Let´s say that a Spanish adventurer like Cortes tries to conquer the Aztec Empire with 1000 men. In a fierce battle, the natives defeat him and kill most of his forces. The natives also get steel swords, muskets, cannons and horses as spoils of war. However, a token force is able to escape.
Do they have knowledge and infrastructure to replicate the muskets and cannons? Do they know how to make gunpowder? Making high quality steel swords isn´t easy either. The real problem is the gap of technology from early bronze age that Aztecs had to the Age of Discoveries era technology which European nations had. The Aztecs simply wouldn´t have enough knowledge capital to reverse-engineer steel swords, muskets and cannons quickly. European nations had about than 2000 years of cultural evolution from the level of technology in metallurgy that Aztecs had to the level of technology Europe had in 1520.
Growing new horses would probably be the easiest thing to do. However, it would take years to breed the following generations and to have a significant number of cavalry. The main problem would probably be that the Aztecs didn´t have earlier experience using horses in the warfare. They don´t know how to train warhorses in practice.
Unfortunately for the Aztecs, the new diseases hit their country very badly. Killing about 20% or 30% of their total population and paralyzing their economy at the same time. Even if they want to reverse-engineer the Spanish weaponry and to start producing their own weapons this new calamity made it practically impossible.
In the end, the problem is that they might have some 10 or 20 years before Spain would try to conquer their country again. Some of the men were able to escape and they told to other Spaniards about rich cities and natives which are fierce but use primitive weaponry. Now, the Spanish decide to build much larger force and to try again. The Spanish doesn´t know that the diseases they brought worked as their allies and weakened the Aztec Empire before the second invasion.
Because of this, I do not see a reason to buff the American native nations in the vanilla EUIV.
Do they have knowledge and infrastructure to replicate the muskets and cannons? Do they know how to make gunpowder? Making high quality steel swords isn´t easy either. The real problem is the gap of technology from early bronze age that Aztecs had to the Age of Discoveries era technology which European nations had. The Aztecs simply wouldn´t have enough knowledge capital to reverse-engineer steel swords, muskets and cannons quickly. European nations had about than 2000 years of cultural evolution from the level of technology in metallurgy that Aztecs had to the level of technology Europe had in 1520.
Growing new horses would probably be the easiest thing to do. However, it would take years to breed the following generations and to have a significant number of cavalry. The main problem would probably be that the Aztecs didn´t have earlier experience using horses in the warfare. They don´t know how to train warhorses in practice.
Unfortunately for the Aztecs, the new diseases hit their country very badly. Killing about 20% or 30% of their total population and paralyzing their economy at the same time. Even if they want to reverse-engineer the Spanish weaponry and to start producing their own weapons this new calamity made it practically impossible.
In the end, the problem is that they might have some 10 or 20 years before Spain would try to conquer their country again. Some of the men were able to escape and they told to other Spaniards about rich cities and natives which are fierce but use primitive weaponry. Now, the Spanish decide to build much larger force and to try again. The Spanish doesn´t know that the diseases they brought worked as their allies and weakened the Aztec Empire before the second invasion.
Because of this, I do not see a reason to buff the American native nations in the vanilla EUIV.
). In my game the small trading nations overtook the Ottomans in 1448. In 1451 the majors caught up with the Ottomans. They then spent a while in rough parity. In 1469 both Austria and Aragon overtook the Ottomans in both land and naval. After then the Ottoman were slightly but continually behind. By 1524, most of the smaller trading nations along with Aragon and Austria were at around 17 land and 16 naval, while the rest were around 16 land and 16 naval. The Ottomans were at 15 land and 11 naval. In my game the Ottomans started out by annexing the Byzantines. They conquered a small bit of land from the Timurids and then conquered a handful of provinces from the Mamluks. Their expansion was actually fairly impressive. Then in rather the late 1400's or in the very early 1500's Castille, France, and Austria took turns really tearing them apart. They lost most of Greece, about half of Asia Minor, and all of the Levant. 
