Meh. IMO Dutch will be rethought completely in 1.08.
First, it will be benefitial to mine for as long as there are mines on the map, and establish Banks gradually.
Indeed, it's going to be benefitial to be very aggressive in taking over the mines on the map and depleting them ASAP. Why? Because when your opponent is forced to transition to Plantations before he has ~70 villagers, the Dutch with banks gain a huge advantage in the RATE of gold income. Especially considering that the second plantation upgrade isn't even available until Industrial. And if the mines are depleted when both civs are stil stuck in a Colonial war? The non-Dutch player is screwed. You can't actually build Plantations in Colonial without using a card!Second, the cost reduction to Stables and Barracks will allow an aggressive gameplay from Dutch. Especially with their very useful (and one improved) Colonial military shipments.
Skirmishers in Colonial is a huge advantage, when most people fight in that age and don't FF. Saying that Longbows in Colonial are better than Skirmishers is engaging in a paper war. It's not the case. Longbows only become better when massed, like 30+.
When the engagements are small, the ability to hit and run is more important than overall damage output (which is why early on Cassadors > Skirmishers > Longbows). Longbows can't hit and run Janissaries, Muskets, Dopplesoldners and Landsknecht (see what used to be the standard German rush). Longbows can't take a shot, kill a Janissary and fall away before Abus Guns get in range. Skirmishers can.This is why British suck so much against Ottomans in Colonial. Because early Longbows are overhyped. They can't hit and run.
That said, are we discussing Dutch vs British, or Dutch vs others as compared to British vs others? If it's the former, then Duch actually have the advantage early on. With a Bank up from just the Quartermaster wood, an earlier age up, having key military shipments (8 Pikes, 3 Hussars), they can come in with Pikes and Hussars to utterly crush the Brit early on. Skirmishers are actually irrelevant in this case, because at best you're going to make at most 10 of them just to handle any Muskets and Pikes the Brit will attempt to make in defense against Hussars.
Because Dutch have the "right" shipments, age up faster and have better politicians, they can hit before a Brit is prepared.
As for the latter, IMO Brits will be better against everyone else if they are allowed to manour boom. That means they'll basically auto-win through mass Longbow if they prevent an early death by the hands of Spanish, German, Russian, Dutch and Ottoman rushers.
Thankfully, rushing has never been easier than it'll be in 1.08 ...
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