Cossacks European wars detailed walkthrough. Game Cossacks: European Wars. Gameplay of the game Cossacks: European wars or history lessons
What to call a game that should become a symbol of the formation of the Ukrainian gaming industry? How to make the hearts of millions of Ukrainians beat faster with one word? How to commemorate an entire era in domestic computer games? For Ukrainian developers - the company GSC Game World, such questions did not last long. Cossacks! - a symbol of freedom, independence, the best period of life Ukrainian people. The game Cossacks: European Wars was created by GSC Game World in 2001 and published by Russobit - M. The development of the game took more than 6 years, but in the end the game deservedly took its place in the circle best strategies of all times and peoples.
HISTORY AND PLOT OF THE GAME COSSACKS: EUROPEAN WARS or MODERN HISTORY TEXTBOOK
Some of those reading this article have graduated from school a long time ago, others have yet to do so, but almost all of you considered history lessons boring and used all means to while away the time until the long-awaited bell. The game Cossacks: European Wars was able to fit several paragraphs of a history textbook into itself, presenting them in an incredibly reliable way. It’s one thing to read a dry list of dates in an old textbook, another thing to find yourself on the battlefield, leading thousands of soldiers, walking in the footsteps of great commanders, winning heroic victories.
The ideological father of the game Cossacks: European Wars is Age game of Empires, however, unlike the latter, Cossacks focus on historical accuracy, recreating not only historical events, but also appearance units, buildings, terrain. And this is its definite advantage. It seems that nations have stepped from the pages of textbooks straight into the game. In the game Cossacks: European Wars, 16 nations are available to you: Austria, Algeria, England, Venice, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Prussia, Piedmont, Russia, Saxony, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Sweden. All nations are available in four campaigns of Cossacks: European Wars. English campaign called "Pirates" Caribbean Sea", will tell the player about the conquest of the Caribbean islands, the protracted struggle with pirates, Spain, and the Netherlands. French campaign- “In the Service of the Cardinal” - will plunge the player headlong into the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), in which almost all European countries collided. If you want to learn more about your own history, welcome to the Russian campaign ("Window to Europe") of the Cossacks: European Wars, in which you will have to suppress the uprising of Stepan Razin (an uprising of peasants and Cossacks against the government), with a sword in hand to visit the Crimean Khan (Crimean campaigns) and find yourself in the center of the battle between Russia and Sweden (Northern War). Well, and, of course, the developers could not ignore the most important events of Ukrainian history: the wars with the Tatars, Russia and, finally, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the passage of Cossacks: European Wars, the War of Independence campaign will introduce you to all of them.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND OF THE GAME COSSACKS: EUROPEAN WARS or IN THE BEST TRADITIONS OF THE 17TH CENTURY
Progress does not stand still, and what seemed like a breakthrough in the schedule becomes the norm two years later. What then can we say about a game released more than 10 years ago, which at one time did not claim to be a leader? “Everything is fine,” that’s what we should say. Of course, the graphics are outdated, but look at the screenshots - there is not the slightest discomfort when playing due to the outdated graphics. And all thanks to the talent of the developers and the quality of their products. The fact is that the guys from GSC Game World took a very responsible approach to the matter and paid a lot of attention to detail: each nation has unique soldiers, workers, buildings, transferred to the digital world with amazing accuracy, detail and bright colors. But the animation of large-scale battles deserves special praise. Imagine what painstaking and difficult work it is to make sure that during a battle with 8 thousand participants there is no overlapping of textures, shaking and implausibility. You can forget about such problems: the developers of the game Cossacks: European Wars have done their homework with an A+, for which they are honored and praised. The same applies to the sound: all sound effects and background music are made with extremely high quality and with paternal love for the brainchild.
GAMEPLAY OF THE GAME COSSACKS: EUROPEAN WARS or HISTORY LESSONS
The creators of the game have perfectly mastered both school history lessons and the lessons of the history of modern computer games. I already talked about the first one, but what does the history of computer games have to do with the game? Direct! Before creating their own product, the developers carefully analyzed all the pros and cons of classic strategies, primarily Age of Empires. The pros, naturally, were left, but the cons were destroyed with inhuman zeal. This applies to both global disadvantages (lack of historical accuracy) and minor shortcomings, such as the creation of new crop areas exclusively by the user.
