Not a good time period to jump off from.
Two better starting points would be:
1. If the Song complete their transition into an industrialized society.
2. Overdone, but the Ming treasure fleet period.
This requires some logical chain of events, like a Ming show of force via fleet against surrounding non-tributary nations, like the Aceh Sultunate or Japan.
Those countries, not being in the Ming sphere could be spurred to build up navies as well, in part in response to seeing the profit derived from Ming overseas expeditions.
I would need to go into more detail but that's the basic summary of this.
And Thailand or Mongolia won't have a chance to do this. I'm sorry.
Japan & Indonesia have the geographical positioning to do so and Corea has an opportunity to play a smaller colonizing role, as an analogue to Portugal or any of the lower-tier colonizers.
If we assume that East Asians are colonizing Europe from the west,
then why would France serve as a Chinese analogue?
That would be more apt of a role for a Holy Roman Empire or united Italy or even a still-kicking Byzantine Empire.
The starting point would be that Zheng Ho discovers America and the Ming a Emperor (as well as the Japanese and Korean emperors) send colonists over. They would wipe out the natives, and by 1600, the Pacific Coast would be dotted with colonies with the Atlantic Seaboard still empty (even the Caribbean).
Also, Asia would not colonize Europe or anything crazy like that.
Few questions for random:
500 A.D.
Do you plan for Greece and Seleucid Persia to be allies?
Where should the Catholic holy area be? I was personally thinking Ethiopia would be a good place to be.
Are the Celts going to ally with Carthage?
Will Greece and Carthage be allies?
1. Yes, Greece will be alive, and (not Seleucid) Persia will be a vassal of Greece if neither Greece nor Persia is controlled by the player.
2. Both the Catholic and Orthodox holy cities will be in Carthage.
3. The Celts will still be a minor civ.
4. No. They will be neutral.
Suggestions
500 A.D.
Carthage-
- Fairly stable and well established, but still shaky
- Controls Italy up to Rome, has Africa from Tripoli to Morocco but not having indie Marrakesh, Iberia includes Cordoba and Valencia, Phonecia has Tyre and maybe Jerusalem and/or Cyprus
- Facing small, but organized resistance from Romans in Northern Italy, who might have a presence in Croatia or Marseille
- Carthage (City) has Cothon, A.P. (but Orthodox w/out Holy City moving), and possibly Colossus. Rome has: Colosseum, [insert other wonder here]
- Civ has advanced techs that compare to almost what most Euros start with, but has fairly large upkeep costs and medium research speed
- Moors conditionally spawn at Marrakesh with large SoD
- Smaller army, based mainly in Roma and Carthage
- UHV 1: Control all of Italy, Spain, and Morocco in 1200 A.D.
- UHV 2: Control the most cultured city in the world in 950 A.D.
- UHV 3: Be the most advanced civ in 950 A.D.
Greece-
- Large civ, backwards and unstable
- Controls Greece, Albania, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Mesopotamia, Jerusalem if Carthage doesn't, Constantinople, vassal Byzantines in Romania, possibly Crete
- Has to battle multiple, but unorganized barbarians for now before Arab spawn
- Athens has: Oracle, Temple of Art. Parthenon. Appolonia has: SoZ. Babylon has: Ishtar, H. Gardens
- Most basic early medieval techs, but HUGE maintenance costs and sluggish research.
- Very Large army, but a tad stretched thin, largely in Babylon, Jerusalem, and Constantinople
- Friendly with Carthage
- Should be taken over by Turks
- UHV 1: Control Egypt and Cyrene by 850 A.D
- UHV 2: No cities lost to Arabs or barbs by 1000 A.D.
- UHV 3: Honestly not sure
Byzantines-
- Small, centered in Constanta
- Vassal to Greece, has Romania, Bosnia
- Constanta is the Holy Orthodox city, has Hagia Sophia
- Good research modifier, sort of a tech cow for Greece
- Wants Roman Croatia
- UHV 1: Be the first to discover Liberalism, Education and Printing Press
- UHV 2: Control Kiev, The Black Sea (Three cities), and the entire Balkan peninsula (except Greece) by 1200 A.D.
- UHV 3: Make sure Orthodoxy is the largest religion in 1600 A.D.
My Ideas so far
1. No new UHV goals.
2. Carthaginian cities (I think at this point) will be:
Carthage (big, has most buildings, has Cothon, Colosseum, and Apostolic Palace),
Some Algerian city (medium),
Marrakesh (small, same as 600 AD),
Syracuse or a city in Southern Italy,
Nova Carthago (medium),
Some Libyan city (small),
Lastly, Sur.
In terms of technology, Carthage will not have Feudalism, but otherwise be on Euro tier.
3. Greek cities (probably) will be:
Babylon (capital, with Hanging Gardens, Ishtar Gate, and most buildings),
Athens (has Oracle, the Colossus, and the Pantheon b/c Rome will be burnt down),
Epirus (or whatever that city SE of the copper is, medium sized and has obsolete Statue of Zeus),
Miletos (2S 1E of Byzantion, has Temple of Artemis, medium sized),
Trapezon (small),
Jerusalem (medium with Temple of Solomon),
Lastly, possibly Shush (small)
In terms of tech, Greece will have roughly the same amount if techs as Carthage and will be just as unstable.
4. No Byzantines.
Additionally, the following civs will be included:
China
Persia (vassal of Greece, has Parsa, Shush if Greece doesn't, and some border city)
India (tech leader)
Tamils
Ethiopia
Korea
Mayans
.
