WTF[edit]
If anyone can make sense of the following, let me know if it belongs in a specific campaign or if it's a game-wide strategy or whatever. I'll try and clean it up and put it where it belongs.
Strategies for British:
I have discoverd a good way to play as brits(the srategy is best used in modes sandbox-moderate)
1:Collect all starting resources.
2:send 5 from the 6 staring cits to collect food, 1 will build a manor.
3:Train 2 additionl cits from the TC to also put on food.
4:Soon u should have a home city ship. ready. Select -300 wood- if u have it.If not, just train 4 cits to put on wood
NOTE:(dont use any HCS after this one , save till next age)
5:Once u have abut 300 wood, built two more manors.Then, place the new cits on wood.Continue to train 4 more cits.
6:Now,u should have 10 cits on food and 10 on wood. Advance as soon as possible. This shouldnt take more then 10 mins(if it does, ur too slow)
7:Train 10 cits quickly to coin or use a 600 or 700+ coin shipment(w/e is possible to do but I recommend the shipments if u want to rush)
8: build at least two barracks and start pumping out musketeers until it number 40-50.
NOTE:By now, its good to start slowly training 8-10 cits for coin for next parts
9:If they have only advanced to second age, start the attack(it shouldnt be too long in game, my estimate is 10-15 mins)If they still in first or in third, its best to advance again so to get up by two(if in first age) or to level with them(if they are in third age)
NOTE: by now u prob have been attacked depending on mode and terrain. Keep back a good number of guard (15-20) of bows or pikes or w/e.
10:If u attacked rite away with the muskets from tip 8, u either won or r recovering from a really hard to ruin strategy. If u followed the advance tip of #9, start attacking with muskets and build an artillery foundry.
11:This is sure to win( depending on lots of things). Pump out lots of falconets(3-5) and begin attack from the side with muskets.If it doesnt work, keep sending wave after wave of muskets+falconets until they surrender or u blast them back to AOE 2.
NOTE:If u r on hard or up, this strategy probably will be messed up early as they advance quickly and attack with bigger armies with lots of mixed units types.(could work with LOTS of muskets though, like 80-90)
This strat. shouldnt take longer then 30 mins to follow up on and win, and lots of variations can be appiled.It works for me all the time.
LAST NOTE:This strat does apply mainly to SP but might work on MP depending on map, the opponenets, and your skills, etc.