Yep, what about that, im from latin america and I wouldnt like to see such a big part of the AMERICAN (both north and south) history be left aside. As a matter of fact, the mayor conflict of the american colonization was not in the plains of north america, but in the plateu of central mexico and the peruvian highlands. Both the incaic and aztec civilization were conquered by incredible strikes of luck by pizarro and cortés. If moctezuma hadnt been such a week and supersticius emperor, or the inca throne hadnt been divided by two pretendents, there is no telling how history would have been re-written. Anyways, enough of history and back to gameplay. Maps featuring the colonization of these empires would have a great stop to rushes in these large, technologically advanced and militaristic civilizations that would difficult scouting as well as expansion. They would also play a major role as allied natives, since their strength was no doubt much larger than the small groups the early conquistadores had, and their level of organization allowed them to field regular armies rather than small groups of warriors. (as a matter of fact, pizarro conquered mexico only through the help of the tlaxcala, a large tribe who was disgruntled because of the aztec´s dominance, as any of you who played the conquerors campaign would know) The peruvian highlands and the central american jungles would no doubt be an exiting scenario, as would be the colonization of the amazonas by portugal and spain.
So far, ive only seen a concept art of an aztec warrior, but no screenshots showing anything other than the oh so well known colonization of northern america. So pls ES, dont leave the other half of the american history out, dont dissapoint us latin american gamers, we are americans as well!
P.S. Oh yes and what about hostile tribes? i mean would certain tribes be hostile to you if you invade their territories or consume their resources? There could be a meter of happiness towards that different actions alter. These diplomatics would be vital in scenarios with large civs (inca, aztec) Also, the role of natives should decrease as the populationes become domesticated, so when you reach imperial age your native allies have only a secondary role, but in the early ages their role is significant.
[This message has been edited by Suecotero (edited 02-19-2005 @ 02:09 PM).]