The Early Modern/Industrial Era mod for Rise of Nations
The first of the few overhauled factions we will be seeing in this mod, Iran has taken over the original bonuses of the Poles and is a cavalry-heavy faction capable of spawning Nomadic Huntsmen from newly built Stables.
Although weakened and on the verge of collapse following the disorder at the end of the Safavid dynasty, Iran was still a key player in Middle Eastern politics. It was positioned between the Ottoman and Mughal empires and still continued to dominate the Gulf region as it does now.
Iran is heavily concentrated on skirmisher cavalry, and like the vanilla Mongols is best used for quick cav rushes, but is technologically deficient, especially when it comes to naval forces, having only the humble Xebec as the mainstay of its fleet.
On land, however, it's another story. The army you see in Ultima Ratio is based off the late Afshari army: they still continue to maintain a great deal of cavalry, ranging from mercenary Qizilbash and light Afghan lancers, all the way to heavier ones, such as the Shahsevan and the Zamburakchiyan or light camel cannoneers. Zamburakchiyan are an interesting unit because they are essentially highly mobile cannon units that don't need to unpack to fire. The problem with them however is that they are still vulnerable if mobbed by cavalry units, especially ranged ones - Zamburakchiyan like camels are tougher and so can't be easily brought down by melee cavalry. That said, Iran is mostly invested in cavalry at the expense of more technologically advanced and diverse Western infantry armies, so if you are facing Iran, anticav weapons are always highly proficient counters.
L-R: Qizilbash cavalry, Ghuzat Volunteers, Zamburakchiyan, Swordsmen, Guard Cavalry (shared with China), Levy Archers, Musketeers, Sowar-e-Nezam (replaces Guard Cavalry), Shahsevan.
The army that you see here is a mix of different cultural influences - Mongol, Turkish, South Asian, Persian....and even British and is meant to represent the Iranian army in transition from the post-Afshari period.
Great to see thAT FINALLY SOMEONE HAS MADE A GOOD VERSION OF NON WESTERN MILITARY SYSTEMS. iTS AMUSING.HOWEVER I HAVE TO DISAGREE THAT THE AFSHAR MILITARY OF THE 1740.S WAS MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY BACKWARD OR MORE ARCHAIC THAN THE EUROPEAN. AS FAR AS ITS UNDERSTOOD IT WAS PROBABLY THE BEST ARMY IN THE WHOLE PLANET DURING THAT PERIOD, ALSO WHILE IT HAD A LOT OF CAVALRY COMPONENT(GIVEN THAT THE DISTANCES IT COVERED WERE PROBABLY LARGER THAN ANY EUROPEAN ARMY DID) IT ALSO HAD SUBSTANTIAL INFANTRY AND WAS HEAVY ON GUNPOWDER WEAPONS. i ALSO DISAGREE THAT IT WAS WEAKER THAN THE QING ARMY.
All it takes to down an Iranian army is to bring in Flying Artillery if you are playing as the West, or use the more powerful Manchu units of the Chinese army to beat Iran at its own game.