I have updated both my Age of Empires III Quick Reference Guide and my Unit Comparison workbook for Patch 1.4 and added a ton of functionality. Between both of these files, all of the current AOE information is available. If you have never downloaded it before, now is even more reason to do so! Please post all questions and comments on this thread. If you need some other type of help, my ES name is also CYCLOHEXANE. I do not mind helping friendly guys out…

DOWNLOAD HERE: AOE3 TWC Quick Reference Guide
This is a comprehensive spreadsheet covering all of the major aspects of the real time strategy game, Age of Empires III (AOE3) expansion pack, The War Chiefs. Anyone serious about learning this game needs this workbook. It is filled useful information gathered from various forums and the “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires III\data\proto.xml" file.

ONLINE VERSION: AOE3 TWC Quick Reference Guide
Yes it is also available online with tabs on the bottom for each worksheet! However, the excel version is superior since is has interactive features that include calculators for quick calculations.

DOWNLOAD HERE: Unit Comparison
This spreadsheet was created to mathematically compare the performance characteristics of every single unit in the game. You can still easily calculate every unit statistic in all of the ages with any upgrade (damage, hit points, villager second calculator, speed, population, LOS, ROF, train time, range, resistance, armor and effective hit points, HC shipments, arsenal technologies, big button technologies, fire pit dances, etc., etc., etc.) If you read the instructions and learn how to use the spreadsheet, all of the games statistics will be at your fingertips.

For example, if you want to find out the damage and hit points of a fully upgraded Forrest Prowler with all the HC shipments and WC aura, you can, and compare this to other light infantry units against heavy infantry, cavalry, villagers, artillery, etc, etc. If you combine this spreadsheet with my "Quick Reference Guide", there will be no secrets to this game and your only reason for playing badly is not enough practice. Because I know people will ask (without reading the instructions), this is the formula used to calculate effectiveness:

EFFECTIVENESS = [Speed * EHP (Effective Hit Points to include armor) * Attack in 9 seconds (includes ROF, setup animation, and area of effect) * Range] / [Population * Villager Second Cost]


The Quick Reference Guide (Excel and on-line version) includes a separate worksheet for each of the following topics:
General Links
Known Bugs
Acronyms, Icons, & BB Code
Cheats
Default Hot Keys and Taunts
Buildings -Defensive Structures
Building Summary
Breakeven - HC Shipment
Breakeven - Native Big Button
Experience Guide
HC Level Progression and How to Edit Single Player Files
Healing and Repairing
Home City Shipment Guide with Prerequisites for Europeans & Natives
Map and Native Indian Guide (with Technologies)
Map Summary
Market Analysis
Miscellaneous Notes
Native Fire Pit Analysis
Native Fire Pit -Travois & Gift Dance Analysis
Politicians
Power Rating System Description
Reading Players Scores
Resource Rate Gathering Times
Resource Rates for Herded Animals
Revolution and Unit Analysis
Starting Conditions (Crates and Settlers)
Strategies (I Will Include More in Time)
Technology - Arsenal Upgrades
Technology - Church Summary
Technology - Minor Native
Technology - Resource Summary
Treasure Guide
Unit Classification and Counters
Unit Train Times
Unit Statistics (including upgrades) for Mercenaries, Minor Natives, Pets, and all Playable Civilizations (including a unfinished TAD preview)


The Unit Comparison includes a separate worksheet for each of the following topics:

Instructions & Notes- Patch 1.4
Damage Cap Summary
Unit Classification & Counters
Units - Stackable Auras
Unit-Artillery Comparison
Unit- Hand Infantry Comparison
Unit-Healer Comparison
Unit- Hero Comparison
Unit-Heavy Infantry Comparison
Unit-Light Infantry Comparison
Unit-Light Cavalry Comparison
Unit- Melee Cavalry Comparison
Unit- Pet Comparison
Unit-Ship Comparison
Unit-Temporary Units

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For those of you who do not have Microsoft’s Excel, go and buy it. I promise you learning this tool will help you in any career you choose. However, if you have no money, here are some links other users have suggested to view the guides.

Excel Viewer 2003
This is a free Excel viewer that allows you to view but not edit:

Open Office
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.

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I have added a ton of functionality to both files. The following lists all the changes:


PATCH 1.4: AOE3 TWC QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE CHANGES

1.) Added damage done by the Aztec War Chief age-up bonus swashbuckler attack throughout all 5 ages. The damage done and the area effect vary depending on the Age the technology is researched. The longer you wait to research this special ability, the greater the effects. I included a drop down menu (highlighted yellow as all input cells are in my spreadsheets) list to quickly choose the age the technology is researched and a table is then generated.

