Von Falkenheyn
Chieftain
It might be an interesting idea to have a poll on this. I'll list the civilizations which I'll miss on release and I'd like to see in future DLC or expansions.
- Persia: Hugely infuential civilization over hundreads of years. People tend to think of the ancient empire under Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes but Persia had been hugely influential under both the Sassanids and the Safavids. As has been mentioned before Persia lends itself to multiple iterrations and not just the usual leader being Cyrus and the unit being the immortals.
- Ottomans: Again, a huge empire spanning over an enormous area and exerting influence as the defenders of the faith over an even larger part of the globe. Of course Suleiman the Magnificent is the sultan over whose reign the empire reached its zenith but Mehmed the Conqueror and Murad II (Mehmed's father) are also potential candidates. As far as special units are concerned, we could see for example the Ottoman bombards, the classic Janissary units, the Sipahi cavalry or the Barbary corsairs.
- Dutch: As has been said above, a civilization which influenced world affairs by achieving immense leverage of its very limited resources. Superb inventors, painters, traders, navigators and sailors, the Dutch managed to overcome not just their enemies but also mother nature. As for leaders, William I of Orange and Johan de Witt are the obvious choices here. As far as special features are concerned, sea and marsh reclaiming could be a feature, as could be the dairy farm, the East India Company and the East Indiaman as a special unit.
- Khmers: A civilization which dominated South East Asia for quite a few centuries. Their influence was military, cultural and spiritual. As a special unit we could see the War Elephant which could have a ranged attack that can be used twice during combat (the Khmers mounted two crossbows on their elephants).
- Mali: Because really, who didn't enjoy playing with Mansa Musa? The Malinese empire could become a thelogical and economical powerhouse in the game
- Venice: This is a personal favorite which I'd like to see again but I'll live on if it doesn't reappear. Venice represents the epitome in shrewd leadership, they're the inventors of modern diplomacy, the stock exchange and of industrial complexes among others. If the Dutch managed to leverage their own meager resources, just think what Venice did out of a city built upon swampland and seawater.