General Category > AoC - strats/civs

Unique Unit and Technology Surveys

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BMC_Thunderbird:
Part of what makes The Conquerors such an exciting new addition to Age of Kings is that it increases the number of units and technologies represented in the game. Moreover, the majority of these new units and technologies are unique to particular civilizations. Armed with these new additions, players are now free to pursue a wide range of tactical and, in some cases, strategic options. This chapter begins with a section that briefly describes the new units and technologies commonly available to some, if not all players, then lists each civilization separately along with its unique units and technologies.

Common Units
Halberdier

Where and when produced: Barracks in the imperial age
Available to: Byzantines, Chinese, Goths, Huns, Japanese, Koreans, Persians, Spanish, and Teutons
Prerequisite: Pikeman.
Brief: The halberdier is the natural extension of the pikeman line. This anticavalry foot soldier features attack bonuses versus mounted units and war elephants. You probably won't produce many of these units because after a while, you'll realize that the best anticavalry unit is another cavalry unit, not something that walks on two legs.

Hussar

Where and when produced: Stable in the imperial age
Available to: Byzantines, Celts, Goths, Huns, Koreans, Mongols, Persians, Saracens, Spanish, and Turks
Prerequisite: Light cavalry
Brief: The hussar represents an increase in the combat effectiveness of light cavalry. Prior to the introduction of hussars, light cavalry units were either: not produced at all or produced for the sole purpose of reconnaissance. These fast-moving units possess a greater LOS radius, are more resistant to conversion, and possess attack bonuses versus monks.

Petard

Where and when produced: Castle in the castle age
Available to: All
Prerequisite: None
Brief: The petard is a foot unit that delivers an explosive charge to a target. Once at the target, it detonates the explosive ( and self-destructs). In addition to damaging stationary objects, enemy units adjacent to the petard at the time of detonation also suffer damage.

 
Common Technologies

Bloodlines

Tech effect: Cavalry units receive an additional 20 hit points
Where and when conducted: Stable in the feudal age
Cost: 150 food + 100 gold
Available to: Chinese, Goths, Huns, Mongols, Persians, Saracens, Spanish, Teutons, and Turks
Prerequisite: None
Brief: This simple technology is a must for players who intend on building cavalry-heavy armies. Because it becomes available at a point in the game when food and gold are in short supply (and better used for other things), you can put off researching this technology until the castle age. In practical terms, the only reason you must invest in bloodlines is because everyone else will, and you'll want to keep up.

Caravan

Tech effect: Trade carts and trade cogs move twice as fast
Where and when conducted: Market in the castle age
Cost: 200 food + 200 gold
Available to: All
Prerequisite: Cartography
Brief: This technology only becomes important to players that have (or plan to have) active trade with other players. Obviously, by increasing the speed at which trade is conducted, you increase the amount of profit you receive from it over a given period of time. The cost is such that most players will research this technology sooner or later. For the Spanish and Spanish allies, caravan should be a priority, since it compounds the effect of the Spanish team bonus.

Herbal Medicine

Tech effect: Units garrisoned in buildings heal at four times the normal rate of hit point recovery
Where and when conducted: Monastery in the castle age
Cost: 350 gold
Available to: All except Teutons and Vikings
Brief: For a castle age technology, herbal medicine is rather expensive and, unfortunately, mostly defensive in nature. Generally, you'll want to invest in more attack-minded monastery techs such as redemption and atonement first. Save herbal medicine for the imperial age when you'll begin producing units that are actually worth pulling out of the line to heal.

Heresy

Tech effect: Units converted by enemy monks are eliminated rather than join the opposing side
Where and when conducted: Monastery in the castle age
Cost: 1,000 gold
Available to: Aztecs, Britons, Byzantines, Celts, Franks, Huns, Mayans, Mongols, Saracens, Spanish, Teutons, Turks, and Vikings
Brief: Heresy is one of the more expensive technologies in the game, certainly too expensive for anyone to consider researching during the castle age. In fact, unless you have loads of gold and nothing better to research, or you expect to encounter lots of monks, you're safe putting off researching this tech altogether. Moreover, by investing in heresy, you prevent your own monks from immediately regaining control of converted units. Ultimately, whether or not you research this tech will depend on how paranoid you are as a player.

Parthian Tactics

Tech effect: Cavalry archer units have their armor modifiers increased by (+1/+2)
Where and when conducted: Archery range in the imperial age
Cost: 200 food + 250 gold
Available to: Huns, Japanese, Mongols, Persians, Saracens, Teutons, and Turks
Brief: This modestly priced technology slightly increases the defensive effect of cavalry archer armor. Obviously, you needn't bother with this technology unless you plan on building lots of cavalry archer units. The benefits of this technology are cumulative with those you receive from blacksmith techs. For example, the Saracens can research both parthian tactics and ring archer barding, giving their cavalry archer units a net effective armor bonus of +2/+2. Most of the time, you can get by just fine with one or the other.

