Battle of Mylae (The Battle of Mylae in the Definitive Edition) is the second scenario of the The First Punic War campaign from the Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome demo. It depicts the eponymous battle.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | Mylae, 260 BCE The Romans have not ceased their meddling. More disturbingly, they have studied one of your wrecked warships and are using it as a model to build an entire fleet! These ships will allow them to protect their supply lines from Italy, keeping their armies in Sicily equipped and reinforced. The first of these new vessels are nearing your positions off the coast of Mylae. To demonstrate the futility of challenging Carthage at sea, capture the Roman supply carts and bring them back to your base. May Ba'al Hammon guide you! |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
| “ | 260 BC Apparently, Rome is not going to give up so easily. For decades, Carthaginian warships have ruled the Mediterranean. The Romans, however, have studied one of your wrecked triremes, and are duplicating it to build their own navy. Before you have time to rebuild your forces on Sicily, Rome is sending warships from the Italian peninsula to attack you near Mylae. To demonstrate to the Romans the futility of their attacks, capture their trade goods (Artifacts) from Syracuse and Italy and bring them back to your base of operations. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
Objectives[]
- Bring two War Chests containing Roman supplies to the blue flagged area on your island.
- Defeat both your opponents.
- Bring two War Chests containing Roman supplies to the blue flagged area on your island.
- Alternatively, kill your opponents.
- Bring two Artifacts to the blue flagged area on your island, or kill your opponents.
Hints[]
- You can support a population of 75 and now have access to the Bronze Age. This allows you to train new units such as warships, cavalry, camelry, and siege weapons.
- Build coastal towers to defend against the Roman navy while you construct your own.
- Explore the map to find additional resources.
- Use towers and walls along the coastline to defend against the Roman navy while you construct your own navy.
- Explore the map to find additional resources.
- You now have access to the Bronze Age, and to new units such as warships, cavalry, camelry, and siege weapons.
- Use towers and walls along the coastline to defend against the Roman navy while you construct your own navy.
- Explore the map to find additional resources.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player (
Carthaginians): The player starts on the western landmass with a Tool Age base, comprising a Town Center, Granary, Storage Pit, Dock, Barracks, and three Houses. It has a small population of Villagers and Slingers, and can eventually be advanced to the Iron Age.
Enemies[]
- Romans ( Romans): The Romans start with a Bronze Age base on the sprawling eastern landmass, and can advance to the Iron Age. They have a large economy, and send raids across the ocean, with warships coming ahead of transports loaded with a mixture of Barracks infantry, Bowmen, Priests, and Stone Throwers. One War Chest is to the east of their Temple.
- Syracusans ( Greeks): Syracuse has a small but capable defensive force on the southern landmass. They have Catapults, Short Swordsmen, Priests, and a coastal ring of Guard Towers. They have no ability to replenish losses, no economy beyond a pair of Fishing Ships, and a Dock that can safely be traded with after the defenders are eliminated. The other War Chest is near their Granary.
Player[]
- Player ( Romans): The player starts on the southern landmass with a Tool Age base, comprising a Town Center, Granary, 2 Storage Pits, 2 Docks, a Barracks, Market, 7 Houses, and 2 Farms. It has a small population of Villagers and Slingers, and can eventually be advanced to the Iron Age.
Enemies[]
- Romans ( Romans): The Romans have a densely packed economic base on the eastern tip of the sprawling northern landmass, and a small military enclave guarding a source of gold on a western island. They start in the Bronze Age and can advance to the Iron Age, and send warships and transports loaded with troops. They field War Galleys, Light Transports (upgradable to Heavy), Short Swordsmen (upgradable to Long), Bowmen, Priests, and Stone Throwers. Their War Chest is kept northeast of their Town Center.
- Syracusans ( Greeks): The Syracusans are situated on the east side of the same landmass as the player, separated by impassable cliffs. They begin in the Bronze Age, can reach the Iron Age, and send naval raids of Scout Ships (eventually upgradable to Triremes). They have an enormous economy, and can eventually train Ballistae and Phalanxes, but are initially just defended on land by a trio of Hoplites and a Guard Tower. Their War Chest is kept west of their Town Center.
