This is meant to be a general bronzing guide for those of you who have trouble bronzing in less than 15 minutes. While this guide will not make you an expert, it will help make you competitive by allowing you to have a strong economy and a good army quick!! ( See the x-pert tips at the end to be even better!! )

Most of the games played on the Zone are Random Map with Default resources. Also, people like Inland or Coastal settings. I am going to assume, during this tutorial, that the settings are Random map / Default Res / Inland / No-reveal.

One last thing… since most games are Random the resources will always be in a different setting. ( Hence the name Random! ) This means you HAVE to be flexible. You will have to adjust your growth tactics to fit the map.

Rules to LIVE by….pun intended!!

You start with 200 wood / 200 food / 0 gold / 150 stone. This is enough resources to build (1 granary or storage pit) and (2 houses).

Build at least 18 villagers before hitting the Tool button. 20 are better. I don’t recommend making more than 24 before tool because then you are waiting too long.

Don’t stop making villagers until you hit that 20 mark. Any delay ( like running out of food / housing ) will make your bronze time worse.

Food is gathered at different speeds in AOE. ( This is key to fast bronze times…so listen up!! )

Fastest
• Shore fishing
• Berries
• Animals ( Elephants and Gazelles )
• Farms and Fishing Boats.
  
Slowest

Of course you want to gather stuff faster, especially food in the beginning of the game.

The Plan…

You start with 3 villagers. Go to Town Center and start another.

1. Use 1 villager to build 2 houses nearby.

2. Take other 2 villagers and look for food. Walk both towards nearest shore, then split them up, one walking one way up the shore, the other walking the opposite direction along the shore. You are looking for a good shore fishing spot. (Remember, shore fishing is fastest! )

3. When you find 2 shore fishies close together, build a storage pit as close as possible.

4. Immediately put 3 villagers on those fishies. This will bring in enough food to make villagers non-stop for the next few minutes.

5. With villagers #4 and #5, start cutting wood nearest your town center.

6. #6 Use him to search the area around your TC (town center). Walk around in ever increasing circles. Note locations of berries and woods. . Exploration is information, and information is power.

7. #7-#9 Collect wood around TC.

8. #10 build a house, then collect wood.

9. By this time you should have 120 wood. Build a storage pit at woods. Put all wood choppers on wood duty near this storage pit.

10. Take that #6 explorer over to other side of the map and find the enemy. Try to not be detected. Move this guy off to side of enemy, hiding him. He will be your Attack Camp builder.

11. #11-13 collect food. When u get 120 wood, build granary near berries.

12. #14 Build house, then collect food. Check the old fishermen… they are probably being lazy and drinking beer by the shore. Get them to work collecting more food.

13. #15-20 Collect food.

• During tool time, build a barracks somewhere out of the way. (maybe with your Attack Camper) Never build Clubmen/Axemen units, they are a waste of resources.

• Build 2 more houses during tool upg.

• After this, save up your wood. You are going to need 300 wood when you hit tool.

• When you reach Tool, build a Market at your home base, and have your Attack Camp guy build an Archery or Stable, depending on the civ.

If you did things right, when the two buildings are done you should have 800 food.

HIT BRONZE UPGRADE!!

During the Bronze upg., using a chariot civ, I like to build 2 archeries and a stable near enemy. I also upgrade my wood working in Marketplace. I like to wall around my base too, to keep the enemy out. Nothin pisses off a Yamato rusher more then when he comes to kill ya and he runs into that wall, hehehehe!

How can a lowly archer kill 3 Cavs??? Protect him with a wall.

When you hit Bronze, look at the time….. with practice you should hit 13-14 minutes consistently. With lotsa practice, you will log 11-12 minute Bronze times. ( I just love getting a 12 minute bronze, attacking the enemy full force at 14 minute mark, then listening to them bleat like sheep!!! "YOU CHEATED!! NOBODY IS THAT GOOD!! YOU @$$#0LE!!! " Ahhhh, the memories still warm my heart….

X-pert Tips

• When you get good enough, you will have more resources when you hit the Tool upgrade button. I like to get extra wood and build a Dock in a lake near some fish. Then I will build about 2-4 boats, depending on how much x-tra wood I have. Those x-tra boats before Tool time actually help a lot to get quicker bronze times. Plus, boats don't cost food to make, another bonus.

• Wall the enemy out. This is very effective in saving your butt!! Use the forests as walls. Build walls between the forests to form a protective circle around your home. This is another reason you searched with that #6 guy, to find your wall-off spots. When Mr. Yammy's Cavalry is fighting your wall instead of killing your villagers, you will thank me!!

• Don’t build houses right next to each other, leave about 2 spaces in between each one. Nothin makes a Hittite Catapult's life easier then when it sees a block of houses all bunched up. 2 rocks and 9 houses are gone! (The same principle applies to Archeries / Stables. A Cats stone hitting one will actually damage the buildings right next to it. So if you see the enemy's buildings built like ducks in a row, aim for the center one and send him a Thank you!! message.) It’s a good idea to build houses all over the board later in the game, so if the enemy kills one batch, you have 3 others. You can't build any military without house space.

• If the enemy has walled you out, don’t beat on the wall with Archers or Cavs. That's like sending him a message saying "Hellllooo!!! I'm here, I'm attacking from this way, come kill me please!!" Instead, search around looking for a break in the wall. If there is not a break, make a transport!!! I have won many a game when I transport into their home with some Cavs and Archers. They are surprised because they expected the wall to keep you out. HAHHAHAHA!!! The fools….

• Use the tools given for their intended purpose. Use Archers to kill villagers / slow infantry / small #'s of cavs. Use Cavs to attack Catapults. Don't attack Catapults with Archers, they will become little red stains in the dirt. Use Cats to destroy walls / buildings / towers, that’s what they were designed for, seige. Actually, Cats are good against groups of Archers and Triremes too. ( Cats, not stone throwers )

• Always go after their villagers first. The villager is the life of the party!! No villagers, no income, no military. Plus, it just plain fun to take 10 fire wielding Horse Archers into the middle of an enemy forestry and watch em hunt!!! The villagers scurry around, then fall to the ground like the rats that they are.

• Hit them where they aren't!! If you searched good, like I told ya, you will know where they are collecting wood. This is your target! Take a small diversion force to other side of their home, and attack with it, killing villagers, or houses. When enemy brings his military over there ( timing is helpful here ) take your main force in and get his woodmen. Press the 9 taunt a lot!!!!

  Hmmmm… That’s good enough, I cant give away all my secrets. The best thing to do now is play a lot…..

  If you beat someone mercilessly using these tactics, tell 'em Fire_Devil_MC sent ya!!!

  C U online….. ;-P

  Go Back To Insiders