2.) Added the worksheet "Technology: Minor Native" that summarizes all of the minor native technologies (includes what technologies effect different units such as the Eagle Knight and Coyote Runner). In case you have not noticed, all of the worksheets are in alphabetical order on the bottom for easy reference due to the huge volume of topics covered.

3.) Added worksheet "Unit Classification" to describe how the proto file sees each unit (archer, hand infantry, artillery, etc.) This helps determine what technologies affect each unit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the "Technology: Minor Native" worksheet (you would be surprised what minor native technologies effect certain units).

4.) Fixed a few miscellaneous errors (French church technologies number of grenadiers, some errors in the “Politician” worksheet, maybe a few others I can't remember).

5.) Added a few bullets in the "Miscellaneous Notes" worksheet. This is worth the read if you have never skimmed through it. You would be surprised all the useless facts I know but can never apply in game…

6.) Made a few corrections to the "Native Fire Pit" worksheet and made easier to read. I had Medicine Men and Warrior Priests spawning at the same rate (WP actually takes longer to spawn).

7.) Added a lot of functionality to the "Technology - Native Big Button" worksheet. You can now calculate the break even point for all the Unit spawn at XX time (very useful for Aztec players). Pretty much, the break even point is 16 minutes (not always true). So if you need some fast troops at 16 minutes, do not feel bad using the BB techs. Sure you will get a better deal later in the game, but if you need them immediately, use it! This will also tell you how much VS you are spending on these techs and compare to what you would normally spend in a war hut, stable, noble hut, etc.

8.) May have made a few corrections to different civilizations units while working on my Unit Comparison spreadsheet. I verified a lot of this information in-game so if I found a discrepancy, I fixed it in both locations.

9.) I fixed some spelling errors. That is the problem with Excel, the spell checker is not automatic like it is in Word. Oh well, a little embarrassing but it's fixed now.

10.) Added the names to the politicians (Quartermaster, Admiral of Ocean Sea, etc.) opposed to just the effects in the "Politicians" worksheet.

11.) Updated British Swashbuckler attack (with Captain HC shipment)

12.) Added some input functionality to the “Buildings -Defensive Structures” worksheet. Now you can tell a TC or dock how many villagers / boats are in the building to calculate the damage done.

13.) Added a Team Card filter to the "Home City Shipments - European" and "Home City Shipments - Natives" worksheets. This will enable you to quickly filter all of the available team cards for each civilization.

14.) Made some changes to the “Starting Conditions” worksheet. I clarified they are only assumptions with no code to back up the educated guesses. I also added calculations to the probability based on these assumptions.

15.) Added a TAD preview of China, India, and Japan units based on the Heaven Games Leipzig thread. However, do not put any faith in it. The units are still being balanced, I think there were a few mistakes (especially since translated from German), and many units missing (no hero / villager stats, mercenaries, ships, etc.). In addition, not all of the stats are there (speed, LOS, XP, etc.), there is a lot left to the imagination.

16.) I included the changes, (including the undocumented ones,) for Patch 1.4. I am not going to list all of the patch changes here, that list can be found in many other locations, but all of the changes were made.



PATCH 1.4: UNIT COMPARISON CHANGES

1.) Added a “Unit- Hero Comparison” worksheet complete with instructions. Now you can quickly get the statistics for each of the civilizations explorer / WC. This is useful for determining the different amounts of damage through the ages (especially the Aztec swashbuckler attack which varies in both damage and area depending on the age researched) and all of the HC shipment cards that affect them. And as usual, you can add in arsenal upgrades or treasure bonuses manually.

2.) Fixed the Jaguar Knight bonus multiplier damage to HI. I did not include the bonus to heavy infantry in the old version. This is now fixed and allows for a more accurate comparison of hand infantry to other heavy infantry units.

3.) Fixed Eagle Knight comparison to light infantry in the “Unit-Light Infantry Comparison” by changing armor resistance to simulate bonus other light infantry gets to them.

Light Infantry receive a 1.5 multiplier towards Light Cavalry and the Eagle Runner Knight. In order to compare the Eagle Runner Knight as light infantry yet include the fact that all light infantry get a 1.5 multiplier to both ranged and melee damage versus the Eagle Knight, a reduction in armor percentage is used to simulate the light infantry attack bonus. The 1.5 bonus applies to all of the above units except the Arrow Knight, Huron Mantlet, and Mantlet (who will rank slightly higher than they should versus the eagle knight because of this calculation).

