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Slow, infinite source of Food or Coin. Limited to 10 gatherers.
—In-game description

The Rice Paddy is an economic building in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties that is unique to the Asian civilizations (Chinese, Indians, and Japanese). It combines the functions of a Mill and a Plantation by acting as an infinite source of food and coin, but not both; the Rice Paddy must be configured to provide either resource at one time.

Although the gather rates of Rice Paddies are slower than Mills and Plantations (0.5 food and 0.34 coin), Villagers gathering from a Rice Paddy do not wander around, thus eliminating the need to "optimize" the gather rate by limiting each Rice Paddy to be gathered by up to 7 villagers.

Technologies

Age Technology Cost Effect
Age II tech tree aoe3
Paddy threshing Paddy Threshing 150 wood
150 coin
Villagers gather from Mills, Farms, and Rice Paddies (food) 15% faster
Rice Surplus Rice Surplus 200 food
200 wood
Villagers gather from Plantations and Rice Paddies (coin) 10% faster
Age III tech tree aoe3
Irrigation Channels Irrigation Channels 150 wood
150 coin
Villagers gather from Mills, Farms, and Rice Paddies (food) 15% faster; requires Paddy Threshing
Rice Trade Rice Trade 400 food
400 wood
Villagers gather from Plantations and Rice Paddies (coin) 20% faster; requires Rice Surplus
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
Dike-Controlled Canals Dike-Controlled Canals 150 wood
150 coin
Villagers gather from Mills, Farms, and Rice Paddies (food) 15% faster; requires Irrigation Channels
Rice Markets Rice Markets 400 food
400 wood
Villagers gather from Plantations and Rice Paddies (coin) 20% faster; requires Rice Trade
Rice Exports Rice Exports Villagers gather from Plantations and Rice Paddies (coin) 20% faster; requires Rice Markets
Imperial Age
Mechanized Rice Cultivation Mechanized Rice Cultivation 1,000 wood
1,000 coin
Villagers gather from Mills, Farms, and Rice Paddies (food) 50% faster; requires Dike-Controlled Canals
Collective Economy Collective Economy 1,000 food
1,000 wood
All coin gathering (but not trickles, shipments, and Trade Routes) is 50% faster; requires Rice Exports

Further statistics

As the Rice Paddy is unique to Asian civilizations, only improvements available to them that are shown on the following table.

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Nothing
Weak vs. Everything
Improvements
Hit points Flying Buttress Flying Buttress (+20%)
Construction cost Cree Textile Craftsmanship Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25% wood)
Tupi Forest Burning Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood)
Other Cherokee Basket Weaving Cherokee Basket Weaving (improvements except Mechanized Rice Cultivation and Collective Economy cost no wood)

Home City Cards

As the Rice Paddy is unique to Asian civilizations, only other civilizations' TEAM cards that affect them are shown in the following tables.

History

The evolutionary origins of Rice, the genus oryza, are rooted in such distant history that no exact geographic location has been defined as the true source. A popular theory claims that the ancient supercontinent known as Gondwana, which included most of the landmasses in today’s southern hemisphere, was home to oryza; but when Gondwana split into pieces 200 million years ago, rice traveled with the newly created continents and landforms, populated the new continents and islands that became Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Madagascar.

A rice paddy is an arable selection of land planted with rice seed that is flooded, providing the large amounts of water essential to rice growth. The paddy is irrigated by diverting water from rivers and mountain streams into a complex network of canals developed over years of use. Rice farmers often terrace the paddies up a hillside or slope, which conserves water by allowing it to flow down through successive rice fields. Rice seed is usually planted in a seedbed but transplanted to the paddy as a young plant. The water level begins at a depth of 6 inches, but as the plant grows, farmers gradually drain the water. By harvest time the water is almost entirely drained, and the farmers can collect the rice from the dried fields.

Fifty percent of the world’s rice is grown in paddies that are fed by natural rainfall; thirty-five percent comes from paddies flooded by both rainfall and irrigation. The major rice-producing countries - including China, India, and Vietnam - primarily cultivate paddy rice.

