Official Sybex Strategy Guide

The Official Sybex Age of Mythology: The Titans Expansion Strategy Guide by Doug Radcliffe and Michael Rymaszewski was written with the full support of Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios and is packed with the strategies, tactics, and analysis you need to master the Titans!

Included in the strategy guide are:

- Strategies and tips straight from Ensemble Studios' best players
- Thorough analysis of the Atlantean mythology, including military units, Major and Minor Gods, and their powers
- In-depth stats for everything in the game
- Multiplayer tactics for every game mode, including Deathmatch tactics from Age of Mythology expert Chris "Swinger" Rupp
- Detailed economic and military strategies for building a thriving economy and prevailing in combat
- Step-by-step walthrough of the compelling new campaign

Keep reading for an example of just one of the many of the strategies included in the book.

The Four Keys to Economic Success
The vast majority of AoM games feature economies that employ 40 to 50 workers (60+ for expert players) by the time you reach the Heroic Age. Be especially wary of creating too many workers in the Archaic Age: you should never have to build more than two Houses or Manors, and that's allowing some space for the military or mythological units to come in the approaching Classical Age.You should instantly acquire a new Town Center and max out the population thereafter, creating new workers, soldiers, and mythological units as appropriate to your strategy. Every Classical Age features fighting-if your enemy hasn't visited you, you should visit the enemy. Here's how to set about formulating an effective long-term economic strategy:

Know your people. Knowing your people means being aware of the economic aspects of your chosen mythology; for instance, choosing Egyptians means focusing on gold early (see Figure 2.3). The game mythologies differ significantly from each other, and these differences set distinct economic priorities.

Know the map. The biggest map difference is between water maps and land-only maps.Water means fish as a food source; plenty of water means a big navy and thus very high wood requirements.Your starting position on a map always carries big economic consequences, as does the location of settlements that you can convert into Town Centers, relics with economic significance (such as the Ship of Fingernails, which provides extra food), placement of gold deposits, forests, berry bushes-you name it. Remember that good reconnaissance has as much economic impact as at least five extra workers, and possibly ten.

Know yourself. Choosing your major and minor gods has great economic impact even if the deities of your choice do not offer immediate economic benefits (such as Thor's ability to create Dwarven Mining Camps and cheaper Dwarves). For example, if you're playing with Greeks and decide to go the Apollo route, you'll need a lot of wood for Apollo's mythic unit, the Manticore. The ability to create powerful new units won't help you if you can't afford them.

Know your enemy. Your enemy's choice of major and minor gods offers many hints as to the strategy they're likely to try against you. For example, someone who chooses Hades as a major deity will most likely be fielding plenty of archer units; you can counter this in advance by researching Improved Pierce Armor at the Armory, and creating counter-archer units. All this will place specific demands on your economy.