What is Castle Blood Auto?
Castle Blood Auto (CBA) is a popular custom scenario game type for Age of Empires 2 (AoE2). All players start with 4 castles, that automatically spawn their civilization's unique unit (uu) such as British Longbowmen or Japanese Samurai. A player loses if all of his castles are destroyed. It is an extremely fast-paced and exciting game type, requiring no boring resource gathering, focusing instead on military tactics and combat. Due to this, games can be over in less than 20 minutes, and rarely last longer than an hour. Compared to standard Random Map games which can last for 4 hours or more, CBA gives players a quick and fun alternative.Villagers can be earned through razing enemy buildings, but no new castles may be constructed. Neither can the player construct a town center to make more villagers. However, other things can be built such as walls and towers to improve defense, or barracks, archery ranges, and stables for creating new units. Resource gathering is practically never needed due to the immense amount of starting resources. Players begin the game in the Feudal Age, but can advance to the Castle and Imperial Ages by killing a set number of enemy units.
It is generally played by 2 teams of 4 players (4v4), which is a very good thing, considering each player only has one specific type of unit at the start. Having 3 other teammates can balance a player's weaknesses, which makes teamwork extremely important in CBA games. It is also customary for players to start with random civilizations. Picking random civs does 2 things... First, it forces players to use new civs they are unfamiliar with, or would not have used in any other situation, causing players to learn more about all the strengths and weaknesses of each civilization in the game. Second, it ensures that all games are different. With 2 teams of 4 players randomly getting one of 18 civilizations in the game, there are a lot of different combinations. Each combination of enemies and allies will require a unique strategy to win. This variety forces players to continuously, and quickly adapt their strategies for each game, making each game fun and exciting.
Civilization Overview
Aztecs
UU: Jaguar Warrior - A light-armored but heavy-hitting infantry that specializes in killing other infantry.Relevant Bonuses
- +4 infantry attack (Imperial Age)
- +5 HP for Monks for each Monastery technology (for a total of +50 HP)
- +15% military unit production
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Japanese (Samurai)*
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)*
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Guns, Archers, and Anti-infantry Units
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Koreans (War Wagon)**
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)**
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
Production: Counter Units
Comments: People tend to underestimate the Aztecs, with their low armor, lack of cavalry, and only having a bonus of killing infantry units which are almost never used once players obtain villagers. However, the ability to get to Imperial Age early is not to be underestimated, neither is that +4 infantry attack. Also, 7 out the 18 civs have an infantry UU, which practically guarantees that you will have at least one opponent that you can kill very easily, if not two. Although they cannot create more durable units like heavy cavalry, their high attack infantry, backed by some archers, can at least keep one enemy busy while teammates with more powerful and durable units finish them off.
Britons
UU: Longbowman - An extremely long range archer.Relevant Bonuses
- +1 range for foot archers (Caslte Age
- +2 additional range for foot archers (Imperial Age) for +3 total
- +2 tower attack (Imperial Age)
- +20% faster Archery Range (Team Bonus)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Persians (War Elephant)*
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)*
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Skirmishers, and Anti-Archer Units
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Mongols (Mangudai)**
Production: Archers, Skirmishers, and Cavaliers
Comments: Longbowmen are a relatively weak archer until you get your Castle Age research, and you will have a slight disadvantage to other archers like the Chinese or Mayans. However, when you reach Imperial Age, you will have the best archers in the game, with the ability to pick off enemies at extreme long range. Do not underestimate your Crossbowmen and Arbalests, thinking them a weaker version of your Longbowmen. Their range is only 1 less than the Longbowmen, which is still 3 more range than any other player's archers. That extra 3 range is all you need to stop enemies dead.
Byzantines
UU: Cataphract - A heavily-armored cavalry unit that specializes in killing infantry.Relevant Bonuses
- +10% HP for all buildings each age (for +40% total by Imperial Age)
- +50% heal speed for Monks (Team Bonus)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)*
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Camels, Guns, and massed Archers
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: Cataphracts are an extremely powerful UU, that can practically take on 2 infantry civs at once. However, they are very slow at razing, so getting your first villager may take some work. Use your cavalry's speed to your advantage to run around enemies and get surprise attacks on unguarded gates. Although the Byzantines can make the ultimate Heavy Cavalry unit, the Paladin, they lack important cavalry research such as Bloodlines and Blast Furnace, giving them the weakest Paladins in the game. Support your Paladins with plenty of Cavalry Archers, Skirmishers, or Hand Cannoneers.
