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Table of Contents
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Empire Earth is the latest strategy game that followed the release of
Civilization 3. Expected to compete with strategy gaming genius Sid Meier,
what would it be like? Well, it is a game like no other. The only game it can
relate to, is Age of Empires 2, but that would be a huge understatement!
Instead of the 4 ages in AoE 2, there are 12 "epochs" in EE, from the
Prehistoric epoch of 500,000 B.C all the way to the futuristic Nano age.
Except for the futuristic ages, every epoch is designed to be as authentic as
possible.
My favorite epoch is the Industrial age, where the famous American Revolution
and Civil War took place. I spent a little over a week, more than 4 hours a
day, and barely finished two huge random map games on Hard difficulty, so I
decided to write a FAQ on this epoch alone.
Most of this FAQ will be written entirely from my own perspective. It will be
written from single player perspective, but most of the unit analysis' and
strategies can be used online with little adaption.
For further information about this great game, check out the review at
Gamespot, or read mine at:
Takes place in 1700-1900 A.D. Battles are fought mainly with firearms, while
artillery and mounted troops provide fire support. The following unit analysis
will contain ratings that range from 1 (weakest) to 5 (strongest). The ratings
will, by default, be meant for all unit types unless specified.
Example: Peasant has Power Effectiveness of 1, so anything it attacks is only
effective of 1. Bronze Cannon has Defence Effectiveness of 5 against
specifically rifles, but only 2 against explosive. This game has a very very
advanced version of the Rock/Paper/Scissors method of balance!
Example:
Power - The unit's attack strength and effectiveness, including Rate of Fire
(ROF).
Defence - Unit's HP and armor, how good it lasts.
Speed - Moving speed (NOT projectile speed).
Usefulness - A broad rating that combines the above and other factors such as
Cost, special ablities, range, etc.
The peasant uses a bow to attack, but is very weak and should not be used for
fighting. Only has a usefulness of 3 because too many of them only clogs up
the population limit.
[ Grenadier ]
Power - 3
Defence - 2
Speed - 3
Usefulness - 5
Fairly cheap to produce, the Grenadier is your basic rifleman and definitely
should be the mainstay of your army. They are quite powerful in numbers.
[ Partisan ]
Power - 2
Defence - 2
Speed - 3
Usefulness - 3
The Partisan is your guerilla fighter. If you've ever seen the movie "Patriot"
starring Mel Gibson, he is the militia (and even looks like one too!). They
are the only units that can pass through trees and forests! Perfect for sneak
attacks against a well barricaded stronghold, or ambushes. However, they are
not that powerful.
[ Halberdier ]
Power - 4 vs. cavalry
- 2 vs. everything else
Defence - 2
Speed - 3
Usefulness - 1
Maybe it's just me, but I don't use them because they are melee and need to get
up close, and are only strong against cavalry. The fact that they are only
useful against cavalry doesn't make them very useful, and there are better ways
to deal with cavalry anyways.
[ Sharpshooter ]
Power - 5 vs. infantry
- 2 vs. Imperial Cuirassers
- 4 vs. everything else
Defence - 2
Speed - 2
Usefulness - 5
All I can say is "WOW!". This is your sniper. He can kill any infantry in one
shot. I discovered their special ability, which is "invisibility", when the
computer used them against me. I thought they were ghosts or something, since
all I saw was a puff of smoke from their rifles. Yours won't be invisible to
you, but don't worry, they will be against your foes. They outrange almost all
units, except artillery. Their invisiblity feature enables them to strike
first, except against other Sharpshooters, since they don't see each other
until they get close enough. Your army should always contain some
Sharpshooters. A large group of them means destruction, but keep in mind their
ROF is pretty slow and aren't that good against buildings.
[ Hand Cannoneer ]
Power - 4
Defence - 1
Speed - 2
Usefulness - 2
Mobile artillery anyone? High damage, but very inaccurate. Good luck hitting
anything that moves. It can fire over walls, but that's about it. I'd rather
use REAL artillery.
[ Elite Guard ]
Power - 3
Defence - 4
Speed - 2
Usefulness - 3
I don't use them much, and neither does the computer. They are slightly
outranged by Grenadiers, but don't die as easily (hence the name Guard, higher
HP and armor). They cost a bit more, and have slightly weaker firepower, so I
don't use them.
