humankind - Mughals Discusion Thread

[bite]

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

https://twitter.com/humankindgame/status/1293231124764925954?s=20

Emblematic unit: Gajnal
Emblematic Quarter: Jama Masjid

Affinity: Builder

 

[ehecatzin]

So happy the Mughals are in, man that concept art is gorgeous

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Cool, probably the first time I see them represented in a video game except Europa Universalis and age of empires 3.

 

[Jkchart]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
*Palpatine.gif*

seriously though, the South Asian cultures all have me stoked. Supremely happy to see the Mughals.

 

[Krajzen]

I am so happy to see Mughals in, really wanted to see them in a game like this for a long time. The most prominent Indian Muslim state, and such culture deserved being added on its own, separately from Hinduist Indian civilizations.

Also I am so relieved to see them being Builder (yes I am still salty about the lack of Aestethe in medieval age )

Cool, probably the first time I see them represented in a video game except Europa Universalis and age of empires 3.

IIRC they were sort of present in age of empires 3 ("India" was in huge part Mughal).

 

[Revanchist]

Am I the only one that disagrees with the builder assignment? Yes, they did build but conquest was a key part of their history and the Aztecs get designated militarist without a single nod to their agrarian history?

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Am I the only one that disagrees with the builder assignment? Yes, they did build but conquest was a key part of their history and the Aztecs get designated militarist without a single nod to their agrarian history?

They did say in one stream that like all cultures could have a case for all affinities, but since each culture is only given one affinity, you end up with stuff like militaristic aztec or builder mughals.

 

[bite]

Each new Addition makes me look at my map and wonder how I am going to pull this off

 

[ehecatzin]

Am I the only one that disagrees with the builder assignment? Yes, they did build but conquest was a key part of their history and the Aztecs get designated militarist without a single nod to their agrarian history?

That Elephant seems bulky enough for conquests, and we've still got to see what the EB does, if it has any bonuses to keeping diverse cultures under control or managing population you could easily go on a rampage with the Mughals.

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Everyone can do everything. Affinity simply give more fame in the area affinity is about and some special ability/advantage.

 

[Jkchart]

I am so happy to see Mughals in, really wanted to see them in a game like this for a long time. The most prominent Indian Muslim state, and such culture deserved being added on its own, separately from Hinduist Indian civilizations.

Also I am so relieved to see them being Builder (yes I am still salty about the lack of Aestethe in medieval age )



IIRC they were sort of present in age of empires 3 ("India" was in huge part Mughal).

But we NEED four militarist cultures in the Middle ages! (sarcasm)

Yeah it sucks there's no Aesthete in the medieval age but i'll stay away from too much judgment because I'm sure there will be more cultures and a medieval aesthete will probably be priority.

But absolutely agree with you on Mughals. I am so happy!

 

[Meluhhan]

While I'm pleasantly surprised to see the Indian Subcontinent receiving this much attention and representation in Humankind right at launch (albeit, well-deserved in my very biased opinion), I'm not much surprised at the inclusion of the Mughals. They are a perfect fit for the theme of the game of changing and assimilating cultures.

The builder affinity is very apt as most of the present day 'fame' of the Mughals derives from their architectural achievements. The culture card is very beautiful. It wonderfully depicts the Lahore fort, one of the lesser known (an unfortunately ill-preserved) marvels of Mughal architecture.

The emblematic unit while being a nod to the importance and centrality of gunpowder weaponry in Mughal warfare still seems slightly misleading. While elephants were indeed used to carry artillery pieces like the Gajnal and Hathnal (Gaja and Hathi are both words for elephants in many Indian languages) and their crew, they were dismounted before being fired. I don't think an Elephant mounted artillery would have been feasible, considering the sheer amount of recoil force a cannon could generate after being fired. If one really wanted to have a true animal mounted artillery because, I admit, it sounds fascinating, then the lighter camel mounted guns called Zamburaks or Shutarnals would have been a more realistic representation.

