Features that didn't make it

Trees don't grow back

Renewable resources (trees that grow back, animals that multiply, etc.) did not make it into AOK. Playtesting showed that such a system proved to not be very fun because it discouraged people from exploring new areas and encouraged slow, defensive play. While your berry bushes don't grow back, the Ensemble team did add livestock into the game. Possessable food as they called it, comes in the form of animals like sheep. Sheep can be found out in the wild, and when you approach them, a colored handkerchief appears around their neck signifying them as yours. Bring them back to your town to more permanently herd them. Livestock can be stolen but if they're near an opponent's building they won't "change allegiance" until that building is eliminated, or you otherwise move them out of your opponent's town.

Another town scene

Counter espionage

Another feature that didn't make it is the spy unit or cloaked unit. Earlier, spy units (that look like a peasant to your enemy) were proposed that could scout or recon for you, or infiltrate enemy towns to tell you how strongly they're garrisoned. In early playtesting, such units proved to be too powerful and frustrating, so they've been nixed from AOK.