The only controversial aspect of the game that I would like to bring to the forefront is the balance between strategy and tactics. If games like Warcraft have precise control of individual units and advanced combat system comes to the fore, then Cossacks: European Wars brings to the fore large-scale battles, where the skills of a single unit decide practically nothing. And this, in my opinion, is absolutely correct, because this is exactly how history was made: huge armies clashed under the leadership of generals.
In the game Cossacks: European Wars there are six types of resources: wood, food, stone, gold, iron, coal. The last three resources are extracted exclusively in the mines that you need to build in the field. Resources that are mined in mines instantly appear in your treasury, which cannot be said about the wood, food and stone that workers carry on their backs. Mines and workers can be captured, and only the brave Ukrainian slaves cannot be captured: they will fight to the end. Resources can be exchanged on the market, which gives players significant freedom of action. But the situation when resources run out deserves special attention: the coal runs out - the arrows stop shooting, the gold runs out - all the mercenaries are out of your control, there is no food - the gradual starvation of the people. As you can see, there are many ways to cut your opponent's arteries.
Despite the fact that the developers failed to ensure that every country had absolutely different tactics, there is a difference in development strategy: some countries are stronger at the beginning of the game, others reach full power during protracted battles. This is achieved due to the difference in units, including their damage, as well as additional features countries For example, Ukraine cannot go to the 18th century, which should have added more powerful units, but the Ukrainians have in their arsenal balloon, which reveals the entire map.
Based on available resources and buildings, you can create combat units, the choice of which is quite large. The main advantage of the game is that the carefully thought-out composition of troops comes to the fore, and not the banal pressure of the enemy in numbers. Unfortunately, the computer brain is still significantly inferior to the human brain, so artificial intelligence will attack with huge armies, but even a small, well-composed army will be able to stop the enemy armada. The numerous battle formations (formation figures) of the units deserve special praise. Their proper use will help in any, even the most difficult, situation. Also in the game Cossacks: European Wars, you have to take into account the terrain, which can radically affect the course of the battle.
The game Cossacks: European Wars presents the player with the following types of battles: campaigns, single missions and missions on random maps. Cossacks European Wars codes are also available, which can cause significant trouble for the enemy and greatly help you.
THE LEGACY OF THE GAME COSSACKS: EUROPEAN WARS or A NEW MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF COMPUTER STRATEGIES
Cossacks European Wars opened a new era in the history of domestic strategies, proving, first of all, that any developer, regardless of nationality and personal history, is capable of making high-quality computer games. You can download the game Cossacks European Wars for free from many sites on the Internet. Also, you can download Cossacks European Wars torrent: the original game is available (about 700 MB) and a collection including the game (about 3300 MB). As with all the creations of GSC Game World, there is more than one Cossacks European Wars patch that improves the balance and gameplay of the game. At the end of 2001, the developers repeated the feat and released the game Cossacks: The Last Argument of Kings, which we will talk about in a separate review.
FINAL SUMMARY
The developers did not disgrace the proud name of the Ukrainian Cossacks, appropriating it as one of the best strategies in the post-Soviet gaming space. Painstaking work, attention to detail and history, the talent of the developers - this is the true reason for the incredible success of the game Cossacks: European Wars.
Asia is calm, but fighting is going on in Europe again. When the Germans came close to Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to attack first and moved towards Stuttgart. He was greeted warmly with artillery fire. The commander survived, but when a shell fragment very close to him claimed the life of the standard bearer, he took it as a sign from above: it was time to run away. On the same day, his army moved towards the weakly defended Frankfurt, which the Germans had already captured.
A few days later, a Frenchman rushed to St. Petersburg and handed Alexander I a letter with a proposal to attack Budapest. “You are cunning, Napoleon. Do you want me, at your request, to leave Krakow and go somewhere unknown, while you walk freely through my lands? This act will not be in vain for you!” - answered the Russian emperor and ordered the ambassador to immediately leave the capital.
