Template:AoEIIBuilding
| “ | A renewable source of food. Similar to a Farm, but in water. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Fish Trap is an economic building in Age of Empires II that becomes available once the Feudal Age is reached and a Dock is built. It provides 715 food. It can only be built and worked by a Fishing Ship.
Tactics and placement
Fish Traps may only be gathered by one Fishing Ship at a time. Fish Traps are very weak and do not hinder movements of friendly or enemy ships. An enemy Fishing Ship can take over a Fish Trap and begin harvesting it simply by right clicking it.
Unlike Farms, Fish Traps cannot be reseeded at the Dock.
Fish Traps should always be placed right next to Docks in order to keep the moving distances of the Fishing Ships as short as possible, preferably zero. That maximizes their productivity. Fishing Ships always position themselves on the left side of a Fish Trap, therefore it is slightly more efficient to build Fish Traps on the right side of the Dock to minimize the moving time for the Fishing Ships.
Fish Traps and Farms are about equally productive, but Fish Traps are more cost efficient. Despite this, the Fish Trap is one of the least used of all buildings and structures. It is only used in certain situations when the player runs out of space on their island, there is no more fish around, and they need to gather food for survival in late Imperial Age. Also, Fish Trap working Fishing Ships are much harder to protect than Farmers, since they cannot be walled or flee in a Town Center for shelter. Therefore, they are sunk rather easily. Also they cannot be queued up to be automatically reseeded, unlike Farms, which means they require more micromanagement in the late game.
However, two civilizations appreciate Fish Traps:
- Japanese Fishing Ships have an increased work rate. That makes the Fish Trap a lot faster than Farms for the Japanese.
- Malay Fish Traps only cost 67 wood (just 7 more than a Farm) and provide unlimited food. Logically, that makes them as cost effective as they can possibly be (their food:wood ratio is infinite) and as such a fair choice in the late game, also their bonus reduces Fish Trap micromanagement to zero.
Comparison to Farms
Farmers gather relatively faster from Farms than Fishing Ships gather from Fish Traps, however up until the late Imperial Age they are less effective cost-wise (also considering that Fishing Ships themselves cost wood). The actual gathering speed between them may vary due to traffic between gatherers and actual Farm/Fish Trap placement.
| Building | Overall food provided | Food generated per wood |
|---|---|---|
| Farm | 175 | 2.92 |
| Farm + Horse Collar | 250 | 4.17 |
| Farm + Heavy Plow | 375 | 6.25 |
| Farm + Crop Rotation | 550 | 9.17 |
| Fish Trap | 715 | 7.15 |
Civilization bonuses
- Byzantines: Fish Traps have +20%/+30%/+40% HP in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Chinese: Researching Gillnets is 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Italians: Researching Gillnets is 50% cheaper.
- Japanese: Fishing Ships build and gather food from Fish Traps 5%/10%/15%/20% faster in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Khmer: Fish Traps don't require a Dock.
- Malay: Fish Traps are 33% cheaper and provide unlimited food.
- Persians: Researching Gillnets is 15%/20% faster in the Castle Age/Imperial Age.
Changelog
The Age of Kings
- Fish Traps take 15 seconds to build.
The Conquerors
- Fish Traps now take 53 seconds to build.
The Forgotten
- Gillnets introduced.
The African Kingdoms
- Fish Traps now take 40 seconds to build.
History
| “ | Dried and salted fish were valuable commodities in the Middle Ages because they were a source of protein that could be transported and store. Cod caught off Iceland and Norway was an especially valuable resource. Fishing technology improvements included the fish trap that allowed the netting of fish migrating up rivers and in coastal areas. | ” |
Gallery
Template:Buildings AoE2