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10 habits of the great AoM players

Published 11/30/02, AoM v1.01

By RicoJay13

1. They treat farming like a bad seed.

Poor pun withstanding, hunting is still the fastest food source. Most people know it, but are you easily put into "farm panic mode"? This occurs when, after eating some deer or sheep, you scan your area of the map and think that the only way you will ever have food is if you start farming exclusively. This is very expensive at this early stage in the game. At the very least, you should keep a hunting party of 6-8 villagers hunting and gathering while you begin farming around your TC. Preferably they are getting deer or elephants, but monkeys, berries, and chickens are still a better investment than farming. Even when it’s a long walk, I still recommend keeping a fairly large group of villagers hunting. Once hunting is exhausted, go for your chickens/berries/sheep that are near your TC. Farming should be a gradual transition. Of all the things I check with a quick glance at my teammates base, how many farms they have at that certain intangible point in the early game is the best way I predict how good they are.

2. They know the hotkeys that are important to their game play.

Learn this way: look up one hotkey that you don’t know but you would use often, like your barracks. Play a 1v1 vs. an easy computer and tell yourself the only way you will select your barracks this game will be to use the hotkey. Repeat as necessary. Something everybody should know: H = town center and V = build villager. If you click on the villager icon even once in a game, your keyboard better be broken.

3. They control group buildings.

This is especially important for your main military-producing facilities. I like my 3-5 barracks on hotkey "9," and I know a lot of players that start from "9" going left with their buildings so their units can go from 1-5. While you’re at it, you might as well learn the hotkey for your favorite unit. In combination, these will allow for quick unit construction.

4. Constantly trying to improve their mouse speed.

The great players know that speed often wins games, and they are doing everything possible to stay as fast as possible. In the options for the game, you can increase the sensitivity of the mouse movement. Try increasing it and seeing if you can adapt to the faster speed. I've seen some people I know scrolling the entire way from their base to see their army in the opponents base. You simply have to learn that clicking the mini map is unbelievably faster.

5. They are extremely busy all game long.

Hitting the period takes you to idle villagers, and giving them something to do at all times is economic law. Watching a good player play should look like they are controlling the Normandy invasion. Good players constantly move villagers around from resources they have abundances in to ones they need. An abundance of resources means that you need more military buildings so you can do something with those resources. The market is used on occasion, but it is certainly not very efficient.

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