Estado da India (Portuguese: State of India) is the fourth scenario of the Francisco de Almeida campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. Francisco and his crew finally reached their destination - the Malabar Coast of India, where they set up their trading posts. However, one Hindu Prince, known as 'The Zamorin' was against them and slowly gained allies in the surrounding areas. Francisco's own allies betrayed him for the Zamorin's gold. Suddenly surrounded by enemies, Francisco and his crew fight back in order to take the spices, gold and silver of the Malabar Coast by force.
Intro[]
After months at sea, we reached our goal: the rich Malabar coast of India, land of a thousand gods, and a haven for spices, gold, and silver. In the brackish lagoons of Kerala, among temples dedicated to strange serpent gods, we established our trading posts in the cities of Cannanore and Cochin.
From these cities, my captain and his son Lourenco cunningly manipulated the feuding rajas and sultans. They maneuvered through the politics of spice and faith, always with an eye for the most profitable outcome. One Hindu prince, however, defied us.
This nameless ruler of Calicut, known only by the title 'the Zamorin', threatened to break the carefully crafted deals and rivalries from which Portugal profited. By sword and shrewd tongue, giving no credence to differences of religion or race, he gained allies in the rajas, in the sultans, and in rulers as far away as Egypt and Venice.
Even our own allies among the Indians fell for his intrigue. The treacherous Kolathiri Raja, prince of Cannanore, betrayed us for the Zamorin's gold. Surrounded by enemies, it seemed that the hands of fate had turned so quickly against us.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Starting resources: 300 food, 300 wood, 300 gold, 250 stone
- Population limit: 200 (125 before the Definitive Edition)
- Starting technologies: Chemistry
- Starting units:
- Lourenço de Almeida
- 10 Halberdiers
- 5 Two-Handed Swordsmen
- 4 Arbalesters
- 2 Hand Cannoneers
- 1 Bombard Cannon
- 1 Organ Gun
- 5 Caravels
- 2 Conquistadors
- 3 Cavaliers
- 2 Monks
- 4 Villagers
Differences between difficulty levels[]
- Destroying enemy buildings awards less resources on higher levels.
- On Standard, the time limit in which the Zamorin's Cannon Galleon must be destroyed is increased from 10 minutes to 20.
Objectives[]
Main[]
Choose one of the following objectives:
- Defeat the Zamorin and the Kolathiri Raja.
- Build and defend a Wonder.
Secondary[]
- Raze buildings for resources.
- Sink the Zamorin's Cannon Galleons before they are ready to sail.
- Choose one of the following:
- Find and convert Timoji's Pirate Ship (Thirisadai).
- Kill the pirate scum and recover the stolen goods.
- Find and convert the Dragon Ship.
- Kill the pirate scum and recover the stolen goods.
Hints[]
- You are restricted to a population limit of 200, but do not need to build Houses.
- Aggressiveness is critical. Loot enemy buildings for resources. Some buildings provide bonus resources.
- A Feitoria can provide steady resources in exchange for population room.
- The enemy relies on an economy outside Cannanore so do not limit your attacks to inside the city.
- The fast-moving units of the Hindu Pirates make great raiders, provided you choose to ally with them. Otherwise, defeating the Pirates will bring a surplus of resources.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Francisco de Almeida and his son Lourenço are besieged at Fort Sant'Angelo in Cannanore after being betrayed by the Kolathiri Raja, ruler of the city.
- The Kolathiri Raja (2, Red) commands swordsmen, Battle Elephants, Urumi Swordsmen, and archers. His city was a Portuguese ally during the reign of the previous raja, whose recent death sparked a succession dispute. The new raja seized the throne with the backing of the Zamorin and in return, has vowed to push the Portuguese into the sea.
- The Zamorin (3, Green) the cunning ruler of Calicut, has Elephant Archers, Urumi Swordsmen, Halberdiers, Hand Cannoneers, warships and siege to assist the raja. His encampments outside Cannanore will be difficult to challenge directly but his supply lines to the south may be prone to infiltration.
- Hindu Pirates (4, Yellow) led by the slippery pirate lord Timoji, occupy Anjediva, an island off the coast. Making contact with the Pirates either through war or peace may be in Portugal's best interest.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Portuguese): The Portuguese stronghold of St. Angelo Fort in Cannanore is besieged by Kolathiri Raja's forces from both land and sea. The fort features a Castle, some Bombard Towers, some military buildings, a Monastery, and a Dock.
