Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Kings of the Baltic (proposal DLC)

Age of Empires III: DE III - Discussion
1

Introduction

Welcome everyone to the my topic presenting the proposal for a new DLC for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition focused on Baltic Sea. At the very beginning, I would like to present suggested changes for Germans (who would renamed into Austrians) and Russians (who would have common units with Poles civ):

Germans

Home City

  • Capital - Vienna
  • Personality - Franz Joseph von Habsburg

Relocations

  • War Wagon replaced by Dragoon. War Wagon moved to Bohemian revolution.
  • Skirmisher replaced by Line Infantry. This unit would be renamed into Grenzer.
  • A lot of Home City cards would be moved to Prussians civ. Some would change their name. Many new Home City cards would be added for Austrians civ.
  • Royal Guards will be: Line Infantry (k.u.k. Musketiere) and Uhlan (k.u.k. Ulanen)

Added

  • Austrian Explorer can train Rottweiler (dog).
  • Mercenary Camp would become a unique entity without the Home City card. It would no longer replace the Tavern. Limit 3. It would have a pool of the following units for training (only one infantry and one cavalry at a time): Landsknecht, Jaeger, Black Rider, Pandour, Hajduk, Magyar Hussar, Crabat, RoČ™ior Dragoon, Bosniak or Mounted Infantry
  • Added Revolution options: Croatia, Bohemia, March Revolution

Brand new things:

  1. BRAND NEW ARCHITECTURE SET - CENTRAL EUROPEAN (SHARED WITH PRUSSIANS CIV)

Russians

Brand new units:

  1. Cham - regional settlement unit, shared between Russians and Poles civs. Are weak, but quick to train. This unit replaces the Settler. This unit works more efficiently when surrounded by Oprichnik (in Russians civ) or Szlachcic (in Poles civ). The male Cham variant could be without outerwear in Age 1 - a reference to AoE 2.
  2. Axeman - regional infantry unit, shared between Russians and Poles civs. Weak infantry armed with an axe. Instead of Pikeman. With the Home City card he could turn an axe into a beredish. This unit could obtain Wood from trees.
  3. Archer - regional infantry unit, shared between Russians and Poles civs. Weak archer. It is trained in groups (5 Units simultaneously). Instead of Crossbowman. With the Home City card he could turn into Hajduk.

Brand new things:

  1. BRAND NEW ARCHITECTURE SET - EASTERN EUROPEAN (SHARED WITH POLES CIV)
  2. Tserkov - unique church (shared with Ukrainian revolution). Has more HP than standard Church. Heals wounded nearby units. Can garrison units.

New Revolutions:

With the release of such a DLC, the revolution option could be reserved for specific continents. This would mean that on European maps there would be only European revolution options, on Asian maps - Asian, on African maps - African, and on American maps - American.

  1. Lithuania - Russians and Poles
  2. Norway - Danes and Swedes
  3. Croatia - Austrians and Italians
  4. Livonia - Prussians, Poles and Swedes
  5. Polish Uprising - Poles and Russians
  6. Grecce - Italians, Maltese and Ottomans
  7. Bulgaria - Ottomans
  8. Serbia - Ottomans and Russians
  9. Belgium - Dutch and French
  10. March Revolution - Austrians and Prussians
  11. Ireland - British
  12. Scotland - British
  13. Bohemia - Austrians
  14. Sicily - Italians and Maltese
  15. Ukraine - Russians and Poles

New civs:

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Poles

Home City

  • Capital - Warsaw
  • Personality - Sigismund II Augustus

Units

Zbrojownia (armory in polish. A combination of Barracks and Artillery Foundry)

  • Axeman - weak infantry armed with an axe. Instead of Pikeman
  • Archer - weak archer. It is trained in groups (5 Units simultaneously). Instead of Crossbowman
  • Rekrut (Royal Guard)
  • Falconet
  • Petard
  • Napoleon Gun

Stable

  • Winged Hussar - heavy cavalry with a lance. Using saber in hand-to-hand combat
  • Cavalry Archer (Royal Guard)
  • Uhlan
  • Pancerny - medium-cavalryman with flintlock pistol. Use Horseman’s pick in hand-to-hand combat

Unique Features

  1. Szlachcic is a hero unit instead of the Explorer (cavalry unit, can train a Winged Hussars. 3 limit.). In his surroundings, Cham’s become even more efficient. There would be a Home City card that would send a powerfully upgraded Szlachcic - Hetman (which gives him a powerful mace instead of a saber and increases HP).

