Quoted from ES_Sandyman:
However, pretty soon I will be taking three weeks off work (woohoo!) because AoM IS D0NE! It's off to the manufacturers to be burned, printed, collated, boxed, and shipped all across the world for the big release. I plan to come in to the office maybe once a week tops, and so I might still be able to answer some questions.
BUT ... if you don't see me answering for a while it' s not that I don't love you ... it's just that I'm carousing instead of sitting at a keyboard!
Anyway just as a freebie here's a tidbit about AoM:
The resources are MUCH more random than they were in AoK. They ARE still fair, you understand. Example: when you play on a particular random maps, sometimes you might have lots of food and little gold (and so will your opponent). Other times you both might be rolling in gold but have a tough time getting enough food. Or you both might have to walk a real long way for your wood. Or everything might be scarce across the board.
Why did we do this? Not only to provide more variety, but also to reward players who don't memorize tight little build orders, but who think for yourselves. If your AoK game is based on the assumption that you always start with 2 boars, 8 sheep and a cluster of berry bushes, then AoM will be more difficult for you because you might start with no boars, no berries, and 25 sheep. For instance. Of course your opponent is in the same boat with you.
Also thought I'd answer a question that I've seen some people ask. They looked at the HUGE list of relics in the game and wondered how you can play the game with so many relics. Well, in case it's not obvious, you don't get all the relics in any one game. Most games only have 3-4 relics, but they are chosen from that long list. So you won't find the Catoblepas Scales on every map.