Allies[]
- Hindu Pirates ( Dravidians ( Indians before Dynasties of India)): They have their base on a small island near the western edge of the map. The pirate group is led by Timoji the Pirate Lord (a Urumi Swordsman hero), who has a few Urumi Swordsmen, and Chakram Throwers under his command. Upon approaching him, he will ask the player to convert his special ship called Timoji's Pirate Ship (a Thirisadai) which has been captured by the Zamorin. If the player does this, all of his units will come under the player's control and Hindu Pirates will surrender. Alternatively, the player can change stance with him to enemy and kill all of his units, which will give the player large amounts of resources. However, this is not advised since if Timoji is under the player's control he will grant bonus gold for each building razed.
Enemies[]
- Cannanore (colored red before Dynasties of India) ( Dravidians ( Indians before Dynasties of India)): They have all of their units inside Kolathiri Raja's city and do not produce any soldiers since they do not have their own base. Their army includes Urumi Swordsmen, Elephant Archers, Battle Elephants, and exactly one Halberdier, along with a few War Galleys.
- Kolathiri Raja ( Dravidians ( Indians before Dynasties of India)): He was a former ally to the Portuguese, but betrayed them for the Zamorin's gold. He has a well fortified city surrounding the player's initial base and will send his armies frequently to attack the player. He has his military buildings inside the city but his Town Center and other economic buildings are outside his city walls, so the player should not limit their attacks to inside the city. He mostly trains Crossbowmen, Urumi Swordsmen, Battle Elephants, along with a few Elephant Archers.
- Zamorin of Calicut ( Dravidians ( Indians before Dynasties of India)): His city is located on the eastern part of the map, but is poorly fortified with Palisade Walls. He is the most powerful enemy on the map and has a much stronger and diverse army. He trains Urumi Swordsmen, Hand Cannoneers, Halberdiers, and Elephant Archers. After some time has passed, he will start using Siege Weapons as well, including Trebuchets and Onagers, so the player should be careful of his attacks. He also has a strong navy, which includes Thirisadai. Initially, he will have two Cannon Galleons near his Docks and Francisco will advise the player to destroy them before he can build more. If the player does not destroy the Cannon Galleons within 10–20 minutes (depending on difficulty) after this, Zamorin of Calicut will be able to make more Cannon Galleons at his Docks.
Strategy[]
This scenario is different from most scenarios, since the player cannot make economic buildings at all. The player cannot construct Mills, Lumber Camps, Mining Camps, or Farms. The player may however build Town Centers. Houses also cannot be constructed, but the player will always stay at the population limit of 125, even without Houses. The player starts with four Villagers which must be protected from attacks, since if they die, the player will have to convert enemy Villagers to get more. The player starts with 300 food, 300 wood, 300 gold, and 150 stone and outside a few scattered trees and some stone the player will initially have access to resources only through the Market and by building Feitorias.
Soon after the scenario begins, the player will be attacked by War Elephants from Kolathiri Raja and Cannanore, while Zamorin of Calicut will attack the player from the water with his ships. The ships can be taken care of by the player's own ships or the Bombard Towers near the coast. The War Elephants should be countered by the player's Halberdiers and Hand Cannoneers, or converted by the player's Monks. Once all the enemy units are defeated, the player will get their objective - either to defeat Kolathiri Raja and Zamorin of Calicut or to build a Wonder and defend it for 200 years.
Once the objective has been given, there are some things that must be done really quickly. Immediately the player should rebuild the Gate that was destroyed, making sure that the Gate is kept locked. Then use the Bombard Cannon to destroy the nearby houses of Kolathiri Raja from inside the base. Delete the Pavilions inside the base, since they serve no purpose and only take up valuable space. Then make two Fire Ships and two Demolition Ships at the Dock. Soon, Francisco will tell the player to destroy the Zamorin's Cannon Galleon to prevent him from making more. Once the ships are done, take all of the Caravels and Fire Ships toward the Zamorin's Docks to the east of the player's base. Use the Caravels and Fire Ships to attack his ships and draw attention and use the Demolition Ships to go toward the Cannon Galleon and destroy it. Once done, bring all the ships back to the base and let the Bombard Towers sink the following ships.
For every building that the player destroys, they will get 75 wood, 80 food, 55 gold, and 40 stone. The trick in the initial part is to use this loot and spend it in a wise way so that enough soldiers can be produced to counter the enemy waves. Since all the enemies only make ranged and cavalry units, ONLY Elite Skirmishers and Pikemen should be produced. Whenever the enemy attacks the base, keep the Gate closed and use ranged units, along with the Bombard Cannon to kill them. If Kolathiri Raja attacks with Crossbowmen, protect the Bombard Cannon and use the Skirmishers to take them down. Once every enemy soldier is killed, use the Bombard Cannon to destroy nearby Houses. As soon as enough resources are collected, the player should build a Market, since by now the player will probably have a surplus of unused Stone which can be sold for other more useful resources. The player should also build a Siege Workshop soon to make more Bombard Cannons.
