Continental is a map in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome, Age of Empires II, and Age of Empires IV.
Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome[]
โ | A massive island with nothing but the ocean around it. Conquering the hills deep within becomes just as vital as battling on the coasts. | โ |
—Return of Rome description |
Continental represents a circular, giant island, surrounded by water. Resources are more abundant in land than in the Age of Empires II version, and there are also more trees, mostly Forest Trees.
There might also be some ponds (or a single large one), scattered asymmetrically through the mainland. These include some Shore Fish, but beware of the occasional Alligator and duo of Lions. Chokepoints tend to be surprisingly abundant for a land-and-water map, with cliffs and forests, thus even providing some turtling potential (that can still be somewhat nullified with Light and Heavy Transports).
It is highly recommended to focus about โ of the food production to the sea, just in case the enemy kills many of the player's Villagers. And of course, try to invest in a military navy, that can strike the enemy's Fishing Boats.
Age of Empires II[]
โ | A large body of land surrounded by the sea; rivers may separate players and teams. | โ |
Description[]
Continental is a mostly land map, surrounded by water. Rivers and series of lakes separate opposing teams and there is an isolated island/peninsula/land joint in the middle. The center of the map is connected to each player through shallows or land passes. Wood is located in piles and is not as frequent as on other maps. Gold is usually more abundant, while stone and food are similar to the average map.
Start-up resources are standard, with 8 small herdables or 6 six Cows around the Town Center, 2 aggressive huntables, 3โ4 passive huntable animals, 6 Berry Bushes and normal piles of gold and stone. Wolves or other wild predators can be found scattered alone all over the map. The number of Relics is fixed to five independently of the map size.
It has the in-game map tag "Mixed".
Viable strategies[]
Walling early in order to perform a Turtle strategy is a very viable option on this map, as the rivers, lakes, cliffs and the surrounding sea serve as natural barriers for land troops. However, naval support is advised and required for a successful defense. Focus should be on coastal defense against the opponent's transports. A Boom strategy can be followed if the defense is successful, and for that economic boom to succeed, making additional Docks for spamming Fishing Ships would be required.
Early rushes will not be as successful as in more open maps, due to the need for a navy, putting a strain on the player's wood and food. It is a better idea to rush late in the Feudal Age or early in the Castle Age, when the economy has begun to blossom. The water is not as prominent on the map, but the more limited wood supply means that players should split their food duties fifty-fifty with Farms and Fishing Ships. Having a good navy is somewhat essential, but not a major key to the game.
Civilizations with advantages include:
- Civilizations with good navy: Vikings, Spanish, Byzantines, Malay, Italians, Portuguese, Persians, Koreans, Japanese, etc.
- Civilizations with good defense and particularly good towers and Castles: Koreans, Incas, Teutons, Byzantines, Turks, etc.
- Civilizations with bonuses regarding Fishing Ships, or better shore fish workrate: Japanese, Malay, Italians, Hindustanis.
- Civilizations with good Siege Workshop: Ethiopians, Celts, Khmer, Koreans, Chinese, Slavs, Mongols etc.
- Archer-based civilizations: Britons, Mayans, Vietnamese, etc.
- Malians (as their building discount bonus helps them to save wood, which is somewhat scarce on the map)
Civilizations that may struggle in Continental:
Age of Empires IV[]
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