Theocracy

Tech effect: If a group of monks combine to convert a unit, only one must actually rest afterward
Where and when conducted: Monastery in the imperial age
Cost: 400 food + 800 gold
Available to: Aztecs, Byzantines, Chinese, Franks, Goths, Japanese, Koreans, Mayans, Persians, Saracens, Spanish, Teutons, Turks, and Vikings
Brief: This technology is actually quite useful for players who like to have their monks gang up on individual enemy units. It's expensive, but worth the cost if you're planning on using monks as the cornerstone of your military force. In some ways, theocracy makes illumination less of a necessity. If gold is in short supply, you're better off with theocracy and forgetting about illumination until your financial situation improves.

Thumb Ring

Tech effect: Archery range units fire faster and with 100 percent accuracy
Where and when conducted: Archery range in the castle age
Cost: 300 food + 250 wood
Available to: Byzantines, Chinese, Huns, Japanese, Koreans, Mayans, Mongols, Persians, Saracens, Spanish, Turks, and Vikings
Brief: This research is absolutely essential. Although it is rather pricey, it is an investment that is well worth the cost. Thumb ring more the doubles the effectiveness of your archery range units, which means, on average, you'll lose fewer in combat. For this reason, thumb ring ultimately saves resources by cutting down on the number of units you must replace.

Aztecs

Unique unit: Jaguar warrior
The jaguar warrior is best described as an anti-infantry foot soldier. It is armored, slow moving, and at its best when fighting other infantry units. It forms the backbone of any Aztec ground assault.

Unique technology: Garland wars
Cost: 450 food + 750 gold
Tech effect: Infantry units gain a +4 bonus to their attack strength. Since the Aztecs cannot produce cavalry, any technology that strengthens their foot soldiers should be considered a necessity. Garland wars gives you a lot of bang for the buck.

Britons

Unique unit: Longbowman
The longbowman is an exceptional foot archer. Although its main purpose is to provide Briton infantry and cavalry with much-needed support, you'll be tempted to put these units in the front lines and let them lead the attack.

Unique technology: Yeoman
Cost: 750 wood + 450 gold
Tech effect: This tech increases range of foot archers (including longbowmen) by +1 and the attack strength of towers by +2. It is expensive for its modest return. Consider the yeoman a luxury item to be researched only after you've finished researching more important things.

Byzantines
Unique unit: Cataphract
The cataphract is an armored cavalry unit with great strength. It is extremely expensive but has the hit points and armor rating to hang around for a long while, even in heavy combat. Just the same, it has the speed to get out of trouble just as fast as it gets into it.

Unique technology: Logistica
Cost: 1,000 food + 600 gold
Tech effect: This technology gives cataphracts the ability to cause trample damage to neighboring units. Although this is an expensive technology, logistica turns these heavy cavalry units into pseudo war elephants. It should be among the first imperial age techs the Byzantine player researches.

Celts

Unique unit: Woad raider
The plaid-wearing woad raider is a fast-moving foot soldier with a special attack bonus versus buildings. Because it is relatively inexpensive, it usually show up on the battlefield in large numbers.

Unique technology: Furor celtica
Cost: 750 food + 450 gold
Tech effect: Siege workshop units have their hit points increased by 50 percent. By increasing the amount of damage these units can sustain, Celtic siege weapons and rams can better survive any exchange of fire. Trading blows with the enemy shot for shot now becomes a more viable combat option.

Chinese

Unique unit: Chu ko nu
The chu ko nu is a fast-firing foot archer with a very limited range. To be truly effective, it must be used in large numbers to blanket an enemy with arrows. Because an elite chu ko nu possesses the same attack strength and range as the standard version (albeit with a few more hit points), carefully consider whether upgrading this unit is worth the cost.

Unique technology: Rocketry
Cost: 750 wood + 750 gold
Tech effect: This technology gives chu ko nu units a +2 pierce attack modifier and scorpion units a +4 pierce attack modifier. Rocketry is a modestly important technology that causes extra damage to heavily armored targets. In most cases, unless you have wood and gold to burn, the practical effect of this technology will be negligible in the imperial age.

Franks

Unique unit: Throwing axeman
The Frankish throwing axeman is an infantry unit with a short-ranged attack. Stronger than an archer unit, this infantry hybrid has attack bonuses versus buildings.

Unique technology: Bearded axe
Cost: 400 food + 400 gold
Tech effect: Throwing axemen have their range increased by +1. Bearded axe is hardly worth the wait, so it's fortunate that it doesn't cost very much. This technology lets players continue treating these units like other support units, which they are not. If you have the resources to spare, go ahead and research this tech; otherwise, leave it alone.