Soon the Russian army moved towards the enemy. Ten kilometers from Prague, some popping noises were heard. A second later, grapeshot rained down from a nearby hill, and cavalry rushed out of the forest to meet the enemy.
Napoleon got there earlier...
Everything seems to be as always
The game “Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars”, unlike the first part, was received very coolly by the public. Fans of the original game insisted that the sequel was a failure, while fans of thoughtful tactical strategies suddenly discovered that they had received a completely worthy project. However, the high system requirements for those times, the meager set of maps and the terrible single-player campaign did not allow us to rejoice for long. For many, their acquaintance with the game proceeded according to the following scheme: they killed their opponents in several dozen single battles, conquered the territory of the Old World a couple of times, marveled at the scenario once - and forgot.
The new addition “Cossacks 2: Battle for Europe”, released a year later, is quite difficult to distinguish from its ancestor at first glance. Three new countries - Spain, the Duchy of Warsaw and the Confederation of the Rhine - did not affect the balance at all. The interface, contrary to promises, has not changed. And where is the new game?
It is important: those wishing to take part in the battle for Europe cannot do without the usual “Cossacks 2”, although this is not a severe necessity, but just a cunning move by the developers. The add-on is a completely independent product and “weighs” two hundred megabytes more than its predecessor. But during installation, the program always checks for the presence of the “Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars” entry in the registry, and if it is not there, it displays an error message.
These features do not inspire much optimism, but it is also impossible to say that they completely spoil the addition. What do we have to say in her defense? The first and most important way to justify the existence of a game is the campaign. As many as four campaigns - for each new nation and for France. The construction of bases, exhausting in the starting missions, soon gives way to grandiose battles, where - excuse the banality - you can really reveal the talent of a commander. In most missions, we are faced with the goal of defeating superior enemy forces - and significantly superior to us. A variety of techniques are used: graceful maneuvers, forays into the rear, dashing partisan attacks... In a word, the commander will not have a rest - he must think all the time.
Walkthrough story missions will take about twenty hours. Of course, if you complete any task the first time, it will take much less time, but this is unlikely to happen. There are relatively few additional cards for single battles - about ten, but they will add another half a day of fun.
Without a controlled pause it would be difficult. Often, very often, you will coordinate the actions of dozens of detachments, cut through enemy formations with a wedge, suddenly attack opponents on both sides, while also managing to block roads along which help can arrive in a timely manner. The idea of giving orders to hundreds and thousands of fighters at the same time would be simply ridiculous if we were not allowed to stop time. Thank God this feature is present. We'll settle it on that.
Bigger, better... more interesting?
What water is here, what water!.. |
As before, there are inconsistencies with the difficulty of the game. On medium difficulty, tactical strategy veterans will crush enemy bases like brittle cookies; high level for them - just right. But what should beginners do if, even with the “easy” version of the game, many of them are hardly able to defeat ordinary enemies? Waiting for a patch is apparently pointless - the developers believe that it is better to improve your skills than to infringe on the enemy’s capabilities. The answer is logical, but hardly fair: the player will need a lot of effort to develop his troops..
The graphic part remained unchanged. Bright colors, beautiful landscapes, excellent water and excellent rendering of buildings hide minor flaws such as unclear textures and torn animation, but there is no need to talk about reference visual performance. A separate issue is the “gluttony” of the game in relation to system requirements. The developers say that in this add-on the engine is much better optimized. Honestly? I did not notice. The recommended requirements are actually more like minimums; and to play comfortably, you will need a gigabyte of RAM. However, if a year ago such configurations could scare even enthusiasts, today they are generally in the order of things.
“Cossacks 2: Battle for Europe” is not a revolution or a step forward compared to its predecessor. A minimum of innovations (we'll talk about them later), no improved balance and completely identical game process- interesting, but unusual and for some even boring - do not give reason to talk about obvious changes for the better. By and large, this addition is not an addition at all, but the most ordinary set of fresh missions and maps, designed to eliminate the main drawback of the original game - transience. This is exactly what the original “Cossacks 2” should have been - then they would have been rated much higher.