  2. Two different settlement units can be trained in Town Center which are unique to Poles civ:

  • Cham - regional settlement unit, shared between Russians and Poles civs. Are weak, but quick to train. A special Home City card turns all polish Cham’s into Kosynier (a peasant armed with a scythe - a slow but deadly unit that deals damage to multiple enemies at once) - Kosynier later replaces Militiaman in Town Center.

  • Kurp - unique hunting unit for Poles civ. He can only get resources from natural sources (except mines) and he can’t build buildings. At the same time, this unit would be quite good in ranged combat. Kurp can gathering coins from Beehive (Kurpian honey is famous in Poland). Beehive can be constructable only for Kurp unit.

  1. They have a new building - Folwark (economic building that combines Estate, Mill, and Livestock Pen). This building would be something between Hacienda and Granary. Fields would be added to the Folwark building in order to be able to obtain food or coins. Contrary to Hacienda, Folwark did not automatically spawn settlers or cows, but it could be used to train Cows and Cham’s in groups and also could be used to train Szlachcic. Units can be garrisoned in this building. This shoe would have no build limit, but building another one would be increasingly expensive. The main source of income for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the sale of grain to the west. I think farming grain in Folwark would generate coins. Poles mainly ate legumes and little meat, so legumes could generate food. In addition, Cows could be garrisoned inside the Folwark to generate a passive food source - Milk.

  2. As an elective monarchy they get completely unique politicians. Candidates may come from other civilizations and offer you their stuff.

  3. Barbakan is a unique military building for Poles civ. It’s a combination of Barracks and Artillery Foundry.

Royal Guards:

  • Rekrut - Piechota Koronna
  • Cavalry Archer - Lisowczyk

Revolutions:

  1. Lithuania
  2. Livonia
  3. Hungarian revolution - from the fact that Poles were on the Hungarian side during the revolution of 1848
  4. Polish Uprising
  5. Ukraine
  6. Haiti
  7. USA

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Prussians

Home City

  • Capital - Berlin (present now at Germans civ)
  • Personality - Frederick the Great (present now at Germans civ)

Units

Barracks

  • Pikeman
  • Crossbowmen (Landwehr replace this unit)
  • Musketeer (Royal Guard)

Examples of units that are available when selecting a specific Deutsche Staaten during Age Up:

  • Hesse: Jaeger
  • Bavaria: Mountain Trooper
  • Hannover: Black Brunswicker
  • Saxony: Trabant
  • Silesia: Silesian Schuetzen - Elite rifle-armed troops. They shoot from a long distance and deal massive damage at the cost of a very low rate of fire and training limit (only 10 such units at the same time).

Stable

  • Totenkopf Hussar (Royal Guard)
  • Dragoon
  • Uhlan

Examples of units that are available when selecting a specific Deutsche Staaten during Age Up:

  • Bavaria: Chevauleger
  • Saxony: Saxon Cuirassier

Artillery Foundry

  • Culverin
  • Falconet
  • Mortar
  • Potsdam Giant - would be given the ability to throw grenades at buildings

Examples of units that are available when selecting a specific Deutsche Staaten during Age Up:

  • Rhineland: Howitzer - large ranged artillery; Krupp Gun; Ballonabwehrkanone (all of these units would be replacements for the standard units from the Artillery Foundry)

Church

  • Teutonic Knight - Dismounted cavalry unit. As cavalry, he would resemble the Crusader Knight from AoE 2, and as infantry, he would resemble the iconic Teutonic Knight.

