Civilization Idea: Hawaiians

Age of Empires III: DE III - Discussion
1

I want to preface this with a disclaimer: I’ve barely played AoE3, so I know very little about how it works aside from what I was able to read on the wiki. If there’s anything unfitting about this concept, please let me know in a gentle way.

The Hawaiians represent the Kingdom of Hawaii. Their Home City is Waikiki and their AI personality is Kamehameha I.

Features

  • Military unit shipment cards can be sent infinitely
  • Buildings cannot auto-repair, but Kahunas can repair them at all times (including while being attacked)
  • Start with 5 fattened pigs
  • Choose an island to conquer to age up

Shared buildings

  • Market
  • Native Embassy
  • Dock

Shared native units

  • Fishing Boat
  • Canoe
  • War Canoe

Unique units

  • Craft Kahuna (Explorer replacement that can build Hales) - Town Center
  • Koa (agile melee infantry unit) - Palatial Hale
  • Laumeki Spearman (light melee infantry unit with 1 range) - Training Ground
  • Axeman (melee infantry unit with a slow but powerful ranged option) - Training Ground
  • Ma’a Slinger (skirmisher unit) - Training Ground
  • Javelin Thrower (heavy ranged unit) - Training Ground
  • Kahuna (priest-type unit that heals units and buildings, and generates coin at the Heiau) - Heiau
  • Hula Dancer (female dancer unit that buffs nearby units and generates food at the Heiau) - Heiau
  • Outrigger Canoe (light war vessel) - Dock
  • Catamaran (heavy war and transport ship) - Dock
  • Proa (long-ranged, anti-building arrow ship) - Dock

Unique buildings

  • Hale: house that reduces unit cost by 20% for nearby buildings (build limit 20)
  • Festival Pit: Livestock Pen replacement that fattens livestock tasked to it. Automatically gathers from fully-fattened livestock tasked to it, killing them (build limit 10)
  • Training Ground: building that produces all non-elite, non-mercenary land military units. Koa trees are planted on the site that can also be gathered from by villagers (build limit 10)
  • Heiau: building that functions as the Church, Mill, and Estate. Kahunas can be tasked there to generate coin, while Hula Dancers generate food (build limit 5)
  • Kahuna Hale: building that researches land unit upgrades. Equivalent to the Arsenal (build limit 2)
  • Palatial Hale: Fort-like building that produces Koas and shipment-exclusive units (build limit 3)

Technologies

(Technologies unique to the Hawaiians are marked with an “*”)

Festival Pit

  • Selective Breeding
  • Imu Roasting* (livestock fatten 25% faster and are gathered from Festival Pits 50% faster)

Market

  • Bone Knife* (Villagers +3 attack, +4 LOS)
  • Kihei* (Villagers +30 HP, +33% hand/ranged resist)
  • Basalt Quarries* (Villagers gather coin 10% faster) - Sacred Ahu* (Villagers gather coin 20% faster)
  • Stone Adze* (Villagers gather wood 10% faster) - Sharktooth Tool* (Villagers gather wood 20% faster) - Forest Reverence* (Villagers gather wood 30% faster)
  • Hunting Dogs

Heiau

  • Kuahu* (Kahunas generate coin at Heiaus 50% faster)
  • Malama Aina* (Hula Dancers generate food at Heiaus 20% faster)
  • Bamboo Torches* (military and economic units +5 LOS)
  • Makahiki* (+2000 XP)

Kahuna Hale

  • Barkcloth* (foot units +10% HP)
  • Mahiole* (heavy infantry +25% ranged resist)
  • 'Ahu’ula* (heavy infantry +50% hand resist)

Dock

  • Gill Nets - Long Lines
  • Crab Claw Sail* (ships move 10% faster)
  • Coconut Fibers* (warships +30% HP)
  • Outriggers* (warships +30% HP)

Islands (Age Up mechanism)

Two islands are available for each age. Only one can be chosen per age. Each one has an improved benefit with the “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card.

Hawai’i (II)

  • Ships 10 Laumeki Spearmen and 5 Axemen; Villagers gather coin 15% faster
  • +5 Laumeki Spearmen and Axemen with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

O’ahu (II)

  • Hale and Festival Pit +2 build limit; delivers 1 crate of food (300 food)
  • +2 Hale and Festival Pit build limit with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Maui (III)

  • Ships 10 Koas and 10 Hula Dancers; Fishing Boats gather from whales 10% faster
  • Ships 5 Culverins with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Moloka’i (III)

  • Delivers 3 Coconut Trees (300 food each)
  • +1 Coconut Tree with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Lana’i (IV)

  • Palatial Hale +1 build limit and works 25% faster
  • +50% work rate with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Kaho’olawe (IV)

