I’ve bought Microsoft’s Age of Empires as a special offer (CD only, no manual) recently, and it’s a great game IMHO. Just one thing that upsets me: Wood supply. After cutting down a forest, the forest is gone, and I have to look out for a new one to get my lumber. Is there any form of afforestation option, like in many other games, that allows me to plant trees?
Not that I’ve found. But there is always enough trees to build many, many things. I, myself, like to play Mediterranean and build massive amounts of ships to be blown up.
If you chop down all of the forrest in your immediate area, you just go exploring and find more. Build a storage pit right next to it and leave an elephant or two with your workers if it’s very far away from your base.
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about establishing some outlest myself, but defending them isn’t easy if you have some evil neighbors 
Thanks, Biggirl!
Remember your neigbors think you are the evil one. As well they should when you go through and kill the civilans and destroy the houses. This ruins their economy and makes it eaaier to crush them.
The answer is no, you don’t have a reforest option (either in AOE or Age of Kings).
In Age of Kings it’s easy (although expensive) to fix - you establish a trading mart, and buy wood (which gets progressively more pricey).
In AOE, well, you just don’t make houses, archers or catapults (and good luck if you run outta gold - just resign and budget better the next game).
And in several desert map games, I’ve exhausted wood supplies…and consequently lost.
Oh well, it’s just a game.
I’m assuming you are talking about AOE not AOE 2. I own AOE but have played it maybe 4 times. I “owned” a copy of the sequal before I bought the first so I never really liked the first. AOE 2:Age of Kings is the best RTS game ever IMO. I see the OP has been answered pretty well. It should be easy to just build another lumber mill near the next forrest you find. Lumber is really never an issue except for very early in a game. Does the first game not have a Market? Gold and stone are ussually the high demand items. I’m rambling and really have nothing more to add.
dead0man…posting with a buzz at 8:30am
Oh, the wars I’ve started over gold!
Sometimes I send out explorers and staked a claim on every single gold pile on the map. Eventually the peasants near my enemies get killed, but sometimes not for a long time.
Does anyone else have a really hard time winning a standard game? I almost always play conquest but the times I play standard there is always some little rinkydink civ in an overlooked corner that builds a damned Wonder.
Should I get Age of Kings? How’s it different from Empire?
Well, you shouldnt have any overlooked corners and I dont think I’ve ever had the computer build a wonder. Although they will get all the aritfacts for a win on occasion. I’m not sure if that relates to the first game or not. If you enjoy AOE you will LOVE aoe2: Age of Kings. I’m not sure of the differences, it looks better and there seems to be more stuff to do. Again, I havent played the original much, so YMMV. You should play on the easiest setting until you routinly beat it before moving on to the more advanced games. I, like most gamers, want a chalenge, but I still want to win. I play standard games, but I ussually only play maps I like(Gold Rush and Rivers). Again I see I’m not much help, but I really like this game and enjoy talking about it.
dead0man…posting even more buzzed(and sleepy) at 10am
Yes I had problems with the standard game for a while.
I cut the number of players to 2 or 3 to pratice. But sometimes one guy will fight a long drawn out battle with you while player three builds a damn wonder. Player two can’t see to get it through his thick skull that that is bad.
I love having about a dozen horse archers go raiding as a group. They will take out pretty much anything and can move around the opponets catapults easily.
Try going with an island setup (using a good seapower as yourself) to give you some alone time at the start of the game and fishing boats to supply your food. Use the trade ships to sell excess wood or stone to some poor sucker to supplement your gold. Since you don’t have to make food you can cut wood or mine all you want.
Horse archers are just too easy to kill. I’ve taken down 3 civs in one long march with elephant archers, catapults and a few footmen (to get the fast moving enemies that target the catapults).
Note: all this is with AoE. I’ve not gotten Age of Kings yet.
Two words: Cheat codes.
Maybe we should play via modem sometime.
As the OP has been ansered fully, I’m sure Schnitte won’t mind hijack type comments.
Zebra - wtf? horse archers? even with Parthian (passing?) shot they die too quickly. Give me the English Longbow anyday… 
Those badboys can even outrange (with all the extra research) those pesky meddling monks.
Yes I have just read the Scooby Doo thread.
Just got AoE, the conquerors and AoK (in a delux pack) and loaded AoE II only. . . WOW, the graphics are soooo much better.
Hey Zebra, if you’re still reading this thread I’d love to play you, but I’ve got to get used to all the new stuff. So far I’ve played 2 random map games with only 1 enemy and got beat both times. Those soldiers marching in formation just surpised the shit outta me!