Why build Fluyt's?

**Didz** · 04-27-2009, 00:43

Just thought I'd ask in case I've missed something.

I'm dabbling in a Dutch Campaign at the moment and I'm building up my trade empire in the East Indies and Brazil. I've been buying fluyt's mainly becuase they are tough ships, but also because the blurb says they were the definitive Dutch merchant ship.

But I think I'm going to stop and switch the buying Indiamen. They may not be as tough, but they cost me 534g as opposed to 1219g for a fluyt (43% saving) and they only cost 50g per turn to maintain, as opposed to 150g (66% saving).

The crunch came when I worked out the income from the two ships, and realised that both the Fluyt and Indiaman carry exactly the same amount of goods (e.g. both transport 20 pounds of spices per turn.). It's just that the Indiaman does it for a third of the cost.

Is there any reason to pay the extra?

**A Very Super Market** · 04-27-2009, 01:36

Fluyts are a makeshift 5th-rate...

**Ordani** · 04-27-2009, 01:57

In the early game, fluyts are the most capable warships available and remain some of the most cost effective for quite some time, however once you have a few and/or a few fleets of 3rd rates or better, there is no reason to build them anymore. They exist to get you a leg up on the trade game, and then become redundant.

**SpiritFox** · 04-27-2009, 02:19

Use them to mangle undefended Indiamen sitting occupying trade routes you covet.

**Dayve** · 04-27-2009, 02:24

Because Fluyts are like a modern day American or Nato warship compared to a Somalian pirate fishing boat, in comparison to a 6th rate, which is the best other nations can build at the start of the game, giving the United Provinces (and Spanish, i forget if they can recruit them or not) an early advantage, and a big advantage at that.

Once the enemy begin recruiting 4th rates though, you'll want to scrap them ASAP.

**Skott** · 04-27-2009, 05:03

Yep, once you get access to 3rd Rates Fluyts become obsolete but in the early game they are nice to use.

**Elmar Bijlsma** · 04-27-2009, 05:14

In theory they are nice to have in a trade stack to protect the merchantmen from every brig based fleet that might wish to eject you from a trade node. In practice, I don't think I've ever seen the AI attempt to do so. Until they do, it's not really worth it to have them included in a trade fleet.

This limits their usefulness to the opening stages of the game, where it's hefty broadsides should give you a sizeable advantage over anything that isn't a galleon.

**Fisherking** · 04-27-2009, 07:10

Fluyts are fighting ships that can trade. They are slow and expensive. If you want to protect your trade ships they my have a use but for trade ships just go with what is cheapest.

**Didz** · 04-27-2009, 09:19

Originally Posted by Elmar Bijlsma

In theory they are nice to have in a trade stack to protect the merchantmen from every brig based fleet that might wish to eject you from a trade node. In practice, I don't think I've ever seen the AI attempt to do so. Until they do, it's not really worth it to have them included in a trade fleet.

I don't think the AI attacks trade ports, at least I've not seen it happen so far in my game. Pirates especially seem to ignore ships once they are on a trade port. They will attack your trade ships if they catch them en-route, but once you make it to the yellow anchor you seem to be safe.

The other surprising thing I noticed was that pirate vessels occupy trade ports too, and get the same flashing money symbol that other ships get when they do, but no trade route is generated. Quite a nice way to grab an extra trade port or two without starting a war if you spot them.

So, fluyt's are basically substitute 4th Rates rather than trading vessels in terms of 'reasons to purchase', and can be ignored once the real 4th rates are available. Thanks everyone, think I built a few too many, but never mind, might use them as heavy troops transports or something..

**Slaists** · 04-27-2009, 13:30

Originally Posted by Didz

Just thought I'd ask in case I've missed something.

I'm dabbling in a Dutch Campaign at the moment and I'm building up my trade empire in the East Indies and Brazil. I've been buying fluyt's mainly becuase they are tough ships, but also because the blurb says they were the definitive Dutch merchant ship.

But I think I'm going to stop and switch the buying Indiamen. They may not be as tough, but they cost me 534g as opposed to 1219g for a fluyt (43% saving) and they only cost 50g per turn to maintain, as opposed to 150g (66% saving).

The crunch came when I worked out the income from the two ships, and realised that both the Fluyt and Indiaman carry exactly the same amount of goods (e.g. both transport 20 pounds of spices per turn.). It's just that the Indiaman does it for a third of the cost.

Is there any reason to pay the extra?

Don't use them as trade ships. Use them as warships that can trade, since you do not have any dockyards from the start. I'd build a few of fluyts for my war-fleet; take it to a trade zone and trade until the fleet is needed for war action.

Anyway, I abandoned my VH Dutch campaign before I could build any other war ships. It got too boring due to the unstoppable gold flow I got from trade.

**anweRU** · 04-27-2009, 13:59

I built a couple of fluyts early on in the Caribbean, because the starting navy there is pretty puny. Afterwards, somewhere around the 1720s, I built 5-6 fluyts to fight the Swedes in the Baltic sea, as my only naval port (the French dock at the tip of Normandy) couldn't build better ships yet. I had converted the dock in Flanders to a trade port immediately - much more useful that way.

At any rate, who needs to fight the pirate fleets? Sure, you can grab their trade spots. But beyond that, capture the two pirate islands, and you're done. And if you destroy a European power with Caribbean islands, capturing the newly emerged pirate islands within a turn or too is usually easy (they have only 4 units when they appear).