( *** Cavalry *** )
[ Dragoons ]
Power - 3
Defence - 2
Speed - 5
Usefulness - 2
They have nice range and speed, but are very weak and a few shots can bring
them down. Very high cost.
[ Imperial Cuirassier ]
Power - 4
Defence - 5
Speed - 5
Usefulness - 4
Perfect for shocking enemy formations. They are tough to kill, and pack a
strong punch, or sword rather! However, the game is extremely balanced so you
can't just make a huge army of Imperial Cuirassiers and kick ass. First,
cavalry units count as a pop value of 2 (meaning 1 cavalry = 2 infantry), and
second they cost alot. I mean ALOT. The price of 2 and a half Grenadiers, I
believe.
( *** Artillery *** )
[ Bronze Cannon ]
Power - 3
Defence - 5 vs. everything except slashing, explosive
- 3 vs. slashing (such as Cuirassiers)
- 2 vs. explosive (such as artillery)
Speed - 2
Usefulness - 4
This is your field cannon, because it's better for killing things than sieging.
Very, very good armor against rifles, but a cavalry charge will bring it down.
A nuisance when the computer uses it. Bronze Cannons can force fire on
ground.
[ Serpentine ]
Power - 4
Defence - 2 vs. everything except rifles
- 3 vs. rifles
Speed - 2
Usefulness - 5
This is my favorite artillery for bringing down walls and structures. Its ROF
is better than the Bombard, less accurate than the Bronze, but is quite strong.
You need these for destroying a town as quickly as possible. Its defence
isn't too great, but can stand against a few rifle shots. Serpentines cannot
force fire on ground.
The grand daddy of cannons. The Bombard Cannon creates a HUGE splash damage
area. You see a huge formation of enemy troops? 3-4 well placed shots and you
see corpses everywhere. Accuracy is awful against moving targets, and defence
is crap, rivaling the Peasant with a rating of 1 for Defence. It can also fire
over walls, but I prefer the Serpentine for sieging, and will occasionally keep
1 or 2 Bombards behind my lines for fire support. Any more than that and I'll
end up hurting my troops (from the splash damage). Bombards can force fire on
grounds.
Supposed to add 1 Morale each, but I never build more than 3.
[ Settlement ]
Very important for making expansion towns. Drop off for resources. Will be
covered later in the strategies section.
[ Farm ]
Peasants can harvest Farms for food.
[ Granary ]
Built in the middle of Farms, drop off point for food.
[ Hospital ]
Heals nearby units (but not artillery).
[ Temple ]
Supposed to offer nearby area protection from natural disasters such as
earthquakes.
[ Town Center, Capitol ]
Can create Peasants, and Heroes. Very important and is the center of towns.
Should be well guarded.
[ Fortress ]
Garrisons land units, garrisoned units do not count towards pop count.
However, I could not ungarrison my units, so this might be an alternative to
the unavailable feature of suiciding a unit? A good solution for putting away
those extra peasants you don't need anymore, to free up pop count for more
soldiers.
[ University ]
Offers protection for nearby units against enemy conversion.
[ Dock ]
Can build ships, heals nearby ships.
[ Barracks ]
Can train infantry.
[ Siege Workshop ]
Can build artillery.
[ Stable ]
Can train cavalry.
[ Tower ]
A guard tower, fires on any hostile units (except air). They have crap range,
but they're your only static defense choice in this epoch. They will have to
do.
[ Wall, Gate ]
You know damn well what these are for.
( *** Wonders *** )
[ Tower of Babylon ]
Enables your priest to convert an entire area (gives splash effect to your
priests). This is pretty useful for converting a large portion of an enemy's
army rather than one by one.
[ Temple of Zeus ]
My favorite wonder, should be the one you build first. Enables your units to
self-heal themselves. Ships cannot self-heal, however. This is such a
powerful Wonder. After a big battle, your army may be hurt, leave then
standing for awhile and they will be as fresh as ever. Doesn't revive dead
units, but it heals really fast!
[ Library at Alexandria ]
Reveals enemy buildings. Pretty useful.
[ Pharos Lighthouse ]
Reveals all water areas, and all units on water. Not as useful unless you're
playing a naval map.
[ Coliseum ]
Supposed to raise your pop cap and lower all enemy's pop caps. I'm not sure by
how much, but it raised mine 10% once, and approximately 15% another game. Not
very useful IMO.
