Strategies
Reconnaissance
It is important to always scout the map, not once or twice, but constantly. You want to use your starting scout cavalry to locate all the resources, relics, and enemy towns. Then, you want to continue to explore to see when your enemy erects walls and see if he is building new bases on the map. It is important to watch resource nodes, so you know when someone else tries to claim them. It's not a bad idea to build outposts, which are cheap, around gold and stone deposits. Anytime you are idle, waiting for something to be done or built, take an active role in scouting.
Controls
Make use of numbered groupings, so you can more easily select and command troops in the heat of battle. Assign your various types of units to numbers, so that way if you need to single out one unit type for a certain action, like taking your light cavalry to attack an incoming mangonel, you can do so without band boxing the whole army and diverting all your units' attentions. You could have your infantry as 1, foot archers as 2, cavalry as 3, cavalry archers as 4, rams as 6, and so on. Use hot keys as often as possible. Memorize the hotkeys for building (structures B) and for all military and nonmilitary buildings. For instance, to build a barracks, just hit B twice. To build a house, you hit B, then E. To crank out villagers, just click on the town center and hit C. To create unique units at your castle, just press T. If you need lots of skirmishers in a pinch, you can just press R multiple times. Memorize the list of military building and unit creation hotkeys. Assign rally points for all your military buildings so your troops all gather in one spot. It is easier to coordinate that way. When you finally arrive in combat, let your infantry and cavalry attack on their own, but specify targets for your archers and siege weapons.
Formations
You don't have to use formations, but they can come in handy. When moving slow units like monks and siege weapons around, it is a good idea to travel in box formation. The computer is smart enough to put the infantry on the outside box, the archers inside of that in another box, and the siege weapons in the very center.
br>It is always important to use combined arms. The infantry are the perfect screen to take on enemy units, while foot archers fire away from behind. Cavalry can engage enemy archers and siege weapons, and cavalry archers can race around the battle, peppering enemy units.
Combined Arms
You won't win in Age II unless you can use multiple unit types together. Infantry are the mainstay of your army, but they are easy prey for mangonels and archers. Thus, bring support for them. The most common combined arms formation is to bring infantry and archers along in a force, as the archers will provide ranged fire to support the infantry against other infantry and cavalry. Next, increase the complexity of your force by adding light cavalry, which can pursue siege weapons that get close and harass enemy skirmishers that might zero in on your archers. The light cavalry can also attack enemy archers that crop up. Siege weapons should be added to your entourage to attack buildings, as archers are terrible against buildings and cavalry merely average. However, if you do this, you must keep your infantry close to your siege weapons to protect them. For a fast strike force, consider using knights and cavalry archers. These units can run down any other unit, chop them down, and then flee. They are ideal for taking down enemy archers, monks, and siege weapons, and can really hurt infantry. On the water, consider using a combined formation of a dozen galleons, half a dozen fire ships, and a handful of cannon galleons. This force is thus equipped to handle enemy galleons, enemy cannon galleons, and bombard shoreline defenses.
Tips and Tactics
Here are a few key tips and tactics to keep in mind. Some are explained elsewhere in this guide in more detail, under each unit heading, but here is a quick reference to some helpful hints.
- Keep cavalry archers out of range and swoop in after your infantry tangle up the enemy troops.
- Lure the enemy out with a handful of foot archers, but keep your cavalry archers hidden and ready to spring out.
- Likewise, use your scorpions to lure out enemy units and then rush in with cavalry.
- Build towers at enemy borders and keep leapfrogging in with more towers.
- Build military buildings near your enemy's town and crank out troops with rally points in his town.
- If you are in a rush, such as when building towers or a castle near enemy lines, assign multiple villagers to a single building. A dozen villagers on a tower can build the tower very quickly.
- Locate and take all the relics you can find because they provide you with a steady stream of gold as soon as you garrison them in your monastery.
- Garrison wounded troops in your castle so they can heal inside. All units except for siege weapons can be garrisoned in a castle.
- Always have a plan when you are advancing through the ages. Don't just research everything haphazardly. Determine whether you are going for a defensive strategy, a wonder strategy, a Castle Age cavalry rush, or a comprehensive town-busting strategy in the Castle Age with siege weapons. Then, research just those technologies you need and start producing the units or defenses you need to carry out your strategy. It is difficult to maintain multiple strategies at once or try to spread your resources too thin trying to get every unit and upgrade. Decide what strategy you want and act accordingly. Frivolous spending and indecisive thinking will ruin you.
