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Turkish bonuses -Gunpowder units train 20% faster -Gunpowder units +25% hit points -Gunpowder technologies cost 50% less -Gold miners work 15% faster -Chemistry free -Light Cav, Hussar upgrades free -Gunpowder units train 20% faster -Pretty straightforward, can cut down the long production times on Bombard Cannons and Hand Cannons which makes both significantly more useful. Naturally this affects the Turkish unique unit � the Janissary � as well. Gunpowder units +25% hit points Extra hit points on a unit are always handy, especially when accounting for the generally high vulnerability of these units; so this bonus once more quite simply makes the Turkish gunpowder units more practical and easy to use. Gunpowder technologies cost 50% less With the expansion, this only affects the Bombard Tower and [Elite] Cannon Galleon upgrades, but the price reduction makes both available earlier and both more useful. Turks are the obvious choice for the Bombard Tower rush, with Chemistry free and only paying 400 food 200 wood to gain access to BT�s. Gold miners work 15% faster This bonus really boosts the Turkish offensive in early Imperial when they deal some devastating damage with gold heavy units like BC�s and Janissarries. Building Bombard Towers also benefits from this. The gold can also be used to market boost a Turkish fast castle and Light Cav rush. Chemistry free Of obvious benefit, the Turk player instantly has access to Bombard Cannons and Hand Cannoneers the moment he hits Imperial, as well as the immediate option of researching Cannon galleons � which can pay off on naval maps � or Bombard Towers. Light Cav, Hussar upgrades free As well as the obvious resources saved, this gives the Turks their own Light Cav rush instantly into Castle, which hits earlier and therefore harder than a regular Knight rush. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkish Strengths Gunpowder Turkish Hand Cannons and Janissaries are both extremely powerful ranged units, capable of taking on a lot apart from archers and siege, but being particularly expensive at the same time. Both units excel against Infantry, and so the Turks are exceptional against those Infantry reliant civilisations such as Teutons and Japanese. Turkish extra hit point Bombard Cannons are harder to kill than regular BC�s, thanks to the extra HP bonus and this makes them even more useful in combat, able to nullify enemy Trebuchets and other siege units from the safety of 14 tiles away. Cavalry Turks have access to Camels, which make a balance point for their lack of Pikemen in combating enemy Cavalry, and dirt cheap Hussars are a necessity in later game. Bombard Towers Available only to 6 of the 18 civilisations in Age of Kings, bombard towers are a terrifying prospect to deal with. They increase the odds of victory on any battlefield, and consolidate gained territory for longer. Being cheaper than castles, it�s not such a loss when one is destroyed. They have a terrifying 11 range � 13 with the expensive unique technology Artillery � and deal 120 damage a hit. While expensive and not in all games a viable option, bombard towers are a distinct advantage to any player. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkish Weaknesses Spearmen, Skirmishers Turks are the only civilisation in Age of Kings to lack the Pikeman and Elite Skirmisher upgrade; and the discrepancies between the Turks and other civilisation is rather marked in this regard. They are denied two �trash� units � those that cost no gold and are therefore effective late game options; plus having no practical cheap Archer or Cavalry counter, and while the Turks can counter enemy Cavalry with Camels, this leaves them at a severe loss against archer civilisations; even with top notch Hussars as an Archer counter. Onagers While the Turks do indeed have extra powerful extra long ranged Cannons and have access to the Siege Ram and Heavy Scorpion upgrades, the Turks once again have a markedly unique weakness in the form of a lacking of Onagers. Onagers are effective at wiping out large numbers of ranged units at once, and to a lesser extent can be effective against Infantry units; but the Turks lack the Onager upgrade to avail themselves of this option, and the power contrast between Mangonels and Onagers is obvious. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Misconceptions Some people look straight at the Turkish tech tree and conclude they are gold reliant to the point of uselessness. This is not so; the Turks have two of the three practical gold-cheap options; Hussars and Champions even if they do indeed lack Halberds. They also save some handy gold on Chemistry and the Hussar upgrade, which can be allocated to other options. Plus it�s also important for some players to realise the increased focus on trading since the original AoK and the empowerment that has been done to trading to make it more ffective. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Through the Ages The Turkish Dark Age is no different from the ordinary, and their Feudal Age occasions little comment, their only merit stronger gold mining which can lead to market exploitation to strengthen your economy for means of castling faster or engaging in combat. The Turks have an excellent Castle Age, they can open with an instant Light Cav rush if the food is available, which is likely to deal significantly more damage than the standard Knight rush since it can ordinarily hit before it�s humanly possible to have extra defenses up. Turks work with all the acceptable combat approaches in the Castle Age, their Cav Archers can be handy and are easier to get hold of thanks to their faster gold mining. Janissarries are expensive but can deal a lot of damage once you have a strong economy working and a Castle up; they�re also the strongest Castle Age/early Imperial unit against Infantry. The early Imperial Age is the obvious epitome of Turkish power. Strong gold mining can allow the Turk to immediately utilise some strong options such as Cannons and Bombard Towers and some more practical ones like Janissaries and Camels. Bombard Tower rushing is a popular option for the player who advances quickly. Hussars and Champions are a more fundamental but less economically straining option to back up the expensive options; and become the practical approach in a late game situation where gold is not so plentiful. Eventually the Turk wins or loses, obviously. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advantageous Alliances Britons The Britons are much the inverse of the Turkish gunpowder strength, possessing a strong Archer alignment, which can benefit the Turks a lot. The Turks in turn make up for the complete Briton lacking to this regard, as well as having a more effective raiding unit in the form of the Hussar. And of course, the Briton team bonus benefits the Turk building Hand Cannons or Cav Archers. The early Briton combat abilities can also help a Turk struggling in the early ages. Spanish The Spanish are another excellent late game civilisation. In strict terms of team bonuses, the Spanish trade bonus is a valuable asset for the Turk who wants to keep massing gold heavy units in later game stages, and the faster gunpowder production also affects the Spanish gunpowder units as well. The Spanish have a number of military strengths as well that complement the Turks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Combined arms Every civilisation in the game has some weakness in some form. Striking at these weaknesses should be a high priority of enemy tactics, as is the game�s nature. To prevent this you must cover these weaknesses at all costs. The best way to do this is by even more extensively accentuating the strengths of the civilisation in question. This reinforces my law of AoK: A unit is only as good as your ability to back it up. In doing this, we create what are commonly called �combos� or using multiple units in our tactics to cover the weaknesses of one with the strengths of another. Reaction unit, raiding: Hussar The Turks have an excellent option in the form of the Hussar, in that not only does it cost only food that a strong economy can easily support, but they save the 500 odd gold on the upgrade. While Turks do indeed get bloodlined Cavaliers, the difference in power between the top tier Paladin and Cavalier make them not as worth building for the hefty gold cost that accompanies them; plus the Turks have a few gold-consuming options apart from that anyway. Anti-cavalry specific: Camels As mentioned, the Turks are indeed the only game civilisation to lack the Pikeman upgrade which leaves them at a profound loss when combating cavalry civilisations and dependent on using gold consuming Camels. General combat: Champions Champions, along with Hussars, make a practical non-economically straining combat option; as well as effectively combating the primary enemy of the Hussar, the Halberdier. Ranged combat: Hand Cannoneers, Janissaries While Hand Cannoneers are often a tenuous option to rely on, the Turks have added security in investing in them thanks to the additional hit points and decreased production time that they have. As an alternative, Janissaries are more expensive but more powerful, but do indeed require Castles to be produced from which makes it difficult to mass them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important upgrades Champion unit upgrade The Turks are fairly dependent on the practical strength of Champions with their lack of Halberdiers for cheap melee combat; and Hussars are not as powerful in combat nor as effective against enemy spears. Artillery Artillery, the Turkish unique technology, is expensive in that it costs stone as well as gold; but the power increase to Turkish Bombard Towers and Cannons both is marked. Blacksmith upgrades Critical to any civilisation�s continued success, blacksmith upgrades provide small but significant extra power to your units. The Turkish player is best benefited by the armour upgrades to Archers � which improve Hand Cannons and Janissaries if he is using them � and the melee attack upgrades for his Hussars and Champions. Range upgrades benefit the Turk using a BT push greatly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion Admittedly a later game civilisation, the Turks are indeed reliant on a solid gold mining and trade base to get hold of their more powerful options, but commonly misconceived as useless without enough gold. A reasonably economy and a number of military options make the Turks pretty capable in late game and very good at long team games where their BT�s and BC�s can really help take and consolidate ground.