Setting the Theme

​I want this game to be set in both an ancient and timeless world. In some kind of lost  age with tribal communities all unique and different. Unit differences (as in model types) seemed to me like tedious work at the moment so I'm focusing on buildings, their architecture and how they're built.

This was probably the first color drawing I did with this idea in mind. Three different cultures, placed in the exact same spot, and how they would differ from one another. This was a good start, but I quickly expanded to thinking why different cultural architecture is the way it is. Building materials are usually those that are available, of course. Building shapes and height relate to environmental impacts or lack there of. Finally, cultural flairs are also a part of ancient architecture. These three elements combined are what is known as   Vernacular Architecture and it explains why different cultures build buildings the way they do. 

I wanted to implement this into my game. Building with materials available to create the basic structure, then altering the roof type to adjust to the current climate and weather, then additional structural improvements (stilts, etc.) as needed. I plan to have very extreme weather patters (floods, snow storms, forest fires) and you as a city planner must mitigate these problems as best you can. I suppose the point of the game is to create a culture which is perfectly adjusted to the local resources, region and weather patterns, all while defending from attackers. The difficulty will slowly ramp up until one day you're overrun with problems. Fun right?

The above pictures are an example of three different cultures handling both a flood and a snow storm differently. They all manage (although arguably the adobe houses struggle with the flood) while using completely different strategies. 

This is basically the goal of the final product. I don't believe a village building game has been created yet that focuses on developing around your available resources and local environment, so I'm excited to see how it plays out.