Goths

Unique unit: Huskarl
The huskarl is an infantry unit with attack bonuses versus buildings and archers. It is virtually immune to archer fire due to its amazing pierce armor modifier. Though expensive in terms of food, the Goths possess numerous technologies that enhance the production rate and combat abilities of this unit.

Unique technology: Anarchy
Cost: 450 food + 250 gold
Tech effect: This castle age technology lets the Goths produce their huskarls at barracks as well as castles. Anarchy is a must-have technology. It provides Goth players with the ability to generate their unique huskarl units more quickly and with greater tactical flexibility.

Unique technology: Perfusion
Cost: 400 wood + 600 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the rate at which barracks units are produced by 50 percent. Perfusion is another essential Goth technology. When combined with anarchy, an army of huskarls can be produced in a relatively short period of time. Very few opponents can match this production, especially considering the specialized nature of these units.

Huns

Unique unit: Tarkan
The tarkan is a mounted unit with attack bonuses versus buildings. Given the Huns weakness in siege engines (other than the trebuchet), the tarkan is entrusted with the job of breaking into enemy strongholds. The tarkan also benefits greatly from being upgraded to elite status. This is one of the few instances in the game where upgrading a unique unit really makes a significant difference.

Unique technology: Atheism
Cost: 500 food + 500 gold
Tech effect: This technology adds 100 years to the amount of time it takes to win the game by virtue of building a wonder or acquiring all the relics. (The increase affects all players in the game, not just the Huns.) Atheism also reduces the cost of spies/treason by 50 percent. Unless you can derive an immediate tactical advantage from this research, atheism can safely be ignored.

Japanese

Unique unit: Samurai
The samurai is an infantry unit with a special attack bonus versus other unique units and buildings. This classic warrior forms the backbone of the Japanese army and should be upgraded to elite status immediately upon reaching the imperial age. The upgrade cost is modest, especially considering the improvement (an increase of 20 hit points and a 33 percent increase in attack strength).

Unique technology: Kataparuto
Cost: 750 wood + 400 gold
Tech effect: This technology lets Japanese trebuchets fire and pack and unpack faster. On the surface, kataparuto appears to be a meaningful technology. In practical terms, however, this moderately expensive tech will have little effect on the game. Trebuchets still lack the speed to pack and unpack quickly enough to get themselves out of danger, and the increased rate of fire is really insignificant when examined in context.

Koreans

Unique unit: War wagon
The war wagon is a horse-drawn armored archery vehicle that fires arrows with greater range than foot archers. Although it can withstand a considerable amount of damage, a war wagons should never be used as an ersatz siege weapon. It is best used as an infantry-support weapon when fighting mobile battles.

Unique unit: Turtle ship
The turtle ship is an armored warship of great strength. Though expensive, just a few will go a long way. This slow-moving vessel is used to combat enemy vessels from close range. Despite its strength, tactically, it requires a support ship, such as a galleon and cannon galleons, to protect it.

Unique technology: Shinkichon
Cost: 800 wood + 500 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the range of Korean mangonels, onagers, and siege onagers by +2. Shinkichon is an essential technology that can be researched relatively inexpensively. Giving the siege engines affected by this tech, the ability to fire farther than their counterparts is an invaluable benefit, especially considering the Korean penchant for static siege warfare.

Mayans

Unique unit: Plumed archer
The plumed archer is a fast, well-protected unit, but it suffers from a weak attack strength and poor range. Because of this, plumed archers will often get involved in heavy fighting right on the front lines. Despite their armor modifiers, they do not last long without protection from Mayan eagle warriors. They are the only unit in the game that can be upgraded to elite status without spending gold.

Unique technology: El Dorado
Cost: 750 food + 450 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the hit points of eagle warriors by +40 (for a total of 90 hit points). It is absolutely essential and should be researched immediately upon reaching the imperial age. El Dorado turns your fast-moving eagle warriors into true front-line infantry.

Mongols

Unique unit: Mangudai
The mangudai is a mounted archer with attack bonuses versus enemy siege equipment. This unit should never be used as a normal cavalry archer. This short-range specialist (not much better than a throwing axeman) is easily eliminated in regular combat. Don't bother upgrading a mangudai to elite status. The measly +2 to attack strength you gain is hardly worth the cost. Use it sparingly and only when an enemy is seen to be deploying for an extended siege.

Unique technology: Drill
Cost: 500 wood + 450 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the speed of Mongol units produced in the siege workshop by 50 percent. Drill is a relatively inexpensive technology that lets Mongol siege engines keep better pace with their vast mounted armies. Faster-moving siege weapons afford the Mongols greater flexibility when deploying for set-piece battles.