Side notes: There are a lot of different texts in the game: scenario texts, descriptions of types of troops, tips, auxiliary messages, etc. But how many mistakes there are in them, how many mistakes... My head is spinning. For example, to leave the “Conquest of Europe” mode, you need to click the “Exit Company” button. From whose to O companies? Maybe from A companies? And this is just one of hundreds of mistakes. It seems that the developers have lost somewhere the proofreader of their lives.
History with geography
New game modes did not appear in the add-on, so we will be content with campaigns, single battles and the “Conquest of Europe”, especially for which, by the way, the developers sculpted 12 more territories. Availability additional cards for battles is not even discussed, but their quality is pleasantly surprising. The only problem is with the quantity - there are offensively few of these cards. If it weren't for the four campaigns, it would be possible to explore the game inside and out in ten hours. And so - over thirty.
The “fresh” countries are unremarkable, and the balance has not changed in any way due to their presence. Spain appears to us as a completely ordinary state, which is not much different from Russia both in military craft and in the economy. The Confederation of the Rhine is practically a copy of Saxony. The developers redrew the buildings, appropriated different types troops have interesting names - and that's the end of it! Amazing approach.
Only Poland pleased us: the barracks of this country were initially equipped with cannons, and special fighters - voltigeurs - despite the low price, they were very strong. True, the characteristics of these guys are very dubious. The fact is that voltigeurs began to be recruited not by registered Cossacks and not by nobles, but, believe it or not, by Napoleon Bonaparte himself. In 1804, he lowered the height standard for soldiers, as a result of which he was able to recruit 40,000 more soldiers into the army. The main weapons of these warriors were sabers, not guns, as shown in the game. In addition, often “short” volunteers rode horses and served as scouts. In "Cossacks 2" they replace the fusiliers. Impressive authenticity!
Artificial intelligence has not changed. And let the developers say that he has become smarter. In fact, he is exactly the same as he was before. For example, your militia with spears in their hands are moving towards the grenadiers. Naturally, the latter have little chance in hand-to-hand combat, but they can easily kill enemies from afar, thereby solving the problem in advance. But no - His Majesty AI may decide to save ammo and not shoot at all, thereby simply losing the squad. And this is on medium difficulty! True, glimmers of intelligence, to be fair, also happen: at times, the computer opponent fires a salvo exactly at the time when it is most appropriate, laying your charges in stacks. But this is the exception rather than the rule - in other cases, opponents take advantage of numbers, not skill.
By the way, the stupidity of the enemies allows you to play tricks. Standard situation: the enemy has only one base, it is fully “equipped” and built compactly. Peasants huddle in a corner of the map, and troops stand far to the side, preparing to attack. Why, in this case, get involved in battle if you can easily bypass other people’s units?
Therefore, we proceed as follows: we send several detachments of grenadiers to the rear, covering them with a dozen or two cavalrymen, militias and monks. The horsemen distract the enemy's attention for as long as possible (they still have to return to the defensive), they are replaced by brave guys with spears, who, of course, fight the enemies with all their might. At this time, the main strike group runs towards the villages with mills and captures them, then penetrates the working area, destroys warehouses and kills farm laborers; then the grenadiers, if they have enough strength, move towards the city center, where they throw shells en masse into the barracks and artillery depots.
Let's try to predict the result. Did the person you attacked complain about the lack of food? The poor fellow was unlucky: most likely part of his army died of hunger, since food supplies were exhausted, and it was impossible to urgently replenish them - after all, until you reach the villages, until you kill the militia... And even if the wards find something to eat, the commander will not be very happy: he will forget about the excess grain for a long time, individual buildings will have to be rebuilt, and the soldiers will have to restore their health - in general, complete chaos. Interesting tactic, right?