Celts
UU: Woad Raider - A light armored infantry unit that specializes in razing buildings.Relevant Bonuses
- +15% movement speed for infantry
- +20% fire rate for siege weapons
- +50% HP for siege weapons
- +20% faster Siege Workshop (Team Bonus)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: Avoid head-on fights as much as possible, and aim for razes. Get behind enemy Castles, and bring them down fast. With your bonus against buildings, you should have a villager in no time since you only need 2 razes. Once you begin creating Knights, you will start to win more and more battles by yourself. Come the Imperial Age, you are an entrenched defender's worst nightmare. Use your superior rams to break through enemy defenses, then send your Paladins in to clean up the mess. As with the Byzantines, your Paladins are on the weak side as far as Paladins go; but they are still an extremely powerful and versatile unit.
Chinese
UU: Chu Ko Nu - An archer with an extremely fast attack.Relevant Bonuses
- +2 attack for Chu Ko Nu (Imperial Age)
- +4 attack for Scorpions (Imperial Age)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Persians (War Elephant)*
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)*
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Skirmishers and Anti-Archer Units
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
Comments: Chu Ko Nu will be very strong in the early game, defeating other archers, infantry, and even cavalry. But they peak early, and by late game they are only marginally better than using Arbalests. The Chinese have Bloodlines research and access to Camels, giving them better-than-average cavalry.
Franks
UU: Throwing Axeman - Well balanced infantry with a ranged melee attack.Relevant Bonuses
- +20% HP for Knights
- +1 range for Throwing Axemen (Imperial Age)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: Throwing Axemen are a strange unit, in that they can attack from range like an archer, but their attack counts as a melee attack. Their range isn't as high as archers, but it will help give you an edge against archers that other infantry do not have. Axemen have a pretty low attack for infantry, but the ranged part means that more of your units can be attacking at once, giving you another advantage over other infantry. Being able to attack from range more than makes up for their low attack. Getting 40+ Axemen on a single gate will bring it down fast. Franks have the most powerful Paladins in the game. Make as many of them as you can.
Goths
UU: Huskarl - Infantry that is practically immune to archer fire.Relevant Bonuses
- +1 infantry attack vs. buildings
- +10 population (Imperial Age)
- Create Huskarls at Barracks (Imperial Age)
- +20% faster Barracks (Team Bonus)
- +50% faster Barracks (Imperial Age)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Vikings (Berserk)
Comments: The Huskarl has insanely high pierce armor, which means it is stupidly good when going against archers, and stupidly bad against anything with a melee attack. And since defensive buildings such as Towers and Castles also shoot arrows, the Huskarl can safely run straight at the enemys' Castles and take them out. Gun units, with their high attack, and bonus against infantry, will practically cancel out your armor, so only attack guns if you have no better options. If you get to Imperial Age with a villager, and the enemy still has archers, you can make even more Huskarls out of your Barracks. And despite being an infantry civilization, the Goths have decent cavalry units, lacking only Paladins and Plate Armor, while their Cavalry Archers only lack Parthian Tactics.
Huns
UU: Tarkan - Cavalry unit that specializes in razing buildings.Relevant Bonuses
- +20% faster Stables (Team Bonus)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
Comments: Attack Gates and Casltes... If your allies are under attack, ignore it. If your own base is under attack, ignore it. Go straight to the enemies' Castles and take them out. Don't even think about using your Tarkans to fight enemy units. Run away, run around them and get to their buildings. Once an enemy gate is down, go straight to his Castles. If one player is too well defended, run away and go pick on someone else for a while. Alternating attacks on random enemy players will keep them off guard. With enough skill (and with your teammates keeping you alive), this game will be over before it begins.
