[GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

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Poland pecelot
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[GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by pecelot »

300 wood first? :hmm: Spice Trade second?! :hmm: :hmm: Naked FF!? :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: Discuss!
Credits: GoodSpeed


**


Portuguese

Ports are playable on the more balanced maps, but they still face issues even then. The lack of vill shipments isn't really the problem, as early TPs and early spice trade are solid alternatives, it's more that Ports' civ bonus is mediocre.
They are designed as a boom civ with the age up TCs, but comparing them to other boom civs quickly shows that they really aren't a boom civ at all. All other boom civs can start their boom during transition, Ports have to wait for the TC. All other boom civs can boom more quickly, Ports only has 1 more TC. Even France, Germans, or basically any other civ with a strong early eco and vill shipments, actually outbooms Ports early on. Where the Port boom starts paying off, is often also the time when they need to be looking to take map control. In that case, the boom was barely even worth it and they may as well have built vills from 1 TC that whole time. Of course, the TCs can also give map control and it's not Ports' only civ bonus (thank god for mamelukes), but as it is now the bonus is simply not very significant until later in the game.

And significant it is, later in the game. The Port boom may be slow, but it doesn't stop. Dutch maxes out at 4 banks, Brit at 20 manors and Japan at 20 shrines. Port just keeps booming. This is Ports strong point, and makes them the ultimate late game civ. They will almost never want to finish a game early, but are much more inclined to camp and slowly take more and more of the map in order to keep gathering resources. This puts the ball in Ports' opponent's court in the end, in almost every case.

Ports use a lot of food. This means they have to push for map control earlier than most civs and won't have the time to really get their boom going while camping safely in their base. This is a situation in which Ports find themselves sending fort. Yes, I mean the thing where they waste an entire shipment on a big building with mediocre damage. Despite all its flaws though, the fort is actually not a bad shipment. It secures 1 place on the map like no other building could, and its damage/HP is stronger than putting 4 towers next to each other for the same purpose. Of course, towers are not meant to secure 1 spot but more for LOS and cheap antiraid, but that's another story.
Anyway, forgetting towers, Ports are kind of a fan of the fort. It secures resources without the need for a strong army and allows Ports to boom for a while longer, and their opponent's army isn't quite large enough to take on the fort head on. Circumventing it is of course a good idea, but a well placed fort is hard to circumvent without opening yourself up to some very strong counter-raids or your army getting trapped. This is exactly what Ports need in many cases, to get enough time to boom and get mams out.

Being a civ designed for the late game, Ports don't have a lot of aggressive options. Aggressive starts with Ports almost always run into the problem of ending up with a lesser eco than their opponent, even with Ports booming from 2 TCs. As a result, one will rarely see a Port trying something in early colonial. Ports have decent FF builds though, and their long term colonial is potentially strong despite their lack of unit upgrades. In the end, for Ports it's all about map control and finding the most efficient way to secure extra resources. This involves aggressively placing your TCs whenever possible, getting mams out at the correct timing, sending fort, or playing long term colonial against a fortress opponent. Ports don't always mind this, since their production from mid colonial and on is quite impressive.

Usually, games with Ports in them will default to a fortress war where Ports are struggling for resources with a cass+goon+huss composition. The organ guns are awkward because 2 falcs beats the shipment, huss need to be upgraded and cass are nothing special. You'd think Ports' fortress age is nothing to be scared of and you'd be right, except it becomes a lot scarier with mams added. Still though, most civs will be able to outmass the Port enough for it not to matter, kill them before mams are out, or prepare for mams by making a cav or melee-based army. 2 falcs are still a problem, too. Ports struggle to get an advantage in fortress, and their long term eco becomes their only hope.


The Portuguese build

With a 200w start you can chop 100w for a house and get that early TP up but without treasures this will slow down your age up. Market is often better. With 100w starts, going early market is viable but if you don't early market you can possibly age fast. This is a choice you'll have to make based on the match up. With 100w 100c, early market should be worth it in theory.

(1) 300w
Get a TP up from this. If there are no more TPs to build, send eco theory instead.

Age with 400w. During transition you can choose to chop for another TP or a market, or both if your military is not important in early colonial. If you go market, chop 25 extra wood for steel traps. You won't need 2 houses from 400w because you'll have the extra TC for population, and can use the remaining 100w for steel traps.


The long term plan 60%

This build sends an eco card early. Which card? well, there's really only 1 choice.
(2) Spice trade

Spice trade would be a good choice even if Ports did have a vill card, because 20% on hunts means not only an increase in gather rate by about 3-4 vills in early colonial, it increases in value as the game goes on. This works especially well with Ports because they're building 2 vills at a time making spice trade twice as effective in the long term, and they tend to have a lot of vills on food from the start of colonial meaning the card will surpass 5v in value relatively quickly.

Sending an eco card first also makes more sense as Ports than with most other civs. This is because they lack resources early on and where other civs would use an early 700w to mix in more military buildings, Ports aren't really in a position to be doing that with their meagre economy. Sure, they can still mass decently by sending a bunch of crate shipments, but their mass is still small compared to most other civs and their economy will take a while to catch up. Ports also like to age up early, and sending an eco card happens to be an important part of any semi-FF. A 3 TC boom while steadily producing units is awkward at best without spice trade, after all you need about 12 vills on food to support a 3 TC vill production alone.

