I live in an isolated area, so I know what it means to have few opportunities for gaming. If he's any sort of real friend, and not just some guy who you happen to play games with, you can try convincing him that "real" players on ESO only ever start in Discovery. Maybe this will appeal to his sense of competitive spirit. Perhaps convince him to try a different civ or new tactics.
Also, play something besides the Ottos. You're just as responsible for this sad state of affairs by laming otto rush. Pick another civ. I suggest Dutch or Spain or France because they all get villager cards in discovery and have a good early game as well as late game. The Dutch can afford to mass hussars right out of the gate, one thing Brits don't like is early raids on their choppers and a solid answer to longbows.
Finally, try different types of games. There are a few scenarios and custom maps for vanilla that get away from the standard aging-up build order. Fort Wars, Cats & Mice, AOE3 Racer, and others are still out there for download.
Crunkatog on ESO
Bart331 balance suggestion: aztec: remove civ
Voltiguer: Ender, Sioux in 1.04 will be a top civ, no matter how many layers of Sioux goggles you put on
schildpad on Elephants: ...their mansabdar unit sucks so hard it looks like a black hole
Crunkatog on Steam.