About the game Cossacks: European Wars
Cossacks: European Wars / Cossacks European Wars is a real-time strategy game developed by GSC Game World and published by Russobit-M on April 12, 2001 for Windows.
Game type
There are three types of game: Campaigns, Single Missions, Missions on random maps.
Campaigns
The game has four campaigns (not counting the tutorial):
English (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) - the conquest of the Caribbean islands, privateering and the fight against competitors - pirates, the Netherlands and Spain.
French (“In the service of the cardinal”) - French participation in the Thirty Years' War.
Russian (“Window to Europe”) - suppression of the uprising of Stepan Razin, Crimean campaigns, Great Northern War.
Ukrainian (“War of Independence”) - the war with the Tatars, assistance to the Poles during the war with Russia, the struggle for independence from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
It is not possible to select the difficulty level in the campaign.
Single missions
The game features ten single-player missions. In single missions, the player can choose one of four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard.
Missions on random maps
It is possible to play on random maps. The game is played both on a ready-made map and on a randomly generated one at the request of the player. The player can select any of the sixteen countries presented, set the number of computer-controlled opponents (up to six on one map), the type of terrain (land, Mediterranean, continents, islands, peninsulas), the level of mineral deposits, and the terrain (from plateaus to highlands). Just like in single missions, you can select the difficulty level.
Gameplay
Century
Hill Assault
Most often the game takes place in the 17th century. In some missions the player can go to the 18th century. To go to the 18th century, you need to click on the corresponding button in the City Center. To cross, you need to collect 50,000 food, 10,000 gold and 5,000 iron (for different countries the amount of collected resources is slightly different, but for England it is significantly different - you need to collect 18,500 iron), as well as build some structures. After the transition, an 18th-century barracks becomes available for construction, new units appear in the Stables and new upgrades in the Academy. Algeria, Türkiye and Ukraine cannot move into the 18th century.
Resources
There are six types of resources in the game: wood, food, stone, gold, iron, coal. Gold, iron and coal are mined in mines that are built on a deposit of a particular resource. Each shaft can accommodate five people. There are special improvements for expanding the mine: after completing the improvement, you can additionally add five, eight and ten more peasants to the mine. Mines can be captured by troops. Food is obtained by peasants who collect it from the fields and take it to the mill, as well as by fishing boats that take the food to the port. Wood is mined in forests, and stone is mined in a stone quarry, and carried by workers to a warehouse or city center. Resources can also be exchanged on the market. If the player does not have coal or iron, watchtowers and units armed firearms, will not be able to shoot. If there is a shortage of gold, units requiring funding will not be able to fight, and mercenaries and some ships will leave the player's control. If there is no food, the player's units begin to die. All units (except mercenaries) require food to build, some also require wood, gold, iron and coal.
The buildings
Barracks
In the barracks of the 17th century, pikemen, musketeers, and after the construction of the Academy, also drummers and officers are available. The last two units are designed to form squads that increase the defense and attack of units. A unit can have 15, 36, 72, 120 or 196 pikemen or musketeers.
In the 18th century barracks, pikemen, musketeers, grenadiers, as well as drummers and officers are available. The detachments are formed in the same way as among the units of the barracks of the 17th century.
Stables
Reiters and dragoons are available in the stables, and when moving to the 18th century - hussars, cuirassiers and dragoons.
Countries
The game features sixteen countries: Austria, Algeria, England, Venice, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Prussia, Piedmont, Russia, Saxony, Turkey, Ukraine, France and Sweden. Most countries, mainly Western European countries, have a standard set of buildings and units. Units of each country, in addition to external differences, have their own individual characteristics.
Austria
Austria stands out among other Western European nations. It is quite strong at the start, since in the 17th century you can hire useful units - rundashir and croat. Feature of the rundashir: short construction time and high armor. It is most effective to use at the start, as well as in the artillery stage of the game - the cuirass reliably protects against buckshot and fire from multi-barreled guns. Croat is a light cavalryman, an analogue of a hired Sich Cossack. With all this, even in the 18th century, Austria was not deprived of useful units. This is Pandur - a strong marksman without a bayonet.
