United Provinces tips and strategy

[Vhad]

Can anyone give some tips who to take first and so on ? starting with this faction

[Hruthwulf]

Westphalia has a school, and no significant allies. Get'im!

Watch out for the pirate fleet in the Java trade theater. You'll need to send your ships (with an admiral) from around Sri Lanka to help em out.

Take out the two pirate bases in the Caribbean asap.

[strongside]

Westphalia has a school, and no significant allies. Get'im!

Watch out for the pirate fleet in the Java trade theater. You'll need to send your ships (with an admiral) from around Sri Lanka to help em out.

Take out the two pirate bases in the Caribbean asap.

I am doing that as well but am writing off that area strategy wise for now since that region is surrounded by England, spain and france. So it would be suicide to continue there.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Westphalia has a school, and no significant allies. Get'im!

Watch out for the pirate fleet in the Java trade theater. You'll need to send your ships (with an admiral) from around Sri Lanka to help em out.

Take out the two pirate bases in the Caribbean asap.

Hm, why didn't I think of that?

I took out the Pirate bases, and the French colonies in South america when the French started a war against me, I lost 4 armies in Mysore and then gave up on them, but later I took a province from Maratha rebels.

Next I took Flanders and recruited a huge cannon foder army in Belgium and sent thm to India, and I recruited a real army (cavalry, infantry, artillery) in Ceylon and some sepoy cannon fodder in my Indian province.

I wanted to send all to India to conquer Mysore but just as I arived the Maratha took it, I was so angry about this that I attacked the Marathat's and conquered mysore and Goa.

I may restart my campaign tough, because I'm liking the idea of an early extra school

[strongside]

lol. I am starting off with the same country. I took the 2 lone countries to the right of my capitol to give me some breathing room and am now building up my forces near India to try and conquer that region since it seems to be the easiest to expand in.


We'll see tonight when I continue.

[strongside]

lol. I am starting off with the same country. I took the 2 lone countries to the right of my capitol to give me some breathing room and am now building up my forces near India to try and conquer that region since it seems to be the easiest to expand in.


We'll see tonight when I continue.

Correction!

I am taking Europe LMAO! I have taken out the 2 countries to my east, Then Germany and now Prussia! I am moving east while france, spain and engand fight it out. When they are done I will take out the winner! As of now I have 6000 every turn and can't spend it fast enough!!!

TAKE EUROPE!

[Remo]

lol. I am starting off with the same country. I took the 2 lone countries to the right of my capitol to give me some breathing room and am now building up my forces near India to try and conquer that region since it seems to be the easiest to expand in.


We'll see tonight when I continue.

Try not to spread too quickly. It can actually do more harm than good.

Focus on one theatre untill you feel secure, then move on.


Honestly I can't wait for a campaign extender. Wish we could play all the way into the 19th century.

[Warboss]

I tried to keep my business mostly in the Americas/India. The United Provinces are a great economic faction and there really isn't much room for expansion in Europe, unless you're up for a fight.

[Malaclypse]

If you keep your alliance with England and hope that France and Spain break their alliance, then you can wreck all of Spains hopes of dominion in the west.
At first I sent out ships to sit at the trade hubs. Sloops, brigs, indiamen, fluits... anything i could lay my hands on. Then I attack the two pirate bases in the west indies to gain control of them. First I take Trinidad & Tobago and then the upper base. Trinidad has a dockyard that will be the main shipfactory for Fluits to bring in the gold.
The reason for sending any kind of ship to the trade hubs is that the other nations will not get them if you are at peace with them. Right now in my game (on vh/vh) I control 10 of the trade hubs.... that brings in serious cash to wage the war. I did focus on military tech first, so that it is easier to bring down the pirates.

Give gifts to both France and England to keep them happy. That way you dont have to wage a costly European war, but can take the colonies where there is big money to be made. When you do have a war with Spain, then gifts to England really helps in clearing out the oceans for any piratical Spaniard fleets. Ohh and remember to send a fleet and fluits to the tradehubs, so you can take them from Spain and get them yourself.

[S-te-Fan]

Isn't it dangerous and risky to send merchant fleets early on? And what kind of fleet is the best?

[Walternat0r]

Move your East Indies fleet to Madagascar theatre, it's nearer, and smaller, much easier to defend. I merged my fleets at Madagascar trade theatre and they're earning me a mint! Also, take Paris asap. It knocks out the French and it earns you so much money its not even funny.

[Malaclypse]

it is a gamble to send the small indiamen out at first and the same with single brigs/sloops, but remember that each of the tradehubs you do get is worth loads of cash.... With a single Fluit on a tradehub you can get about 400 each turn, so for the price of perhaps one or two sunk ships you get a huge return for your money. Plus you use the fleet to clear out the pirates in that sector before placing smaller ships. Each ship you place pays more that its upkeep, so it is really a win win situation. My present trade from the 10 tradehubs pays for all the rest of my fleet including several 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th rate ships.

