| Some thoughts about new civs... Posted: 29 Aug 2020 03:13 PM PDT New civs in DE wooo! The Swedes & Inca were great choices to include. Sweden was actually a more important power globally than Germany during the period of AgeIII, and it was only after losing the Great Winter War (at the time the largest war in European history. Quickly eclipsed by the Napoleonic Wars less than 50 years later, but oh well) that their influence declined. The Inca are the only major First Nation to not only not be displaced by European colonizers, but to have survived to the modern day with their culture more or less intact. In many ways they make a better include to Age III than the Sioux, especially when you consider that there's no proper USA civ. Some of my ideas: • The Haida: The "Vikings of the Pacific Northwest", the Haida were a major power among the Pacific Northwest First Nations. They would raid up & down the coast from their canoes. They are famous internationally for their totem poles, the signature poles in downtown Seattle were carved by a Haida carver. They had a close & competitive relationship with the Duwamish of what is modern day Seattle, with both tribes contributing several place names in modern day Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. - In game, the Haida are an aggressive Native American civ which can take opposing civs Settlers & Villagers captive (an active ability on their Explorer & a special heavy infantry, the Raider. Raiders can be shipped from the Home City in small numbers in Age I & II, and be built in Age III). This strongly encourages raiding and goes hand in hand with the Haida's naturally more expensive (at 125 Food) Villagers. Haida Villagers are also naturally stronger than other nation's Villagers (on par with Coeur de Bois, but without the gather bonus) making them a potentially effective part of an early raiding force.
- The Haida have the Grand Longhouse building, which functions like a hybrid Town Centre/Barracks, capable of training both Villagers and Soldiers. They can build one of these per Age, giving them a potentially very strong boom with up to four sources of Villagers in Age II (one TC, two Grand Longhouses, and Raiding). Of course this also means they can't be building up their military at the same time. The Haida gain access to a second production building in Age III, which can produce Infantry and their limited cavalry options.
- The Haida tend to fall off late in the game, with limited artillery options. They are able to buy Ship's Cannon starting in Age IV, which are slow but powerful Falconets especially effective against fortifications. They also have access to Rams & Mantlets starting in Age III (like the Iroquois), letting them turn their raiding forces into actual destroyers. In Age IV, the Haida can build a single Explorer Fort, which allows them to receive small shipments of European units.
- The Haida also have very limited cavalry options, only gaining proper cavalry in Age IV with the Wind Rider. However they have faster infantry than most civs, and Raiders in particular can get very fast in Age III with the right upgrades. The Haida can train troops from their Grand Canoes, which also have a very large transport capacity (Grand Canoes can be built starting in Age II, rewarding the use of Haida on a water map by providing them with an Age II production building that doesn't compete with their Villager output). This complements their fast infantry on maps with water, letting the Haida quickly establish another front.
• Morocco: Morocco of the late middle ages was a major power, and despite centuries of gradual Christian pushback, still held territory & sway in Iberia. They would continue to be an important regional rival for both Spain & Portugal, who were only able to eventually defeat and colonise Morocco thanks to their colonial possessions. - In game, Morocco is an aggressive African civ (a new class which includes the Ottomans. African civs all gain the "Muslim Trickle", a supply of free units, usually Settlers, which can be improved by building Mosques & Minarets). As an African civ, they can build Mosques & Minarets to increase their automatic Settler production and their economy tends to scale extremely well late into the game. This does leave Morocco vulnerable in the earlier parts of the game, and they must be careful to protect what few Settlers they do have in Ages I & II.
- The Moroccan Home City is extremely important, and they have various bonuses which allow them to produce XP faster than most civs. Notably, Morocco gets access to the Salt Mine building in Age II (via card. Can be built in Age III) which can be used to produce Coin or XP.
- Morocco benefits from a unique fortified Saloon, the Barbary Fortress. This building allows Morocco to train various Pirate units, and an additional copy can be built in Age IV & V (for a total of three). It also helps Morocco protect their slow-to-start economy, as the first batch of each type of Pirate unit they produce is completely free (each Age unlocks a new type of unit, for a total of four). This also gives Morocco a unique rushing strategy, where they look to time their attack with an aggressive Barbary Fortress placement so as to benefit from multiple waves of bonus units.
- In the mid-game, Morocco gains access to a variety of powerful Camel cavalry. Camels are slower than horses, but faster on difficult terrain such as sand and gain a natural bonus against cavalry. This makes them effective defensive units, able to ward off enemy cavalry attack but also allows for effective raids given the right mix of terrain. Camels scale well into the late game, and will no doubt form a large portion of an Age IV Morocco.
- Morocco is a very scary civ to face on water maps, gaining access to almost the full selection of European ships plus the best African Galleys in the game. They can struggle to translate this water advantage onto land, with the Pirate Galleon unable to train their best units (Camels & cannons).
- Morocco only gains access to a single Factory compared to Europeans two, and it can only ship it in Age V. This creates a window in Age IV where European civs will most likely have a major economic advantage over the Moroccans. Arabia shares this weakness, as outline below.
