Stopping the rush

No need to rush

Another big area that Ensemble concentrated on was strategic balance and combat/pathing AI. One concern with the original AOE was the dreaded Scout rush, where a player would work as quickly as possible to get the fast, mounted Scout unit that could take out enemy villagers. Ensemble wants to de-emphasize the rush a little bit by adding features that discourage (but do not obsolete) such tactics.

Five trebuchets attack a mideastern town

Hide!

To combat “rushing,” AOK introduces defensive structures that can be garrisoned. Much like the bunker in Starcraft, several AOK structures like the town center, castles, towers, churches, and bunkers can be manned by your units. In other words, you can fill these buildings with archers, peasants, or other units to strengthen their defensive ability and protect those units from attack. If you get rushed in the beginning, pile your peasants in the town center to protect them and fight off the intruders. When it’s safe, hit one button and your peasants will remember the tasks they were doing prior to the attack! To discourage rushing further, each race will start with a Scout cavalry unit for reconaissance purposes in multiplayer matches. It will of course, be too weak to take on a garrisoned town center.