AOE:
RISE OF ROME
I guess it was just because I'm
a tad bitter we're gonna have to wait until next year for
Age of Kings, the full-fledged sequel to Microsoft's Age
of Empires, but at first I wasn't that impressed with the
Rise of Rome expansion pack-even though it's got new
units to toy around with, enhanced features (the queuing
ability is a huge time-saver), appropriate new
technologies, and a whole new campaign.
Then on second look (and third
and fourth), I changed my mind. For less than 20 bucks,
you get quite a bit of RTS bang. First off, there's a new
Gigantic map size that'll totally change your gameplay.
Unless you're an aggressive attacker (or playing in
multiplay), on this map size you'll have plenty of time
to build up your forces and advance through the ages
before you even see any opponents.
There's also the ability to
queue your units. Even if the unit can't be produced
immediately (you're short on resources or need to expand
the local housing), it will be queued anyway and created
at the first opportunity. Now, if only you could set
rally points…
The five new units available are
the Armored Elephant (as if the originals weren't tough
enough to take down!), the bleating Camel Rider, the Fire
Galley, the Scythe Chariot, and the Slinger. Most of
these fall easily into other tactical categories-e.g.,
you'll want to group the Slingers as you would archers
for more effective range damage-except for the Fire
Galley. This short-range ship packs quite a wallop-it'll
fry almost any vessel in short order-but it takes some
maneuvering to bring it close enough to broadside other
ships and keep it close enough to deliver its fiery
payload.
Two of the four new technologies,
Medicine and Tower Shield, just enhance existing aspects
of the game. (Medicine increases the priest's healing
rate and Tower Shield provides added protection for
infantry against missile weapons.) But the other two add
a whole new layer to gameplay. Logistics allows your
barracks units to only count as one-half of a normal unit,
essentially allowing you to exceed the population limit.
And after researching Martyrdom, your priests can
instantly convert an enemy unit by self-sacrifice. It's
amazing the havoc you can wreak by throwing several of
these kamikaze priest bombs into the enemy camp with
their automatic-conversion ability.
There's also four new map types-Continental,
Mediterranean, Hill Country, and Narrows. About the only
terrain that affects gameplay is the cliffs that block
your advances and serve as excellent defensive positions.
The four new civilizations (Roman,
Carthaginian, Macedonian, and Palmyran) have unique
attributes that need to be considered in single and
multiplayer campaigns. But there's also a new random-civilization
option, so you won't know who you're playing until the
game starts.
Some nice features have been
added to the interface: you can now select all units of a
particular type by double-clicking on any individual unit.
In addition, you can automatically zoom to a trouble spot
by hitting the Home key or the middle mouse-button when
an attack warning goes off.
While it's no sequel, this
"middle age" between Empires and Kings is good
enough to sustain us until AOEII arrives.
Summary:
Another slice of the AOE pie.
Tips:
Use the Fire Galleys against ships already locked in
combat. If you can sneak up on them, you'll most likely
be able to wipe them out before they can react.
If you're a big trader, the new
Palmyran civilization has distinct advantages, such as
free tribute and double gold for trade routes.
Research Logistics as soon as
possible-doubling your barracks-unit limit kicks ass.
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