SLAM'S ARENA FAST CASTLE WITH KHMER
OVERVIEW
I called this a Fast Castle build order because it is, Slam reached Castle Age at 13:36 with the ability to drop Town Centres and research the economy upgrades. But he was able to then turn this into a Fast Imperial, getting there around 25 minutes, with a nearly fully boomed economy behind it and the ability to produce military and tech switch at will.
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This is not a beginner's build order as it requires deer pushing and some careful economy management on the way to Feudal Age. However, I was able to replicate this relatively closely (around 15-20 seconds idle TC time on my first attempt).
You can find the recording of this here.
DETAILED BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 ON SHEEP
Wood 0 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 6
Queue villagers in the Town Centre, build 1 house with 2 Villagers and 1 house with 1 Villager. Move 1 sheep under the Town Centre (use your Scout to 'collect' them if needed). Set the gather point from the Town Centre onto the sheep and shift-queue the Villagers onto the same sheep. Send your Scout straight away to push deer. Your sheep can scout inside your walls to find your other resources as your Scout will be busy. Collect from your first sheep and then shift onto deer, shooting the deer each time with 2 Villagers, leaving the rest to collect food. Continue pushing deer.
3 ON WOOD
Wood 3 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 9
Build a Lumber Camp with the first of these 3Â against the woodline, ensuring there is space to go around both sides.
5 ON FOOD
Wood 3 Food 11
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 14
Continue pushing deer, with your 10th Villager, go to berries and build a mill. With your 11th Villager, build another house and then across to berries. Your 14th Villager bring in your first boar, garrisoning 4 Villagers inside the Town Centre to shoot the boar. Shoot it 3 times with the TC before ejecting to finish it off. Your other Villagers can continue taking food.
1 TO WOOD, 5 TO FOOD, 1 TO WOOD
Wood 5 Food 16
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 19
Build a house and then begin dropping farms as soon as you have the wood, aiming for 4 farms before clicking up. Bring in the second boar, again shooting it with 4 Villagers inside the Town Centre. Then 1 to wood again.
1 GOLD, 1 BERRIES, 1 WOOD
Wood 6 Food 16
Gold 1 Stone 0
Total Vils: 23
Begin now long range mining gold, do not build a mining camp. Send 1 more to berries and 1 more to wood.
1 TO GOLD, 2Â FROM FOOD TO GOLD, 1 FROM WOOD TO FARM, CLICK UP
Wood 5 Food 15
Gold 4 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24
Add 1 to gold and transition 2 more from food to gold, adding 1 more farm with a wood Villager (using the Khmer bonus, this can be anywhere). Then click up.
Advancing to Feudal Age
BALANCE GOLD VILLAGERS
Wood 7 Food 17
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24
As the gold comes in for Castle Age, move Villagers to food and wood ready to bank resources for upgrades and Town Centres.
Feudal Age
CLICK UP
Wood 7 Food 17
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24
Immediately click up to Castle Age, with Khmer you don't have any building perquisites so you should be able to advance straight away (assuming you have got the timing right on the gold collection).
Advancing to Castle Age
RESEARCH DOUBLE BIT AXE AND HORSE COLLAR
Wood 7 Food 17
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24
Research Double Bit Axe and Horse Collar as soon as you can afford them once you have clicked up. Build a house ready for Castle Age.
PREPARE FOR EXTRA TOWN CENTRES
Wood 7 Food 17
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24
Identify locations for your next 2 Town Centres, just before reaching Castle Age, send 3 Villagers from food under the Town Centre and 1 from wood to build each of these.
Castle Age
RESEARCH BOWSAW AND HEAVY PLOW
Wood ~7 Food ~17
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 24+
Place your 2 Town Centres and research your economy upgrades as soon as possible.
DROP FARMS, DEVELOP ECO
Wood ~20 Food 20+
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 40+
Aim for around 20 Villagers on wood, and then once Heavy Plow completes, drop farms regularly as often as you can afford it.
RESEARCH WHEELBARROW, GO TO GOLD, BUILD RANGES, BLACKSMITH, SIEGE WORKSHOP, UNIVERSITY
Wood ~20 Food 30+
Gold 20+ Stone 0
Total Vils: 70+
Research Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart straight after once you are floating the resources to afford. Queue the other 2 of your Town Centres onto gold. Start dropping 2 Archery Ranges, a Blacksmith, Siege Workshop and University.
PRODUCE ARCHERS, RAMS AND GO TO STONE
Wood ~20 Food 30+
Gold 20+ Stone 10+
Total Vils: 80+
Start producing Archers and getting the upgrades. Produce Battering Rams and go to stone.
CLICK UP TO IMPERIAL AGE
Wood ~20 Food 30+
Gold 20+ Stone 10+
Total Vils: 80+
Advance to Imperial Age, ensure you are producing Archers/Crossbows and Battering Rams. You will get Capped Ram as soon as you hit Imperial Age in order to put pressure forward, sending your Villagers to build a Castle for Trebuchets. From here, it is down to adapting. Your economy should be strong enough to make transitions. Continue adding farms to afford Light Cav in response to Skirmishers.
QUICK REFERENCE BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 on sheep (pushing 1 deer straight away)
3 on wood
5 on food
1 on wood
4 on food
1 on wood
1 on food
1 on gold (no mining camp)
1 on food
1 on gold (+2 from food to gold)
Advance to Feudal Age
Advancing to Feudal Age
1 from wood to food
Transition back from gold to food
Feudal Age
Advance to Castle Age
Advancing to Castle Age
Transition to 7 on wood, 17 on food
Research Double Bit Axe + Horse Collar
Build House
Queue Villagers
Castle Age
Drop 2 Town Centres
Research Bowsaw, Heavy Plow
Drop Farms, expand economy and prepare for military and Imperial Age