Gallery

Buildings in Age of Empires III
Common
Dock aoe3de Dock · House indian aoe3de House · Livestock pen aoe3de Livestock Pen · Market icon aoe3de Market · Native embassy DE icon Native Embassy · Stables aoe3de Stable · Towncenter aoe3de Town Center · Trading post african aoe3de Trading Post · Wall aoe3de Wall
EuropeansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Artillery depot aoe3de Artillery Foundry · Barracks aoe3de Barracks · Capitol aoe3de Capitol · Church aoe3de Church · Plantation aoe3de Estate (formerly Plantation) · Fort aoe3de Fort · Mill aoe3de Mill · Outpost aoe3de Outpost · Tavern icon de Tavern
Native AmericansCommunity plaza aoe3de Community Plaza (formerly Fire Pit) · Corral aoe3de Corral · Plantation aoe3de Estate (formerly Plantation) · Farm aoe3de Farm · Tribal marketplace icon Tribal Marketplace · War hut aoe3de War Hut
AsiansJapan barracks aoe3de Barracks · Japan castle aoe3de Castle · Consulate icon aoe3de Consulate · Monastery aoe3de Monastery · China rice paddy icon aoe3de Rice Paddy · Advanced wonders Wonder
Federal AmericansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Artillery depot aoe3de Artillery Foundry · Barracks aoe3de Barracks · Capitol aoe3de Capitol · Plantation aoe3de Estate · Fort aoe3de Fort · Mill aoe3de Mill · Outpost aoe3de Outpost · Saloon aoe3de Saloon
AfricansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Field portrait aoe3de Field · Granary portrait aoe3de Granary · Hut portrait aoe3de Hut · Livestock market aoe3de Livestock Market · Palace portrait aoe3de Palace · Port portrait aoe3de Port · War camp aoe3de portrait War Camp · Watch tower aoe3de portrait Watch Tower
Unique
Flag BritishDE BritishHouse aoe3de Manor House
Flag DutchDE DutchBank aoe3de Bank
Flag GermanDE GermansMercenary camp portrait Mercenary Camp
Flag OttomanDE OttomansChurch aoe3de Mosque
Flag RussianDE RussiansBlockhouse aoe3de Blockhouse
Flag AztecDE AztecsNobles aoe3de Nobles' Hut
Flag IroquoisDE HaudenosauneeIro house icon Longhouse · Artillery depot aoe3de Siege Workshop
Flag SiouxDE LakotaTeepee icon DE Teepee
Flag ChineseDE ChineseChinese village aoe3de Village · China waracademy aoe3de War Academy
Flag IndianDE IndiansCaravanseraiDE Caravanserai · MangoGroveDE Mango Grove · SacredFieldDE Sacred Field
Flag JapaneseDE JapaneseCherry orchard portrait aoe3de Cherry Orchard · Dojo aoe3de Dojo · Shrine aoe3de Shrine
Flag IncanDE IncaInca kallanka Kallanka · Inca kancha house Kancha House · Inca stronghold Stronghold · Inca tambo Tambo
Flag SwedishDE SwedesSwedish torp Torp
Flag American act3 aoe3de United StatesMeeting house aoe3de icon Meeting House · State capitol aoe3de icon State Capitol
Flag Ethiopian aoe3de EthiopiansMountain monastery portrait aoe3de Mountain Monastery
Flag Hausa HausaUniversity portrait University
Flag MexicanDE MexicansCathedral portrait Cathedral · Hacienda portrait Hacienda
Flag ItalianDE ItaliansBasilica portrait Basilica · Lombard portrait Lombard
Flag MalteseDE MalteseCommandery portrait Commandery · Depot portrait Depot · Fixed gun portrait aoe3de Fixed Gun · Hospital portrait Hospital
Situational
Aztec temple portrait American Citadel (formerly Maya Castle) · Athos monastery portrait Athos Monastery · Battery tower portrait Battery Tower · Factory aoe3de Factory · Field hospital aoe3de Field Hospital · Regent's Castle aoe3de Regent's Castle
Scenario Editor/campaign only
Cherokee Warhut Portrait Cherokee War Hut · Wall aoe3de Command Post · Fixed gun portrait aoe3de Fixed Gun · Fort Tower icon AoE3DE Fort Tower · Gunpowder Stores icon AoE3DE Gunpowder Stores · Ossuary AoE3DE Ossuary · Fountain Youth Portrait The Fountain of Youth · Tower aoe3de Tower
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