Eras

[Picci]

Hi everybody,

what exactly are eras? How do they work? What's in when getting one?

Thanks in advance

[The1exile]

Hi Picci!

Eras are the sort of "age" the game is set in. In multiplayer, this affects what unit sets can be used for recruitment. The only eras packaged with the game are (I believe) the Default era and the Age of Heroes era, which are the usual factions. The only difference is that in the first your leader is a level 2 unit, and you can recruit level 0s and 1s, while in the second your unit is a level 3 and can recruit level 0s, 1s and 2s.

Other eras are user made content and often have whole new faction sets with new units, new history, and even new damage types. For example, the Era of Myths has (I believe) a regenerating berserker unit for its vampires faction. Other eras are used for things like RPG eras (Bob The Mighty has an era designed to work with his RPGs and Colosseum has its own era too).

[Araja]

What happened to the Great War anyway?

[Velensk]

I think it was removed in streamlineing because it was only very rarely used.

[Aethaeryn]

I think it was removed in streamlineing because it was only very rarely used.

And also very random/unbalanced. Developers like to only keep balanced things in mainline, with few exceptions (such as the popular Isar's).

[Iris]

I think it was removed in streamlineing

Mainline, you mean?

[Velensk]

That was what I meant. Though thinking about it, it could be consitered streamlineing (reducing excess content)

[Sapient]

I proposed a long time ago that the Default era should be renamed to the "Standard Era" so that it sounds more like a historical time period. Surprisingly, almost no one liked the idea though.

[Cizzle]

I don't see why not, standard era sound better than default IMO...

[JW]

I don't see why not, standard era sound better than default IMO...

Thirded.

[Araja]

Allright.

What happened to Classic anyway?

[Aethaeryn]

I don't see why not, standard era sound better than default IMO...

Thirded.

I agree, especially if more eras are mainlined (I think noy is working on a faction).

It would also allow people to notice the bottom left era selector earlier on if it said "Standard Era" instead of "Default."

[PsychoticKittens]

From a more technical point of view:

An era is a group of Factions (which are groups of units) or Leaders to be used in a game.

Some Eras are made to be played normally (Pick a leader, leader recruits)
Others are made for RPG type gameplay (Like SX, Bob's RPG Era, or Modular Era)
And many are made to go with a specific map or scenario (For Instance, Modular Era is mostly for Wesband, and The High Seas has its own Era also)

Thusly they are used to select groups of units (which are hopefully balanced against other units in their era) or to be used for proper gameplay with a certain scenario.

My point of view anyway.