Japanese
UU: Samurai - A fast-attacking infantry that specializes in killing other unique units.Relevant Bonuses
- +25% faster infantry attack
* Samurai can be effective against practically any civ, having an attack bonus against other Unique Units. Massed Archers, and especially guns can give them some trouble at range. They are best used against other melee, andare probably the single most effective defense against Persia's War Elephant.
Weak Against: Guns
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: The Samurai's attack bonus against other UU means you have very little to fear while playing the Japanese. Their fast attack even makes them good at rushing castles. Once you reach Imperial, you have a ton of options for production. Your foot archers are second only to the Britons. And if you really need to take down some British archers, your Skirmishers are second to none. Your Cavalry Archers rank pretty high too, and with their higher HP and armor, can be a better all-purpose ranged unit than your Arbalests. Top that off with access to Hand Cannoneers, and no one should ever beat the Japanese from range. Keep some Champions, Halberdiers, or Cavaliers in front of your archers, and you will be on your way to victory.
Koreans
UU: War Wagon - A heavily-armored cavalry archer.Relevant Bonuses
- Tower upgrades are free.
- +1 range for towers (Castle Age) +1 range (Imperial Age) for +2 total.
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Vikings (Berserk)
Comments: The War Wagon is nearly as good against archers as the Goth's Huskarl, but will fall if they get surrounded by melee units. Try to keep water or a wall on one side of your groups to avoid being flanked. Wagons take up a lot of space, and block large areas of the map. Use this to your advantage if you or one of your allies loses a gate. Your Imperial Age units are far below average, so you will want to focus on countering the enemies' units.
Mayans
UU: Plumed Archer - A heavily-armored foot archer, with a bonus against other archers.Relevant Bonuses
- +40 HP for Eagle Warriors (Imperial)
Good Against: Archers and Guns
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
Comments: You Plumed Archers have a low attack, especially while in the Feudal Age, which is a huge handicap to getting kills and razes. Use them only in large numbers. Ask for some help to get your first villager, since you only need 1 raze, then wall up your entire team if possible. Mayans are very limited in what they can do since they cannot make cavalry and do not have the powerful infantry or Monks like the Aztecs, so just try to counter the enemies' units.
Mongols
UU: Mangudai - An improved Cavalry Archer with an attack bonus against siege units.Relevant Bonuses
- +20% firing rate for Cavalry Archers
- +30% HP for Hussars
- +50% Speed for Siege Units
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Vikings (Berserk)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
Comments: Don't think for a second that Mangudai are your best bet to take out enemy rams. Yes, they will do a better job at killing rams than other archers would, but literally ANY melee unit is still going to be better than using Mangudai. So just ignore the Mangudai's attack bonus against siege units. And if you reach the point where you have to use Mangudai against enemy rams, the game is probably over anyway. Once you get your villagers, build a Stable, and get your Bloodlines research, giving your Mangudai an extra 20 HP.
Persians
UU: War Elephant - A slow-moving, heavy-hitting cavalry with a ton of HP, and an attack bonus against buildings.Relevant Bonuses
- +30% movement speed for War Elephants (Imperial Age)
- +2 attack for Knights against Archers (Team Bonus)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Vikings (Berserk)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: Elephants are the ultimate tank unit. Send a large group to an enemy base, and it will likely keep them busy for quite a while, and can be a good distraction. Get lots of razes early on. You need 4 just to get your first villager, and you can be made useless very fast if the enemy gets villagers first, and manages to wall up their bases. Take down 1 gate, then try to get a large group of Elephants to an enemy Castle and bring one down early. This leaves the other gates for your teammates (who won't need a ton of razes) to get villagers. You have great Cav Archers as well as Paladins, but you may want to consider making nothing at all, especially once you reach the Imperial Age, as your Elite Elephants are ridiculously strong. Making 200 Paladins with 180 HP each gives a total of 36,000 HP. Simply allowing 60 Elite War Elephants to spawn with 620 HP each will give you a total of 37,200 HP. Sometimes, it's about quality over quantity. The only real advantages you gain over producing your own units are the option to get ranged units (Cavalry Archers), and the ability to replenish your forces faster. So just keep your Elephants as long as your team is pushing the enemy back. However, stock up on Stables and Archery Ranges anyway, so you are ready to produce at a moments notice.