Unique Features

  1. Offizier is a Prussian civ hero. It has a Big Button “Prussian Discipline”. This ability increases the rate of fire and durability of ranged infantry units. He can build Forts

  2. Unique Age up mechanic: Deutsche Staaten (modeled on unique Age Up mechanics for African civs - Alliance. Choosing one of the state affects Units, Mechanics and Home City Cards for Prussians civ). This mechanic of Age Up would represent the path to unification of Germany by Prussia. The first states would thus be Prussian provinces (such as Brandenburg, Silesia and Pomerania), while the later ones would be German states (such as Bavaria, Saxony and Westphalia). Choosing each of the states can bring you a unique unit, a unique building, resources or a unique technology to the Reichstag (Prussians civ unique Capitol). In the Imperial Age, the flag of the Prussians civ changes - this symbolizes the unification of Germany.

  3. Reichstag is unique building for Prussians civ. This building would be a combination of Capitol and State Capitol features. Age Up’s unique items would be Selecting a state during Age Up would affect the flagpoles that fly by the Reichstag.

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Reichstag

Unique buildings for some states during Age Up:

  1. They have a new unique building Grube (This Building is being built on a mine. Increases the mine’s capacity by 50%) In this building, you can train Miners (a unit present in the campaign, but with its own model based on the traditional mining uniform), who obtain coins from mines and from Grube more efficiently. Following the example of Mountain Monastery (a unique Ethiopians civ building), it would generate Coins or XP. This building would have improvements such as: increasing the Coin abundance in Grube and increasing the number of trainable Miners. This building would contain a distinctive Headframe - available exclusively for Silesia state during Age Up. 4 limit.

  2. They can build a Kölner Dom (remodeled Italian Basilica. The building model would be based on the Kölner Dom, which is in Germans Home City - by the way, it should then be replaced with a Berlin church, e.g. Berlin Cathedral or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) - available exclusively for Cologne or Rhineland (Ruhr) / Westphalian State during Age Up. In this building you can train: Priests, Spies, Teutonic Knights and Inquisitors. 1 limit.

  3. Krupp Factory (Artillery Foundry with investment mechanic for unlock Unique Technologies and Units). Available with select a Rhineland (Ruhr) / Westphalian State during Age Up. Trains units faster. In this building you can train and unlock: Ballonabwehrkanone (cannon to eliminate Balloons), Brandtaucher (pioneer submarine. Available for training at Dock) and Krupp Gun (powerful steel cannon). 1 limit.

Royal Guards:

  • Musketeer - Prussian Needle Gunner
  • Totenkopf Hussar - Prussian Life Hussars

Revolutions:

  1. Livonia
  2. March Revolution
  3. USA
  4. Argentina
  5. Gran Colombia

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Danes

Home City

  • Capital - Copenhagen
  • Personality - Christian IV of Denmark

Units

Barracks

  • Pikemen
  • Crossbowmen (can be replaced by Friskytte by Home City card)
  • Royal Huntsman (transferred from Oldenburg Royal House)
  • Skrimisher (Royal Guard)

Stable

  • Hussar
  • Jutlander - a unique Danish dragoon with more HP and a strong melee attack

Artillery Foundry

  • Espingol - Fast-firing organ gun with short range.
  • Grenadier (Royal Guard)
  • Culverin
  • Falconet
  • Mortar
  • Petard

Towncenter

  • Friskytte - Replaces Minutemen and doesn’t lose HP. They are trained individually and have no limit. They have worse statistics than the Minutemen.

Harbor (unique Danish Dock)

  • KanonbĂĄd - Very cheap but with less HP than the caravel.
  • Gunboat - Unique for Danes, light warship carrying a cannon. It would look like a Flat-bottomed Boat with cannon. Two characters would row. And the other two characters would operate the cannon.
  • Fishing Boats
  • Galleon
  • Frigate
  • Monitor

Unique Features

  1. Harbor is a unique building for the Danes civ that replaces the standard Dock. It has a higher LoS because it has a Lighthouse in it. Trains ships faster and has more HP. It is much more expensive than the standard Dock. In addition, it repairs the player’s and his allies’ ships much faster.

