Hello again, everyone; I hope you’re doing well. We are continuing with the civilization reworks, and today I’m bringing you the update for the Dutch. The Dutch have always possessed traits that set them apart from other civilizations; however, several of these never quite stood out the way they should have—leaving the Dutch to feel less like a unique faction and more like a “copy-paste” of other European factions, just with fewer units. So, today we are going to revamp some of the upgrades available for their units.
First up, we have the Barracks; this building really should have featured a unique skirmisher unit right from the game’s launch back in 2005. It was always known that the Dutch skirmisher had slight technical differences in its stats, and the fact that it can be trained in the Commerce Age confirms that something isn’t quite right with the unit. After some in-depth research, I discovered a Dutch unit that fits perfectly as the skirmisher this civilization should have had all along—one dating back to the early 16th century. The unit is called Geuzen, and I will provide more information about it later so that you can judge its historical importance for yourselves and see that this proposal is based on facts rather than speculation. Now, moving on to barracks units, there will be two new upgrades here. The first is for the aforementioned skirmishers, and the other is for pikemen—a crucial unit for the Dutch, yet one that is somewhat poorly represented in the game due to the lack of Guard and Imperial variants.
Barracks:
Pikeman: The Dutch Pikeman now holds Guard and Imperial status; the upgrade for this unit is called the Pikeman of Nassau. The Nassau Pikemen were a pivotal unit during the Dutch Wars of Independence; General Maurice of Nassau reformed and restructured the use of the pike in combat, modernizing its deployment through the so-called “Nassau Linear Tactics.” These tactics surprised many European monarchs of the era, several of whom adopted them on the battlefield following the Eighty Years’ War.
Pikeman of Nassau:
Skirmisher: The new skirmisher is called the Geuzen and completely replaces the old one; the mechanics remain the same, and it can be created starting in the Commerce Age. While the stats are very similar, the Geuzen boasts slightly longer ranged attack distance. As a new unit, it naturally requires a Guard upgrade, and this case is no exception: the new Guard upgrade is called Flanker. This upgraded version is obviously more powerful—effectively a modern 19th-century Napoleonic-era unit—fitting perfectly with the concept of an obsolete military corps being phased out and reborn as a new, modern force.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Geuzen
Geuzen:
Flanker:
https://totalwar.fandom.com/wiki/Dutch_Flanquers
Now we move on to the Stable, home to the Dutch unique unit: the Ruyter. This unit has been quite controversial; not only has the name long been considered a poor choice, but its “Guard” upgrade is also somewhat inconsistent, as it never actually results in a visual change. Therefore, in this rework, we are giving it a proper visual look to ensure greater historical accuracy.
Stable:
The Ruyter unit feature a new visual look for the Carabineer Guard upgrade.
To wrap things up, here are some fixes for the Church technologies—which only appear when the Religious Freedom Metropolis card is sent. These technologies are among the civilization’s issues, as they were left unfinished and use outdated portraits and assets that don’t quite align with the developers’ intended vision.
Church:
(Age II) Coffee Trade (without any apparent change whatsoever).
(Age III) Hire Zeeland Regiment (Send 6 Ruyters and grants a permanent +10% damage boost to all of your gunpowder units (including both ranged infantry and cavalry). (¨new technology added¨)
(Age III) Red Lancers (Send 5 Red Lancers of Napoleon’s Royal Guard and enable their training at the stables). (¨renamed technology¨)
(Age IV) Stadtholderate (Sends 25 Blue Guards from his homeland and elevates them to imperial status, thanks to the high military ranks conferred upon them by the Grand Stadtholder of the Netherlands). (¨renamed technology¨)
As an added bonus, we have equipped the Envoy with new technologies—available in the city center—to enhance its combat capabilities in later eras; this encourages players to keep using the unit for longer rather than letting it fall into disuse.
Envoy:
Two new technologies for the Envoy added at the urban center. The envoy now receives a new look when upgraded with the new technologies.
(Age III) Consul: The envoys sign an agreement to establish more extensive encomiendas in the New World, fostering better relations between the colonial states and the indigenous tribes. The envoys gain +10 melee attack points and +15% health points, in addition to revealing the position of the last unit they attacked. The envoy receive new appearance
(Age IV) Patriotten: The Era of the Patriots brought about a power struggle for democracy in the Low Countries, aimed at demanding greater civic participation and political influence; the envoys gain a charged pistol attack that deals bonus damage against Explorers.
It is worth noting that all other aspects of the Dutch civilization remain unchanged; the only notable changes are those mentioned in the publication.