LogFAQs > #954039143

I was afraid to respond regarding Civ because, well, let's put it one way: I don't find Italian history terribly interesting and you already know I feel somewhat negatively of Civ5 (again, it's not a bad game, just an unsatisfying one IMO as a big fan of 4) so I didn't want to sound too angry.

I'm reading Norman F. Cantor's Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages and I swear I dread any time I get to something Italy- or France-related (with the occasional exception like Charlemagne). I'm even saving the Italians and Franks as the last civilizations I'm testing out in Age of Empires II. The stupid thing is that the Franks (yes, they're called Franks in-game, not simply French, even though their campaign is about Joan of Arc instead of, say, Charlemagne) are meant to be a good civ for those new to the game due to their rather basic bonuses (tougher cavalry, faster foragers, free farm upgrades) and the Joan of Arc campaign being numbered first before the Definitive Edition but uh, I just don't find them very interesting in the game.

Sorry if this comes across as Italy- or France-bashing. I've never played as the French in Civ either (and Italy has never been playable, probably for fear of too much overlap with Rome and Italy not really being a political concept until the 19th century) for that matter. Apologies to any Italian or Frenchman out there, I have nothing against either country. I visited Rome back in 2014/2015 (I think I even spent New Year's there!) and enjoyed how the city of Rome is basically a museum to its ancient forebears (there's even one ruin where lots of cats play!). Also basically every meal I had was pasta or pizza which I did not object too in the slightest! I got cranky at times though due to us being out a few days in a row from dawn to dusk without much rest.

Now I feel like apologizing profusely. I have nothing against Italy or France personally, just don't find either country's history particularly interesting even compared to other European countries, let alone a lot of Asian ones. I REALLY hate how lots of Americans act as if China never existed before the pandemic and the Middle East is a breeding ground for terrorists when both have been major centers of culture and civilization for all of history. Might as well throw in Mexico and illegal immigrants into the conversation too.

Also yeah, some of the Civ names in Age of Empires II are a bit silly just for the sake of old-time language, e.g. Britons instead of English (this is not even correct, Britons were Celts who formed the basis for Wales, plus to add insult to injury in some of the campaigns they're addressed as "British"), Franks instead of French, and Saracens instead of Arabs. I think the idea with the original game was supposed to be leading a civilization literally from the fall of Rome to the Renaissance, but that has been less stringently enforced with each new update. Also there have supposedly been edit wars on the Wiki over what the Turks, Cumans, and Tatars are meant to represent - the latter two are also Turkic tribes. The problem there I think is that the Turks were one of the 13 civilizations in the game from the very start and were the designated gunpowder-oriented civ (later joined by the likes of the Spanish and Indians), which leaves the latter two introduced very recently to reflect the more nomadic Turkic tribes, although the Turks do have some cavalry bonuses to reflect their roots. Oh and there's how the "Celts" are a composite of both medieval Scotland and Ireland (units speak Irish, their wonder is the Rock of Cashel, their unique unit is the anachronistic "Woad Raider", they have faster-working lumberjacks, and their campaign is about William Wallace) among many, many other problems. Oh well, I suppose we don't really play the game for historical accuracy!

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Why do people act like the left is the party of social justice crusaders?