Civilization comparison · AoE3: DE 100.19.18309
French vs Japanese
French and Japanese share 3 of their regular units and 16 Home City cards. French start worth 1,290 resources and train 22 kinds of units; Japanese start worth 1,750 and train 17.
FrenchStart worth 1,290 · 5 Coureur des Bois, 3 Crates of Food, 2 Cords of Wood, 1 Explorer, 1 Native Scout
Civilization bonus: Begins with a Native Scout. Trains Coureurs des Bois instead of Settlers. Royal guard units: Skirmisher (Voltigeurs), Cuirassier (Gendarmes) Unique units: Coureurs des Bois and Cuirassier
JapaneseStart worth 1,750 · 1 Chests of Coin, 4 Crates of Food, 3 Cords of Wood, 1 Orchard Rickshaw, 1 Sohei Archer, 1 Sohei Archer, 6 Villager
Civilization bonus: Villagers cannot hunt. Shrines attract animals to generate resources. Unique units: Ashigaru Musketeer, Atakebune, Daimyo, Flaming Arrow, Fune, Sohei Archer, Morutaru, Naginata Rider, Tekkousen, Samurai, Yabusame Archer and Yumi Archer. Unique buildings: Cherry Orchard is a resource for food. Dojo generates armies automatically and Shrines are Japanese homes. Wonders: Golden Pavilion, Great Buddha, The Shogunate, Torii Gates and Toshogu Shrine
Units only one of them has
Only French
Villager
Cavalry
Only Japanese
Villager
Artillery
Both: Monitor, Priest, Spy.
Best age-up per age
| Age | French | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Age |  The Naturalist ≈ 500 | Golden Pavilion ≈ 315 |
| Fortress Age |  The Gentleman Pirate ≈ 800 | Golden Pavilion ≈ 630 |
| Industrial Age |  The Engineer ≈ 1,000 | Torii Gates ≈ 1,140 |
| Imperial Age |  El Presidente ≈ 2,000 | Torii Gates ≈ 2,280 |
The choice that hands over the most in resources (units at train cost, livestock and crates at what they hold).
Home City cards
150
only French
16
in both decks
129
only Japanese