Nation Idea: LA Oceania

[Sombre]

I've decided I want to make a relatively quick mod using mostly existing graphics. So far I've made new nations, offshoot nations and replacement nations. I decided I wanted to try my hand at granting another age to an existing dom3 nation. The devs have never mentioned a LA Oceania update, so I can only assume that they aren't working on one, which leaves me with a bit of room.

So I'd like to hear some suggestions about what LA Oceania could be like - make this a sort of community effort.

The story so far...

Pre EA: Tritons rule the sea. Oceanian Tritons are the strongest, pureblooded, ruled by Triton Kings and the mysterious Amber Clan. Mermen, ichtyids and coastal atlantians aren't a big concern. Aboleths inhabit the deeps but are largely avoidable.

EA: The Atlantian nation ermerges from the deep. They are numerous, driven and entirely capable of invading the land which gives them an edge over Oceania. The war goes badly for the Tritons and they lose the open ocean.

MA: The star falls on the Basalt City which saves Oceania and smashes the Atlantians. Oceania reforms in the shallow waters and looks to claim both coastal provinces and the open seas they once controlled. Pureblood Tritons aren't common and don't hold much power. Mermen and halfmen of the shallows form the new kingdom under the Capricorns. The atlantians are still a danger and Ryleh is growing ever more powerful.

LA: Atlantians have been forced north to the iceflows, are isolated in coastal provinces or have fled to the rainforests of Mictlan. Mermen and regular tritons are common enough but lack a unifying nation. The slave Empire of Ryleh is the undisputed master of the oceans, but is in death throes due to tears in reality, the unstable voidgate, horrors emerging from the deep and mind destroying dreams flowing from the void.

So where does Oceania fit in? Clearly things don't look good,.. or do they? Perhaps now is a time for the remaining pureblooded Oceanians to emerge from hiding and rebuild the old order? Perhaps death and loss has overcome the tritons and merfolk, sharks thrive and the only way to survive is to seek help from numerous human pirate factions?

What do you think?

[BandarLover]

Interesting idea for LE Oceania. Would they start on land like LE Atlantis? Or would pirates be their land only recruitable units, like ME R'lyeh when they build a fort on land? It would be tough to work them into the games history, but doable from what you've posted.

[Sombre]

That bit at the end isn't my idea for LA Oceania. Well, pirates is /an/ idea of mine, but I doubt I'd go with it. I'm posting to ask if you guys have any ideas. The bit at the end is just to start the ball rolling.

I think I'd like to give them shark knights. I'd like them to be more about tritons than mermen/halfmen. Other than that I don't know. I just think they're a good project for me and would be relatively quick to do.

So do you have any thoughts?

[BandarLover]

Right. I was just curious how you would implement pirates, were you to go that route. Pirates are so hot right now.

I like making them Triton centric, maybe bringing back Triton Kings. But then you may run into the same problem EA Oceania has, too many water only units. I must admit, I'm not that knowledgable about underwater mythos outside H.P. Lovecraft but that stuff is covered already.

I'll have to think about this one too.

[Sombre]

I don't really mind them being water-centric; I think that EA Oceania still plays an interesting game, even on the No Indy maps where it can't even get indy troops on land. MA Oceania is slightly less interesting to me, but still good, considering it's a watery Pangaea basically.

It might be good to give LA Oceania a darker edge (a theme of the late era). After all they're forced to live next-door to Ryleh and could well have been driven a bit nuts by it.

[Dedas]

Or they could've been forced to adopt an extremely strict mind discipline to deal with the influence of their dangerous neighbor. Maybe they have a special sacred unit called "Will Warrior" or a priestly sect devoted to preserve the minds of the population?

[Shovah32]

Their priests could have the inquisitor bonus to help keep out the corrupting dominion of rlyeh. Although going down this road could lead to an underwater marignon, making them water-centric would help them take out rlyeh.

[Sombre]

Interesting. I would certainly consider giving them high MR units designed specifically to deal with Ryleh. After all pureblood Oceanian tritons naturally have good mr.

Perhaps something like,...

Oceanian Depth Rangers. Stealth 0, high mr, patrolbonus. Their task is to tirelessly roam Oceanian waters hunting down spawn, hybrids etc. They are semi elite with some extra resistances gained by fighting all manner of horrors. They have been known to launch raids deep into Ryleh in order to strike down foul temples and powerful Illithids.

I'm thinking that LA Oceania would be a nation on constant alert, always ready to strike, to retreat, to counterattack. An assassin form of the Rangers might be nice too, for killing illithids.

What about amphibious troops? I think mermen are a constant in Oceanian history, so I don't mind having them. As for the halfmen of MA Oceania,.. eh,.. then there's Ichtyids - they might be interesting as part of a new oceania.

[Shovah32]

How about ichtyids that have been partially corrupted by the horrors of the void? They would certainly make interesting units.

[Sombre]

Void touched ichtyids who have been forced from their coastal homes by the more advanced land nations are a possibility. Oceania could be a sort of refugee nation sandwiched between the land and ryleh. I mean since the atlantians have moved north and the shamblers are all but wiped out,... I'm thinking the lighter skinned coastal atlantians could be on board with Oceania too. That way you have a triton based sea nation that's all about smacking ryleh around, but with 'marines' made up of ichtyids, atlantians and mermen specifically armed to storm the beaches. Up on the surface world the big new thing is high tech heavy armour, so it might make sense for them to have armour negating or piercing weapons coupled with entangling/netting stuff.