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Age of Mythology

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Walküre:
Hello, dear Edain Community. As I promised, I want to establish a specific thread related to one of the greatest and most successful real-time strategy games of all time, which left an undimmed legacy among the other iconic series of the same typology. I'm referring to the magnificent Age of Mythology  8-)

The whole concept was born following the overwhelming success of the Age of Empires saga, especially after the fortunate Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. While sticking to a more contained structure, the game goes beyond the accurate historical context of the previous chapters and ambitiously deals with the numerous tales that belong to each mythology of the Ancient Greek, Egyptian and Norse cultures. That is, enriching the already basic gameplay with very wide-ranging new elements from evergreen mythical sources (that are still today a fundamental part of our common human knowledge). Since its first release in 2002, Age of Mythology has sold more than one million copies worldwide, going platinum multiple times and expanding itself with the successive Age of Mythology: The Titans expansion and the recent DLC Tale of the Dragon; in 2014, Age of Mythology: Extended Edition is finally available via Steam.

This is undoubtedly my favourite real-time strategy game of my childhood, forever reserving its own privileged place in my memories. What I fancy the most is its extraordinarily detailed and adventurous main campaign, which I personally deem a splendid example as the campaign by definition; it does surpass, in my opinion, even the grand BFME1 campaign that we all adore  :)

I started recently to play Age of Mythology (AoM) regularly again, and I'm trying to get much more acquainted with its Editor, as I'm creating a scenario involving the Trojan War that we read about in the Iliad. I'm willing to update this topic with presentation posts encompassing the game's vast world and I'm really looking forward to gathering here also other people's opinions.


--- Zitat ---Age of Mythology is a game of heroes and monsters, mighty armies and epic deeds. Lead your culture through the ages, from humble beginnings in a small village, to mighty citadels protected by the power of the Gods. Tear down the walls of Troy, battle Giants in the frozen wastes near Midgard and fight armies of Anubites in the shifting sands of Egypt.

The Gods, as a token of appreciation, may someday reward you with great Earth-changing powers in Age of Mythology
--- Ende Zitat ---
Athena - The Prologue of Age of Mythology

Walküre:
Well, being us at the beginning of the thread, I would thus start from the very first rudiments of the gameplay and the essence of its precious elements.

The basic gameplay doesn't really differ so much from the usual RTS games. It's mainly focused on collecting resources, buying upgrades, recruiting units of different kinds and destroying your enemies. What makes the game unique from its famous ancestor (Age of Empires) is the active presence of each faction's mythology and the intervention of divine powers that could easily shift the tide of the contest in your favour or disadvantage.

Developing your village and acquiring new technology will grant you the opportunity to advance throughout the different ages and so strengthen your dominion. Logically, you need to reach the final age in order to unleash the very true potential of this wonderful universe, making usage of the most differentiated and unique features. I will leave the characteristics of each civilisation apart for now, as these are the main premises that characterise all mechanics.

1. RESOURCES: They are the fuel of all dynamics. They are the key and required tool to achieve the above-mentioned purposes. Without them, the game is simply blocked. In AoM, you have Food, Wood and Gold. Structures, units and upgrades can cost a sole type of resources or multiple ones (according to their importance); the different combinations vary from civilisation to civilisation.

Food can be collected via the most diverse means, ranging from simple ('wild') methods as hunting, fishing or collecting fruits, to advanced techniques such as cultivating farms. Farms are the most reliable source, given that they provide an infinite influx of food (that is, you can't run out of it) and you can place them easily in desired positions. Wood and gold can only be collected by cutting trees and mining. Gold can though be collected with the establishment of a trading route between your town centre and a market; the further the market, the richer the profits (being more vulnerable, on the other hand, to enemy manoeuvres).

2. WAR: As in all good RTS games worthy of their title, expanding your authority often means clashing with other opposite players. The art of war and military strategy increases of importance in time, while you get access to more features and typologies of units. Needless to say, the composition of an army is the usual: infantry, archery, cavalry, elite units and heroes. The strategy you are to adopt (in line with the circumstances) is the obvious key to triumph.

