STABLE: DARK AGE: N/A FEUDAL AGE: A BARRACKS BUILDING IS REQUIRED BEFORE YOU CAN BUILD A STABLE. ONLY 1 UNIT IS AVAILABLE FROM THIS BUILDING IN FEUDAL AGE, THE SCOUT CALVARY. THE SCOUT CALVARY IS A MOUNTED UNIT USED TO SCOUT THE AREA TO RETRIEVE GAIA SHEEP/TURKEY, AND TO LOCATE ENEMY BASE(S). THIS UNIT IS ALSO USED IN FEUDAL RUSHES (FLUSH) TO KILL ARCHERS AND VILLIES. CASTLE AGE: IN THIS AGE YOU MAY UPGRADE SCOUT CALVARY TO LIGHT CALVARY AND ALSO THE ABILITY TO CREATE KNIGHTS ( WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AZTECS AND MAYANS ) AND CAMELS DEPENDING ON THE CIV. THE STRONGEST STANDARDLY OF THESE 3 IS THE KNIGHT. THE KNIGHT IS THE UNIT MOST USED IN A CASTLE RUSH. ALL STABLE UNITS ARE STRONG VS RANGE UNITS, SIEGE, GOLD COSTING INFANTRY ( WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EAGLE WARRIOR ). ALL STABLE UNITS ARE WEAK VS PIKEMAN AND EAGLE WARRIORS. IF YOU ENCOUNTER AN OPPONENTS CASTLE THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY TO DESTROY IT WITH THESE KNIGHTS UNLESS THE CASTLE HAS MURDERHOLES. EVEN THEN, WITH ENOUGH KNIGHTS, THE CASTLE CAN STILL BE DESTROYED. KNIGHTS ATTACKING A TOWN CENTER WILL MOST LIKELY COME UNDER FIRE WHEN THE OPPONENT GARRISONS HIS/HER VILLIES INSIDE OF IT. MOST RUSHES ARE NOT TO DESTROY THESE BUILDINGS BUT MOSTLY TO CRIPLE THE ECONOMY OF THE OPPONENT. NORMALLY TARGETING THE GOLD, WOOD, AND STONE DEPOSITS. ARCHERS FALL VERY EASILY TO THESE UNITS. IF YOU ARE RUSHING WITH KNIGHTS, CAMELS, OR LIGHT CALVARY AND ENCOUNTER AN ARMY OF PIKEMAN, IT'S BETTER JUST TO RETREAT FROM THEM. THE OPPONENT CAN KILL YOUR GOLD COSTING UNITS WITH NON-GOLD COSTING UNITS AND GAIN THE UPPERHAND. MIX IN SOME SCORPIONS AND 2 OR 3 BATTERING RAMS WITH THESE STABLE UNITS CAN PRODUCE A DECENT CASTLE RUSH. WARNING!! BE WARY OF THE MONK RUSH, EXPECIALLY AZTECS. YOU MAY NEED A FORMITABLE NUMBER OF STABLE UNITS TO KILL THE MONKS, BUT I WOULD SUGGEST SCORPIONS AND MANGONELS. RESEARCHING HUSBANDRY WILL HELP ASSURE THAT PIKEMAN AND MONKS DO NOT KILL/CONVERT YOUR STABLE UNITS. BTW, LIGHT CALVARY ARE HARDER TO CONVERT THAN KNIGHTS AND CAMELS. IMPERIAL AGE: AHHHH YEAH!! FINALLY MADE IT TO IMPERIAL AGE!! LET'S HOPE THAT YOU BEAT YOUR ENEMY THERE, IF SO, YOU CAN TURN THE TIDE OF THE WAR AND GAME QUICKLY NOW. BY NOW YOU SHOULD BE 75% FINISHED WITH YOUR BOOM AND ANY STABLE UNITS CAN NOW ME UPGRADED. KNIGHTS TO CAVALIER, CAMEL TO HEAVY CAMEL, AND LIGHT CALVARY TO HUSSARS, DEPENDING ON THE CIV. CAVALIER CAN THEN BE UPGRADED TO PALADIN. THE PALADIN IS THE STRONGEST OF THE MOUNTED UNITS, THEY ( WITH BLOODLINES RESEARCHED ) ARE EVEN STRONGER THAN HUNS ELITE TARKEN AND ELITE CATAPHRACT. PALADIN OF THE FRANKS CIV HAVE +12 HP's THAN ANY OTHER POST-IMP PALADIN. THE PALADIN IS STRONG VS MOST EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE HALBERDIER. THE HALBERDIER WAS SUBSAQUENTLY THEN END OF THE AOK PALADIN RUSHES AND HEAVY CALVARY ARCHER RUSHES. HUSSARS ARE THE ONLY MILITARY UNIT THAT CAN BE CREATED WITH FOOD ONLY. A LARGE ( 30+ ) PALADIN RUSH CAN BE STOPPED BY BOMBARD TOWERS, 3.7x1 RATIO OF CASTLE AGE PIKEMAN OR A 2.6x1 RATIO OF HALBERDIER. ( 2.15x1 RATIO WITH AZTECS POST IMP HALBERDIERS )