After all the nearby buildings are down, the player should come out of the base and bring all of their units. By now, the player should have at least 3 Bombard Cannons and around 6-7 Skirmishers and Pikemen. The two initial Monks are very important to heal injured soldiers so they should be placed near the Bombard Cannons. Use the Bombard Cannons to destroy the Guard Towers while the other units protect it from enemy soldiers. Do not forget to bring all units back to the Monks if they are injured. After destroying enough buildings, see if the amount of Pikemen and Skirmishers will be enough to take on the enemy units. If not, make more Pikemen and Skirmishers. If they are enough for now, make more Bombard Cannons. Repeat until most buildings, including the Castle and other Towers have been destroyed. The player can also build Feitorias if they have the resources.
By this point, again, the player will have surplus unused stone but this time, the player should use it to build a Castle outside their base for additional protection. Destroy all of the buildings, even Houses of Kolathiri Raja, and when enough loot has been collected, another Castle can be built for additional protection. By now the player should have around 6-7 Bombard Cannons and 20 Skirmishers and Pikemen. Here, the player should decide which objective to go for - building the Wonder or defeating the two enemies. Putting all four Villagers to work on the Wonder, it will take around 20 minutes to build it, after which the player has to defend it for 200 years (around 15 minutes in the real world), after which the player will be victorious. So if the player can wait for 35 minutes, they should build a Wonder. But if the player wants to defeat Kolathiri Raja and the Zamorin of Calicut, it should be smooth sailing from here on.
Half of Kolathiri Raja's base has already been destroyed, the rest of his buildings can easily be destroyed by the Bombard Cannons. His Town Centers and economic buildings are outside the walls so be sure to bring them down. Once enough buildings have been destroyed, Kolathiri Raja will surrender. In order to defeat Zamorin of Calicut, the player will need a navy. A few Caravels should do. Now the player should upgrade their soldiers and get all the relevant Blacksmith upgrades.
Now go on to Zamorin's base, destroy his Towers and bring all of the player's units inside. Make the Halberdiers attack the Camel Riders and War Elephants while Skirmishers get the ranged units and use the Caravels to attack him by sea. Once he has been cornered and all of his soldiers are killed, destroy his buildings and kill his Villagers. Once he is down by a lot of units and buildings, he will surrender and the player will be victorious.
Definitive Edition[]
Most of the strategy is similar to the HD Edition, but the population limit is raised to 200. Since update 61321, the player is now required to destroy not one, but two Cannon Galleons. Since all enemies are Dravidian now, they will train infantry, that the player can counter with Arbalesters, Hand Cannoneers, or Organ Guns.
Monk rush strategy[]
This scenario can be finished by training only Monks on the land. Since the Dravidians lack Heresy and train elephant units, a group of Monks can be very effective, especially when the Portuguese have cheaper Monks and research technologies faster. The Villagers should be well protected, since they are obligated to build Feitorias and forward Castles. Also, the Bombard Cannon protection is a must, since Monks cannot convert Castles, walls and Gates, and converting towers costs too much. Urumi Swordsmen and Halberdiers may be nasty, since the former's charge attack will be high, and itself being fragile, will easily die before successfully being converted; and the latter counter the elephants which are converted by player. Although there will be a chance to convert Cannon Galleons if the secondary scenario failed, it is still advisable to sink them by training some Galleons. This may be time consuming, but players will acquire a lot of powerful elephants. However, this strategy needs some micromanagement, and a little luck, since conversion is unstable.
Outro[]
Though the Zamorin limped away from Cannanore bloodied, his resolve was untouched by our cannons.
In driving men to war, gold can be more powerful than God. For centuries, the wealth of the Indies had passed through the Indian Ocean, carried by Arab, Indian, and Somali merchants to the port cities of Arabia, Egypt, and Africa. From there, endless caravans carried wealth across the desert to Alexandria, and then to Istanbul, Venice, and Genoa.
By rounding Africa, Portuguese traders had upset the traditional balance of this world. With our forts in India, we cut the trade that had enriched the Muslim sultans and the Venetian doge alike. Dom Francisco held a knife to the throats of our enemies and as the lion fed, vultures and jackals appeared.
