AOE3 Forums

Shipments go for the stronger shipments in age 3,

A rax and a stable can be build with 1 unit from each being trained even before you click on aging up. It might be a slower age 3 ff but at least you can be pumping out units before you age to 3 and the strong shipments of your civ's age 3 can be cream on top.

Try it on different maps and see what works best for you.

I like the BWR mixed with minutemen and 2 cannon with pike being pumped then set on guard on the cannons. 

EtherImp:

Sure, their Age2 eco is good, but their Age2 military sucks. So, while you may  have a better eco in Age2, you can't very well protect it with your crappy Age2 units.

their age 2 units are not crappy

you're been playing too much vanilla

Bart331:

taunt 1

+1

ỈxỊ:

Bart331:

taunt 1

+1

 Taunt 2 

Ontopic:

 1x1 is a nub

My online ES online id is artisticcheese and if somebody can show me how FF works please invite me into 1x1 game. I'll play Dutch and will stay in colonial pumping out skirmishers and Hussars, will ship pikeman. You will do naked FF, which means you don't create any units untill you reach fortress.

At that moment I'll roll in with my army and you can do whatever you feel is neccessary to defend and counter.

I'd like to see how this will work.

SunilD93:

this guy kinda reminds me of ultimitsu... like talking to a brick wall :/

Who? Me?

It's been pretty well known for a long time that German Age2 military is not that great. They lack Muskets. Xbows are better than they once were. That doesn't change the fact that Musketeers are *RANGED* HI units with decent siege and Germany lacks that, plain and simple.

Pikes and Dopps are not ranged. Dopps are expensive and have higher pop than Muskets.

Compare Germanys Age2 military to Ottoman or Japan. There simply is no comparison. German military shines in Age3.

That said... It's not like you're talking to a brick wall because I can actually make valid points, and when you (or GS or whoever) makes valid points I can understand them.

The way I see it.. Germans excellent Age2 economy is best used by making it to Age3 where you can dominate with Uber-Shipments and a much improved military.

Edit: Artistic, I'll add you in game.

1x1:

You are ignoring their awesome cav, not to mention OP military shipments like 3SW+2 uhlan and 8xbow+ 2 uhlan

Their Cav is cost effective but not that awesome until they are upgraded.

And, their "OP military shipments" are not OP considering they come slower than any other civs. Are they powerful? Yes.. But the XP penalty means they're not "OP".

According to the logic ES used to balance German shipments they should have made Spanish shipments 15% weaker.