Persians

Unique unit: War elephant
The war elephant is a living powerhouse. It's big, it's bad, and it requires lots of food. War elephants have high attack strength and can trample enemy units that get too close during combat. Their head-butt attack is particularly effective versus buildings. Because they can absorb tremendous damage, an enemy will normally convert rather than kill these slow-moving, thick-skinned beasts.

Unique technology: Mahouts
Cost: 300 food + 300 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the speed of war elephants by 30 percent. Mahouts is a low-cost tech with a big payoff. Consider it an essential technology and one that should be researched as you reach the imperial age. By causing your war elephants to move faster, this technology gives enemy monks less of an opportunity to convert them and more of an opportunity to wind up squished between their toes.

Saracens

Unique unit: Mameluke
The mameluke is a camel-mounted warrior with a limited range (much like a throwing axeman). It excels in hand-to-hand combat against other mounted units (including other camels) and has special attack bonuses against cavalry.


Unique technology: Zealotry
Cost: 750 food + 800 gold
Tech effect: This technology gives Saracen camel and mameluke units an additional 30 hit points. Although expensive, zealotry is necessary. In comparison to other mounted units, mamelukes and camels are somewhat fragile. The extra hit points these units receive helps to make up for their lack of armor modifiers.

Spanish

Unique unit: Conquistador
The famous Spanish conquistador functions as a mounted hand-cannoneer. It possesses a powerful close-range attack strength and is moderately well armored. At long range, the conquistador is less effective. Though it is often tempting to put these units in the front lines and make them the spearhead of an imperial age offensive, a better and less costly strategy is to use this unit as it was intended - as support for paladin cavalry and champion swordsmen.

Unique Unit: Missionary
The missionary is a mounted monk. Although it travels more quickly than the normal monk, it has a shorter sighting and conversion range. Missionaries can heal other units, such as other monks, but may not be used to pick up relics.

Unique technology: Supremacy
Cost: 400 food + 250 gold
Tech effect: This technology dramatically improves the combat strength of Spanish villagers. Researching supremacy is generally not a high priority, but it should be considered essential. In fact, after researching this technology, you'll want to draft a significant portion of your civilian workforce for duty at the front. Supremacy increases villagers' hit points by +40, gives them modest armor bonuses (+2/+2), and increases their attack strength by 6!

Teutons

Unique unit: Teutonic knight
The Teutonic knight is a heavily armored foot soldier with a special attack bonus versus buildings. The phrase "heavily armored" is an understatement, however. This unit are encased in enough metal to qualify it as a tank. When upgraded and enhanced with other available technologies, very little can stop a knight once it gets moving in your direction.

Unique technology: Crenellations
Cost: 600 food + 400 stone
Tech effect: This technology increases the range of Teutonic castles by +3. It also gives infantry units garrisoned inside the ability to fire arrows. Coupled with the low cost of constructing Teutonic castles, crenellations converts these field fortifications into wonderful area-denial weapons. Consider the effect of a placing a castle in the vicinity of an opponent's town center or in-ground resources. While not essential or even necessary in a fast attack game, crenellations is nonetheless a valuable tech to research.

Turks

Unique unit: Janissary
The janissary is a foot soldier armed with a longer-ranged hand-cannon than the normal hand cannoneer. Though inaccurate at long ranges, this unit has a powerful close-in attack strength. Like all hand-cannoneers, janissaries have special bonuses versus infantry, but are weak hand-to-hand fighters. Use them to support your units at the front, just as you would archers, but be sure to position them out of harm's way.

Unique technology: Artillery
Cost: 450 stone + 500 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the range of Turkish bombard towers, bombard cannons, and cannon (and elite cannon) galleons by +2. Moderately expensive, artillery is a necessary technology, particularly when playing against other civilizations (like the Spanish) with access to gunpowder. Interestingly, the greatest practical affects of artillery are experienced, not on land but at sea. Consider that the elite cannon galleon with artillery has a base range of 17. In many cases, you can pound an opponent without ever leaving the dock.

Vikings

Unique Unit: Berserk
The berserk is a powerful infantry unit with special regenerative powers that let it heal damage over time. As you might imagine, Viking berserks are designed for participation in quick raids where they can put their special attacks bonus versus buildings to best use. In combat, berserks suffer from low damage capacity, poor attack strength, and weak armor. Even when upgraded to elite status, berserks require careful and close management.

Unique technology: Berserkergang
Cost: 500 food + 850 gold
Tech effect: This technology increases the rate at which berserks recover from damage. Given the berserks overall poor combat ability, researching berserkergang is essential. Though expensive, chances are, this tech will pay for itself in the long run by keeping losses among berserks to a minimum.

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