South Asian civs

Second in wealth to none save the great Sinitic empires of greater China to the northeast, the civilizations of southern Asia are no less culturally developed. This is a land which is probably just as populous and fecund, if not even more so, owing to southern Asia's unique climate and position along the maritime routes, being placed between the Arabian Sea and the Pacific on the way to China, viz "the maritime Silk Road." This is the source of some of the world's most sought after goods - diamonds and gold are among some of the treasures that can be found in India and southeast Asia, as well as some of the famed Damascene steel that European knights and Muslim emirs so prize.

However, all these pale in comparison with the one thing that peoples east and west all seek - rare and exotic herbs and spices. For not only do spices extend the flavours of food or even their shelf life, some of them too have medicinal qualities, thus making them highly sought after - and whoever who trades in them, immensely wealthy. Four nations thus dominate this increasingly strategic location in the known world - Hindu India is dominated mainly by two powers - the highly mercantile and enterprising Hoysala kingdom, already becoming an ever increasingly powerful and wealthy player in the international spice trade, and the Rajput Chalukyas to the west of India based around the region of Gurjarat. Further to the east and south of China, the southeastern reaches of continental Asia are dominated again by two other powers - the Hindu-dominated Khmer empire, and the erstwhile Ly kingdom holding sway over Annam, and even pushing her influence deep south even into the lands of the Cham, the latter being bitter rivals of the Khmer peoples.

Faction highlights

Hoysala

Hoysala is duly invested in using water for fishing and trade, and then controlling access to that water - and resorting to war elephants and archers where that access is contested. The abilities of the Hoysala early on are good for jump-starting and then fine-tuning your war economy, allowing you to a chance to outgrow and out-build your rivals.

Rajputana

Despite various threats, both within and without, Rajputana still continues to stand strong with skilled archers and war elephants aiding her rulers, the Chaulukya Rajputs, who have started experimenting with new cavalry tactics as a foil to Mussulman machinations against Bharat and her rightful heirs.

Khmers

Proficient in rice farming, trade and city planning, the Khmer Empire is Southeast Asia's most prominent regional power in terms of population size, wealth, and influence. The god-kings of the Khmer rely on armies of war elephants and light infantry, dominated by units such as scorpion elephants, fierce Suicide Soldiers, and eagle-eyed Longbow Levies to maintain the survival and prosperity of their mandala.

Dai Viet

A land of jungle and swamp, Dai Viet (Annam) lies between China and Southeast Asia, Shaped by centuries of cultural exchanges, trade, and conflict, Annam's history includes periods under Chinese rule and influence, with the Dai Viet army dominated by mighty war elephants and deadly crossbow infantry, reflecting her unique and aeclectic identity.

Despite their obvious differences (eg more Middle Eastern and Turkic influence on Rajputana, Chinese on Dai Viet) south Asian nations all have several similarities - they don't control a large number of Wonders, (impeding diplomacy for them) and they often have weak siege units, preferring to rely on armies of light infantry (preferably armed with ranged weapons) and war elephants to achieve victory on the field. But there the similarities end: while Hoysala and Dai Viet are suited for marine gameplay, Rajputana are best used on all-land maps with no water. Equally, for Dai Viet, there are few economic opportunities, but for the other three factions (particularly the Khmers and the Hoysala) they can count on robust economic bonuses to smoothen out early gameplay, perhaps even more easily orchestrate a rush albeit with more units to compensate for their units' tactical shortcomings. The ability to rapidly advance economically will always provide a significant advantage - and it's one that a Khmer or Hoysala player should not overlook, especially given the fairly weak state of the cavalry game for them both.

It then would seem at face value, the Hoysala and Rajput factions are the strongest civs because they are best suited to the most generic approach to RTS games - build more, and train more units that hit harder and further, and concentrate on elephants and macemen to counter elite heavies, and longbow for counter-fire against enemy archers. But if the map is very small, then the Khmers may be a preferable choice and while the Hoysala and Dai Viet are naval nations, even how both nations approach blue-water battles can't be any more different, with Hoysala simply choosing to spam-rush opponents early on and until the mid-game with War Canoes and Thonis, but Dai Viet choosing instead to go for amphibious assaults by using the Naphtha Vessel to nuke everything from offshore at close range. Ultimately it would seem that Hoysala and Rajputana can afford to go it alone, while the Khmers and Dai Viet function better as support factions, especially for factions with good horse cavalry but have no navy and have poor infantry, especially if they're deficient with archers.