I am willing to make some recommendations.
Initially, DaP is correct about Gastras. They are dam expensive, slow, inaccurate, and only useful due to their range and ability against buildings.
But also... can you people soon realise that this is a game, not life? I mean, haven't you tried turning off the computer, going outside, and learning to speak with a member of the opposite gender. Maybe that ability is the reason why I am a 1650 noob... but I digress. Just don't take this game to seriously. In a couple of years time you will realize that wasting hours here will be a regret.
No offense... Or offense, I'm not to sure about things anymore.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer,
Things fall apart, The center cannot hold,
Mere anarchy is unleashed upon the world.
- W. B. Yeats