Generally French ships are faster and more accurate than the standard for no extra cost, while British vessels have better reload skill and morale for an elevated cost. Great Britain and Spain can recruit 122-gun ships from this level without extra technology needed. In addition to the Rocket Ship, the final level allows steam powered vessels to be built: Steam Paddle Frigate, 38-gun Steam Frigate, 80-gun Steam Ship and the Ironclad. France can recruit 122-gun ships, Spain and Great Britain can recruit 106-gun ships while the latter can also recruit Razees and 98-gun ships. France, Spain, Great Britain, Russia, Denmark, Norway, and the Ottoman Empire can recruit 80-gun ships. The second level recruits ships of the line - 50-gun to 74-gun for all nations - and the Bomb Ketch. The first level of shipyard recruits auxiliaries and sail frigates, including the Carronade Frigate when the technology is researched. Many factions may never need to go to the third level of shipyard and research the technologies needed to unlock the late game units.
Naval progression represents early mobilisation and later technological advancements. The last level of buildings provides the best Guards units on foot and horse and Rocket artillery. Mid-game buildings enable heavy troops: Grenadiers, early Guard units, Dragoons, Cuirassiers and other Heavy Cavalry, as well as Howitzers. Greater tactical mobility and use of terrain was encouraged rather than set piece battles on open fields.Įarly levels of military recruitment provide Militia, Line and Light Infantry, light cavalry in the form of Hussars, Lancers and Light Dragoons, and both Foot and Horse Cannons. It represented a closer integration between various components of the army: line infantry, light infantry, cavalry and artillery. The key military innovation on the battlefield in this era was Combined Arms. Mobilisation of whole nations to war is represented by much of the technological progression in the game. Conscription among other reforms allowed greater numbers of troops to be raised and deployed to counter the French. Over the course of the Napoleonic Wars, the great nations of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia were driven to rapidly reform in the face of embarrassing losses. Many of these saw the French inflict heavy defeats upon the old nations of Europe who were unprepared for such innovation in the ways of war. Additional new methods of organisation, supply, mobility and command set the pace for more dynamic warfare than had been typical of the 18th century. Artillery was heavy and employed separately to the main battle.įrench reforms at the start of the Revolutionary Wars introduced conscription that dramatically enlarged the armed forces thanks to nationalist loyalty to the state: by 1794 the Republic could boast 1.1 million troops compared to the pre-Revolutionary number of 150,000. Cavalry were often upper class and few in number offering a supporting role. Low loyalty and dedication to absolute monarchs meant that large armies were not easy or cheap to maintain. Historically, in the 18th century European armies were formed from an officer corps drawn from the nobility overseeing volunteer soldiers drawn from the lower classes.