Player[]
- Player ( Carthaginians): The player starts on the western landmass with a Tool Age base, comprising a Town Center, Granary, Storage Pit, Dock, Barracks, and three Houses. It has a small population of Villagers and Slingers, and can eventually be advanced to the Iron Age.
Enemies[]
- Rome ( Romans): Rome starts with a Bronze Age base on the sprawling eastern landmass, and can advance to the Iron Age. They have a large economy, and send raids across the ocean, with warships coming ahead of transports loaded with a mixture of Barracks infantry, Bowmen, Priests, and Stone Throwers. One War Chest is to the east of their Temple.
- Syracuse ( Romans): Syracuse has a small but capable defensive force on the southern landmass. They have Heavy Catapults, Broad Swordsmen, Priests, and a coastal ring of Sentry Towers. They have no ability to replenish losses, no economy beyond a pair of Fishing Ships and an inactive Villager, and a Dock that can safely be traded with after the defenders are eliminated. The other War Chest is near their Granary.
Strategy[]
The players in this scenario are all divided by an ocean, the only hazards initially present on the player's landmass are three Lions above the western cliffs. This region also contains the landmass's extra supply of gold and stone, as well as an Elephant. Between the Town Center and these western cliffs is the main woodline, just out of sight at the beginning.
While building up the base, make sure to train new military units to support the starting Slingers, and begin developing a navy. The Romans will eventually attack, sending a vanguard of warships ahead of a transport vessel loaded with soldiers. On hardest difficulties, the first wave happens around 19:20 in Return of Rome, and 10:40 in the original game. This will keep happening, so naval supremacy is vital: try to sink the transports before they can unload.
There is initially a technology disadvantage, as the Romans can field War Galleys while the player is still stuck with Scout Ships, so it is important to reach the Bronze Age quickly. When a significant wood stockpile is achieved, build additional Docks to train more warships simultaneously. In the longer term, train enough ships to take out the Roman Docks, then prowl the coastline waiting to destroy any rebuilding efforts. This becomes easier in the Iron Age, with the ability to train Fire Galleys.
Map of the Romans' base, 35-40 minutes on Hardest difficulty. The War Chest may be in either of these locations, depending on whether the Romans have found it yet.
Rome has a large economy, and their base will eventually spread across their substantial landmass. The War Chest is located at the back of their base, behind the Temple and Town Center. It is possible to capture it quickly near the start of the game by sneaking Scouts in by Light Transport, capture the War Chest, allow the Scouts to be wiped out elsewhere, and wheel the War Chest towards the coast, in the hopes that no enemy units enter its capture radius on its way to the ship.
Later on, the Roman land will be difficult to invade. They field large numbers of Priests and occasional Stone Throwers in addition to the more manageable Swordsmen and Bowmen, and have a number of Sentry Towers. Priests are best countered with Horse Archers, their Stone Throwers are vulnerable to Heavy Cavalry, and the Carthaginians' particularly tough Academy units can make short work of anything else. Should the player run out of gold, mass Triremes to soften their coastal defenses, as they only cost wood and can actually deal significant damage to buildings.
The other enemy is the Syracusans, who inhabit a tiny land in the south corner. Unlike the Romans, their base doesn't develop at all, and their small but potent military never leaves home. Nor do they replenish losses. The main threat is from a trio of Catapults (Heavy Catapults in the original) and pair of Priests, which are supported by Swordsmen (Short in Return of Rome, Broad in the original) and towers (Guard in Return of Rome, Sentry in the original). Try to whittle down the forces with ships before landing ground troops, taking care to dodge the Catapult shots. When landing, the Catapults will devastate tightly grouped infantry, so a better solution is to use the more sturdy and powerful War Elephants or Fire Galleys to destroy the towers, and Heavy Cavalry or Elephant Archers to deal with the Priests and Catapults.
The Syracusans sit on a treasure trove of gold and stone, which can easily run short in this scenario. They also have a Dock which can safely be left intact to send trading vessels to - it may be advisable to set the diplomatic stance to Neutral to avoid the troops accidentally destroying it.
