“ | Replacing the Spanish as the wealthiest nation in the 18th century, the Dutch were a key proponent in managing the resources and profits gained from colonial North and South America. | ” |
The Dutch are a playable European civilization in Age of Empires III. They can be considered the successor state of Burgundy, which ruled over a large part of the Netherlands at its peak.
Home City[]
- (Default) Explorer names
- First names
- Abel, Adriaen, Cornelius, Cryn, Dirck, Duke, Earl, Henry, Jacob, Jan, Jodocus, Lord, Michiel, Nicolas, Oliver, Pieter, Willem
- Also includes as first names: Duke, Lord, Sir
- Last names
- Barents, Benckes, Block, Brunel, Carstanz, Dirrecksen, Evertsen, Fredericksz, Hartog, Heemskerck, Hondius, Hudson, Jantszoon, Jolinick, Jonassen, Mey, Minuit, Plockhoy, Rup, Stuyvesant, Tasman, de Ruyter, de Wassenaer
- Torchy - An entertainer who performs tricks with fire (1 point)
- Juggler - A juggling performer (1 point)
- Vendor Cart - A store on wheels hawking goods of all kinds (1 point)
- Home City Chatter - Enable this to show comments made by citizens strolling through this city (1 point)
- Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
- Drake Expediters - A sign for a transportation company (1 point; replaces The Chieftain)
- The Chieftain - A sign for an Ordinary Establishment (1 point; replaces Drake Expediters)
- The Weigh House - A red and gold version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (Default)
- The Dutch East India Company - A blue and white version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- Vanderventer Trade and Export - A brown version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- Nieuwekerk Market - A yellow and green version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- K. and M. Holmes Mercantile - An upgraded red and gold version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- The Nemo Company - An upgraded blue and white version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- Good D.L. Traders - An upgraded brown version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- The Deen Building - An upgraded yellow and green version of the Dutch New World Trade Center (1 point)
- Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
- The Famous Explorer - A sign depicting a local explorer (1 point; choose one of The Famous Explorer, The Naturalist, and The Minister of War)
- The Naturalist - A sign depicting a prominent natural philosopher (1 point; choose one of The Famous Explorer, The Naturalist, and The Minister of War)
- The Minister of War - A sign depicting a powerful military commander (1 point; choose one of The Famous Explorer, The Naturalist, and The Minister of War)
- The Academy Stables - To train cavalry, there must be horses available (1 point)
- Falconet - A recently repaired cannon (1 point)
- Prince Willem Academy - The original version of the Dutch Academy's color scheme (Default)
- The Royal Netherlands Academy - A red and gold version of the Dutch Academy's color scheme (1 point)
- The Royal Military Academy - A blue and white version of the Dutch Academy's color scheme (1 point)
- The Institute of Military Studies - A blue and gold version of the Dutch Academy's color scheme (1 point)
- Academy of Military Science - An upgraded version of the original Dutch Academy (1 point)
- The Advanced Hampton Institute - An upgraded version of the red and gold Dutch Academy (1 point)
- The Marien Military Academy - An upgraded version of the blue and white Dutch Academy (1 point)
- Gyger Academy of Military Arts and Sciences - An upgraded version of the blue and gold Dutch Academy (1 point)
- The Royal Coach - This coach waits upon the whims of royalty (1 point)
- Musician - A strolling entertainer (1 point)
- The Reverend - A street preacher sharing the good news (1 point)
- Daytime Lighting - The city with the sun shining brightly (Default)
- Evening Lighting - Another day ends for the Dutch capitol city (1 point)
- Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
- Church of St. Bonifatius - The original version of the Dutch Cathedral's color scheme (Default)
- Church of St. Martin - The red and gold version of the Dutch Cathedral's color scheme (1 point)
- Church of St. Werenfried - A blue and white version of the Dutch Cathedral's color scheme (1 point)
- Church of St. Eusebius - A green version of the Dutch Cathedral's color scheme (1 point)
- The Artist - An artist who sets up his easel and paints (1 point)
- Thug - A brutish and unpleasant fellow (1 point)
- Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
- The Blue Cat - A sign for a wharfside drinking establishment (1 point; replaces Smiling Van's)
- Smiling Van's - A sign for an rough seafarer's hangout (1 point; replaces The Blue Cat)
- Street Lamps - Technology making the streets safer at night (1 point)
- Dutch West India Industries - The original color scheme for the Dutch Manufacturing Plant (Default)
- Fokker Foundry - A red and gold version of the Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- Walraven Manufacturing - A blue and white version of the Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- De Vries Metalworks - An pink and blue version of the Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- Freedom Industries - Upgraded version of the original Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- J. Mark and Sons Foundry - Upgraded version of the red and gold Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- Iron Mountain Manufacturing - Upgraded version of the blue and white Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- Magic Metals - Upgraded version of the pink and blue Dutch Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
- Drunk - A sailor who has overindulged in adult beverages (1 point)
- Nice Lady - A woman in a red dress (1 point)
- Fisherman - A man who would rather be fishing (1 point)
- Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
- The Fleet Alert Banner - A furled banner alerts townsfolk that the fleet is in (1 point)
- Fishing Boats - The fishing fleet is in and the boats ride lightly on the bay (1 point)
- More Fishing Boats - More boats, ready to trawl the briny depths and feed a hungry empire (1 point)
- The Caravel - The navy's light workhorse awaits cargo bound for the New World (1 point)
- Christopher Van Doren, Harbor Master - Original version of the Dutch Harbor building's color scheme (Default)
- Royal Office of Navigation - A red and gold version of the Dutch Harbor building's color scheme (1 point)
- Van Gelder Harbor Charts - A blue and white themed version of Dutch Harbor building's color scheme (1 point)
- Ministry of Naval Affairs - A green version of the Dutch Harbor building's color scheme (1 point)
- A. Van Dyck, Harbor Officer - An upgraded version of the original Dutch Harbor building (1 point)
- Rubens Shipping - An upgraded red and gold version of the Dutch Harbor building (1 point)
- Vermeer New World Freight Office - An upgraded blue and white themed version of Dutch Harbor building (1 point)
- New Amsterdam Cargo, Ltd. - An upgraded green version of the Dutch Harbor building (1 point)
Characteristics[]
Civilization bonuses[]
- Starts with 200 wood, 400 coin, six Merchants, and an Envoy.