Saracens
UU: Mameluke - A camel with a ranged melee attack and an attack bonus against cavalry.Relevant Bonuses
- +3 attack for Cavalry Archers against buildings
- +30 HP for Camels (Imperial Age)
- +1 attack for foot archers against buildings (Team Bonus)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mongols (Mangudai)*
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Spanish (Conquistador)*
Weak Against: Heavy Infantry, Spearmen, and Massed Foot Archers
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Turks (Janissary)
- Vikings (Berserk)
Comments: Having the only UU that can effectively kill all cavalry is a big responsibility, especially if the enemy has Huns, Persians, Spanish, or, God forbid, all 3 of those at the same time. If the enemy has Huns, they are your number 1 priority, no matter what else is happening. Mamelukes also have a pretty slow spawn rate, and can have fewer units than most other civs, so you need to be careful how you use them, as it will take you longer than other civs to replenish your forces. Getting your villager early is a good idea, if only to get Bloodlines, and 20 extra HP for your Mamelukes. Your Mamelukes get another 30 HP boost in the Imperial Age, so don't neglect that research. Also getting that same 50 HP boost are your Heavy Camels, which will have more HP than a standard Paladin. Also, your Cavalry Archers are arguably the best in the game, and are extremely effective when placed behind a wall of Camels.
Spanish
UU: Conquistador - A mounted hand cannoneer.Relevant Bonuses
- +15% firing speed for Hand Cannoneers
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)*
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Mamelukes, Skirmishers, and Most Anti-Archer Units
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
Comments: Conquistadors are a very powerful UU, with very few weaknesses. Because of this, they begin the game without their elite upgrade, as well as pretty low HP. This is easily remedied by obtaining villagers, and researching Bloodlines at the Stables, which will give all of your cavalry an additional 20 HP. Get all of your Conquistadors shooting at a gate, and it will come down fast. It will also take you a lot more kills to reach the Imperial Age, but it will be worth it, since a Spanish Imperial Age army is one of the most powerful in the game. Even without the Conquistadors, the Spanish have ALL Blacksmith upgrades, Heavy Cav Archers, Bloodlines, Paladins, Halberdiers, and Hand Cannoneers with a faster attack. The only major things the Spanish lack are Foot Archer upgrades and Parthian Tactics. Even still, Spanish Cav Archers rank near the top, which more than compensates for their lack of Foot Archers. They even have access to all of the Monk upgrades, as well as their own unique Monk unit, the Missionary, who rides a donkey for extra speed. Play these guys well, and it will be very hard to lose.
Teutons
UU: Teutonic Knight - A slow moving, heavily-armed, and heavily-armored infantry unit.Relevant Bonuses
- Double the healing range for Monks
- Double the garrison for Towers
- +3 Range for Castles (Imperial Age)
- Garrisoned infantry fire arrows (Imperial Age)
- Units resist conversion (Team Bonus)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Huns (Tarkan)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Saracens (Mameluke)
- Vikings (Berserk)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warriors)
- Britons (Longbowman)
- Chinese (Chu Ko Nu)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Mongols (Mangudai)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: The Teutons get a lot of bonuses for having their Infantry garrisoned. However, this would be difficult to make into any kind of effective strategy, so it is usually best to just go attack with your infantry. Teutonic Knights are great for tanking and destroying buildings, you should have little problem getting your villagers. With villagers, and Imperial Age, they are very one-dimensional. They get strong Paladins, but lack Heavy Cav Archers and Arbalests. And despite being an "infantry civilization" (as the game declares), other than having a garrison bonus, there is nothing special about their standard Infantry units other than having access to all Blacksmith upgrades. They do, however, have Hand Cannoneers, which can be useful if the enemy tries to thwart your Paladins with Spearmen.