4.) Changed the method the heavy cannon, rocket, and great bombard villager seconds are calculated in the "Artillery Comparison" worksheet to provide a better estimate than using the averaged proto file costs.
The factory will either produce 5.5 or 7.15 resources per second. Placing the factory on wood means a lot more villager second equivalent of wood can be gathered than food or coin in the same time frame a cannon can be produced. This makes the comparative VS for factory artillery more expensive compared to factory wood since their cost is determined by how long it takes to produced versus what the factory can produce in resources (food makes them look cheap). However, to spam cannons, gold is a more accurate comparison for factory VS. I now give the option to change resources or to compare with or without the factory upgrades.

This is useful in determining if upgraded horse artillery is better than factory cannons. I determined mathematically it is about the same and depends on the opponent and the map. In most cases, the heavy cannon will be a better choice.

5.) Changed the villager second equivalents for the Dog Soldier and Skull Knight to reflect different amounts of dancers on the fire pit. The more dancers, the more the time is decreased and less villager seconds the unit cost (which directly changes the effectiveness calculation). Be sure to change the gold gathering rate in the "Instructions and Notes" worksheet to the gold resource gathering rate you plan to use in Industrial for an accurate apples to apples comparison (the more gold technologies you research, the more expensive the unit becomes since those villagers can mine gold and make other units instead).

6.) I fixed some spelling errors. That is the problem with Excel, the spell checker is not automatic like it is in Word. Oh well, a little embarrassing but it's fixed now.

7.) Changed the area of effect of the Skull Knights to 2.0 (incorrectly had 1.0). In addition, I added the mercenary HC shipment as an option to allow an area of effect of 3.0.

8.) Added training times based on number of dancers in the “Unit-Healer Comparison” Worksheet

9.) Added a damage cap estimate which decreases the “effectiveness” value of all units with an area of attack and makes the spreadsheet more accurate. I assume the damage cap increases with all upgrades (HC shipment, veteran, guard, etc.) in the same fraction percentages as in the proto file (typically 2) and increases with certain multipliers to different unit types (i.e. damage cap is increased for culverin by a factor of 4).

10.) Added LOS data to all units. This is not included in the “Effectiveness” calculation, but helpful to have all of the unit’s data at your fingertips.

11.) Added the envoy and nitro petard to the “Unit- Hand Infantry Comparison” and “Unit-Artillery Comparison” worksheets respectively.

12.) Added the Warrior and Colonial Militia into the spreadsheet. These units are in a class of their own in the “Unit – Temporary”. They are included more for reference than actually comparing.

13.) Checked more stuff.

14.) I included the changes for Patch 1.4. I am not going to list all of the patch changes here, that list can be found in many other locations, but all of the changes were made.


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I did all of this work to improve my game and provide a useful tool to my clan, N3O. Sure I have a sick fascination with mathematical models but instead of keeping this spreadsheet to N3O members only, I decided to promote the N3O Clan by giving this spreadsheet to the community in the hopes of attracting a few good members or even some friendly opponents.

N3O has been following ES RTS games for over 5 years and has membership spread all over the globe and many contribute positively to the community. For example, MNBob is one of the officers. He is the creator of the popular online unit, building, HC card, and technologies tables MNBob of N3O Work . His program pulls the base statistics directly from the game files. My work uses the base statistics to calculate upgrades and simulate HC shipments automatically. Excel makes the organization of this data using filters easy and makes a unit comparison possible.

Most of the clan members are lieutenants or better but skill is not a factor, we are interested in any player with a positive attitude. We have training officers to improve the skills of new players. I have more fun losing with a teammate that does not cry about it than winning without sportsmanship. If you feel the same way and enjoy playing tons of rated or unrated 1v1 or team games at any time without a long wait, then apply in the “Join N3O” section located in the link below:


N3O CLAN


What the clan is missing is cheaters, immature kids, and jerks. These guys ruin online games and are not tolerated. Do not bother if you are a cheater, make frequent incoherent threads, or have a bad attitude when playing. You will quickly be banned and if you cheat, you will be reported to ES. As a matter of fact, do the community a favor and do to yourself what your parent(s) should have done a long time ago, smash your computer over your head until some sense is knocked into you. I did not spend my time working on a free spreadsheet for punks.

If you decide the clan is not for you, or you are already a member of a nice clan with your friends in it, I respect that and keep in mind we are always up for an evenly matched clan war. Feel free to drop in our forums and challenge us. Having friendly fair matched teams to play against is the greatest part of online gaming.

[This message has been edited by Cyclohexane (edited 09-17-2007 @ 10:31 PM).]