AOE3 Forums

    I actually played ports today and I realized only minor changes are needed. I am a decent Portuguese player (though rusty, I am trying to get up again), was in the top 10 in WC, and I think that I have an idea what I am talking about on this issue. I have played 50+ games with Portugal on supremacy.

1) 1 more starting wood crate

    Why another wood crate? This will help much more than any of you think. You can be able to build more than just a house; you could build towers easier, you could even build a market, you could also build a dock and a house, you could be able to get an FB at the same rate other do, or lastly, you could afford a trading post more easily.

2) TEAM Cheap outposts - Card

Added effect - Now gives -10% train points reduction for blockhouses, castles, outposts, and war huts in addition to the -30% cost reduction.

Why this? Many times I have had an outpost than is at least 80% done and my opponent comes and burns it down with 10 pikes or musks before it can do any damage. This also hurts the Portuguese as well as every European team who attempts to turtle or bunker down. This helps set up outposts quicker, and can just save the day!

3) TEAM Fishing Markets - Card

Effect - Now provides 15% boost to fishing. 

    Why? This is the only economic card that was not boosted in the past 13 patches. Its competitor, Fish Market, provides 25% faster fishing rates. There is no comparison between these cards, especially if you think of +0.05 more resources per second compared to +0.125 more resources per second. Making this card more efficient will give +0.075 more resources per second. You can currently think that the TEAM Fishing Markets gives half the resources a shrine gives regularly per second. What a wimpy card (especially since two people on the same team usually don't water turtle at the same time)!

4) House of Bricangana - Card

Effect - Now provides a 40% boost to trade route effectiveness IN ADDITION to free trade route upgrades. Also, move down to age 3 so that is can be used more often.

    Why? Anyone who uses this card in a real game must be a noob. This card is practically USELESS and must be improved; especially since it is a level 40 homecity card. Modifying this card might make it a bit OP, but it should still be ok if it stays in age 4.

Any bigger changes will make these guys OP. Maybe one of the balance team could respond to some of these changes, especially the first one.

from the hand of,

murdilator
 

Ports are a civ very hard to handle. We know you´re good with them . . . but how about making them a bit more used by other not so skilled players.

They´re an Age IV great Civ but how many games reach Age IV? We need to improve Ports in early stages of the game. Otherwise is just pray to achieve age IV in conditions to make a decent fight. 

Ports deck has some useless cards that no one uses. We´re suggesting a few improvments so that they´re deck becomes more vast in choice.

House of Bragança: This card if changed the way you say: Free trade route upgrades will also benefit your opponent and he doesn´t have to waste any resource to have an upgraded trade route for his trading posts. The 40% boost would only benefit you if you could mantain your tp´s standing or a lot of them . . . in many maps you can only have 2 (the other is near enemy TC and you cannot build there).

And HBragança is already an Age III card.

Similar to your idea is making HB a card that would generate XP points from your Town Centers. You would have 3 TC in Age III rushing your shipments from HC. More useful imo and you could use this card in every map with the same efficiency.

I agree with you in Team Fish Market card.

The team cheap Outpost just 10% maybe it´s to low . . .perhaps -15% or -20% train points. And the 2 Outposts card could give 25% more hitpoints as well.

About The wood crate. Ports already start the game with 1 extra settler. I don´t see ES giving them another extra crate. It could help but i think the biggest problem with Ports in early economy is the difficulty in spamming villagers and military units at the same time.

By making 2-3 villagers while aging up to colonial and with the bishop politician we could start colonial with 17 villagers. (if we started aging with 12) that could be a huge improvment to ports early stages, allowing them to have a decent number gathering food and wood for archaic units and villies.

Cheers 

Português:

The team cheap Outpost just 10% maybe it´s to low . . .perhaps -15% or -20% train points. And the 2 Outposts card could give 25% more hitpoints as well.

By making 2-3 villagers while aging up to colonial and with the bishop politician we could start colonial with 17 villagers. (if we started aging with 12) that could be a huge improvment to ports early stages, allowing them to have a decent number gathering food and wood for archaic units and villies.

Cheers 

 

    If you give me a 2 tower card like that (+500 HP if it is implemented), I'll never lose a building. Just remember that you get the Improved buildings card, which is 40% HP for all buildings (800 HP for towers), and I'll have TC's with 9100 HP, and 135 dmg, as well as colonial militia and a 2nd tc; all ready by 5:30 (in my prime I could get 7 towers up by 7:00, without the 2 towers card). Towers with 3300 HP and 30 dmg...especially 7 of em with the Two TC's.

