New European Consulate

In Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, all European civilizations have the option to choose revolutionary options to age up at the end of the Industrial Age. However, some of these options may not be historically accurate, as certain revolutions did not occur during the timeline of the game.

To address this issue, I suggest introducing a new form of consulate building that becomes available to some of the European powers only in the Imperial Age. This new consulate building would act as another tiebreaker during long treaty games and grant access to new troops and resources from their empire’s commonwealth. The more consulate options a civilization has, the fewer revolution options it will be given. Technologies researched at the consulate will cost experience points.

Taking the British civilization as an example, their consulate options could be:

Canada:
Mounted Police (Mounties) - acts as normal Dragoons but with a greater range of 18.
Black Watch tech grants access to Highlanders at all military buildings and allows teammates to recruit them from taverns/monasteries if not already available.
Increased line-of-sight tech.
Advanced Felling tech increases wood collection.
Infinite TEAM 1000 wood card.
TEAM surgeon training tech.

Australia + New Zealand:
Australian Ranger (Digger) - acts as normal skirmisher but with greatly increased hit points (wears a pinned Slouch hat).
“Bushrangers” tech sends Tavern wagon (+1 to build limit) and greatly reduces the population of outlaw units, Irish Brigadiers become available if not already obtained.
“New Zealand Lamb” tech increased livestock population (50 sheep + 30 cows).
Wool trade tech reduces the food cost of all units.

South Africa:
Commando - acts like a grenadier but has significant attack multipliers and range resistance against artillery and defensive buildings.
British Askari tech allows training of Askari at the tavern.
Infinite diamond mine prospectus wagons tech.
Whaling tech that creates two pods of whales next to the naval flag spawn point.
Gold Rush tech increases coin collection from mines.

British Raj (India):
Sikh line-infantry (better name needed!) - acts similarly to a Nazim Fusilier.
British Gurkha - same as Indian Gurkha but has a greater melee attack dealt by their Kukri (wears Pillbox hat instead of a turban).
Jat Lancer - same as in-game one.
Infinite 10 villager shipment.
1 villager now comes with each HC card sent tech.

Now let’s look at potential consulate options for the French civilization:

French Algeria:
Algerian Tirailleur (Turcos) - acts like a buffed skirmisher but has no multiplier against ranged cavalry.
Tech that allows training of Zouaves and Gatling Camels in the Tavern.
“Desert Caravan” tech doubles experience points granted at trade posts.

French Indochina:
Tirailleurs Indochinois (Indochinese Sharpshooters) - acts like Pandour, can use stealth ability and excels in countering other skirmishers.
Tech that delivers one Wokou Junk and allows training of up to three in the dock.
Tech delivers 10 Vietnamese fishing boats that don’t take up any population.

Senegal:
Tirailleurs Sénégalais (Senegalese Rifleman - I really need help with names here! :grimacing:) - acts like Zouaves and dresses similarly too.
Infinite tech that sends diamond mine prospectus wagons.
Tech that allows infantry to slowly gather coin from mines.

There are many more possibilities to add more consulate options to other European civilizations, particularly the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch, but I’ll leave it to someone more qualified to come up with historically appropriate colonial troop names and research technologies for these civs.

Please let me know yours thoughts - if popular might make this as a mod :grin:

5 Likes

I don’t think it’s necessary to add a consulate to implement these ideas, it would suffice for every European civ to have a card that sends 1 Royal Embassy Wagon and enables a couple of units and techs, like the “Ancien Régime” (French) and “Prince-Electors” (Germans). For example the British may have a card called “British Raj” which sends 1 Royal Embassy Wagon, in which it allows training Gurkhas and some other Indian unit or technology etc. Or maybe you can choose between some British colonies (India, Australia, Canada, etc.), and be able to train some units at the Royal Embassy.

7 Likes

i dont think european factions need lategame buffs, they are competitive as are.

2 Likes

I have always been advocating making better use of the native embassy and the capital. That should serve the purpose.

To be honest my idea here is something that is something closer to the changes made by a mod rather than a full rework of the of the original game. From the a more realist stand point I think more Royal Embassy HC cards are most likely the way forward.

I do enjoy this idea and I really thought something like this would have been introduced before they added Rangers into the game to give the British a rifle unit (Gurkha) for the late game, although its probably not as needed now. But I still would like to see Gurkha and Jat Lancers make a greater appearance in the British Civ.

I just think it would be cool if some of the European powers could get units drawn from their colonies to reflect the benefits of having an empire in the Victorian Era.

1 Like

I also would like to see a greater reference to the French Foreign Legion through a HC card maybe, especially now that we have African Maps. Maybe a card the sends a batch of buffed Zouaves and Askari and renames them to Foreign Legionnaires.

2 Likes

In my opinion, this kind of card should be the same as the card American Allies of the Incas, which is to ally with a Royal House and can train a limited number of native units that do not require populations rather than native units that require populations.

Ideally, the Gurkhas should be mercenary units rather than the regular Indian units, with a card allowing the British to access them.

4 Likes

no [twenty characters]

Why not. Maybe just a simple card of 9 Gurkhas (mercenary) shipment, or a card allowing Gurkhas to be trained at Tavern.

If Gurkhas become mercenaries, there will be a new unit to play the role of Indian riflemen at Barracks. Maybe it can be based on Banduqchis, cheap riflemen like Strelets or State Militias.

2 Likes

Yeah that seems to be a fair solution, but I think Gurkhas should be exclusively accessible to only Indian and British faction, to keep with the historic timeline. If Gurkhas do become mercenaries I think they should be re-skinned with different uniforms and leave the current Gurkha skin for the “new Banduqchis unit”.

I think this actually would be very appropriate for Indian civ’s game play, as for a country with such a large population they only seems to field a smallish arm in-game because of the huge population space elephants take up. Maybe give Banduqchis a strength-in-numbers aura like State Militias, for late game.

1 Like