  2. Ox Cart - a reference to the Norse unit from AoM. Increases the efficiency of Settlers. Can be trained at Town Center. Provides 2 population slots and has a lot of HP. It can garrison Settlers, making it useful in saving them. Limit 5. Ox Cart can turn into the following buildings for free: House, Mill, Estate, Market or Harbor.

  3. Danes civ naval units have the ability to freeze enemy ships using the Big Button. Freeze locks nearby ships (including allied ones), leaving them grounded and defenseless for 20 seconds.

  4. They start a game with 4 Settlers, 1 Ox Cart and 1 Fishing Boat.

  5. Explorer from Danes civ can move on water! When moving on the water, it turns into a Longboat - a reference to the Vikings civ from AoE 2!

Royal Guards:

  • Skrimisher - Landsoldat
  • Grenadier - Fodgarden

Revolutions:

  1. Livonia
  2. Norway
  3. Finnland
  4. USA
  5. Canada

New Historical Battles

  1. Battle of Vienna (1683): Austrians (player), Poles (ally) vs. Ottomans (enemy)
  2. Battle of White Mountain (1620): Bohemians (based on Austrians civ. player) vs. Austrians (enemy)
  3. Battle of ########## (1866): Prussians (player) vs. Austrians (enemy)
  4. Battle of Køge Bay (1677): Danes (player) vs. Swedes (enemy)
  5. Siege of Jasna GĂłra (1655): Poles (player) vs. Swedes (enemy)
  6. Battle of Poltava (1709): Russians (player) vs. Swedes (enemy)
  7. Battle of Narva (1700): Swedes (player) vs. Russians (enemy)
  8. Siege of Paris (1870–1871): Prussians (player) vs. French (enemy)
  9. Battle of Isted (1850): Danes (player) vs. Prussians (enemy)
  10. Battle of Zhovti Vody (1648): Ukrainians (based on Poles civ or Russians civ. player) Tatars (ally) vs. Poles (enemy)

Extra free stuff

For base game

The fourth resource for European civs

European civs would receive a new resource “Splendor”, which would be generated thanks to the Arsenal, Church and the Factory (Potentially also in Dock, Estate, Market, Mill, Town Center and Trading Post but with a much smaller multiplier).

You could spend this resource in Capitol on extreme upgrades, 2-4 brand new Mercenaries, or increasing limits like Factories.

For KotM DLC

New maps

  1. Fjords

  2. Norway

  3. Lapland

  4. Novgorod

  5. Gotland

  6. Prussia

  7. White Ruthenia

  8. Zaporizhia

  9. Crimea

  10. Bulgaria

  11. Peloponnese

  12. Sicily

  13. Campania

  14. Lazio

  15. Veneto

  16. Croatia

  17. Bosnia

  18. Slovakia (present Carpathians map) ONLY RENAME OF THIS MAP

  19. Transylvania

  20. Galicia

  21. Lower Silesia

  22. Brandenburg

  23. Central Germany

  24. Hamburg

  25. Bavaria

  26. Austria

  27. Lorraine

  28. Normandy

  29. Brittany

  30. Aragon

  31. Andalusia

  32. Asturias

  33. Moldova

  34. Constantinople

  35. Aegean Coast

  36. Poland

  37. Saxony & Lusatia (present Saxony map) ONLY RENAME OF THIS MAP

  38. Czechia & Moravia (present Bohemia map) ONLY RENAME OF THIS MAP

  39. Swabia (present Black Forest map) ONLY RENAME OF THIS MAP

  40. Switzerland (present Alps map) ONLY RENAME OF THIS MAP

  41. Upper Silesia

New Royal Houses

  1. House of Ascania - Anhalt, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Lauenburg, LĂĽneburg
  2. House of Nassau - Netherlands, England, Scotland, Luxembourg, Orania, Nassau
  3. House of Luxembourg - Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, France, Luxembourg
  4. House of Hochberg - Silesia
  5. House of Hohenzollern - Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania
  6. House of Ottoman - Ottoman Empire (more focused on the European part of the Ottoman Empire)
  7. House of Sforza - Italy
  8. House of Medici - Italy
  9. House of Savoy - Italy, Spain
  10. House of Tudor - Scotland, England, Ireland, Great Britain
  11. House of Stuart - Scotland, England, Ireland, Great Britain
  12. House of Trastámara - Castile, Aragon, Sicily, Spain
  13. House of Piast - Silesia, Masovia
  14. House of Rurik - Ruthenia, Russia
  15. House of Romanov - Russian Empire
  16. House of Borgia - Aragon, Papal State
16 Likes
3

This is just Knights of the Mediterranean all over again.

