Do 'sunbeams' in Kingdoms loading screens show whom CA says are the protagonists? (SPOILERS)
I looked through all four campaigns and the image of sunbeams (like those you see from Christian images of Jesus or any Christian postcard) is portrayed in most loading screens. It seems to be an artistical style, and somewhat similar to how Narnia and the movie 300 is with the art of the loading screens. I just think or know that whomever has the 'sunbeam' on them seems to be the 'good' guy or the protagonist. There does seem to be a contrast between what are deemed as the forces of darkness (bad) and the forces of light (good).
I noticed the sunbeam almost in every circumstance appears on the right side.
Americas campaign.
1. In the loading screens, the Apache have a nice sunset like image, and you can see orange sunbeams shining down on the Apache armies.
2. Another loading screen shows an Aztec/Mayan temple city screen and the whole image the clouds are dark, but there is a cloud break that shows this ray of sunlight descending upon the temple.
3. A third image shows a Spanish mounted conquistador killing a Jaguar Warrior, and the Spanish conquistador on the horse is 'in' the sunlight but his face is totally dark and you cannot even see his face (yes, I know if something is silhouetting a bright light source they will be dark, but I think this was intentional) while a sunbeam shines upon the Jaguar Warrior who was just killed.
4. The forth image shows a bunch of mounted Spanish dragoons shooting, they are located on the left, but the clouds are dark overhead and there is only alittle orange clouds over the Spanish dragoons as if it is trying to say the sunlight cannot reach down and touch the Spanish dragoons. There were no Native Americans present in the image of the Spanish dragoons.
5. The fifth image shows Aztec spearmen running towards the camera, and the clouds are dark overhead but there is a cloudbreak and the sun is shining at the Aztec spearmen.
So far the images in general I have seen on the loading screens show the Spanish either block the sunlight and those whom they killed were touched by the sunlight, or the light doesn't shine on them at all. Also, the Native Americans and their temple were touched by sunlight. So the loading screens from what I got were undoubtedly:
Spanish = bad
Native Americans = good
French and English = not shown
Another worthy note is the screen which shows an enemy general dying. It shows mountains in the background, and it shows some dead horsemen with white colored horses (maybe thats their armor on them) and tattered flag although it didn't resemble anyone flag. There is sun beams shing as usual on the right. I could assume most likely they were Spanish horses (but they could be Apache or Chichimeca but most likely not) but the sun rays seemed to be shining down. At first I thought it was shining down upon the dead Spanish horses (probably a General's bodyguard) but I saw there were 3 hawks flying overhead and the sunrays could have been shining down upon those hawks, somehows giving some subtle messages than this Spaniard's (or Europeans) death was a good thing as the hawks represent death. This seems a more likely scenario as it fits in with the idea that the Spanish dragoons not having light shine on them or the Spanish conquistador with a black face you cannot even see 'covering' the sun while that sun shows a light ray upon a dying Jaguar Warrior.
Britannica:
1. One had a village on fire, and there were Norse Huscarls riding. The sun was shining upon the village.
2. Another one had a bunch of English knights, and the sun was shining upon them in those classic raybeams.
3. I think there was one where English armies had a town besieged and firing trebuchets, but the sun was shining on neither the army nor the town being attacked.
4. There is a small town with Scottish pikemen walking towards it, good clouds overhead but no sunrays.
I forgot if they were any others for Brittanica. But basically I think the English did have one image where they had the sun cast their heavenly light rays upon them. The rest of the images that involved Scots though I don't think they neither had lightrays nor dark clouds with blocked sunlight (or dark faces).
My opinion although I could be wrong:
England = good
Scotland, Wales, Ireland = neutral
Norway = bad
Crusader Campaign
1. One image had pictures of black suited Canons of the Holy Sephuchre on it, and sunbeams were shining down upon them from a cloudy but broken sky.
2. An image had some type of Knights Templar-like unit on horses, and the sun beams were shining upon them too.
3. Another shown Byzantine flamethrowers shooting their flame at dismounted knight units, possibly Venetian units, but the sky was like what I said about when it showed Scotland in the Britannica campaign, it wasn't dark but there was no lightbeams shining on either Byzantium or the Venetians/KoJ/Antioch whoever they were.
4. Another one was confusing, it showed Turkish units I think and they were fighting the KoJ or Antioch Dismounted Knights units, and the light was shining on the right where the Turks were and the Crusaders were on the left. It is hard to tell where where the sun was shining.
Crusaders make the most sense to have sunbeam imagery, as it remind me of Jesus and Muhammad, and I like to associate it with heavenly images in the Holy Land. This it reminds me of going to a Christian bookstore and seeing all these sun rays on all their ware.
Number 4 though was the most confusing.
Crusaders = mostly good (except possibly one image)
Byzantium = neutral
Venetians (maybe) = neutral
Turks/Egyptians = unknown (it could have been shining on both turks/crusaders at the same time, but they could also be 'good' at the same time as Crusaders it depends on how you look at it)
Tutonic Knights
1. One image shows some mounted Tutonic Knights charging straight at the camera. The clouds in the background have a sunrays coming forth, not unto the Tutonics but behind them so it gives the impress as if the Tutonic knights are literally shining sunrays from them rather than being touched by it.
2. Another shows images of Novgorod and Tutons fighting, and the Novgorod are on the left and the clouds above them are dark. The Tutons are coming in on the right, and the sun is shining upon them, but the sunrays are not shining upon the Novgorodians.
3. Another shows an image of Lithuanian soldiers, and the sun is shining upon them and there is a city of the background and I suppose it is the Lithuanians own city as they are coming from it. However, the units look to be in heavy metal armor (most of them) so I am assuming these Lithuanian units are already those who are converted to Christianity.
I forgot the rest for Tutons if there were any more.
Tutonic Knights = good
Novgorod = bad
Lithuania = good but only if they are Chrisitianized, otherwise unknown
The other factions = I don't remember what their alignment is or I don't think they were shown in any of the loading screen images.
Even though some may say this seems like a waste of time to look into Kingdom's loading screen artwork, I enjoyed typing up all 20 minutes of it putting depth into it. It is just something that I had on my mind and hoped to promote good discussion. Artwork can reveal a lot of symbolism you know.
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Originally Posted by Lionel-Richie
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Re: Do 'sunbeams' in Kingdoms loading screens show whom CA says are the protagonists? (SPOILERS)
....Really though.....thanks for posting those screens...I think the current loading screens by CA are their best job ever!!!
What the hell
