Harbor


 * For the Age of Empires III home city building, see Harbor

The Harbor is an improved version of the Dock unique to the Malay, and can be obtained by researching Thalassocracy at the Castle in the Castle Age. This building has the same purpose as its precursor, but in addition they have attack, more armor and more hitpoints.

Tactics and Placement
Like the Dock, this building serves for both economic and naval warfare as it produces all kinds of vessels, while also being a drop site for Fishing Ships and Trade Cogs. They must be used depending on the kind of map of the game; also, as this building has an attack and more hitpoints than the Dock, it may be used as part of a fortification, with the advantage that this building only costs wood.

When playing in maps like Archipelago and Islands, having this improvement is crucial for Malay players, as the harbors helps to secure the coastline, while at the same time they will protect to some extent the Malay Fishing Ships and Fish Traps that, in the case of Malay, are a vital part of their economy, especially in these kind of maps.

In maps like Coastal, Baltic and Continental, among others with important water bodies, but where the settlements aren't separated by islands, the use of harbors can make a huge difference, as they can protect the shore, along with Castles and Towers. They also help to support their navy in many situations, while still be important for protecting the Fishing Ships and Fish Traps.

In cases like Rivers, Highland and others maps that feature rivers and or lakes, having this improvement will aid to perform a turtling strategy, as rivers and lakes act as a barrier for land troops, while they also like its predecessor can spam a navy that can patrol those bodies of water.

It is important to not leave the harbors alone; even with their attack and improved hit points, they can be outranged by many naval units, so it is advisable to support them with siege units on the shore and other kind of fortified buildings such as towers or castles. Also, having a navy defending the harbors helps to defend the shore.

When playing on a team game, Harbors are also highly valuable, as the naval trade routes can be secured a bit more easily, as they provide coverfire to Trade Cogs that approach. So when playing on a team game in a water map with the Malay, it is preferable for the other players to trade with their Malay ally instead of trading with other allies.

The Harbor, like its predecessor, may only be built in shallow water or on shallows, next to the coast.

Technologies and Units
The Malay can't train the Heavy Demolition Ship. However, if a Harbor is converted by an enemy monk, they will have this improvement available in the Harbor if they have access to them in their tech tree. This also applies to naval unique units other civilizations have.


 * Units
 * Fishing Ship
 * Transport Ship
 * Trade Cog
 * Galley - War Galley - Galleon
 * Fire Galley - Fire Ship - Fast Fire Ship
 * Demolition Raft - Demolition Ship - Heavy Demolition Ship
 * Cannon Galleon - Elite Cannon Galleon
 * Unique Units
 * Longboat - Elite Longboat
 * Turtle Ship - Elite Turtle Ship
 * Caravel - Elite Caravel
 * Technologies
 * Careening
 * Dry Dock
 * Shipwright
 * Gillnets

Team Bonuses

 * A team containing Vikings: Harbors cost 15% less.
 * A team Containing Malay: Harbors have +100% line of sight.

Trivia

 * A Harbor placed for the other Southeast Asian civilizations will utilize the same graphics, but for all other civilizations, they use the same graphics as the regular Dock. They all have the same function; as an upgraded dock.