Algeria
A country with a set of cheap military forces. Algeria has two original units that are quickly built - an archer and a light infantryman. However, they have little health. Due to superior numbers at the start, Algeria is very strong. The Algerian archer is in first place in terms of construction speed, and he also has no improvements that he does not need due to his very high strength, capable of killing any footman with one shot, or a cavalryman with two. They have poor shot accuracy and are only effective against crowds. A Mameluke is available in the stable - a mounted unit with great health. Algeria does not have a transition to the 18th century, and also does not have the ability to launch a ball. Also Algeria does not have cuirassed units, so the units are vulnerable to artillery. In a protracted game, Algeria loses its strength.
England
A rather useful unit from the 18th century is the Scottish Fusilier. The Scotsman has quite a lot of damage, but, like a 17th century musketeer, he cannot fight up close. England also has the original equivalent of the 18th century drummer - the bagpiper. The only difference is that it is cheap.
Spain
17th-century musketeers are protected by cuirasses, which makes them less vulnerable to multi-barreled cannons.
Poland
In many ways it is similar to Western European countries. The main difference is that the Polish pikeman is built a third faster than other countries. Also, the Polish pikeman is the weakest in the game, his attack is 8 units, and he is not affected by improvements in the form of cuirass. Due to the speed of building pikemen, Poland is the most powerful nation at the start of the game. In a stable in the 17th century, instead of a reitar, there is a light reitar, which is built very quickly, but has low health. A winged hussar is also available in the stable. The Winged Hussar is a hybrid of light and heavy cavalry. He is protected by cuirass, and at the same time maintains the speed of the hussar. In the 18th century, Poland's units were the same as those of Western European countries.
Portugal
The Portuguese port can fire cannonballs like a battle tower. After the construction of an artillery depot, just like a tower, it can increase the rate of fire after upgrades.
Prussia
An 18th-century Prussian musketeer has a shot force of 106 units. He is 2nd in strength behind the Danish Musketeer. The Prussian hussar is produced a third faster than the hussars of other nations.
Netherlands
The 17th century Dutch musketeer is slightly weaker than the other shooters. This is compensated by the higher rate of fire than that of units of this type from other countries, after all the upgrades.
Piedmont
Strong priests, truly capable of providing some assistance to the troops.
Russia
It differs from the countries of Western Europe in its cheap barracks of the 17th century - gold is not needed to build barracks. Russian Pikeman XVII is the most powerful pikeman in the game. His strength is 10 units in attack against the standard 9. Considering the cheap barracks and the strength of the pikeman, Russia is very strong at the beginning of the game. However, the strength is somewhat offset by the lack of housing - the Russian barracks can accommodate fewer soldiers. The Don Cossack is available in the stable, one of the cheapest units in the game with good striking power. Instead of a reitar - a knight. The Knight is the most powerful cavalry unit of the 17th century after the Ukrainian Hetman. His health is 480 units. In the 18th century, Russian units were the same as those of Western European countries.
Saxony
The 18th century Saxon Musketeer has a shot power of 101, but is the slowest of all 18th century musketeers. The Saxony Grenadier has the highest rate of fire of all Grenadiers. Saxony also has an interesting unit - the Guards Cavalryman. This is heavy cavalry, the VII defense upgrade gives a +30 (!) increase in defense against pikes, bayonets and swords (melee).
Venice
In the port you can build a galleas - an improved version of the galley. Venice also had the cheapest passage in the 18th century.
Türkiye
The country is similar to Algeria. Turkey has no archers. However, there is a shooter - a Janissary. At the start of the game, the Janissary is not inferior to the Ukrainian Serdyuk. At full pumping The Janissary has a shot power of 30 units. Available in the stables are: Spakh - an analogue of the Mameluke and Tatar - an archer on horseback. IN average game Türkiye has an advantage due to the large number of Tatars. Turkey, like Algeria, does not have cuirassed units, so in a protracted game the nation weakens. Also, this nation has slightly cheaper all the upgrades in the Academy, which makes playing a little easier...
