The British: British players have a unique advantage early in the game because (in the version Ensemble is currently testing) they get a bonus settler every time they build a house. That's a big help for players who want to Boom, but a bit of a liability for players who'd rather spend their earlier resources building military buildings. In later eras the British have the infamous Redcoats, expert riflemen who can decimate other standing armies if assembled in significant numbers.
The French: We got to spend significant time playing as the French, whose villager unit, "The Coureur," is sturdier than the colonists of other nations. They carry their own rifles. The advantage here isn't that you can use your colonists as an army -- they're still fairly weak, although it's nice that they can actually fight back if you're invaded. The real benefit is during the early phases of the game, when environmental hazards make the map so dangerous for villagers. Losing a handful of colonists to a rogue wolf or pair of alligators early in the game can knock you right out of the running, but the French Coureurs can simply put the smack down on rogue animals and then continue working.
It's also easier for the French to ally with Native Americans. We're uncertain how this mechanic will work (is it cheaper to build trading posts? Faster? Are Native American Units cheaper to build?). It's likely to change by the time the game ships. But trade with the Natives and the unique army units they offer have a big impact on the game, so this advantage may be significant.
The Spanish: The biggest advantage of playing as the Spanish is that Home City shipments will be available more often. This can help a lagging Spanish player to catch up. Or, it can help a leading Spanish player to overwhelm everyone else on the map: the importance of home shipments can't be overstated. We suspect Ensemble will continue tweaking this bonus so that it's significant but not too powerful. Owing to their historically aggressive presence in the New World, it's also been reported that the Spanish will begin with extra military units. This (combined with the extra shipments) makes them excellent Rushers.
The Portuguese: We didn't get to play as the Portuguese in our hands-on testing, but apparently they can build a second town center at the beginning of the map. Managing the early economy may not be that much easier, but the Portuguese will be a lot harder to Rush and take out of the game.
The Dutch: Much as you can build farms to generate 'free' food, the Dutch will have the ability to build banks that can generate free money. On maps where players are scrounging for gold this can make a big difference. No word yet on whether or not the Dutch can buy Manhattan for a handful of beads.
The Germans: Despite the number of Germans who ultimately settled in the New World, you don't often think of them as a colonial power. They did, however, have some settlements in South America. In Age of Empires III the Germans will be able to spawn Settler Wagons -- presumably to be able to quickly build additional town centers -- as well as Uhlan Cavalry units. We weren't able to playtest as the Germans during our time at Ensemble so the function of these units isn't clear.
The Russians: Yes, the Russians did have some outposts in the New World, mostly on the West Coast. Here's your chance to see what would've happened had they been more aggressive. Russian players will be able to train infantry and villagers in groups. It's unclear if the cost of the individual units is adjusted up or down when you do this, but it seems likely that Russian players will be able to crank out large infantry armies faster than the other players.
The Ottomans: Although the Ottoman Empire was a world superpower during this era, they never built colonies in the New World, presumably because they were already sitting on such lucrative trade between the Mediterranean and the Orient. But what if they had decided to plant their flags in the Western hemisphere? Players will get a chance to find out. According to the information Ensemble gave us, the Ottomans will be able to spawn settlers for free. This would seem to give them an almost insurmountable advantage when ramping up their economy early on. (Technology Director Dave Pottinger even referred to them as "economic weenies.") But we also suspect the Ottomans will have a handful of unique military units at their command as well, such as Janissaries. (
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