Factory and Plantations from Age of Empires III
The term renewable resources refers to any resource that trickles unconditionally, or replenishes without the use of cheats, hacks, or exploits.
Age of Empires[]
In the original Age of Empires, it is not entirely possible to have renewable resources. However, in theory, food could be infinite (in the long run), but is barred by the finite amount of wood generated or placed by the scenario creator. Gold through trading is also in theory, infinite (in the long run), but is barred by the lack of other resources. With Return of Rome, the Trade Cart was added, and now trading uses the same mechanism as in Age of Empires II, providing players with a renewable source of gold in team games, and also now features resource trading at the Market.
Age of Empires II[]
In Age of Empires II, the exchange feature was added. It allows players to be able to exchange gold (from mining, trading, or Relics) into any other desired resource at the Market. Also, any other resource can be sold for gold there. So in principle, if players are able to obtain any given resource, they have access to every resource.
However, the Market exchange rate changes with every exchange made. So if for example 100 food cost 58 gold at one point and are exchanged, the exchange rate changes to 61, increasing the required amount of gold (for the same amount of food) and making the exchange less lucrative every time. If, on the other hand, food is sold for gold, the exchange rate changed in the other direction. The exchange rates are global (affect all players) and often reflect the availability and importance of the single resources on the map. All Market rates have limited caps, but for the conversion of gold into other resources, these caps are extremely high.
Farms and Fish Traps provide an alternative way of converting wood into food. Relics provide a trickle of gold when garrisoned on a Monastery. The Burgundian team bonus also lets Relics generate food. The player may use Trade Carts and Trade Cogs for generating gold in a renewable way by trading with an another player, generally in a team game.
The Portuguese Feitoria can be used to slowly generate all resources, similarly to the Plenty Vault from Age of Mythology. Unlike the Plenty Vault, however, it is buildable and consumes 20 population. The Gurjaras gain a trickle of food when garrisoning Sheep or other herdable animals in Mills. The Tatar Keshik generates gold when fighting other units, generally the cost of units would be higher than the gold obtained, but various approaches can be used to heal the units for free, in principle allowing for renewable gold generation.
Age of Mythology[]
Age of Mythology still uses the exchange feature from Age of Empires II, which allows the player to exchange gold for food and wood and vice versa. It also has the continuation of land-based trade (see Caravans for information). Also, unlike in Age of Empires II, food gathering from both Farms and fish is infinite.
Favor, a new resource introduced. Each civilization has a unique way to infinitely gather favor:
- Greek Villagers pray at Temples (with the Golden Apples technology they gather 15% faster).
- Egyptians can build Monuments, which slowly generate favor.
- Norse can train Hersirs and Godis that slowly trickle favor, along with the ability to gain extra favor as a bounty by damaging enemy units that all Norse non-myth units possess.
- Atlanteans generate favor at a rate proportional to the area covered by the Line of Sight of Oracles (by building Town Centers which slowly generate favor before Retold).
- Chinese can build Gardens which automatically generate a resource of the player's choice, including favor.
Relics[]
- Ankh of Ra: Produces a trickle of 3 favor per minute.
- Ring of the Nibelung: Produces a trickle of 30 gold per minute.
- Ship of Fingernails: Produces a trickle of 30 food per minute.
- Rheia's Crown: Reduces Town and Village Center cost by 10% and makes these generate 0.01 favor per second.
Technologies[]
- Vaults of Erebus: Produces a trickle of 150 gold per minute.
- Flood of the Nile: Produces a trickle of 60 food per minute.
- Necropolis
- Hammer of Thunder: Doubles Hersir favor generation.
- Feasts of Renown: Town Centers and Hill Forts produce a trickle of 1 food food per second.
- Perception
- Prophetic Sight
- Horns of Consecration
- Sacrifices: Produces a trickle of 6 favor per minute.
God Powers[]
- The Plenty Vault created by the Plenty god power, available to followers of Hephaestus (who in turn is available to all three Greek major gods) generates 15 food, wood, and gold every five seconds (180 of all resources, sans favor). The Vault is indestructible, but can be captured by enemy units, as it is controlled by whoever has the most military units in the area.
