Age of Mythology Heaven: Newbie Guide

By Zhaz
Published 11/16/02, AoM v1.01

Introduction

This article is a starting point for those that are tired of getting their butt kicked online…but I think many people can learn more if they are interested in improving their skills. If you’re already comfortable with your skills and winning most of your games, you probably won’t learn much. Obviously some basic familiarity with the game will help you understand what I mean when I refer to specific things.

Because the three cultures are so diverse, I will look at each individually. But first, let’s take a look at some of the general facts to keep in mind no matter who you are playing.

Remember – gameplay is in the process of steady evolution, and the best approach to playing AoM will change over time.

If you have ever played AoK, much of AoM will already be familiar to you, including some of the basic concepts outlined in this article. There are still four ages, of which the second are where the fighting begins in most games, units relate to each other in a complex counter system, and the Town Center is still a major part of the game. (Although in a different manner.) But to say AoM is a similar game to AoK is to underly the complexity of it. There is far more to AoM.

The most notable difference is the fact that AoM is a much faster game than in AoK. Even in the days of the famous Flush strategy, people rarely went to the Feudal (second) age in less than 9-10 minutes. In AoM on the other hand, you will often see people go to the Classical (second) age around 4-5 minutes. You have to be on your toes playing with full concentration right from the start of the game.

The introduction of gods with their own powers, technologies and mythological units had added a lot of depth to the game. God Powers give some more strategic elements to the game and you will need to learn when and how to use them. It may take a little bit of experimentation. The use of Mythological Units is a more complex issue as you will need to make considerations to what situation the game is in and thus how much resources you can afford to spend on getting favor. (The Norse here have the clear advantage of not having to spend resources on getting favor – but on the other hand they are dependent on keeping the fighting up if they want it.) Finally different gods have different technologies – you may wish to choose a specific god to improve your focal units.

Next: The golden rules of AoM