(3) 700w. Mix in 1 or 2 raxes from this, and get the last market upgrades.
(4) 700g (age up optional)
(5) 600g (age up optional) or 600w if you're definitely staying colonial and need houses.

Follow ups are 8 xbows, 600g (age up optional), or fortress shipments (1000w 1000g mams is a good order in fortress). If you end up in fortress, which in most cases you should, it's important to scout if they're building more TCs or not. If they are, you have a strong mameluke timing but can also choose to take them on in a boom war and keep map control with a well placed fort. If they aren't building TCs, you play defensively and try to hold in early to mid fortress while you boom. Sometimes, if their timing is strong and you can't hold while booming fully, it's worth it to stop vill production for a while.


The aggressive start 10%

Despite Ports being mediocre at massing units in early colonial, their aggressive start shouldn't be underestimated. This can either go for constant pressure from early colonial or a timing around 8-9 minutes, or even both. It obviously neglects to send an eco card, but you still have 2 TCs which means your eco will generally still grow faster than your opponent's. This military-focused start makes it hard for them to punish you for booming as well as giving you the option to push them if they're greedy.

If you decide to start musk+huss:
(2) 700w. Build 2 more military buildings from this, or just 1 more rax if you started rax and don't need cav.
 (3) 700g
 (4) 600g (age up optional)
 (5) 600w for prolonged colonial,
 (5) 8 xbow for a timing, or
 (5) Fortress shipment if you aged from the 600g.

And if xbow+pike (stronger early pressure but weaker long term):
(2) 700w
(3) 600w
(4) 700g to mix cav or age up, or (4) 8 xbow for a timing.
(5) 600g, (5) 700g or (5) 8 xbow


The FF 30%

Obviously, a quick FF is extra rewarding for Ports because they get yet another free TC and the option to mix in mams later. However, it also has its downsides:
After a straight FF, Ports age up with such a low eco that they can barely even support the 3 TC boom. So the third TC is nice in theory, but in a lot of cases you won't be able to use it because military production is more important for now.
Ports have to upgrade their huss and 2 falc > 2 organ. Their fortress army is not very scary at all, except for mams.

The choice is whether to age with 500f or 400w. 400w is slower but more efficient, so if you have the time go with that one. Make sure you get steel traps in early colonial, even when FFing. Ports use a lot of food. If you can't afford steel traps because you need to defend against early pressure, you probably shouldn't be doing a naked FF.

Use the 400w for a TP and market upgrades, or possibly for a stable and houses followed by fast age into 1000w while building goons. In the end there are a lot of possibilities in combining the usage of 400w and fast/slow age/1000w/700w, which one to choose depends on the match up.

(2) 700g
Fast age for 1000w is greedy and better for the long term. Slow age (6 cassa) and 700w is better in the short term.
(3) 700w or (3) 1000w
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by fei123456 »

That's why you give them 80f vills?
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

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Post by farran34 »

On most RE maps sending spice trade second will just make you lose imo... You already have a slow eco at the start (which spice trade doesn't help) and you will run out of hunts even faster. By the time spice trade would start paying off great dividends you will probably be on mills or unable to gather large quantities of food rendering the shipment somewhat useless.
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by yemshi »

Space trade is basically steel traps.
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by Goodspeed »

The guide isn't based on RE maps, it says that in the introduction which obviously isn't included here. ST isn't a great card but it's the only eco card Ports have and sometimes you just want to send an eco card. Admittedly in the current EP meta I would probably almost never send it.
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by pecelot »

yemshi wrote:Space trade is basically steel traps.

ST :hmm:

I recall IrishFaithful sending it against KickAss in the latest tourney on Cascade Range vs Brits, I'd never exclude food upgrade cards on berries maps :!:
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by farran34 »

Goodspeed wrote:The guide isn't based on RE maps, it says that in the introduction which obviously isn't included here. ST isn't a great card but it's the only eco card Ports have and sometimes you just want to send an eco card. Admittedly in the current EP meta I would probably almost never send it.

Ah didn't know that. On esoc maps I could see it being much more viable, but I would still have other worries about sending the card.
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by gibson »

pecelot wrote:
yemshi wrote:Space trade is basically steel traps.

ST :hmm:

I recall IrishFaithful sending it against KickAss in the latest tourney on Cascade Range vs Brits, I'd never exclude food upgrade cards on berries maps :!:
:)
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by Hazza54321 »

Ep ports EleGiggle
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by milku3459 »

pecelot wrote:100w for a house


never build house in age one with ports.
never. pro new meta
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by Kickass_OP »

There is some Kynesie's TAD Guide |Portuguese or Jabbau's TAD Guide Portuguese, Water?
If not, it would be important to the community.
@Kynesie @JabbaU
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by Mosx »

porto have many option in colonial why u dont speak about atp?water boom in water map?FI?REvolt build?2 heavy cannon build?
op mechanics, op build order :export: :coin: :ugly: :uglylol: :maniac:

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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

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Post by Goodspeed »

2014
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by bruderschaft »

need new Portugese Tad Pleaseeeee Thx
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Re: [GoodSpeed's 3.0 TAD Guide] Portuguese

Post by aaryngend »

Kickass_OP wrote:There is some Kynesie's TAD Guide |Portuguese or Jabbau's TAD Guide Portuguese
Where?

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