Flaming Hot Dog Cart
Flaming Hot Dog Cart is a cheat unit introduced in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties and retained in Definitive Edition. A man pushes a hot-dog stand beneath a striped umbrella, while the unit uses a flame attack with a profile similar to the Chinese Flamethrower. The code “mustard relish and burning oil” summons it when cheats are allowed; custom scenarios can place it through the Scenario Editor.
Recorded values
- Training
- 34 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 300 hit points · 50% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 14 line of sight
- Flame attack
- 15 base damage · attack interval 0.5 · area of effect 1 · bonus damage: 3.0x vs. Infantry; 3.0x vs. Ship; 2.0x vs. Building
Access & flame profile
The cart has 300 hit points, 50% ranged resistance, speed 4.0 and line of sight 14. Its flame attack deals 15 damage every 0.5 seconds over an area of effect 1. The attack has a 3× multiplier against Infantry and Ships and a 2× multiplier against Buildings. The data record also lists Wood, Coin and Experience values that correspond to its profile, but the cheat code and editor—not an ordinary training queue—are its practical access routes.
Choosing a target
Use it only in a cheat-enabled match or custom scenario. Its frequent flame hits and listed multipliers allow it to pressure infantry and ships while retaining some building damage, but the cart moves slowly and has far less durability than many special summons. If the scenario is meant to be balanced, make its approach and firing window part of the challenge rather than treating it as a normal replacement for the Flamethrower.
Practical direction
The half-second interval means several attacks can land quickly once targets are in range. Keep the cart close enough to engage without exposing it to a long, unsupported approach, and use the area effect when multiple targets are grouped. The 50% ranged resistance is a profile value, not blanket immunity. In a custom match, consider the target mix: Infantry and Ships receive the largest listed multipliers, while Buildings receive a smaller bonus.
How its attack profile shapes target choice
The flame attack’s base damage is 15, but its 0.5-second interval makes repeated hits central to its performance. Its 3× multipliers against Infantry and Ships make those targets its clearest matchups; the 2× Building multiplier gives it a siege role without making it a normal siege unit. The area of effect is 1, so tightly grouped targets are more relevant than a widely spread formation.
Keep the cart distinct from its visual and mechanical reference
The Hot Dog Cart looks comic, but its attack is modeled after the Chinese Flamethrower and shares recorded profile details such as line of sight, cost and Experience fields. That resemblance does not change the access rule: this is the cheat version, summoned by its own code or placed in the Scenario Editor. Use the regular Flamethrower entry for the trainable unit’s civilization, technology and production details.