Sweden
The Swedish Reitar is more expensive and hits weaker than other heavy cavalry of the 17th century. But this is poorly compensated by the pikeman of the 18th century, which is also more expensive than its “brothers”, but a little stronger.
Ukraine
The most unusual nation. The only country where the peasant is a full-fledged military unit. The Ukrainian builder cannot be captured (the peasant can only be captured if you capture an unguarded city center or mine). Ukraine does not have pikemen. Because of this, Ukraine is very vulnerable at the start. However, the Ukrainian shooter - Serdyuk - has the greatest shot power among all units of the 17th century - 78 units. Therefore, in the game after the start, but not very long, Ukraine is very strong. The nation does not have access to the 18th century, but it does have access to a ball that reveals a map. The country does not have cuirassed units, so Ukraine is vulnerable to artillery. In a protracted game, Ukraine loses some of its strength. In the stable, Ukraine has a registered Cossack and a Sich, as well as a hetman. Sich Cossack - One of the fastest units in the game. Hetman - has characteristics similar to officers, but is very expensive, and the hetman is the strongest unit. A registered Cossack is a light cavalryman with good striking power, and at the same time has a low price and fast speed the buildings. Also, Ukrainians cannot build stone walls, and only galleys are available from the military fleet.
France
France has an original 17th century cavalry unit - the royal musketeer. Its feature: high shot power and slow production. Unlike the dragoons, who run away to a short distance when the enemy is close enough, the royal musketeer stands still. In the 18th century, you can hire a huntsman - an analogue of the Scottish marksman and pundur. There is also an original 18th century dragoon. Its feature: low shot force and fast production. Maintaining this unit requires a large amount of gold.
Austria
Austria
Austria stands out among other Western European nations. It is quite strong at the start, since in the 17th century you can hire useful units - rundashir and croat. Feature of the rundashir: short construction time and high armor. It is most effective to use at the start, as well as in the artillery stage of the game - the cuirass reliably protects against buckshot and fire from multi-barreled guns. Croat is a light cavalryman, an analogue of a hired Sich Cossack. With all this, even in the 18th century, Austria was not deprived of useful units. This is Pandur - a strong marksman without a bayonet.
Algeria
Algeria
A country with a set of cheap military forces. Algeria has two original units that are quickly built - an archer and a light infantryman. However, they have little health. Due to superior numbers at the start, Algeria is very strong. The Algerian archer is in first place in terms of construction speed, and he also has no improvements that he does not need due to his very high strength, capable of killing any footman with one shot, or a cavalryman with two. They have poor shot accuracy and are only effective against crowds. A Mameluke is available in the stable - a mounted unit with great health. Algeria does not have a transition to the 18th century, and also does not have the ability to launch a ball. Also Algeria does not have cuirassed units, so the units are vulnerable to artillery. In a protracted game, Algeria loses its strength.
England
England
A rather useful unit from the 18th century is the Scottish Fusilier. The Scotsman has quite a lot of damage, but, like a 17th century musketeer, he cannot fight up close. England also has the original equivalent of the 18th century drummer - the bagpiper. The only difference is that it is cheap.
Spain
Spain
17th-century musketeers are protected by cuirasses, which makes them less vulnerable to multi-barreled cannons.
Poland
Poland
In many ways it is similar to Western European countries. The main difference is that the Polish pikeman is built a third faster than other countries. Also, the Polish pikeman is the weakest in the game, his attack is 8 units, and he is not affected by improvements in the form of cuirass. Due to the speed of building pikemen, Poland is the most powerful nation at the start of the game. In a stable in the 17th century, instead of a reitar, there is a light reitar, which is built very quickly, but has low health. A winged hussar is also available in the stable. The Winged Hussar is a hybrid of light and heavy cavalry. He is protected by cuirass, and at the same time maintains the speed of the hussar. In the 18th century, Poland's units were the same as those of Western European countries.
Portugal
Portugal
The Portuguese port can fire cannonballs like a battle tower. After the construction of an artillery depot, just like a tower, it can increase the rate of fire after upgrades.