[ Ishtar Gates ]
Increases the hit points of your walls, gates, and towers. The boost is
double, I believe, or more. Very nice if you like to play defensively.
This section will list specific strategies AND counters for each and every unit
(except heroes) of the Industrial epoch! I hope it helps you.
( *** Infantry *** )
[ Peasant ]
Strategy - Never use these for combat. They cannot be built as easily as other
games, so protect them and retreat them to somewhere safe when enemies are
near.
Counter - Kill these with Sharpshooters, but any unit will do.
[ Grenadier ]
Strategy - Create groups of 20 or more, and back them up with Sharpshooters.
Can kill more things can you can imagine. Very cheap to produce, so keep
pumping them out. Should be the mainstay of your army.
Counter - Kill these with Sharpshooters. Artillery does well too.
[ Partisan ]
Strategy - They have Forestwalk ability (Magic the Gathering players.. wink
wink), so use that to your advantage. Create a group of them and walk through
the forest into an enemy base, and kill as many Peasants as you can. They are
pretty weak though.
Counter - Anything kills them easily, but to guard against the above strategy,
place a few Sharpshooters near your Peasants' paths.
[ Halberdier ]
Strategy - A large group can be nightmare to cavalry. Put them aside against
everything else, but bring them out when the enemy decides to cavalry charge.
Counter - Immediately halt the cavalry charge, and bring out your infantry.
[ Sharpshooter ]
Strategy - Almost infinite combos for these guys. Best when mixed with your
army, they have a low ROF and tend to suck when alone. Best used for guarding
ore mines against enemy Peasants.
Counter - Very tough counter, cavalry charge should do well, same with
artillery attacks. Charging your infantry against them isn't such a good idea.
When ambushed by Sharpshooters, immediately pull your troops back and bring
your own Sharpshooters to the front line. They will then be forced to step
closer to reveal YOUR Sharpshooters, thus revealing themselves.
[ Hand Cannoneer ]
Strategy - Works well in groups, but keep in mind they have low accuracy. Best
when attacking stationary targets, such as towers guarded by walls. They have
excellent range. Use that to your advantage. Always should have something
else backing them up, since they are very weak in defence.
Counter - Almost any unit charge will take them out. Cavalry works best. They
cannot attack things that are too close.
[ Elite Guard ]
Strategy - I haven't used them extensively enough, but they are expensive
Grenadiers, so the strategy should be the same.
Counter - Sharpshooters take them out very, very well.
( *** Cavalry *** )
[ Dragoon ]
Strategy - They are weak, but they have speed and range. Use that to your
advantage. Use them for hit and run. They can take out Peasants with ease.
Also works well against those pesky Hand Cannoneers. Also, VERY good against
artillery, except the Bronze Cannon which has good protection against rifles.
Downside is that they are expensive.
Counter - Since they are so fast, artillery is useless unless you are lucky and
catch them. Infantry, well unless they are stupid enough to run straight into
your army. Your best bet is to ambush them with a group of Sharpshooters, or
cavalry of your own.
[ Imperial Cuirassier ]
Strategy - Very good armor, arguably the best in this epoch. Very good melee
attack, perfect as shock troops. The possibilities are endless. Best used to
pick off weaker units, since they can chase anything down with ease. Destroys
artillery. Rarely anything has good armor against their deadly slash.
Counter - Since they use a melee attack, your best bet is to group your army
together, don't let anything run off on their own, or they will be picked off
by the Cuirassier. Force them to charge you. Cavalry charges hurt, but if you
focus your entire army on single Cuirassiers at a time, they will drop fast.
Keep in mind they are fearsome, but far from invincible.
( *** Artillery *** )
[ Bronze Cannon ]
Strategy - Use these as fire support for your army. They have good armor, but
protect them from cavalry. Never let them run loose.
Counter - Cavalry charges, or point your long range artillery on them. Even 50
infantry barely does any damage, so keep that in mind.
[ Serpentine ]
Strategy - Bring a group of 5 or 6 during a siege, and bring down walls and
structures with ease. Always, always keep an eye on them, and keep something
close to them for protection.
Counter - Just point anything their way and they would explode. They are very
slow, so cavalry probably works best.
[ Bombard Cannon ]
Strategy - They have very long range, and huge splash damage. They are too
slow for sieging, that's the Serpentine's job. Keep 1 or 2 of them behind your
army and watch the enemy army fall. Keep the hell away or you will fall too,
from the splash.