  • Coin mines last 75% longer
  • Delivers +10 Villagers with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Kaua’i (V)

  • Shipments arrive 200% faster
  • All expired cards can be sent again with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Ni’ihau (V)

  • Delivers 20 Koas
  • Also delivers 10 Kahunas with “Advanced Island Conquest” Home City Card

Home City Cards

Vacation Palace

  • 2 Villagers
  • 4 Villagers
  • 3 Villagers
  • 2 Villagers + 2 Lean Pigs (infinite)
  • Crates of 300 Food
  • Crates of 600 Food
  • Crates of 700 Food
  • Crates of 1,000 Food
  • Cords of 300 Wood
  • Cords of 600 Wood
  • Cords of 700 Wood
  • Cords of 1,000 Wood
  • Chests of 300 Coin
  • Chests of 600 Coin
  • Chests of 700 Coin
  • 2 Coconut Trees
  • 2 Banana Plants
  • 5 Lean Pigs (infinite)
  • TEAM Kalua Pork Festival (2 Fattened Pigs)
  • Royal Polygamy (5 female Villagers, 5 Hula Dancers)
  • Western Tourism (2 Trading Post Wagons)
  • House of Kamehameha (Training Ground units +10% attack)
  • Royal Surfing (Koas regenerate 30 hp/minute when near a coastline)

Warrior Hall

  • Advanced Island Conquest (age up benefits improved)
  • 5 Koas
  • Body Oil (Koas gain +25% attack speed)
  • Martial Arts (Koas gain +25% attack)
  • 5 Ma’a Slingers
  • 7 Javelin Throwers
  • Skirmish Tactics (Ma’a Slingers and Javelin Throwers gain +10% speed)
  • 10 Laumeki Spearmen
  • Field Promotion (changes all Laumeki Spearmen to Koas) (2 times)
  • 6 Axemen
  • Throwing Axe Practice (Axemen +2 range)
  • Warrior’s Fervor (Laumeki Spearmen and Axemen have +15% attack)
  • Boar Hunting (melee infantry have +20% HP; new Training Grounds spawn 1 huntable Feral Pig each)
  • Proficient Wooden Weapons (foot units cost -20% wood)

Great Temple

  • Religious Superiority (Kahunas or Hula Dancers at Heiaus generate XP 25% faster)
  • Hula Experts (Hula Dancers at Heiaus generate food 25% faster)
  • TEAM Oral History (5 Hula Dancers)
  • Halau Hula (Hula Dancers train 100% faster)
  • Ho’oponopono (Villagers heal 25 HP per minute)
  • Ritual Chanting (Kahunas have 33% greater range)
  • Religious Fervor (all military units upgraded to the next evolution)
  • Food Rituals (military units and Villagers cost -25% food)
  • Coin Rituals (military units cost -15% coin)
  • Forced Conversion (Kahunas gain the ability to convert units)
  • 1 Hale Engineer
  • Kapu System (all finite food sources last 50% longer)
  • Temple Architects (Palatial Hale and Heiau +1 build limit)

Brick Palace

  • Queen Emma Party (10 Musketeers and 5 Gatling Guns; cost: 1800 gold)
  • Queen’s Hospital (Kahunas can slowly heal all nearby units simultaneously)
  • Old Sugar Mill (1 Advanced Estate Wagon)
  • Great Mahele (+5000 coin, but Hale and Town Center build limit decreased by 33%)
  • TEAM Reciprocity Treaty (no tribute tax)
  • TEAM Konohiki (all buildings +1 build limit)
  • American Territorialization (1 State Capitol Wagon)
  • Commandeered Guns (5 Musketeers, 3 Falconets, and 3 Culverins)
  • Foreign Diplomats (foreign building wagon cards get one more usage)

Harbor

  • 3 Fishing Boats
  • 4 Canoes
  • 2 War Canoes
  • Fair American (1 Sloop)
  • TEAM 3 Catamarans
  • Island Hopping (warships +1 range)
  • Laplace Affair (1 Church Wagon)
  • Wayfinding (all ships +3 LOS)
  • Efficient Boatbuilders (ships cost -33% wood)
  • Cook’s Demise (Koas gain +50% attack against heroes)
  • American Whaling (Whales gathered from 33% faster; Gatling Guns available at Palatial Hales)
  • Royal Children’s School (Dragoons and Pikemen can be trained at Palatial Hales)
  • TEAM Island Anglicanism (1 Church Wagon)
  • American Industrialism (1 Arsenal Wagon)
2

Why would they share stuff with Native American civs? Unless you’re suggesting those get regional skins?

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3

They’d get regional skins for sure. I included them as shared units because they’re generic enough that they fit the Hawaiians.

