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Island Hopping is the second scenario of the Yamato, Empire of the Rising Sun campaign in Age of Empires. The Yamato must search the islands and find six Artifacts.

Scenario instructions[]

Description[]

โ€œAwaji and Shodo Islands, 178 CE

Your chiefdom has grown since the ancient days when a Chinese boat first came to your shores. Your people have benefited from the goods brought by the seasonal Chinese trade ships and your craftsmen have learned to use bronze to fashion prized dotaku bells. These bells are buried into the earth to charge them with spiritual power and then rung as part of rituals to ensure the success of the rice harvests. Your settlements are growing, however, and new bells will be needed to protect your people's livelihood. Invade the neighboring islands and capture these valuable treasures.
โ€
—In-game section in the Definitive Edition

Starting conditions[]

Objectives[]

  • Capture six artifacts, each containing a dotaku bell.

Hints[]

  1. Some weapons can be fired across the seas while remaining out of enemy range.
  2. Quickly find and eliminate the source of Shikoku military ships.

Description[]

โ€œIsland Hopping,375 AD.

The elimination of the Izumo leader brought a temporary peace to that part of your border, but the Izumo are getting aggressive again. Izumo raiders from islands in the Inland Sea have attacked a number of your coastal villages. They have carried off important treasures from several shrines. You are ordered to attack the Izumo islands and recover the six treasures that they have stolen.
โ€
—In-game section

Starting conditions[]

Objectives[]

Hints[]

  • Some weapons can be fired across the seas while remaining out of enemy range.
  • Quickly find and eliminate the source of Izumo military ships.

Players[]

Player[]

  • Player (Yamato AOE DE ROR icon Yamato): The player starts with only a small squad with some vessels at the north-east in an island.

Enemies[]

  • Shikoku (Shang AOE DE ROR icon Shang): have populated most of the islands, with the capability of building more ships and some defences and military units across their territory.

Player[]

  • Player (Yamato AOE DE ROR icon Yamato): The player starts with only a small squad with some vessels at the north-east in an island.

Enemies[]

  • Izumo (Shang AOE DE ROR icon Shang): have populated most of the islands, with the capability of building more ships and some defences and military units across their territory.

Strategy[]

The Artifacts are spread across the map, and several of them are guarded. The starting units should not be wasted needlessly; the player will not get new ones.

For the northern Artifact and the mid-southern Artifact, the plan is simple: send soldiers to kill the enemy soldiers, take the Artifact, and put it on a Transport so that the Shikoku won't recapture it. The south-eastern Artifact is protected by lions, but they will neither attack the Artifact nor take it, so as long as it is within the player's Line of Sight, there is no need to approach it with any vulnerable units โ€” just move it towards the Transport.

The two western-most Artifacts are found near the large field of shallows, and are basically unguarded. The mid-northern Artifact is close to a large enemy force, but it is not necessary to fight them โ€” if the player controls the other five, they will win as soon as the sixth one is captured.

Shikoku will continuously train new War Galleys and attack the player's last known position, to stop this threat the player can destroy the southwestern Dock (which has Bronze Age architecture).

Additional tips[]

  • The Catapult is the player's most powerful unit in this scenario, if used correctly. Using the "attack ground" feature is essential in eliminating most enemy forces that are far more advanced than the player's, and can help destroy the enemy War Galleys which outrange the player's.
  • In the Definitive Edition, the red player has a wood economy on the southern island. They will make new War Galleys (and Fishing Ships) from the Dock if the economy is not dealt with. Thus, it is advisable to raid this island as soon as possible.

Changes[]

The two north-central islands are now connected and the enemy also now has a few more docks. The story changed from the struggle between Yamato and Izumo to an earlier period with the Yamato fighting against Shikoku tribes.

History[]

Historical notes[]

โ€œThe Yayoi period marked the change in Japanese society from one of hunter-gatherers to an agrarian and militarized society. Stone tools and weapons were replaced with those of bronze and iron, while rice farming encouraged the Japanese to settle in larger communities. The first powerful clans and the beginnings of a class system appeared, laying the foundations for the daimyo and samurai of later centuries.

The use of metal was not restricted to weapons and tools. The Yayoi were skilled blacksmiths, creating ceremonial bells known as dotaku. These bells were richly decorated with patterns and images representing nature and animals. They were used in agricultural and as warning bells in case of attacks.

Chinese dynastic histories, which recount the activities of 'barbarian' neighbours, reference a great civil war in Japan during the late Yayoi period. The introduction of rice cultivation and metallurgy from the mainland had encouraged local leaders to extend their authority over other regions, particularly coastal villages, to control the flow of imports and mainland technologies. This conflict reduced the political fragmentation of the islands as a few powerful leaders expanded their territory at the expense of smaller and weaker chiefdoms.
โ€
—In-game section

Victory[]

โ€œWith these dotaku bells, you have ensured the success of the coming harvests. Your settlements continue to grow, but so do those of your rivals. Some chieftains have taken their men from the fields and formed war bands which aggressively attack rival settlements. Every region of Japan is touched by war. โ€
—In-game section

Loss[]

โ€œYou have failed, but do not worry. The elders say there are things other than dotaku bells they can bury to ensure successful harvests. They ask that you report to the fields.โ€
—In-game section

Historical notes[]

โ€œThe Izumo recovered from the covert attack on their clan and put plans in motion to extract revenge from the Yamato. Coastal raids by the Izumo distracted the Yamato once more from their campaigns in another direction. The Yamato were forced to respond to maintain morale within their clan lands and among their vassals and allies.โ€
—In-game section

Historical outcome[]

โ€œThe Yamato force recaptured the six stolen artifacts and restored Yamato prestige.โ€
—In-game section

Trivia[]

  • In the original game, Hero Perseus can be seen on a small island south of the island where the player starts.

Gallery[]

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