Proposed Naval Units

Why not, right? Anyway let’s get started.


Despite having the most beautiful water in any AoE game, we all know naval combat in AoE3 is a little bland and could use some more distinction to liven it up. Some have suggested an all new counter system, but I like to work within the existing Ship/Building counter system so here’s a couple things I think would be cool to see. This is based almost purely on gameplay desires, since I admittedly know little to nothing about history.


New naval unit: Unrated Merchant Vessel

Based on the privateer, this is a ship that is inexpensive but cost effective at sea. Performs abysmally against land units and base defenses. Available to train by colonial civs and available via shipments by European civs.


Coastal Battery

A land defensive structure that primarily targets ships. Effective against ships, and trades evenly with seige ships (galleons and monitors). Does minimal damage against land units.


Steam Ship

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Now available to everyone. A caravel/exploration class ship that performs mediocre in combat but has a large LOS and speed.


New Stance: Coastal Bombardment

Increases armor against land defenses. Greatly increases the range of ships while simultaneously reducing the attack and making the ships susceptible to attack from other ships. Takes ~10 seconds to engage/disengage. Only available to galleons and frigates.


Dugout Canoe

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Replaces the native canoe. Essentially a canoe with a little worse stats and little lower cost to compensate. “Dugout” implies that it is more basic than the standard canoe trained by native civs. Native civs will be able to train their native canoe alongside the dugout canoe when allied with native settlements.


Bull Boat

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Very inexpensive canoe costing only food, available to Lakota. Gives the Lakota something on water other than their usual play. (losing)


Waka taua

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War canoe for future/potential Maori civ. Bigger, stronger, and more expensive than a standard war canoe.


That’s it for now. What would it take for you to play more water maps?

4 Likes

Inexhaustible or renewable food sources.
That the oceans are not so narrow in 1vs1.

2 Likes

Do you think that AOE3de should bring back proper merchant vessels that can trade with allied docks for a resource exchange?

I would even bring merchant wagons back to the game. They could be created in the market, and trade with route TP and native TP, the latter being more profitable. It would be an additional incentive to build a native TP.

1 Like

I’m not a huge fan of the AoE2 style merchants. I was really just aiming for another type of combat ship.

2 Likes

However, I think it could work. A limit of 2 or 3 units of these that go from dock to dock collecting coins. And about 2 or 3 carts that go from the market to the trading posts.

I can see that one being easily implemented as a map contested capture point, similar to the campaign’s fixed gun.

5 Likes

That would be a cool feature! There could be a couple accessible by both land and water and one only accessible by water.