Dutch Civ!

[Bino]

First of all let me introduce myself, as this is my first post! Played Civ since the Amiga times with Civ 1, now i found myself loving Civ4 and the expansions, just got BtS and found Dutch a really good civ!

I want to make clear im not yet good enough to try Monarch, even if i can beat Prince nearly always, so the traits of Dutch leader are maybe too "good", well i found that with it's UU and UB you can make quite a good living out of it, both at war and at economic managing.

Really cannot find drawbacks for this civ, more expert players can confirm me its one of the strongest civs around?

I'll lurk some more on strategy tips now, bye all!

 

[Seras]

they're a cash cow on maps with lots of water......but they don't fare so well when landlocked with a bunch of warmongers

 

[Keitosha]

Yes, i also find the Dutch one of the strongest and best civs. It's not because i'm Dutch myself, but i like the civ because of the financial and agriculture bonuses.

 

[niels251]

their ultimate but only on coastal and islands ofcourse, if you are settled inland and surrounded by other civs you can't take advantage of their UB. ALtough it works on rivers to but than it just acts as an levee. Ofcourse they are already an good CIV because of their traits.

 

[JavalTigar]

They are my new civ of choice.

I love any Naval Power.

But one that brings in the cash, and the culture with a strong UU and a Great UB that arrives at time when I almost always make my big push.

Match made in heaven.

 

[Spearthrower]

I also find the Dutch rampantly powerful....

Creative for early expansion always gets you off to a good start and the money starts coming in allowing you to push out more settlers (I play big maps!), grab more lands and specifically grab and dominate those chokes - creative also gives you a horde of cheap buildings. Financial boosts the early expansion even more and later in the game gives you a nice solid tech capacity and economy.

The UU can make a tremendous difference on any game with water - by the time the AI has enough frigates to worry me, all my East Indiaman are either uncatchable (Navigation II) or are promoted heavily enough to fend them off.

The UB.... wow, what a building! Personally, I rate production very very highly in all the civ games and I always look to push that production up as much as possible. Usually I have around 3 cities on a huge map that are capable of cranking out modern units in 1-2 turns...... with the Dutch that number goes through the roof. No other civ has such an industrial capacity - and it's pollution free!!!

Obviously the caveat is that they need rivers/coast to function at full efficiency, but I tend to play Big and Small, Huge + maps, so there is plenty of room to expand towards the sea even if I dont start on it!

Very very powerful combination, I'd go so far as to call the Dutch the civ that I find the most powerful in the game at present!!

 

[Lurking Liu]

Want an easy mode game? Ragnar of the Dutch. You keep your Financial bonus, but trade Creative for stronger units. Cha/Fin (Hannibal?) or potentially scarier still is Huanya Capac of the Dutch...

Dikes are simply amazing. Putting together a Moai island city and getting 2 food, 2 hammers, and 3 commerce on most of your tiles is stupidly good in and of itself. But stupidly better is Flood Plains Towns with Universal Suffrage and Free Speech.

 

[Bino]

Seems that we all agree

I agree too to those that correctly point out that the lack of water puts them out of all their great bonuses, but all in all only few maps have little water.

Just built on a good coastal spot a city with both Moai and Dike, in the middle ages is amazing to put out a frigate/Indiamen every turn...a single city able to build a great fleet!

I wonder if i play on harder setting what i can get out but...great fun for now!

 

[GoliathFF8]

Darius of the Dutch

 

[SickCycle]

I think the dutch are strong but after playing a couple games with them I don't think they are as good as I once did.

Everyone raves about the levee, but I found it just alright. It's a great building but you end up putting all your cities on the coast and having a bunch of coastal cities ain't that great, plus there UU is good however.. not always useful .

I like there traits and there capital tho but they are decent the levee isn't bad I just don't like having so many coastal cities ,I find it weakens my over-all civilization compared to if I was playing regularly and having more inland/grassland/hill cities.

 

[Onagan]

I have played with the Dutch a lot now, but i can't say they are a overpowered civ.

Their East Indiaman is nice but a naval unit, I prefer a land unit more.
The Dike sucks, I gives only extra power in a coastal city. most other UB give benefits for all their cities.

I thank Firaxis to compensate it, by giving 2 nice traits to Willem.

 

[bode404]

Is it just me or Willem van Oranje is like the new Mansa?
He techs amazingly fast!!!

 

[dutchking]

When I play the Dutch I hear Angels singing:
"Econ-om-ic Pow-er-house!" (rapidly repeating and repeating)

 

[Quildavyr]

I will play wtih Dutch Empire after i get my Cataphract victory at emperor.
It will be fun.

 

[Lurking Liu]

I have played with the Dutch a lot now, but i can't say they are a overpowered civ.

Their East Indiaman is nice but a naval unit, I prefer a land unit more.
The Dike sucks, I gives only extra power in a coastal city. most other UB give benefits for all their cities.

I thank Firaxis to compensate it, by giving 2 nice traits to Willem.

On the right maps, that is all your cities. And when they are, you, sir, are a winner. 2 food, 1 hammer, 3 commerce is almost as good as a Town, and without the threat of Pillaging, nor having to wait a hundred turns for it to become a Town.

 

[Aramil799]

Indeed, the Dutch are quite amazing. They have it all for amazing city growth- production, commerce, culture, etc.

I do find it a bit annoying though, that as soon as this type of quintessentially naval civilization comes out, in the same expansion an addition is added that makes all cities on other islands much more expensive- as has been said in another thread, it makes archipelago maps quite a pain.

 

[Spearthrower]

The Dike sucks, I gives only extra power in a coastal city. most other UB give benefits for all their cities.

And river tiles - this is extremely powerful when you count the number of tiles this effects - no other UB can add up to this - the only other UB to really compare (and win depending on the map size etc) is the Rathaus.

 

[Onagan]

the Dike is the same as a Levee near a river, so no extra power.

 

[Spearthrower]

the Dike is the same as a Levee near a river, so no extra power.

Um yes, but the point is that the Dike garners the benefits from both the river and the coast, thereby vastly increasing the value of the building - count those tiles!!

 

[Bino]

To maximize the dike power one should place most of its production cities on coastlines, leaving the interior ones to cottages or really strong production cities, depending on terrain config...

Agree on the point that their UU being a naval unit is harder to assess after the initial but i'm loving them