Counter - Whenever you see these, immediately point anything you have their
way. They are very very weak but very very deadly. Cavalry works best. They
should hold a very high priority in your mind, because they can shred your army
to bits.
Welcome to my finest creation in my career as a FAQ writer. Well actually this
is my first FAQ ;-) but nonetheless this is my most exciting section, as I
teach you to not only become a better EE player, but a better strategy/war
gamer in general, and a better thinker.
( *** Basic Strategies ***)
Peasants are your friends. They build structures for you to make weapons of
war, and they gather resources to feed, clothe, arm, and build your army. At
the beginning it is crucial to keep pumping out peasants. The more you have,
the faster your economy will grow, and eventually, boom.
When attacking or being attacked, always try and kill the cavalry and artillery
first. Your Sharpshooters (you DID bring them along right??) can easily pick
off the enemy infantry, but the most dangerous are by far the Bombard Cannons,
and Imperial Cuirassiers (which cut down your infantry faster than a
lawnmower).
When attacking, always advance slowly, in short sections. Advance your
Sharpshooters first, followed by infantry/cavalry, and finally artillery.
Always destroy Towers first.
Always make sure you control the entire map before you make your final siege on
the enemy stronghold. Invade and destroy, or capture all enemy expansion towns
and forts. Try and build Forts and barricade the enemy. The same can be done
on the sea.
( *** Advanced Section *** )
[ Dealing with Sharpshooters ]
This epoch is reliant on infantry, and you may find yours being harassed by
unseen Sharpshooters. Countless times my entire army fell to these sneaky
bastards. I have found a few ways to deal with this problem.
First, you can spread out your own Sharpshooters and cover your army. Enemy
Sharpshooters can't see yours, and when they step in to kill your Grenadiers,
your Sharpshooters can pick them off.
Or, you can charge cavalry at them to reveal them. You can identify a
Sharpshooter attack when your infantry starts getting picked off, and
immediately you should scour the area for the puff of smoke that comes from
your assailants' guns. Then simply point your cavalry at them to reveal them
for your Sharpshooters, or kill them with cavalry.
Finally, I haven't tried this strategy much but I found out air units can
reveal them just fine. Bring a Helium Balloon or two along with your army.
They are pretty slow and can be shot down by some units though, so be careful.
[ Expansion Towns ]
*** THIS IS A MUST READ ***
This is a very important strategy. If you've ever played Starcraft or Age of
Empires II, you would know that expansion towns are very important in TWO ways.
First, and most obvious, is for more resources. Expansion towns are usually
built near mines.
Second, expansion towns can be expanded to forts by surrounding it with walls
and towers. So when choosing an expansion town always look for natural
defenses such as trees and water. It is not wise to build an expansion town on
bare plains, and then surrounding it with walls on all 4 sides.
Supply forts with Barracks, and Siege Factories. The benefit? You've
shortened the time it takes for your army to reach the enemy. Reinforcements
are crucial during a siege, and can often decide victory and defeat. By
building a Fort near or just outside an enemy base, you can bring in fresh
troops faster than ever. This is CRUCIAL to success!
[ Destroying Expansion Towns ]
And making sure they are destroyed for good. After you destroy an enemy
expansion town they may build one again. The simple solution is by placing
about 2 Sharpshooters near that area, preferably beside the mines.
[ Control the Map ]
Ever played Risk? After you've revealed the map, take note of the best spots
for Forts. Attack and defeat enemy Forts, and build your own there. To save
population count, build static defenses to protect those Forts. After you've
controlled the map and barricaded your enemy, victory is in your grasp.
[ Surviving a Cavalry Attack ]
Imperial Cuirassiers are the most deadly cavalry in this epoch, and the best
way to deal with them is to concentrate your fire on one at a time. They will
fall quite fast. Do not use Bombard Cannons as they will splash damage and
maybe kill your own units as well.
The Industrial Epoch is very authentic, yet simple and fun. Just sit back,
relax, and watch the little armies battle it out. My next FAQs are already in
the making, and they will be further down the timeline where more units and
technology are available, and thus require more tactics and planning. Be sure
to check them out!
I hope you enjoyed reading this FAQ! Please feel free to send your comments,
suggestions, and requests to my e-mail at "ekinlegend@yahoo.com".
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