- Train Merchants instead of Settlers, which cost coin instead of food and have a lower train limit (50), but gather from mines 15% faster.
- Build Banks to automatically produce coin.
- Choose Politicians to advance in Age.
- Royal Guard units: Halberdier (Stadswacht), Ruyter (Carabineer).
Unique units[]
- Merchant: Dutch villager that costs coin but also gathers coin faster than a Settler.
- Envoy: Dutch reconnaissance unit with a good line of sight that benefits from villager upgrades.
- Ruyter: Ranged cavalry armed with pistols. Good against cavalry and artillery.
- Fluyt: Slow, powerful ship resistant to building fire that can train units.
Unique building[]
- Bank: Dutch building that produces Coin.
Politicians[]
- The Governor, The Inventor, The Logistician, The Naturalist, The Quartermaster (Commerce Age)
- The Admiral of the Ocean Sea, The Bishop, The Exiled Prince, The Mercenary Contractor, The Sergeant at Arms (Fortress Age)
- The Cavalry Marshal, The King's Musketeer, The Logistician, The Tycoon, The Viceroy (Industrial Age)
- El Presidente, The General, The Mercenary Contractor, The Knight, The Royalist (Imperial Age)
Revolutions[]
- George Washington and José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (The WarChiefs and The Asian Dynasties).
- Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, United States (since the Definitive Edition).
Overview[]
The Dutch Home City Cards provide many powerful defensive and economic upgrades. The Dutch usually start off as a defensive civilization, but this changes in later Ages after the Dutch establish Banks. After that, the Dutch colony is able to expand quickly.
Instead of Settlers, the Dutch have Merchants which cost coin, which gives them one of the slowest starts in the game. The Dutch economy, however, makes up for this with the ability to construct Banks, which generate coin constantly. Also, Dutch Merchants gather coin from mines faster right from the start. Dutch players have a Merchant cap of only fifty to compensate for the free and steady supply of coin; other civilizations get 99 villagers, except the Japanese (which have a cap of 75), the French (who have a cap of 80), and the Ottomans (who start with a population cap of 25, but can upgrade it to 99).
The Dutch have another unique civilian unit called the Envoy. The Envoy unit is extremely weak against other units, and it is more useful as a reconnaissance unit. The Dutch cannot build the Musketeer. However, the Halberdier and the Ruyter make up for this. The Dutch are also able to build the Skirmisher in the second age rather than the third (which upgrades them automatically and without any cost to Veteran Skirmisher).
The Dutch are one of the two European civilizations which do not get a two Falconet shipment in the Fortress Age, the other being the Germans.
Campaign appearances[]
- The Art of War
- Home City Shipments
- Dutch - Player
- Home City Shipments
In-game dialogue[]
- Main article: Dutch dialogue lines
Dutch units speak the modern version of their namesake language, as seen for instance by "oké", which is the Dutch version of the modern English expression "OK".
Common[]
- Select
- Ja? - Yes?
- Klaar - Ready
- Commando - Command/Order
- Hallo - Hello
- Move
- Ja - Yes
- Oké - Okay
- Ik ga - I'm going
- Juist - Right
- Ik doe het - I am doing it
- Attack
- Aanvallen! - Attack!
- Ten oorlog! - To war!
- Ja! - Yes!
Merchant[]
Note: for some reason there's no a separate "Male Build" line; instead, "Move" lines are used.
- Female Build Timmerman - Carpenter
- Female Farm Boerin - Farmer (feminine)
- Male Farm Boer - Farmer (masculine)
- Gather Coin Handelaar - Merchant
- Gather Fruit Verzamelaar - Collector
- Gather Meat Jager - Hunter (masculine, female Merchant should have used the feminine form jaagster here)
- Gather Wood Houthakker - Woodcutter
Explorer[]
- Claim Ik eis dit land op in naam van Nederland! - I claim this land in the name of the Netherlands!