Turks
UU: Janissary - An improved Hand Cannoneer.Relevant Bonuses
- +25% HP for Gunpowder Units
- Gunpowder Units created 20% faster (Team Bonus)
- Aztecs (Jaguar Warrior)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)*
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Vikings (Berserk)
Weak Against: Massed Archers, Skirmishers, and Most Anti-Archer Units
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
Comments: The Janissary is another UU that doesn't start with the Elite upgrade, but don't let that fool you. They are just as lethal as anything else out there, if not more so. Razes should be pretty easy if you get a large group of Janissaries all firing at one gate. Otherwise, get out there and kill. If need be, putting all of your Janissaries in front of an enemy Infantry civ's gates can effectively block them in. Use this tactic with caution, however, since your base will then be empty. Although you may be tempted to spam guns with that HP bonus, they still have pretty low HP, and will die to most other ranged units, so it's best to use them only if the enemy is making lots of infantry (which is rare) Your Cavalry Archers, on the other hand, are among the best in the game, and can be far more versatile. And your Camels and Knights aren't bad either. In general, produce about half Cavalry Archer and half melee cavalry. If enemy has lots of horses, then your melee cavalry should be Camels, and if they don't, your melee cavalry should be Cavaliers.
Vikings
UU: Berserk - An infantry unit that heals itself over time.Relevant Bonuses
- +20% HP for Infantry (Imperial Age)
- Celts (Woad Raider)
- Franks (Throwing Axeman)
- Goths (Huskarl)
- Koreans (War Wagon)
- Mayans (Plumed Archer)
- Byzantines (Cataphract)
- Japanese (Samurai)
- Persians (War Elephant)
- Spanish (Conquistador)
- Teutons (Teutonic Knight)
- Turks (Janissary)
Comments: The healing ability of the Berserk might sound cool, but it is rarely significant enough to matter, especially when considering the Berserk's low HP. In reality, the Berserk is just slightly better than a Champion. Sadly, most of the Viking's bonuses are naval, and there are no boats in standard CBA, which makes them one of the weakest civs in any kind of land encounter. However, they do start out in Castle Age, which can be nice, since they will have higher Blacksmith/University upgrades than other civs, which evens the field a bit in the opening skirmishes. And that also means they can start production immediately after getting their first Villager, since they will have access to Castle Age units already. Therefore, obtaining Villagers as early as possible should be a top priority for the Vikings. And once you get those Villagers, you need to kill your enemies fast, because your land units will not stand up to a prolonged Imperial Age war against other civs.
General Strategy Tips
Communicate: First of all, CBA was designed to be a team game. Communication, and working together is important to obtaining victory. Many players (mostly Random Mappers) will argue that CBA is a game of luck, and that the team with the best civs will always win. This is only right to a certain extent. Yes, extreme mis-matches do happen on occasion, but most games are even enough that even with a mis-match, a well-experienced team can always find a way to win. Even matches where you find yourself on the wrong side of a 3v4 can be winnable, and in fact, can sometimes be easier, since the enemy tends to let their guard down, hoping you will just quit.Pick Your Battles: Just because you are Yellow, and Purple is right next door, doesn't mean the 2 of you have to go at it. And just because the Orange player is attacking your base, doesn't mean you have to fend them off. There are 4 enemies. Fight the one you have the best advantage over, and communicate this to your team, so they know where to cover you. Make sure everyone on your team can get the best matchup possible. Playing with random civs, there are a ton of different combinations, so your plan for each game must be different. Do not let geography decide who you are fighting (unless it is advantageous to do so). But definitely, do not let the enemy decide who you are fighting, or you have already lost.
Villagers: Obtaining Villagers is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY to winning. A mis-match in UU's can easily be overcome by being the first one to get a Villager, since you can now produce any counter unit you need. It is usually a good idea to wall up your base ASAP (as well as your teammates bases if necessary) as this can prevent the enemy from getting their Villagers. In the end, the team that has the most production will win, and your auto-spawn from Castles is insignificant compared to someone who can build 20 Stables. No matter what civs are out there, having Villagers is at least a 10 to 1 advantage over someone who doesn't have them.
Walling: Build walls IN FRONT of your starting gates (like this). This way, enemy melee units cannot attack them. Do not make a lot of new gates, as this can give the enemy more opportunities to get Villagers. Make walls, not gates. I have seen many rookies come into CBA, and build 5 rows of gates in front of their base, or build a wall BEHIND their gates, or build no walls at all... Do not do this, or your base will be easy prey.
