Interface

Already as refined as it gets

There's a standard "RTS interface" that really shouldn't be changed in most cases. Left click to select and right click for a contextual action. I'm not sure why certain games choose to deviate from this but thankfully, Age of Kings doesn't. It also uses the more popular "make units from each structure" system rather than the antiquated unit by unit creation that Westwood seems to favor. Personally we prefer being able to create multiple barracks/stables/etc so that excess resources gained by an aggressive player can be spent more quickly. There should be an advantage to having more resources, not a penalty; Ensemble's designers seem to understand this as well.

Mobile cannon can fire a long way

Just getting started here

As for your view screen, AOK has a standard "action on top" and status bar on bottom system. A minimap is in the bottom right, commands are in the bottom left, and info is displayed in the center. What's cool about the mini map is that you can change it to display only relevant economic buildings and units, or military buildings and units.

Nifty features

It seems like such a small thing, but it's arguably the most brilliant feature of Age of Kings: the "find idle villager" button. A big problem in many RTS games is having a "lazy peon" that isn't pulling his weight. The lazy villager button combats this problem by centering the map on any of your peons that aren't working! Another nifty feature (but one that's not likely to be used by non-newbies) is the online techtree. Have you ever been in a game and forgotten what technologies you need to research or buildings you need to make in order to create a certain unit? Click the techtree button at the top right and you can find out the answer in the middle of a game without fumbling around for a manual. One last feature for the "gee whiz" box - a signal for your allies. It's often hard to communicate exactly where you need help, or where your allies should stage their attack, etc. Simply click the signal button and then a spot on the map. An 'X' will appear on your allies' minimaps to show them exactly where you're "pointing" to.

Production coming online

There's my teammate walling off

Formations

If you're looking for signs of brilliance in Age of Kings, look no further than the formations. One of the most annoying and time consuming aspects of many RTS games is getting the ranged units to stay behind the melee units for protection. I can't count how many times I've failed to thwart a Zealot rush in Starcraft because I didn't set my Zerglings as a buffer between the Zealots and my Hydralisks. Age of Kings eliminates the micromanaging by automatically lining up archers and siege units in the back behind your cavalry and infantry. That's right, just select a mixed group of units and the more heavily armored knights and swordsmen line up neatly in front of the weaker archers, siege machines, and monks.

There's my castle

Uh oh, Janissaries and Mangudai coming to rock me

There are other formations aside from tight lines. These include box (weaklings in the middle), staggered (your units are more spread out to prevent siege weapons from damaging all of them at once), and flanking (your units split in a V in an attempt to surround the enemy). That's some powerful stuff, and it's about time that a game implemented smart formations like this.