Prussia
Prussia
An 18th-century Prussian musketeer has a shot force of 106 units. He is 2nd in strength behind the Danish Musketeer. The Prussian hussar is produced a third faster than the hussars of other nations.
Netherlands
Netherlands
The 17th century Dutch musketeer is slightly weaker than the other shooters. This is compensated by the higher rate of fire than that of units of this type from other countries, after all the upgrades.
Piedmont
Piedmont
Strong priests, truly capable of providing some assistance to the troops.
Russia
Russia
It differs from Western European countries because of its cheap 17th-century barracks—you don’t need gold to build barracks. Russian Pikeman XVII is the most powerful pikeman in the game. His strength is 10 units in attack against the standard 9. Considering the cheap barracks and the strength of the pikeman, Russia is very strong at the beginning of the game. However, the strength is somewhat offset by the lack of housing - the Russian barracks can accommodate fewer soldiers. The Don Cossack is available in the stable, one of the cheapest units in the game with good striking power. Instead of a reitar there is a knight. The Knight is the most powerful cavalry unit of the 17th century after the Ukrainian Hetman. His health is 480 units. In the 18th century, Russian units were the same as those of Western European countries.
Saxony
Saxony
The 18th century Saxon Musketeer has a shot power of 101, but is the slowest of all 18th century musketeers. The Saxony Grenadier has the highest rate of fire of all Grenadiers. Saxony also has an interesting unit - the Guards Cavalryman. This is heavy cavalry, the VII defense upgrade gives a +30 (!) increase in defense against pikes, bayonets and swords (melee).
Venice
Venice
In the port you can build a galleas - an improved version of the galley. Venice also had the cheapest passage in the 18th century.
Türkiye
Türkiye
The country is similar to Algeria. Turkey has no archers. However, there is a shooter - a Janissary. At the start of the game, the Janissary is not inferior to the Ukrainian Serdyuk. When fully upgraded, the Janissary has a shot power of 30 units. Available in the stables are: Spakh - an analogue of the Mameluke and Tatar - an archer on horseback. In the average game, Türkiye has an advantage due to the large number of Tatars. Turkey, like Algeria, does not have cuirassed units, so in a protracted game the nation weakens. Also, this nation has slightly cheaper all the upgrades in the Academy, which makes playing a little easier...
Sweden
Sweden
The Swedish Reitar is more expensive and hits weaker than other heavy cavalry of the 17th century. But this is poorly compensated by the pikeman of the 18th century, which is also more expensive than its “brothers”, but a little stronger.
Ukraine
Ukraine
The most unusual nation. The only country where the peasant is a full-fledged military unit. The Ukrainian builder cannot be captured (the peasant can only be captured if you capture an unguarded city center or mine). Ukraine does not have pikemen. Because of this, Ukraine is very vulnerable at the start. However, the Ukrainian shooter - Serdyuk - has the greatest shot power among all units of the 17th century - 78 units. Therefore, in the game after the start, but not very long, Ukraine is very strong. The nation does not have access to the 18th century, but it does have access to a ball that reveals a map. The country does not have cuirassed units, so Ukraine is vulnerable to artillery. In a protracted game, Ukraine loses some of its strength. In the stable, Ukraine has a registered Cossack and a Sich, as well as a hetman. Sich Cossack - One of the fastest units in the game. Hetman - has characteristics similar to officers, but is very expensive, and the hetman is the strongest unit. The registered Cossack is a light cavalryman with good striking power, at the same time it has a low price and fast construction speed. Also, Ukrainians cannot build stone walls, and only galleys are available from the military fleet.
France
France
France has an original 17th-century mounted unit, the Royal Musketeer. Its feature: high shot power and slow production. Unlike the dragoons, who run away to a short distance when the enemy is close enough, the royal musketeer stands still. In the 18th century, you can hire a huntsman - an analogue of the Scottish marksman and pundur. There is also an original 18th century dragoon. Its feature: low shot force and fast production. Maintaining this unit requires a large amount of gold.