5 Likes
4

No. It’s new DLC with brand new content.

5 Likes
5

You shouldn’t worry, because after Poles and Danes, there won’t be another European content, so take it easy.

7 Likes
6

Besides, it wouldn’t make much sense either. After dividing Germany into Austria and Prussia, and adding Poland and Denmark, I think the other regions could be represented with royal houses and/or revolutions.

They could also have representation as cards or consulate allies.

3 Likes
7

My idea was to be a kind of icing on the cake regarding Europe. KotM DLC added European maps and Royal Houses, and this DLC would add a second dose of European content filling in the gaps.

New European maps would bring completely new fauna and flora, which would add more variety not only to European maps, but also to the Scenario Editor - and maybe even more.

Completely new Royal Houses would eliminate the overrepresentation of some Royal Houses on maps that do not fit well - e.g. the House of Phanar in Moscow or the House of Habsburg in Portugal. The new Royal Houses could represent nations that are not represented and units that are not in the game.

When it comes to new civs, these are the three most missing European powers in this game. I will say one thing to the skeptics of the division of the Germans civ into Austrians (old civ) and Prussians (brand new civ) - THIS MAY OPEN THE WAY FOR THE DIVISION OF THE INDIANS CIV.

I didn’t delve into unit statistics etc. because I don’t have the mind for it and I prefer to create concepts that are immediately visible. I could create ideas for Home City cards, but maybe I will do that in some time.

2 Likes
8

Now I will write simplified descriptions of the civs from this potential DLC:

Polish Civilization:

The Polish civilization in Age of Empires III embodies the might of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the colonial era. Their Capital is Warsaw, and their personality is represented by Sigismund II Augustus. Polish armies include formidable cavalry like the mighty Winged Hussar and Pancerny. They have unique settlement units, Chams, and Kurps. They are controlled by the Szlachcic, who are Polish hero unit and have the ability to train Winged Hussars. The Folwark building combines various economic functions, generating income from grain and legume farming. A distinctive feature is the elective monarchy system, offering unique politicians and policies from various civilizations - which can help fill in the weaknesses of Poles. The Barbakan is a unique military building for the Poles - it’s a combination of Barracks and Artillery Foundry. Royal Guards include Piechota Koronna (Rekruts) and Lisowczyk (Cavalry Archer). Players can choose from various revolutionary paths, such as Lithuania, Ukraine, and even a Polish Uprising - based on Polish insurgent traditions.

Prussian Civilization:

The Prussian civilization in Age of Empires III is a representation of the powerful Kingdom of Prussia during the colonial era. Their Capital is Berlin, and their personality is Frederick the Great. Prussian forces feature units like the Silesian Schuetzen, Totenkopf Hussars, and the famous Teutonic Knights - legacy of Prussia, legacy of Age of Empires. The Offizier serves as a hero unit with the “Prussian Discipline” ability, enhancing ranged infantry units and building forts. Prussians follow a unique Age Up mechanic called “Deutsche Staaten,” symbolizing the path to German unification. The Reichstag is a unique building that works with Deutsche Staaten’s during Age Up - thanks to this You can unlock unique buildings like Grube and Kölner Dom. The Prussian civilization can be an industrial power with Silesia and Rhineland as Age Up options - but not only that, because there are many variants. Royal Guards include Prussian Needle Gunners (Musketeer) and Prussian Life Hussars (Totenkopf Hussar). Revolution options include March Revolution, USA, and more.