Comparative table[]
Food generation comparison[]
| Civilization | Resource generator | God | Pre-requisite | Rate/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Greeks
|
 Plenty Vault
|
 Hephaestus
|
180 | |
 Egyptians
|
N/A |  Isis
|
 Flood of the Nile
|
60 |
 Norse
|
 Town Center
|
 Aegir
|
 Feasts of Renown
|
60 |
 Hill Fort
| ||||
 Asgardian Hill Fort
| ||||
 Chinese
|
 Garden
|
All | 30 | |
 Dabo Gong
|
 House Altars
|
36 | ||
| Relic | N/A | N/A |  Ship of Fingernails
|
30 |
Wood generation comparison[]
| Civilization | Resource generator | God | Pre-requisite | Rate/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeks
|
Plenty Vault
|
Hephaestus
|
180 | |
| Chinese
|
Garden
|
All | 30 | |
| Dabo Gong
|
House Altars
|
36 |
Gold generation comparison[]
| Civilization | Resource generator | God | Pre-requisite | Rate/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeks
|
N/A |  Hades
|
 Vaults of Erebus
|
120 |
| Plenty Vault
|
Hephaestus
|
180 | ||
| Chinese
|
Garden
|
All | 30 | |
| Dabo Gong
|
House Altars
|
36 | ||
| Relic | N/A | N/A |  Ring of the Nibelung
|
30 |
Favor generation comparison[]
Age of Empires III[]
In Age of Empires III, the resource exchange feature, like in Age of Empires II and Age of Mythology, returns, along with the ability to farm food from Mills (for Europeans), Farms (for Native Americans), or Fields (for Africans). Likewise, a new building called the Plantation allows Settlers and Villager to gather infinite coin, but at a slower pace than when mining.
The Chinese, Indians, and Japanese, all introduced with The Asian Dynasties, have access to the Rice Paddy, a structure that combines the features of Plantations and Farms; Villagers can gather either coin or food, but not at the same time. Also, the Japanese have access to the Shrine, a House-like structure (it provides 10 population) that also provides a trickle of resources or experience, that is proportional to the amount of animals it has attracted (a feature that is similar to the Lure from Age of Mythology). Two Wonder structures, the Toshogu Shrine and the Porcelain Tower also provide trickles of resources of the player's choice, like the Factory. Whales also provide an infinite amount of coin (although only 4 Fishing Boats can gather at a single Whale).
In addition, there are some Home City Cards providing a trickle of resources, while resource Cards who can be sent infinity times could in theory yield infinite resources as well.
Building Trading Posts and researching "Stagecoach" allows you to switch between resources. The new Experience system allows people to infinitely gain experience by training units, building, and killing enemies.
Generally, finite resources is seldom a problem in Age of Empires III.
Age of Empires IV[]
In Age of Empires IV, resource exchange at the Market (and certain Market-themed landmarks), as well as trading over land and sea, return as features. Trade can also be done with neutral Trade Posts, which yield more gold over the same distance than other players' Markets or Docks.
Buildings[]
As in Age of Mythology, Farms (Olive Groves for the Byzantines) serve as an infinite source of food, perpetually replenishing as they are harvested. The Olive Grove also serves as a renewable source of the Byzantines' unique resource, Olive Oil, which can also be obtained through trading and fishing. Similar to Age of Mythology, Deep Water Fish also serve as a renewable source of food, replenishing at a rate of 50 food every 10 seconds after every 1,000 food harvested. Shoreline Fish, however, are not renewable and will disappear once depleted. For the Mongols, the Farm is replaced by the Pasture, which produces Sheep every 140 seconds. The English can additionally generate gold from their Farms with the Enclosures technology.
Certain other buildings also can generate an infinite amount of resources, such as Hunting Cabins for the Rus, which provide a steady trickle of gold based on the number of nearby trees and the player's Bounty level, as well as landmarks such as the Guild Hall, Hisar Academy, and High Trade House. The latter also spawns Deer every 60 seconds, providing a potentially infinite amount of food and gold (through the Bounty mechanic). The Meditation Gardens generates resources based on the available natural resources (Berry Bushes, trees, Gold Mines, and Stone Outcroppings) within a 8 tile radius. It can therefore potentially generate resources infinitely, although at a much slower rate than gathering the same resources with Villagers would allow.
Relics[]
As in Age of Empires II, Relics garrisoned in Monasteries provide a trickle of gold, which can be further expanded into a trickle of food, wood, and stone as well by researching Tithe Barns. The Holy Roman Empire can garrison Relics in defensive structures and receive the same generation effect, while Relics garrisoned in the Regnitz Cathedral generate gold at twice the usual rate. The Chinese can also build up to three Pagodas once the Yuan Dynasty is unlocked, and place a maximum of one Relic inside each. Relics placed in a Pagoda generate 62 food, 62 wood, 100 gold, 25 stone per minute. Relics garrisoned in the Grand Winery generate Olive Oil instead of gold.
Gallery[]