4

This reminds me, I didn’t pay attention to who it was, but someone on the forum recently suggested regional canoes.

5

Trying to make a civ design despite not even playing the game is such a funny concept absolute madlad move.

It’s even funnier that it’s a pretty decent concept all things considered, like I expected more nonsense but this is a lot more solid than the vast majority of the civ concepts I usually see.

1 Like
6

Thanks…I think.

That’s because I spent hours on the wiki, Wikipedia, and Google trying to incorporate as much of Hawaiian culture and history as I could while still making sure it conformed to all the other AoE3 civs. This was in the works for a couple years.

2 Likes
7

Nice Civ spec (especially Home City card effort) though I’m surprised there’s no European influences.

Mid-late 18th century Hawaii adapted loads of Euro military tech - the Kamehameha dynasty with their Western Advisors, had Western-style musketeers, artillery and ships, alongside canoes and traditional warriors.

It would be a nice visual progress where this Civ goes from fearsome spear-wielding guys to suddenly Euro style military with a twist.

8

Actually, that’s where you’re wrong. All the military cards can be sent an unlimited number of times because they are meant to be the main way of obtaining European units. I suppose I could incorporate them directly into the tech tree, but I feel like the way I did it is quite unique and flavorful. If you play your cards right (literally), you’ll have a lot of European troops running around the battlefield.

9

A lot of the age ups deliver way too much. Age II usually delivers 400-500 resources worth (roughly adjusted for gather rates, 0.84f, 0.5w, 0.6c). Age 3 is roughly 500-800. Age 4 is roughly 1000, and age 5 is roughly 2k. You might consider looking into the Italian’s advanced politicians for a better idea of how much to add to each age up (that one includes a fast age so without that maybe go +10-15% higher in each reward).

Might want to look into how armor/resistance usually works and how that impacts counters. Giving heavy infantry 50% MR and 25% RR is pretty high. Also felt like you only really upgraded the heavy infantry significantly.

On some of the units, knowing more about tags would help. Are the melee infantry heavy infantry (common) or hand shock infantry (pseudo heavy cavalry)? Etc.

Ages matter a lot in designing cards. 700f is obviously an age 2 card but anything new won’t be so obvious.

Circling back to the units, making a comparison to something already in the game for each would help. “This is similar to a Musketeer but slower with a higher range” etc. That would also give us some guess on cost.

Hope this helps. I don’t want to sound overly critical, it was a pretty interesting read and made me wonder if Hawaii should be up there with some of the other civs people are considering. Seems like a pretty cool idea overall, just some serious balance issues most likely.

PS: maybe don’t rename the TC. Everyone has TCs, and I think it’s kinda core to the franchise. Would be weird for one civ to have something else imo.

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10

Noted. I wasn’t sure how to incorporate that mechanic in a balanced way. I have a baseline now.

I wanted to make the resistance values stuff like 10-20%, but that felt too insignificant. Guess maybe it isn’t.

I’ll definitely have to look into tags and see which ones are most fitting for my unit roles. I do know that Ma’a Slingers are skirmishers at least.

Well, I knew that, but since I have very little experience playing the game, I figured people with more hands-on experience could fill in the gaps. Maybe I could try figuring out when they’re available. I think I initially roughly ordered them by when they’re available, but I don’t know if I kept this order later on.

Well, I don’t know much about the actual units in the game, so a comparison might be difficult, but I can try. I was also worried about hitting the character limit with my post, so I didn’t go into much detail.

I actually didn’t. Might seem like I did, since it isn’t mentioned in the shared buildings section, but that’s because every civ has one and it’s therefore redundant. It’s mentioned in the unique units section as a train location.

1 Like
11

I understand the worry - I mean no one wants a civ do basically end up being another Euro civ, though out of the Polynesian nations, the Hawaiians’ big thing was the massive reforms in the late 18th century with Euro/American military advisors, access to Western ships, plenty of muskets and Euro tactics - which compared to other Polynesians was quite different.

Part of their fun/traits/gimmick could be the balance between their traditional Koa warriors (long pikes, bow, throwing spears) along with navy (traditional war canoes and Peleleu double-hull canoes with swivel guns), with Hawaiian musketeers, Royal Guards/Household Guards, imported cannon and Western ships, which could easily be limited via building type/cost.

12

That was me. I didn’t suggest anything for Oceania because it obviously doesn’t exist yet, but Outrigger Canoes would be the logical choice. He’s got them listed as a separate ship type here, but he also has Catamarans which are already the regional boat for around the Indian Ocean.

13

I find it quite interesting; however, it would be good to explain the historical background and include some images.

14

I can do that later, but the main thing was to get the concept out there and do it within the character limit.