3. UPGRADES: The upgrades are the means which permit the evolution of your culture and of the technology you have at hand, whether it serve economic or military purposes. They can be of numerous sorts, going from more resistant armours to making irrigation systems (farms) more efficient. A technological superiority may be one of the factors of victory too.

4. AGES: As the ages get more advanced, they unlock wider possibilities of development and growth, alongside with your warfare getting dramatically mightier. The ages are four. Archaic, Classic, Heroic and Mythical.

5. GODS: Divine entities are the central theme underlying everything. Each civilisation is differentiated by different pantheons, and a very civilisation is divided in subcategories that are defined by three major gods. The choice of one of the three major deities will determine specific upgrades, minor gods, units and unique features. The ages are too linked deeply with mythology, as you must choose between two options from the minor gods offered by the pantheon of the civilisation, so that you may reach the following age. In synthesis, each civilisation has its own pantheon with three major gods at the top; the choice of one of the three will make available some other minor deities of the entire pantheon but not others. The scheme is structured so that a major god offers a combination of minor gods that the other major gods can't dispose of. Just to make an example, be the major gods 1,2,3 and the minor gods offered each age (the choice is always between two, and the maximum is three per age) A,B,C.


--- Zitat ---1 will offer A and B, 2 will offer B and C and 3 will provide you with A and C. As you can understand, each major god thus provides a unique combination. As we will see, there are some exceptions though, derived from conceptual and mythological reasons; you will then see how, in the mythical age, two major gods from different civilisations can offer A and B, while the other two of their own civilisation only B and C both (making thus the minor god A a unique choice for one sole major god).
--- Ende Zitat ---

Mythology is obviously intertwined with war as well. The most prominent aspect is the fact that each minor deity will ensure you the possibility to summon mythical units with their own abilities (turning them into useful supporters or terrible weapons at your disposal). One other fundamental point: every god, major or minor, endows you with a divine power to invoke at will. Divine powers, as well as upgrades, aim to enhance your economy, aid your troops or unleash the wrath of Nature against your enemies. If used wisely, they may decide the fate of all.

AulëTheSmith:
As you know DieWalkure, I love this game :D It is also for me one of the best rts ever. Just to quote some innovative feature: gods, myth units, good graphics, powers, time-abilities ... and so on :) For the far away 2002 all these new elements were simply wonderful and somehow anticipated some elements of BFME series. If i was a modder I think i could not hesitate one second in creating my own AOM mod.
Just some of my desires to further improve this amazing game:
- make powers of the gods rechargeable in time like bfme
- add more heroes and units
- improve graphics: new textures, more variations ...
- make the ablities of myth unit also active and not only passive
And many others :). Unfortunately i'm not able to do this so they will probably remain desires

Walküre:
I'm really happy to know that I finally succeeded in luring someone in this space :D

If you agree, beside informative posts about the very game (which I hope to continue writing), we could use this thread to talk about anything related to the game, be it our experiences or memories from the past. Should you decide to buy the extended version of Steam, we might also arrange some online matches (and I don't think they will be hard to set up). And, of course, as I promised at the beginning of the thread, I will hopefully start showcasing my little project for a canonical Trojan war; you know, hosts fighting each other, miraculous interventions from the heavens and gods behaving in the most puerile of the ways: not so much unusual, isn't it? xD

AulëTheSmith:

--- Zitat von: DieWalküre am 22. Mai 2017, 20:59 ---I'm really happy to know that I finally succeeded in luring someone in this space :D

If you agree, beside informative posts about the very game (which I hope to continue writing), we could use this thread to talk about anything related to the game, be it our experiences or memories from the past. Should you decide to buy the extended version of Steam, we might also arrange some online matches (and I don't think they will be hard to set up). And, of course, as I promised at the beginning of the thread, I will hopefully start showcasing my little project for a canonical Trojan war; you know, hosts fighting each other, miraculous interventions from the heavens and gods behaving in the most puerile of the ways: not so much unusual, isn't it? xD

--- Ende Zitat ---

It is not unusual, it is simply a pleasure and my daily bread those type of things  :D :D :D
I would like to discuss anything about mythology here beside the game too, and also about other similar films and topic related to it ;)

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