• Arabia: If not for Genghis Khan, the Arabs would probably be famed as the greatest cavalry conquerors in history. They are a loose warrior culture of nomads & tribals who roam the deserts of Arabia & the northern Sahara, mostly using camels. In the time of Age of Empires III, most of Arabian territory was under Ottoman rule or had become independent. However the Arabs regularly revolted against their Turkish overlords, and if not for clever Ottoman diplomacy likely would have become a major player in the Middle East once again. - In game, the Arabs are an African civ (which means they use Mosques & Minarets, but are otherwise quite similar to European civs). However unlike other African civs, the Arabs train Settlers normally. Instead their Muslim trickle gives them free military units, the type of which can be selected at their Grand Mosque (They will usually pick one of three cavalry options, although they can also gain a pair of mainline infantry starting in Age III).
- The Arabs are an aggressive civ which looks to take territory early with aggressive cavalry raids. Notably, they don't get access to a mainline infantry (Musketeer equivalent) until Age III and thus must rely on mobility & offensive pressure to control the pace of battle. They have access to both horse & camel cavalry, the former being naturally faster but slowed by difficult terrain, and the latter being overall stronger but slower & more expensive than horse cavalry. The Arabs get access to most of their units in Age II (two horse, two camel, one infantry), allowing them to build up numbers or diversify early.
- A big disadvantage of the Arabs is their weak infantry options. They have a weak Skirmisher in Age II, and a mainline infantry in Age III. They additionally gain access to siege infantry and an upgraded Skirmisher in Age IV. As such, Arab armies tend to be small but elite.
- The Arabs have access to several high end Artillery options in the late game, including the Stolen Bombard (an Ottoman Bombard which was captured and is now drawn by camels instead of men). They also gain access to Horse Artillery and Mortars in Age IV, giving them the same siege potential as most European civs.
- The Arabs should spend the bulk of the early game avoiding major battles, taking small engagements where they can but otherwise relying on speed to dodge enemy counter moves. There expensive cavalry, especially those armed with rifles & grenades, can really come into their own once a critical mass is acquired, such as through their Muslim trickle.
Other Ideas: Ghana: Ghana was the power of West Africa during the time of AoE III. They were important regionally, and had regular contact with Europeans exploring along the Africa coast. Another African civ, whose Muslim Trickle gives them resource crates instead of units. They are great at booming as a result, suffering few of the downsides of other African civs when it comes to Settler production. They also get access to the Salt Mine like Morocco, and a mix of horse & camel cavalry like Arabia. Austria: One the most powerful nations in Europe at the time, but whose almost totally landlocked territory meant little to no influence outside of Europe. Austria was notably a major rival of France, Prussia, Russia, and the Ottomans, fighting successful wars against all four of these major powers. Austria in game would be a European civ with a terrible early game Home City. Like the Portuguese, they would benefit tremendously from aging up and get cheaper age up options to help that strategy. Austria has access to the most Imperial units of any civ, meaning they should really win any game that goes to time. Venice: Venice was a major power in the Mediterranean throughout the middle ages, and would continue to be influential during the rise of the Ottoman & Austrian empires. However their position put them vulnerable to both, and Venice would quickly lose influence as other nations carved up the Med. Venice in game is a European civ with exceptional archaic units, notably Crossbows. They should look to fight in Age II, and try to finish in Age III if they can (in which they can upgrade both their Pikes & Crossbows rather than swapping them for new units). Economically, Venice loves Trading Posts. Indeed they always spawn with a special Trading Post site on which only they can build. Late game Venice relies on Mercenaries, some of which can be trained from their Trading Posts. Poland: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a major power in central Europe, one which suffered a terrible fate as its three rivals steadily destroyed it during the late 1700s. In game, Poland would be a Fortress Age civ, with great mid game cavalry (including two heavy cavalry options, one with a lance effective against infantry & artillery, the other with a sword & pistol effective against other cavalry and artillery). They also have solid Skirmishers & Halberdiers, although their Musketeers aren't excellent. Poland can also come back from a lot, and their Covered Wagons do not build TCs. Instead, they can produce Settlers directly allowing Poland to maintain an extremely mobile economy which is difficult for their opponent to raid. Siam: The Siamese Empire was a major empire in South-East Asia during the period of AoE III, and their influence can be seen throughout the region in the monuments they left behind. Siam would be an Elephant civ, like the Khmer in AoE II, and would also feature an extremely good food economy. Their Villagers cost 175 Food, but are trained two at a time. This gives Siam a slow, but very strong economy which encourages diversification with Fishing Boats (which are also built two at a time for 175 Wood). Siam would copy Japan's ability to send most shipments twice, and would feature overlap with India's elephants. Scotland: Britain very nearly formed with its capital in Edinburgh not London. It's entirely possible that could've come to pass, especially had one of the several French & Spanish attempts to land an army in Scotland succeeded. In game, Scotland is a scrappy European civ with a small army of quality units. Scottish units are very expensive, but after seeing combat they can level up into a more advanced form. This rewards early aggression, as well as making it difficult to beat a Scottish player unless they are taken out all at once. Late game, Scotland gains access to a third Factory as well as shipments of units from other European powers. Scotland also has stronger Walls & Outposts, making them a difficult civ to raid. submitted by /u/Jaxck [link] [comments] |
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