Скачать или смотреть Age of Empires IV The Ottomans versus the House of Lancaster

The Age of Empires 4 matchup between the Ottomans and the House of Lancaster (English variant) presents a fascinating clash of distinct economic and military philosophies.
The Ottomans:
The Ottomans are a military powerhouse, heavily reliant on their unique Military School system and Vizier Point mechanics. Military Schools passively produce units, allowing for sustained pressure and resource efficiency. Their Imperial Council offers powerful unique technologies via Vizier Points, tailoring their strategy as the game progresses.
Strengths:
Passive Unit Generation: Military Schools provide a steady trickle of units, reducing the need for constant manual production and saving resources.
Powerful Siege: The Great Bombard is arguably the strongest siege unit in the game, capable of immense structural damage. They also gain free siege units from the Mehmed Imperial Armory.
Flexible Army Composition: Vizier Points allow them to adapt to enemy compositions, gaining buffs for specific unit types or economic advantages.
Strong Unique Units:
Sipahi: A durable light cavalry with an active ability for burst damage against ranged units.
Mehter: A unique mounted support unit that provides aura buffs (attack speed, melee armor, ranged armor) to nearby units.
Janissary: A powerful gunpowder unit that deals bonus damage to cavalry and can repair siege engines.
Early Game Pressure: Sipahi and early Military School production can enable strong feudal pushes.
Weaknesses:
Economic Dependency: Their economy relies heavily on Military Schools. If these are destroyed or if they fall behind on resource collection for upgrades and new buildings, their passive income can suffer.
Micro-Intensive: Optimizing Vizier Point choices and Mehter buffs requires careful management.
Late Game Scalability: While strong, their individual units in the very late game might not match the raw power of some other civilizations' elite units, making sustained attrition difficult without a significant production advantage.
The House of Lancaster:
The House of Lancaster, a variant of the English, excels in defense and boasts a unique economy centered around their Manors. They emphasize strong infantry and leverage keeps for military bonuses.
Strengths:
Robust Economy: Manors generate passive food and wood, providing a consistent income stream. The more Manors they build, the stronger their economy becomes.
Defensive Prowess: Keeps grant free Earl's Guards upon construction and enhance the damage of Earl's Guards and Demilancers, making their defensive positions formidable.
Strong Unique Units:
Yeoman: A ranged infantry unit with increased speed and range, replacing the Longbowman, and can be upgraded to fire a devastating volley.
Hobelar: A cheap, expendable cavalry unit with high ranged armor, replacing the Horseman.
Earl's Guard: A heavy melee infantry unit that periodically throws daggers, replacing the Man-at-Arms.
Demilancer: A durable heavy cavalry unit accessed through landmarks.
Early Sheep Bonus: Villagers gather from sheep 20% faster, and Town Centers spawn 4 sheep, providing a good early food start.
Weaknesses:
Manor Vulnerability: Their economy is heavily concentrated in Manors. If these are raided or destroyed, it can severely cripple their income.
Less Flexible Unit Production: While Manors provide resources, they don't directly produce military units like Ottoman Military Schools, requiring traditional production buildings.
Reliance on Keeps: Their late-game military benefits are tied to Keeps, making them more static in their strongest form.
Matchup Dynamics:
This matchup often comes down to the Ottoman's aggressive military production versus the House of Lancaster's resilient economy and defensive strength.
Early Game: The Ottomans can look for early Sipahi pressure, leveraging their rapid production from Military Schools. The House of Lancaster will focus on building Manors for economic growth and defending with their boosted villagers and early Yeomen.
Mid Game: The Ottomans will aim to establish a strong unit composition with Mehters and Janissaries, potentially pushing with early siege from their Armory. The House of Lancaster will be consolidating their Manor economy, building Keeps for defensive strongholds, and preparing for counter-attacks with their durable infantry and ranged units.
Late Game: If the Ottomans can bring their Great Bombards to bear and maintain a consistent military school output, they can break through Lancastrian defenses. However, a well-fortified House of Lancaster with a booming Manor economy and upgraded Earl's Guards and Demilancers can withstand heavy assaults and out-attrition the Ottomans. The House of Lancaster's ability to constantly queue units with their passive income, even when pop-capped, can be a major advantage in prolonged engagements.