to go:

"Rob the Kasbah"

Here's a nice little 3D model of a Moroccan Kasbah I found on the internet:

and here's the 'fortified trading post' in Firaxis poster:

I'd say the resemblance is striking!

 

[Gucumatz]

Yea the more I look at it, the more does that fortified trade post look like a Kasbah (The one on the poster)

It looks like we have found Morocco's UI

 

[GenjiKhan]

So a Kasbah UB or UI, then, huh? Pretty nifty.


A Mooroccan civ could have plenty of focuses - naval raiding with Barbary Corsairs (meaning probably a change in the Ottomans' UA); the military capabilities of the desert nomads; the cultural and scientific achievements and the religious tolerance (sometimes) of the medieval Moorish and Iberian states; the foggara networks used to improve agricultural output (I think); and the Saharan trade routes.

If this is indeed Morocco, I totally look forward to it.

Either Kasbah or Foggara would make an bloodly awesome UI,as both can be tailored to provide on desert tiles . My personal preference here is Kasbah,as an UI replacing Fort,which can yield +1 and +1 (provides +1 if built on a desert tile) and later,yields +1 tourism .

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Wow. That kasbah model is a dead ringer. Very nice.

 

[Nujabes]

A potential UU that I know mod-makers have depicted are the Black Guard.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

UIs don't replace anything. They are supplementary. The Kasbah doesn't look like something you want to spam like terraces, polders, or maoi. I'd say they will be a less usable one like the Feitoria.

I bet you can build them on oases.

 

[blash]

Either Kasbah or Foggara would make an bloodly awesome UI,as both can be tailored to provide on desert tiles . My personal preference here is Kasbah,as an UI replacing Fort,which can yield +1 and +1 (provides +1 if built on a desert tile) and later,yields +1 tourism .

i think, it's kasbah.
they removed gold yields from rivers and there are no trading posts on the screenshots we have seen so far. my guess is that some improvements can only be build adjacent to trading routes - with greater gold benefits (e.g. kasbahs).

 

[j51]

As pleased as I am to see Morocco, I hope we also see another Sub-Saharan Civ, such as the Ashanti.

This! Please

 

[Nujabes]

As pleased as I am to see Morocco, I hope we also see another Sub-Saharan Civ, such as the Ashanti.

Yeah, I'm still holding out hope too. Morocco will be great if they're in as well.

 

[ferretbacon]

They might be tile improvements that protect your trade caravans... perhaps they block barbarians from entering all adjacent tiles?