“ | Used to research technologies that improve buildings and military units. Required to build additional Town Centers. | ” |
—In-game description in the Definitive Edition |
The Government Center is a research building in Age of Empires where many technologies can be obtained. Building it also allows players to build more than one Town Center.
Its counterpart in Age of Empires II and Age of Empires IV is the University.
Gameplay[]
Upon reaching the Bronze Age, a Government Center should be built as quickly as possible, as it unlocks the ability for Villagers to construct additional Town Centers. This allows the player to train multiple new Villagers simultaneously, or to continue training Villagers while researching the Iron Age, or to establish new bases in other parts of the map.
The Government Center is a research building, and its technologies have a wide range of uses, primarily military. Some provide stat improvements, others add new capabilities. Several technologies are also prerequisites for unlocking elite units, especially in the original and Definitive Edition versions of Age of Empires.
To build the Government Center, a Market must be built beforehand, which itself requires a Granary. This requirement is waived if the match starts from the Bronze Age or later, and additional Town Centers can be built without a Government Center if the match starts in the Iron Age.
Technologies[]
Age | Technology | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Nobility | 175 food 120 gold |
Mounted units (except elephants) have +15% hit points Enables the Scythe Chariot upgrade (before Return of Rome) | |
Writing | 200 food 75 gold |
Allies share exploration (Unavailable if Shared Exploration is enabled in match settings) | |
Architecture | 150 food 175 wood |
Builders work 50% faster Buildings have +20% hit points | |
Logistics | 180 food 100 gold |
Barracks units take up half population space | |
Urbanization* | 300 wood 100 stone |
Houses provide +4 population each | |
Aristocracy | 175 food 150 gold |
Academy units move +0.225 tiles/sec faster[note 1] Enables the Centurion upgrade (before Return of Rome) | |
Ballistics | 200 food 50 gold |
Projectiles are aimed to anticipate target movement Enables the Ballista Tower upgrade | |
Alchemy | 250 food 200 gold |
+1 attack for all ranged units +6 attack for Fire Galley | |
Engineering | 200 food 100 wood |
Units from the Stone Thrower, Ballista, and Catapult Trireme lines have +2 range and Line of Sight[note 2] Enables the Juggernaught upgrade (before Return of Rome)[note 3] | |
Conscription* | 450 food 250 gold |
-20% training time (+25% faster creation) for units from the Barracks, Archery Range, Stable, Academy, and Siege Workshop |
Technology availability[]
Writing and Ballistics are not included in this list, as they are available to all civilizations.
= Available | |
= Unavailable | |
= Researched for free |
Civilization | All | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assyrians | |||||||||
Babylonians | X | ||||||||
Carthaginians | X | ||||||||
Choson | |||||||||
Egyptians | |||||||||
Greeks | |||||||||
Hittites | |||||||||
Lac Viet | |||||||||
Macedonians | |||||||||
Minoans | |||||||||
Palmyrans | |||||||||
Persians | |||||||||
Phoenicians | |||||||||
Romans | |||||||||
Shang | |||||||||
Sumerians | X | ||||||||
Yamato | |||||||||
Civilization | All |
Upgrades[]
Hit points | Architecture (+20%) |
Line of Sight | City Watch (+3) Writing (share Line of Sight with allies) |
Construction time | Architecture (-33%) |
Civilization bonuses[]
- Macedonians: Government Center are four times more resistant to conversion.
- Romans: Government Center cost -10%.
Team bonuses[]
- Babylonians: Government Centers are built 10% faster.
- Choson: Government Centers have +2 Line of Sight.
- Palmyrans: Government Center technologies are researched 30% faster.
Changelog[]
Age of Empires[]
- Government Centers have 6 Line of Sight.
Definitive Edition[]
- Government Centers have 5 Line of Sight.
Return of Rome[]
- Team bonuses added:
- Babylonians: Government Center are built 10% faster.
- Palmyrans: Government Center technologies are researched 30% faster.
- The technologies City Watch, Conscription, and Urbanization can be researched at the Government Center.
- With update 93001, City Watch is researched at the Town Center.
- Choson (team bonus): With update 93001, Government Centers have +2 Line of Sight.
History[]
“ | The government center was the administrative center of the town, village, city, kingdom, or empire. It was often the palace of the strongman or king. It was here that justice was dispersed, records kept, taxes collected and stored, diplomacy conducted, and plans made. The development of the government center spurred technology such as architecture through the commission of public works and writing for the keeping of records. The expansion of kingdoms led to a hierarchy of elites, often a nobility, that were needed as middle managers when the expanse of lands exceeded the ruler's ability to control directly. The provinces of the Persian Empire, for example, were ruled like independent stores by satraps who owed tribute and allegiance to the king in Susa. | ” |
—Age of Empires manual |
Tech tree[]
- Blue: Units
- Red: Buildings
- Green: Technologies
Market |
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Buildings Tree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Equates to +27.78% speed in OG, +25% in DE, and +25.86% in current version as of 9/Oct/23. Percentage values would be easier to understand, but making it clear that it's an additive value, rather than a multiplier, shows that this bonus doesn't multiply the Greeks' 0.3 tile/sec bonus.
- ↑ Mentioning the units themselves instead of "siege weapons" to avoid ambiguity. Ballista Towers and Triremes fire ballista bolts, but aren't upgraded by this technology, and siege weapons do not include Catapult Triremes normally
- ↑ Using original name because it was only renamed in Return of Rome and does not need the technology
Buildings in Age of Empires | |
---|---|
Civilian buildings | |
General | House · Temple · Government Center · Wonder |
Economic | Town Center · Dock · Storage Pit · Granary · Market · Farm |
Unconstructable | Aqueduct · Army Tent · Barricade · Chain · Colosseum · Granary · Great Pyramid · Hut · Monument · Pyramid · Ruins · Trade Workshop · Yurt |
Military buildings | |
Production | Barracks · Archery Range · Stable · Siege Workshop · Academy |
Tower | Watch Tower · Sentry Tower · Guard Tower · Ballista Tower |
Wall | Small Wall · Medium Wall · Fortified Wall · Small Gate · Medium Gate · Fortified Gate |
Unconstructable | Mirror Tower · Zenobia's Tower |