Again, it's possible to take the Syracusans' War Chest sneakily by landing Scouts to the east, finding the War Chest near the Granary, and wheeling it away eastwards along the edge of the map. Bring the captured War Chests to the flagged area near the player's starting Town Center to win - or exterminate both rivals.
The order in which to tackle the Romans and Syracusans depends on the player's early military development. The Romans will be easier to invade early on, before they've advanced to the Iron Age or mined enough gold for a swarm of Priests. So if a capable Bronze Age force can be raised early, it is advisable to save the Syracusans for later, as their forces don't develop over time. Otherwise, if the player is running short on gold and still hasn't broken the Romans, the Syracusans will need to be tackled first to gain access to their gold.
Both enemies start in the Bronze Age, while the player starts in the Tool Age. On harder difficulties, the early phase of this scenario is extraordinarily challenging, as an overwhelming, relentless attack begins around the 10-minute mark. Both enemies send hordes of warships, and the Romans repeatedly unload transports of Swordsmen. The player will be outnumbered, and by a technologically superior force - survival may require unorthodox tactics.
One option is to attempt a pitched naval battle - although this is unlikely to work at harder difficulties.
- Send the first seven Villagers to gather food, then task every subsequent Villager with chopping wood. Use this to create a fleet of Scout Ships.
- Research Woodworking at the Market to increase arrow range and woodcutting speed. When the supply of wood outstrips the production of warships, build additional Docks. At the 9 minute mark, research Small Walls at the Granary.
- When the attack comes, withdraw the Villagers to the south, and block the path behind them with walls - it is unlikely that the ships will be able to stop the enemy transports in time. Build a Storage Pit at the new woodline, and keep up wood production to churn out more warships.
- To reclaim the base, build Granaries and Farms in the safe area, and build up a critical mass of Axemen before sending them into battle (don't trickle them out one by one) - or, if the enemy Swordsmen are close to the walls, build an Archery Range in the safe zone and whittle them down with Bowmen.
Another option is to build walls around the entire coastline, to make sure that transport ships cannot land any units. Try to get Villagers inland when the enemy navy starts harassing them. Towers may be useful, as the enemies do not construct Catapult Triremes or Fire Galleys, but it will be difficult to acquire enough stone before the attack begins. Focus on collecting enough food and gold to advance to the Bronze and Iron Ages, then amass enough wood to build a large navy; it may require trial-and-error to find Dock sites away from enemy warships.
A more extreme option is to abandon the base, and allow it to be destroyed:
- Initially, create Villagers as usual, but also add a Light Transport around the 5-minute mark.
- Keep 200 wood ready to use.
- Fill the transport with Villagers, and send it straight to the north corner of the map. Unload them on the large landmass. The Romans have their base squeezed into the eastern tip of this land, but it will take them a long time to find the player's new base, so long as the player has no presence too close to the coast, or too far east.
- Send the transport away.
- Ensure that 200 wood is stockpiled, then delete the original Town Center. The Villagers will now be able to build a new Town Center on the northern landmass.
- Resume creating Villagers, and send them to work. Don't build anything close to the coast until a technological and economic edge has been gained. There are berries to be found to the west, woodlines all around, and stone and gold a bit further east along the edge of the map, but don't stray far enough to acquire the mines until they're absolutely needed.
- Research Small Wall at the Granary.
- When the enemy attacks the original base, withdraw the southern landmass Villagers inland, and build new walls to seal the gaps behind them. The Roman Swordsmen won't try to break through the walls unless they spot the player's units behind them. The eastern region has gold and stone, but it's cramped, and the Villagers might be spotted by a passing warship. The southern region is safer, but has no mines; more walls may need to be built to stop invaders from the western shore.
- Allow the enemy ships and soldiers to destroy the base, it will keep them occupied for a lengthy period. Meanwhile, focus the surviving Villagers on advancing to the Bronze Age, then building a Government Center, which will allow the southern Villagers to create another Town Center and replenish their numbers. Note that in the southeast, the player and Syracusans are separated by a thin layer of wood and cliff, so it is possible to attack some of their structure using siege weapons from the initial base. Beware, though, as it also means their towers can drive the player's Villagers out of that wood line.