Production: Completely fill your base with as many production buildings as possible. When the game gets to Imperial Age, and everyone has Villagers, the winning team will be the one that produces the most units in the least time. So many teams have lost because 1 player only put 3 or 4 stables in their base. My standard base configuration can fit 15 buildings, but you can easily fit 16 or possibly 17 or 18 if you get creative. But now you have no excuse not to build at least 15. Those 15 are usually enough to win most games, but if you feel the need for more, you can always build outside. However, please keep your buildings neat and orderly, and save space for your teammates. Far too many players build something like this mess right outside of someone else's gates, then that other player's units have to navigate a maze just to get out. And most of the time they will just get stuck and never make it to their rally points. Extra production means nothing if your units cannot make it to the front lines, so keep it neat, and allow for other units to get through.
Attacking
Coordinate attacks with your teammates. Have the melee civs run in first, to act as tanks, while the ranged civs sit behind and fire. If you are outnumbered, run away, and regroup with a teammate or the rest of your units. Do not allow the enemy to kill more units than necessary. Doing so is called feeding, and will only serve to advance the enemy to Imperial Age faster. For most civs, you should focus on killing enemy units first, then when you have a clear advantage, attack his gates. If you have a clear path, and you have a civ that can raze well, take a large group of at least 40 units, send them behind the enemies' Castles, and destroy them. An early Castle raze can turn the tide of any game. Another thing to note, is the towers that are in front of the Castles. These can have pretty low HP, compared to the Castles or Gates, and can be easy razes, especially if the enemy base is mostly empty.Defending
First and foremost, do not let the enemy get behind your Castles. If your gates are open, put some units in Stand Ground formation in the back corners to block the path. This can change the outcome of any attack. At the very least, it will delay the enemy long enough for your teammates to get there to help. And many times, it will stop them completely, and all of your Castles will be saved.If you are under siege from a superior enemy, call for help. It is better to sit in the back of your base than to feed kills to the enemy. Especially if your gates are already gone, there is no reason to fight anywhere other than close to your Castles. It will give you the advantage of having extra arrows firing at the enemy while you fight them. Most CBA maps now have a way to move your spawn location, usually by moving a King or Relic on the edge of the map by your Blacksmith. When under attack, move your spawn to Close, so your units stay next to your Castles.
Mixed Armies
Use your civ's unique bonuses to your advantage, (Briton Archers, Saracen Camels, Turk Guns, etc.) but don't just make a single type of unit. Always make a mix of unit types, at least go 75/25 with 75% your best unit for your civ, then 25% some other unit to help balance it out. An army of only 1 unit type (like British Archers) is easily destroyed by its counter unit (Skirmishers). In the Civ overview above, I recommended at least 2 units for each civ to produce. Following those combinations should keep you well balanced. A balanced mixed army can only be countered by another mixed army, which will force the enemy to change tactics, or die. And even if they do change tactics, it will likely take some time, since they may need to build new buildings, research some units, or at the very least, produce a new army.Countering
In case you don't know, use the following list to determine what unit you need to counter another. For the sake of conciseness, only the first unit in a tier is mentioned (i.e. Knight), but it applies to all upgraded versions of that unit (Cavaliers and Paladins). Also, I am mostly discussing basic units here, since unique units were mostly discussed above.If the enemy has...
- Swordsmen, counter with Hand Cannoneers
- Spearmen, counter with Hand Cannoneers or Monks
- Eagle Warriors, counter with Hand Cannoneers
- Archers, counter with Skirmishers, Knights, Light Cavalry, or Eagle Warriors
- Skirmishers, counter with Knights, Light Cavalry, or Eagle Warriors
- Cavalry Archers, counter with Skirmishers
- Hand Cannoneers, counter with Skirmishers
- Knights, counter with Spearmen or Camels
- Camels, counter with Spearmen or Swordsmen
- Light Cavalry, counter with Spearmen, Swordsmen, Eagle Warriors, Knights, or Camels
- Monks, counter with Light Cavalry or Eagle Warriors
- Rams, counter with any melee unit (Swordsmen, Spearmen, Eagle Warriors, Knights, Camels, or Light Cavalry)
Thanks for this guide. I use it like every day.
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