Danish Civilization:

The Danish civilization in Age of Empires III is a maritime powerhouse with a focus on naval dominance. Their Capital is Copenhagen, and their personality is Christian IV of Denmark. Danish forces include units like the Jutlander dragoon, Royal Huntsman, and the unique replace of Minutemen with Friskytte. The unique Harbor structure boasts a Lighthouse (with great LoS), faster ship training, and more HP. The mythic Ox Carts is back in AoE 3 with enhance Settler efficiency and protection. Danish naval units have a unique ability to freeze enemy ships. The Danish Explorer can move on water, transforming into a Longboat. Royal Guards include Landsoldat (Musketeer) and Fodgardens (Grenadier). Revolution options encompass Norway, Livonia, and more.

1 Like
10

I don’t like this argument that much, because you could say the same about any continent

You don’t need a German split to split India

I am all for new content, but again, you could say the same for every continent

I do think that maybe we should make something like more surveys or something. Africa is a really popular option for AoE2, but it seems it undersold in AOE3

1 Like
11

Right. But it is worth noting that most of the content used on European maps comes from recycling - especially animals.

You’d be surprised.

Ok. You write as if I were to deny this fact…

The European content does not threaten the creation of any other.

12

But then, Germany was split after 1945 and India split a few years after. You may be on to something.

13

Why does every civ here have royal guard musks?

14

What are you talking about?

I simply meant that split Germans civ is definitely easier to implement than spilit Indians civ. To change of the Germans civ to Austrian civ does not require much work, but to change Indians civ to, for example, Mughals civ, you need to transfer more than half of its entire content. I once created a topic in which I wrote the idea of ​​​​dividing Indians from civ and to do it I had to exercise a lot.

Split Germans civ could simply be a simple test for the creators before working harder on Indian split - they have to gain experience in this matter somewhere.

2 Likes
15

Poles civ would have a Rekrut (this name is good even in Polish language) as their Royal Guard as I believe this unit is a perfect fit as a shared unit for Poles and Russians civs. By the way, now I’m seriously wondering whether the Poruchnik could have been a Polish civ unit - if it weren’t for this uniform typical of Russia.

Prussians civ would have the Musketeer as it seems a more suitable unit for them than the Skrimisher.

In the case of Danes civ, I was thinking about replacing the Musketeer with Skrimisher.

16

Wouldn’t Chevaulegeres be the more obvious replacement? The Austrians were renowned for their Chevaulegeres. Wittelsbach could have their Chevaulegeres replaced with some kind of mountain artillery like a mule gun.

17

Uniform aside, it’s very fitting - Commonwealth army used lieutenant-types armed with pikes/halberd as their only real pikemen (1 in 10 men being their anti-cav irrc).

2 Likes
18

That’s true. Infantry in Poland was never standardized or particularly specialized - until the times of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who created the Knights’ School thanks to which Poland had a chance to match European powers. The same king introduced the Crown Infantry - and these were the first Polish Musketeer units.

Literally, the only thing Poland had good in terms of army was cavalry. There was no artillery, no navy, and the infantry was a horde of random people armed with whatever they had at hand.

19

I think the Austrian Dragoons were also famous. Chevaulegeres could be better as a replacement for the Uhlans - via HC card or otherwise.

What replacement unit would you propose for the Wittelsbach Royal House if the Chevaulegeres were transferred to Austrians civ???

1 Like
20

I like many of these idea, but I’m pretty sure none of this will ever happen. The only way I could see this happening would be if someone made this a mod, mod gets really popular, so the devs introduce (at least some) aspects of it into the game.

21

Bavaria abuts the Alps so a mountain gun would be a good fit for them. It’s tough to find non-WW1 info on Alpine artillery though.

Geschwindstück were apparently used extensively in the mountains. They’d have a unique animation and fast firing function. I think they originate with the Saxons though.
image

Mule Guns could be another good option.

image
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2 Likes
22

Wait why do the Poles get Haiti and USA? Is there some historical reason for this?

Longboats don’t fit the time period. I’d include that in an explorer skin instead (maybe a Loki one to go with the Swedes’ Thor skin wink wonk).

1 Like