- Disabled Ik ben gewond, ik kan me niet bewegen - I'm wounded, I can't move
- Ransomed Bedankt voor het betalen van het losgeld - Thanks for paying the ransom
- Revived Ik voel me nu wat sterker - I'm feeling somewhat better now
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
- Dutch Settlers gather coin 15% faster.
Definitive Edition[]
- With update 20322, Dutch Settlers gather coin 20% faster.
The African Royals[]
- With update 47581, Dutch Settlers gather coin 15% faster.
Knights of the Mediterranean[]
- With update 13.27885, the Merchant replaces the Settler for the Dutch.
History[]
“ | Holland in 1500 was a small European nation, but extremely energetic, practical, and progressive, with a strong emphasis on trade. Particularly in the northern provinces, the Dutch embraced Protestant Christianity during the sixteenth century, supplanting Catholicism. They were aggressive and dynamic traders, well-positioned to transport goods to and from the Baltic and North Atlantic, and the interior of Europe up the Rhine River. They built efficient ships that carried large cargoes with small crews. Very limited in land, they developed an intense agriculture and began reclaiming lowlands from the sea. By accident of marriage and inheritance, control of the now largely Protestant Holland shifted to Catholic Spain in the mid-sixteenth century, and Spanish kings sought, in turn, to supplant Protestantism within their realm. This led to a revolt against Spain. Although at a great disadvantage in overall wealth and power, the Dutch proved a tough opponent and drew allies to their side. By 1609 Holland was virtually independent. In the era of colonial expansion by great empires, the Dutch pursued business opportunities. They were soon engaged in the trade with the Americas, despite Spanish attempts to exclude non-allies. The efficiency of their ships made them attractive as low-cost carriers. They built a business carrying and processing sugar and other goods out of Portuguese Brazil. When the Spanish allied with Portugal and closed the Portuguese ports to the Dutch, the Dutch seized several islands, including Aruba and Curaçao. In 1610 Henry Hudson explored the North American coast and rediscovered both the river now named after him and the great harbor of modern-day New York City. After several trading voyages to the area seeking furs, the Dutch planted a small trading outpost up the river near Albany in 1614 and later a more permanent settlement on Manhattan Island. The relatively few colonists were more interested in trade profits than in establishing a lasting and well-defended colony. New Amsterdam fell easily to a British fleet commanded by the Duke of York in 1664. The Dutch regained it briefly in 1673, but ceded it permanently to Britain in 1674. The Dutch made their biggest mark in the East Indies. Following in the wake of the Portuguese around Africa in the early 1600s, agents of the Dutch East India Company took over much of the East India trade, together with England. | ” |
Trivia[]
- The flag used by the Dutch in Age of Empires III is a double Princevlag with the orange stripes changed to red that has been in use since 1572, although it is no longer commonly used today.[1] It was changed to the standard three-striped Princevlag (1572–1795) in the Definitive Edition.
- According to a unused textures in the game files (
dutch.ddt
), the Dutch flag in the game would be the Flag of Netherlands (used by the Kingdom of Netherlands between 1813–present) with the Coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the center.
- According to a unused textures in the game files (
- Female Dutch Merchants are the only ones to say their respective dialogues for building, while the male Merchants only use the generic Dutch dialogues instead.
- The Dutch originally had the Crossbowman, and there are unused voice files for Dutch Crossbowmen in the scenario editor and game files.
- The Dutch could train Musketeers normally in the Barracks in the beta; they can still send Musketeers through the Stadhouders upgrade at the Church.
- The Dutch and the Portuguese are the only civilizations to make no appearance in the Age of Empires III campaign, with the Dutch being the only civilization of the original game to make no appearance, not even in the new Historical Battles of the Definitive Edition. However, they appear in the third scenario of The Art of War.
- The architecture style of the Dutch post Exploration Age is mainly timber framing. This is historically inaccurate as this style was used predominantly in Europe while Dutch colonies in North America used Dutch colonial baroque instead. The Bank building uses the proper Dutch style.
- The West India Trading Company building in the Dutch Home City is based on the Waag of Amsterdam.
- Although the Dutch do not appear in Age of Empires II, the Burgundians (as in the Burgundian Netherlands) have some similarities. They both have good but complex economy, possess arguably one of the most prominent gunpowder units and can counter cavalry with their royal/unique infantry unit. Both lack a military advantage in the early game, and are regarded as a booming civilization. Additionally, they can collect gold/coin through other means: the Dutch can build Banks, whereas the Burgundians can acquire gold from farming once Burgundian Vineyards has been researched. One difference is that the Dutch have an arguably strong navy thanks to their Fluyt, while the Burgundian navy is considered average at best. On the other hand, the Burgundians have much more powerful cavalry units than the Dutch.