Exploration for fun and profit
If you want to make it big as a nation, the first thing you'll need to know is the
importance of scouting and exploration. Not only will you uncover the mysterious
lands beyond your immediate territory, you'll also discover Ruins which reward you
with resource bonuses. Clever players will research Science techs to increase how
far their Scout can see (so he'll spot more ruins) and increase the amount of resources
Scouts get from Ruins.
The trickiest of players will spot a ruin and avoid picking it up if they're just
about to research the next Science technology. Since Ruins will normally give you
the resource you're lowest on, you can also arrange to get more of a particular
resource by spending enough of that resource to bring its total below that of any
other resource.
Nations good at exploring: The Spanish. They start with an extra Scout, their Scouts
see farther, they gain extra resources from Ruins, and the map is already revealed
so setting up the best scouting paths is easy.
Black ops
A force of six commandos, a few Heavy Infantry, and a General is a sneaky way to
destroy an enemy wonder. Simply charge invisibly past the enemy using the General's
Ambush ability, then plant explosive charges on the wonder with Sabotage and have
the Heavy Infantry finish off whatever hit points remain! Careful though as enemy
Scouts, Observation Posts, Helicopters, and Air Defenses can spot your hidden units.
Watch the Flanks!
Units take +100% damage from flank (side) attacks and +50% damage from rear attacks.
The easiest way to make use of this is to have a group of Light Cavalry set aside,
and when the battle starts run them to the side of the enemy army where they will
do the most damage. The Russians have a particular knack for flanking. Their cavalry
units (including the powerful Rusiny Lancer unique unit) get a bonus against siege
and supply wagons, meaning that it will only take a few to flank your opponent,
hit his supply wagons, and run out, letting the devastating Russian Attrition take
its toll.
River warfare
Be aware that units in rivers move slower and take extra damage. If you can, try
to catch enemy armies while they're crossing a river. Towers are great when built
just behind rivers for that reason: they always cause some extra damage to the enemy
during the crossing. Constructing Cities or Forts near rivers can be a double-edged
sword. If the opponent tries to attack that City or Fort directly his army will
take a lot of extra damage. However, if he uses siege from across the river you're
going to have to run through the river to stop his siege.
Medic!
Remember to make use of healing when appropriate. Units heal when garrisoned inside
of buildings. This can save a lot of resources if you're able to heal a large army
back up to full fighting strength! Note that in Rise of Nations units can always
be garrisoned back inside of the type of building that created them, so mounted
units can garrison in Stables to heal, boats can garrison in Docks, and siege units
can garrison in a Siege Factory. If you build Versailles (or just play the French)
then you can even use Supply Wagons to heal your troops - just rest your troops
near a Supply Wagon.
Petroleum Prices
A smart thing to do immediately when you reach Industrial Age is to purchase a lot
of Oil at the Market. If you reach Industrial Age first, you can often drive up
the price for Oil for the other players - and you need it anyway for useful things
like the Light Tank upgrade and Airbases! Remember to get those Oil Wells going,
since you don't want to be stuck buying Oil forever!
The best defense...
Rise of Nations is a strategic game which rewards thinking and planning. One way
you can gain an advantage over your opponent is to manipulate the situation so that
your opponent is constantly defending attacks. When players get attacked, they often
play very defensively for a while until they're sure their Cities are safe. If you
launch multiple aggressive attacks, they'll get so concerned with defending against
those attacks that they neglect to send attacks of their own! This means that an
aggressive player's Cities are often much safer than a player who builds a bunch
of defensive towers everywhere, simply because the aggressive player keeps the fight
at the defensive player's base.
Don't, however, make the mistake of launching unprepared attacks. If your attack
isn't ready and your opponent manages to decimate your army, you won't be able to
train another army in time to defend the counterattack if he decides to do so!
Tricks & Tactics
by Brian Reynolds
Big Huge Games
Return to top