Edit: As for going for Westphalia first, then it is really a question of temprerament. I usually dont go for it because I want to use my trade as soon as possible and then get Westphalia later. My opinion is that money first, then army second. I need all that trade to field the armies that I want
Now I can wage a campaign in both North America and in India at the same time. India is on the back burner though until I do take Westphalia

[sabaku_no_gaara]

I tried the Westphalia thing, conquered them easy anough, but Hannover and those guys beneath Westphalia declared war on me and attacked me so I had to take their provinces too, I have 3 schools now, but Saxony declared war on me, and everyone, really everyone hates me

[ClicktyClick]

The first thing I did is build a somewhat bigger army, upgrade farms, and send some indiamen with protection to ship me some money from trade. Then I drove out spain from vlaanderen and after that the little country that is to the right of vlaanderen.

After you took those keep you defences tight at vlaanderen, because spain and france will try and retake it. Build up a bigger army (as soon as you can afford it) and immediatly take out paris. Once you have paris (keep an army there against riots for a while) you will ship in some big cash.

Spain isnt that much of a trouble, sometimes they send small armies but it isnt that hard to defend against them.

After I took out france, I thought it was best to take out spain next. Spain was an easy target, just take out Madrid and it's your, but dont forget to take out the small capitol in the street of gibraltar.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Bavaria decided to declare war on me aswell, I got tired of having no peace at all and decided to take them out, and I gave their province to the Brittish who are my Allies. This is good because this new Brittish region is right Below Saxony wich is also at war with me and Brittain so the Brits can keep them busy, I've built a starfort at the verry small shared border with Saxony so I can finally build up my empire

[Bowden]

Get Brussels first, Antwerpen can come in handy. Since you are at war with France now (through the allies take part feature) take Windward Isles and French Guyana. Then you might want to try to get as many trade posts as possible. Also paying attention the the World Market prices might work. Ivory is to be found at Madagascar, Spices in East Indies, Sugar in Brazil. Fluyts are expensive but they rock. They pwn any Brig, Sloop or Indiaman. Even several. Sometimes some 6th or 5th aswell!

[S-te-Fan]

Were can I find smiths for my empire? I need it for my technology research.

[Bella]

Were can I find smiths for my empire? I need it for my technology research.

I too am having this problem with the United Provinces. I can't seem to open up that first tech in the metal/mining research tree. Says I don't have the required buildings or tech. Are the United Provinces incapable of researching that part of the tech tree?

[HereticFang]

A bug perhaps? I think that every faction should be able to research every research there is..
Anyway, if you have no smiths try to take german regions. I think Hannover or Bavaria had some smiths on their lands..

EDIT: Okay I have it now. I took Bavaria and I got both: Iron Mines & Iron workshop. Now I can research the smithline researchs.
-
Spoiler, with my Dutch campaign at this point.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I've a bit of failure here.. I started out as Dutch. Everything seemed going well after i send masses of indiamen to every tradetheatre there is. I control at least two tradespots at every theatre, and they give me nice income.

My first movement was stupid as hell , I allied with westphalia in fears of angering my (and theirs) ally: Austria. Everything is fixable though, and I could invade them if needed anytime soon. After I had allied with Westphalia I made some warmongering fleets, which - sadly - went to protecting my tradefleets at Madagascar & Ivory coast from pirates..

After I had dealt the pirates I spent a couple of turns developing my economy and researchs (i managed to steal some useful from WP and Bavaria). After i fealt that everything was going fine, I started a war. I attacked Spain and swiftly took Brussels (which was a piece of cake, since I'm playing with M/M), but after that the war was a nightmare. France, Spain and Bavaria were now in war against me. France and Spain sent hordes of fleets to block my every traderoute and my income dropped to almost zero.. I managed to get peace with Spain, but the freaking Frenchmen still continued to raid my trade.. I spent a couple of turns hoping that French would approve my peace negotiations, but no.. I decided to take French Guayana, but before my army even reached the region, the French send a huge army to pillage Belgium (flanders).

I managed to get peace with them at the same turn, when they send the demonic army to my region. I phewed and waited a couple of turns developing my economy again..

Now I'm in war against Mysore (My muskets just own their stupid elephants ) and Bavaria. My army is marching through Westphalia to take München and at Sri Lanka there is another army in recruitment..

Now the question is. What do I do after I've dealt with the Bavarians (and perhaps Mysore). My own idea was to strike at the middle of the Swedish empire and take Åbo and St.Petersburg and see what happens.
Ideas anyone?

[Darkus]

Let me fill in with some info, in addition to the others.
Spoiler:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

When starting, I soon noticed that I was getting pushed hard by France and Spain. They were raiding farms and towns, on which I decided to attack France. Not the best Idea I think, because the first 20 turns I was developing full time troops to defend the city Brussel.
5 turns later, I was able to capture Paris. Which was the end of France.
Luckily, cause Spain fell back aswell. I had lots of space after, and was able to capture half of Germany, and defeating the 2 small factions near Brussel.

I think that starting with those, would be a better choise.
In the mean time, I did not concentrate capturing city's in Indie and America. Although afterwards, taking 3 city's in America, was not that hard.

So starting with Germany would be a good option I think