Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Strategies

My Old Hittite Build Order

Posted by _JaGuAr_LeaDeR on September 2, 2002. Last updated January 26, 2010.

I used this build order from approximately 2000 to 2001. I currently use the three town center start since this strategy is slow to produce villagers. The advantages of this build sequence are upgrading to heavy elephants nearly as fast as possible and land grabbing quickly. It is also slightly faster at producing elephants for town center rushing than the three town center start.

First, queue 20 villagers in the town center. Select one villager and build a house. Build a house with the second idle villager. Now there should be one idle villager and two villagers building.

With the one remaining idle villager, build stables around the map and the enemy. As the stables are being built, the two other villagers will finish constructing the house and storage pit. As soon as they are done, upgrade Iron Shield in the storage pit (for access to heavy elephants). Send the two, now idle, villagers to help build stables. There should now be three villagers building stables.

At this point another villager should pop out of the town center. Select that villager and make three more town centers (I prefer a square pattern). Also during this time, do no neglect the stables that are being built. As soon as a stable is built, queue a couple elephants.

Soon another villager will emerge from the original town center. Use this villiager to help build the new town centers.

When another villager appears, use them to assist in building the unfinished town centers. As soon as the second town center is complete, queue another 20 villagers. While the town centers are being built, do not forget about the stables that are also being constructed. When each stable is completed, queue a few elephants.When an elephant is trained, send it directly toward the enemies town center.

Now it's time to pick up the pace. As soon as another villager appears make a temple near your town centers. Also as soon as the third  and fourth town centers are completed queue up another 20~ villagers in them. Don't forget to upgrade heavy elephants in a stable as soon as your Iron Shield upgrade finishes in the storage pit. When Iron Shield is finished upgrading, upgrade Chain Mail in the storage pit.

At this point, with the villagers that have been coming out of your town centers you should be sending them to help build stables and towers around the map. When the temple is finished make about four priests in it, these are used to convert elephants or whatever your opponent may rush your town with.

So now you should have something that looks like this. You should have 20~ villagers queued in all 4 of your towncers, about four priests in the temple, Iron Shield and Chain Mail researched in your storage pit, heavy elephants upgrade, stables/towers being built around the map, elephants being made in your completed stables, and attacking your opponent!

The final step is to make a Granary, Siege Workshop, Government Center, and Market. After that I have no specific pattern except for how I order upgrades.

My order of upgrades:

Siege Workshop:

1. Catapult
2. Heavy Catapult

Granary:

1. Guard Tower
2. Ballista Tower

Government Center:

1. Ballistics
2. Engineering
3. Alchemy

Market:

1. Siege Craft
2. Craftsmanship
3. Coinage
4. Irrigation (if I feel the game will last longer than 30 minutes)

The final result should look something like this, though not necissarliy as evenly spaced and symmetrical:

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