- When the northern Villagers push eastwards to claim the stone and gold, set up walls, and be ready to protect them from the Roman military.
Whichever strategy is chosen, by the Bronze Age, it will be possible to gain naval supremacy once a large stockpile of wood is amassed, which is the key to this scenario. Build several Docks to get them out quickly - and focus on reaching the Iron Age to field Triremes and Fire Galleys.
The first step of the attack is to find the Romans' western island, raze their buildings, and transport Villagers to claim the resources there. Consider using Fire Galleys, War Elephants, or Hoplites to destroy the buildings more quickly. Next, plug the canal above the northern tip of the starting island, so that future enemy ships can be surrounded as they go through this choke point.
When a critical mass of ships is ready, send them through to bombard the enemy coastlines. The Syracusans are initially weak, but can eventually train Ballistae and Triremes if allowed to continue unchecked. When attacking the Romans, the main threat is their Priests, which should always be the priority target. Both enemy players can be decimated by naval bombardment: the Syracusans occupy a thin strip of land, and while the Roman landmass is vast, their main town is squeezed into a tiny area on the eastern tip. With the way clear, it should then be a simple task to drop a squad of durable units (Centurions, Armored Elephants, or Elephant Archers) to retrieve the War Chests located alongside the enemy Town Centers. Bring them to the flagged area next to the player's starting Town Center.History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | Although the Roman supply lines in Sicily benefited from the alliance with Syracuse, Rome could not effectively provide reinforcements from Italy, nor take the war to Carthage, without first challenging Carthaginian sea power. Polybius relates that the Romans found a wrecked Carthaginian quinquereme, a heavy warship with five rows of oars, compared to a trireme with only three, and used it as a model to rapidly build an entire fleet. The Romans also innovated with the corvus, Latin for crow, a boarding bridge affixed to Roman ships which allowed them to board and capture enemy vessels. This was a critical invention for the Romans who, while superior at melee combat, were less effective at the ranged combat and ramming tactics generally used by naval powers like Carthage. The emphasis on boarding allowed Rome to leverage her army's strengths by effectively turning sea battles into land battles on the decks of ships. It also provided the Romans with captured Carthaginian vessels to add to their growing navy. Off the coast of Mylae in Northeast Sicily, Rome and Carthage fought their first major naval battle in 260 BCE. The use of the corvus won the battle for Rome, helping the Romans seize 50 Carthaginian ships, including the Carthaginian flagship. Rather than pursue the retreating Carthaginians, the Roman commander sailed to Sicily to take command of his land troops and relieve the siege of the city of Segesta. This allowed Carthage's navy to escape to fight later battles. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
| “ | The Carthaginian monopoly of seapower in the Western Mediterranean greatly influenced the land battles for Sicily. The Romans recognized the need to engage the Carthaginians at sea, as well as on land. Copying the design of a wrecked Carthaginian warship, the Romans built a fleet of their own and sought a decisive naval battle. The Roman and Carthaginian fleets met near Mylae to decide who would control the sea. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Victory[]
| “ | Your victory has reminded the Romans that Carthage rules the waves. Despite their defeat, however, the Romans remain undaunted and have continued to work on building their fleet. With the speed with which they have already replaced their losses, you worry that even Carthaginian shores will soon be threatened. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
| “ | The victory of the Carthaginian fleets and the capture of great booty improves enormously our position versus Rome. You have foiled them both at sea and on land. Another decisive engagement will force them to sue for peace and recognize our supremacy. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Loss[]
| “ | The failure of the Carthaginian forces under your command has undone our recent victories over Rome. The people of Sicily now send tribute to Rome, not Carthage. The captain of your ship has been ordered to throw you overboard so that you can swim home through shark-infested waters to receive new orders. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
| “ | The failure of the Carthaginian forces under your command has undone our recent victories over Rome. The people of Sicily now send tribute to Rome, not Carthage. The captain of your ship has been ordered to throw you overboard so that you can swim home immediately and receive new orders. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Trivia[]
- Despite the player (playing as the Carthaginians) emerging victorious, the Battle of Mylae actually resulted in decisive Roman victory, marking the first Roman naval victory.