I'm not against it, but you should definitely use the TEAM cheap outposts card instead.

I have not played on land as much, but I've started a few pretty good strats. 

Note: I am still testing some strats...I might want to post some once I get good ones.
 

I really like the idea of creating vils while aging, but then you could have someone start to age 2 at 2:40 and still have 15+ vils once in age 2. Considering the Portuguese turtling abilities....if you add something like that, you might find yourself with an OP civ.

Creative idea though!

from the hand of,

murdilator 

Ports are supposed to be better as turtlers.

What I see in the others Civs decks is : The British, Spanish, French, Ottos, Dutchs and russians with much better Outposts and defenses than the civ that is "supposed" to defend until age IV!

They all have Extensive Fortifications and some have a 4 outpost card. Plus the Colonial and Building Hitpoints. The Extensive Fortificatios gives + 6 limit to Outpost building and 25% more hitpoints to Outposts and to Blockhouses.

And I think it´s an Age II card for some civs. 

Russians have a HUGE advantadge because their outposts are the blockhouses wich can create military units and defend as outposts. . They also have Team Barracks wich gives them 50% hitpoints, plus the 2 outposts card giving them more 25% hitpoints, Building Hitpoints - +40%!!! They can have a super forward base . . .

If they had Extensive Fortifications . .

If Ports use they´re TC to defend that means garrison your villies decreasing your eco. Extensive Fortifications + Team cheap Outposts maybe would be too much. But I think that 25% more Hitpoints must be given to Ports!!! It´s not asking to much I think.

Ironic that the best civ at turtling (or one of the best) have worse Defenses than the others. To use they´re advantadge they must sacrifice they´re eco . . .just not right.

You must play more in land maps because that´s where Ports have more difficulty. Ina water maps you can create boats much faster than villies and with the schooners card and whale oil . . . also you can create boats while aging. That´s one of the reasons why Ports are much better in water. But in most maps . . .they suck in the hands of non experts!!!
 

I Hope you share a few good strats with the rest of us.

Portugal rules . . .just not on AOE!!! lol
 

GuitarHeroMatt:

Maybe the Ports should ship an Economics Centre, which enables them to get Export and allows them to buy armies and techs like an Asian Consulate (it would have the same effect as Portuguese Allies for Asians), but also gives an exchange rate so that Export can be trickled into resources instead. The Ports could start with this as a wagon, or it could be an Age 1 shipment.

i don't think so, that would be a too hard change, that could lead ports to be OP

but it think they could use one of these two ideas from this thread:

-allow them to build vills during age up

-give them 2 vils on each TC when they age up and finish building 

What about the military changes i suggested earlier?

What do you guys think?

Make Team Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints card a Team Gunpowder UNIT card wich would give our dragoons 15%more hitpoints. Becoming this unit a bit more close to the Idea of Ports Having the best Dragoons in the game. Actually fully upgraded Port dragoons only have more range than the brits. I´ve never seen  the effect of Unction card to spanish dragoons but I believe people are right . . .they´re probably better than Ports with that boost.

ES could change that . . .we´re supposed to have the BEST Dragoons.

And with this change our civ could help the "allies" improving their dragoons since it´s a team card!!! I think it´s logic and it would be great improvment for Ports Military.

Team Artillery Hitpoints turns to a Team Artillery - providing 15% more Hitpoints and 10% or 15% (experts suggest % please) of damage. Improving our Organ Guns, a unit many people likes but that is a bit UP compared to falconets imo. 2 shots of a falconet kill a organ. they´re more vulnerable to Light cavalry. They cost less and less pop cap than falconet I believe, but this little increase in their damage would be excellent. Chewing Infantry would be a laugh!!!

 If ES boosted Team Gunpowder Infantry like I suggested i think that one of the other cards that improve infantry should move to Age II. This one could stay in Age 4 since we have Dragoon combat as an improvment in Age III.

Please share your opinion. And keep posting suggestions. As silly or insane as they could seem ES could take them in consideration and adjust them.
 

Agree. Export should be for Asian Civs only.

Giving Ports that chance . . .would make all european civs asking for the same. To radical change.