The model for the EQ seems to be based on the Jama Masjid of Delhi, which is referenced to in the description. Many Jama Masjids built by Mughal Emperors and high offcials are seen throughout many cities of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. I am looking forward to what gameplay effects a large congregational mosque might offer.

 

[danza4x]

OK, so I was wrong. But I'm glad. A very important state for the time that 100% deserves a place in the game - the affinity makes perfect sense imo.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Fabulous to see some South Asia Love for too-long-ignored civilizations and cultures. Also nice to see a well-placed nod to the architectural prowess of the Mughuls, whose monumental architecture still dominates many Indian cities.
But
The Emblematic Unit is another Fantasy Unit in gaming. The Mughul armies were known for their use of gunpowder, but gajnal simply means 'elephant gun' - NOT 'elephant artillery'. The only 'artillery' fired from a mobile platform, as mentioned in the previous post, were camel-mounted 'swivel guns' which were more like oversize shotguns or the equivalent of modern .50 caliber sniper rifles than actual artillery.
Artillery firing and elephants do not mix well. An experiment was tried in India (about a century after the Mughuls) by lining up 225 elephants and firing several cannon (with blank ammunition) behind them. By the time the panic-stricken elephants stopped running - kilometers away - they had trampled over 300 men.

Try putting That effect into the game with your Emblematic Unit!

Elephants did provide more mobility for the heaviest artillery. One monster 'bombard' type Mughul artillery piece, nicknamed 'Fort Opener', was hauled by four elephants - in Europe or the Middle East, a train of dozens of draft animals would have been required with all the extra manpower and fodder for them, so elephants were a measurable improvement for moving the Heavy Stuff.

Kudos to Humankind and Amplitude, though, for showing the elephant wearing armor: that was a Mughul specialty, along with armored howdahs or 'towers' on the elephant's back to protect the crew

 

[Narcisse]

They would have taken less risk in terms of historical accuracy to put fusiliers/musketeers on the top of this elephant To be fair, the canon looks a really small one, so it's okay

Anyway, really beautiful art (Franks are jealous), Elephant unit : Emblematic as hell, nice EQ with indo-islamic architecture.
Solid choice with the Builder affinity.

I die to know what is their Early Modern architecture assets and their City Center ? I really want to know if the Red Fort is somewhere.

One of my sure pick for Early Modern Era. Good job Amplitude.

 

[Uberfrog]

Oh thank goodness! I suspected the Mughals would be in, and am glad to see them in the early modern.

Maybe one day in Civ...

 

[Guandao]

I guessed correctly that the Mughals were in, and had the Builder trait! I'm expecting the Ottomans to be revealed next week!

 

[Meluhhan]

On a closer look, the culture card looks impressively detailed. The pair of dogs at the lower left corner makes me think it depicts a returning hunting party. The Mughal emperors were known for their fondness of hunting and kept detailed records of their kills. Their contemporary memoirs are filled with vivid descriptions and illustrations of their regular hunting expeditions. This fondness for hunting later rubbed off on the British who drove many animals in India to extinction (like the Asiatic Cheetah) or near extinction (like the majestic tiger and one-horned rhinoceros).

Also, at the fore of the party is a rider, most likely an emperor, who appears to be carrying what looks like a falcon or some other such bird. The Mughal emperors were very keen falconers (maybe linked to their distant Mongol heritage) and are often depicted with falcons in their contemporary portraits.

Isn't this the first culture card to depict domesticated animals other than horses and elephants?

The fact that Mughal architecture with its distinctive Indo-Islamic features appears very prominently in this culture card is also a great nod to their achievements in this field as well as to their builder affinity in game. The inlaid pietra dura work on the gate is especially eye-catching. The Amplitude arts team has done a wonderful job on this one. Kudos to them.

 

[Narcisse]

Isn't this the first culture card to depict domesticated animals other than horses and elephants?

There is the Ghanaians camels caravan ! And the Mongols with a domesticated falcon. And the Ummayads with a bird ... So much details in these cards