The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands
Economically speaking, the Republic has never been better. She possesses the first Stock Market in Amsterdam, and the largest Navy in the world. She has broken the Portuguese navy's stranglehold on the Indian Ocean and the Orient. She boasts an army that should not be possible for a state her size. She is riding the crest, finally realizing the fruits of her labors in the Golden Age.
All of this comes at great cost, however, and it is impossible to maintain such growth indefinitely. Sooner or later the bubble will burst, and she will be overtaken by the English in naval might, and by the French in military.
Those with the eyes to see already know this. They have seen the signs. They know also that the key to their future lies in expansion on the continent. But expansion means war, and expansion in the only logical direction, Flanders, means war with both France and Spain.
Has the time come to take the fight to the Catholics? There are many who say it is, that the military has never been more ready, and to wait will only allow France the time it needs to catch up. But there are others who advise caution. They reply to their blood-thirsty brethren that while it is true the Dutch military has never been more ready, is it yet ready enough? France has the potential to be a continental superpower, as does Spain. Can the Republic truly hope to match their combined might? Probably not. The plans require English support. And will England so readily agree to war with France and Spain both, a war of naked aggression on the part of the Seven Provinces?
Enough. It is time. The dice are cast. Flanders waits.
Key Gameplay Elements
- Diversity - the Republic's vast wealth enables it to not support its own national military with foreign units, but rather to rely upon them. This creates a unique situation, as each has its own method of warfare, and the Dutch have done little to standardize them.
- The Bubble - The Provinces are riding the crest, both economically and militarily. Due to Maurice of Nassau's influence, they have already incorporated firing drills into their military (and those of their mercenary employees) that other nations will only see and realise the potential of much later, if at all.
So, as far as just straight firing drills go:
- Dutch Infantry = Average. They get Platoon Fire but they're not so accurate.
- Scottish Infantry = Strong Melee, much like Grenadiers. The difference is that the Scottish are not Grenadiers, and don't use bayonets. They use swords, and as far as straight melee stats go they are better than Grenadiers. But they don't get access to square formation either. So in a fight against infantry, you might want to use the Scots. Against Cavalry, probably not.
- Swiss Infantry = Average melee (the same stats as regular Line). They have the best projectile and so are more accurate than any of the Line units, including the other Foreign ones, but they don't fight with Platoon Fire.
- Waldeck Infantry = Average melee. They are accurate and have Fire and Advance. They are the only unit in the game to have this drill, so far.
- Walloon Infantry = Poor melee. They have Platoon Fire, and are more accurate than regular Line.
Dutch Cannons are notoriously average, and follow the 3-, 6-, and 12-lber designations common throughout most of Europe.
Dutch Howitzers, on the other hand, are unique. They not only boast the smallest howitzer of any European faction (the Coehorn) but also the largest (16-lber). The Coehorn Howitzer has a 4 2/5-inch caliber (112 mm) and uses the same-sized shot as a 12-lber. The 16-lber Howitzer, on the other hand, possesses a massive 7 1/2-inch caliber (190.5 mm) and fires the same size shot as a 42-lber cannon, which is used nowhere in Europe except on the largest 3-deck Ship of the Lines.
Note that although the 16-lber Howitzer's size designation makes it seem like it isn't much bigger than a 12-lber cannon, the designation is based on a completely different principle. Whereas a cannon's designation is based on the weight of a cast-iron ball that is capable of being fired by the gun, a howitzer (following the Austrian method) is based on stone weight. That is, how large a stone ball is capable of being fired.
New to Imperial Splendour 2.1 is a series of faction-specific Artillery Technologies. These technologies, while in themselves being new to Imperial Splendour, also introduce a new gameplay mechanic: unit obsolescence through technology. That is, as technology is researched the player/faction will receive access to new units, and old units will be taken away.
Artillery Technologies specific to the United Provinces:
- Tier 1: Standardization of Calibers - Prior to researching this, the player will only have access to 17th-Century guns, such as the Saker, Demi-Culverin, Culverin, and Mortars. Note that the cannons are buildable at any level of building (although they do gain experience at varying building levels), while the Mortar is buildable at Tier 3 and beyond. The only way to upgrade to the standardized 18th-Century guns (including Howitzers) is through the use of this technology.
- Tier 3: Adjustable Elevation for Mortars - Believe it or not, most mortars in the early part of this period were fixed at a 45-degree firing angle in their mounts, and the only way to adjust for range was to either increase or decrease the powder charge. This technology enables Mortars to be built that have an adjustable elevation, making the mortar significantly more accurate (although still not very).
- Tier 4: Horse Artillery - Just like the name sounds. This technology enables the player to build horse artillery.
- Tier 4: Artillery Reforms - This technology, like Standardization of Calibers before it, is a huge step forward in the player's ordnance capabilities. This technology encompasses a host of real-world advances, such as a turn-screw for adjusting elevation of the cannon, an optic range-finder mounted on the carriage or sometimes on the gun itself, a horizontal boring method of creating cannon (rather than the old method of casting a gun around an empty center) which reduces the "windage" (the gap between the size of a ball and the interior of the gun's barrel) which thereby reduces the amount of gunpowder necessary to achieve the same range which thereby reduces the size/weight of the gun necessary to safely fire any given piece of ordnance, and new lighter carriages to move the guns around. The general in-game effects of this technology are to introduce significantly more accurate and cheaper weapons. This applies to every artillery piece in the player's arsenal, with the exception of mortars.
United Provinces - Information & Discussion
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Originally Posted by britishballer
