River Outpost

River Outpost
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires
Campaign	Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign
Civilization	Egyptians
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	9
Previous	Crusade
Next	Naval Battle

River Outpost is the ninth scenario of the Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign. It teaches the player to use transports.

Scenario instructions

Description

“	The power of our armies and religion has stabilized our frontiers for the time being. The Nubians to the south remain a threat, however, although subduing them is too expensive to consider. As an alternative, the pharaoh has ordered that a river outpost be placed on a strategic Nile River island to discourage Nubian raiders from coming down river. Locate the large island in the center of the river to the north and build a Town Center and two Guard Towers there.	”
—In-game section in the original release

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: File:BronzeAgeIcon.jpg Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 400 food, 400 wood
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 5 Villagers
• Gaia units: None

Objectives

• Locate the large Nile Island.
• Build Town Center on island.
• Build two Guard Towers on island.

Hints

• There are towers on the island that you must destroy before starting construction there.
• To eliminate the towers, build war ships, or create a small band of infantry units, such as Axemen, to take them down.
• You must advance to the Bronze Age and build a Government Center before you can build a second Town Center.
• You will need to build a transport to carry villagers to the island to build the Town Center. You should take several villagers because the island is inhabited by hungry lions and alligators, which can be hunted.
• When the island is free from predators, you can build a Town Center and begin gathering the stone you need to build two Guard Towers. You can research Watch Towers at the Granary, and upgrade to more powerful towers there.

Players

Player

• Player (Egyptians): The player starts with a small base in the eastern corner of the map.

Enemy

• Enemy (Greeks): The enemy (whose name is picked randomly from the pool of Egyptian AI names) starts with watch towers on the river island. They do not posess any other units. They change diplomatic stance towards the player from neutral to enemy within the first seconds of the game.

Strategy

Since there are no enemy villages on the map, you don't need to fear an attack, and you can take your time. Build up your base until you can train Stone Throwers. Build Light Transports, and send the stone throwers over with a few soldiers. Use the stone throwers to destroy the enemy Watch Towers and the soldiers to kill the animals (Lions and Alligators) that could threaten your Villagers. Then, send a few villagers across, to gather the stone and build the buildings to complete the scenario.

Alternatively, you can build a some war Galleys and priests to take out the watch towers and convert them. Afterwards, you can delete them as upgrading won't have effect on converted units.

History

Historical notes

“	Throughout Egyptian history, the Nubians to the south (but upriver) remained a potential threat. At various times in Egyptian history, the pharaoh ordered campaigns against this area to move the threat back. The Egyptians periodically advanced further up river, from cataract to cataract (rapids and waterfalls that blocked boat movement) over the centuries. After each advance, Egypt would take control and then gradually lose it, forcing another invasion at a later date. One defensive tactic was to place fortifications at strategic points. The fortress at Buhen was one of nine built at the Second Cataract around 1900 BC. Its outside wall stood 36 feet high and contained an estimated 8,000,000 mud bricks. Inside the fortress were barracks, homes for soldiers, and stables for trade caravan donkeys.	”
—In-game section in the original release

Historical outcome

“	The fortresses at the Second Cataract were successful in keeping the peace in the region for about 300 years. In terms of American history, this span would compare to the period stretching from the settlement of the Jamestown colony in Virginia to the outbreak of World War I. Around 1600 BC, a new ruling force in Nubia, the Kushites, became sufficiently powerful to overthrow Egyptian rule and destroy the forts. Between 1550 and 1300 BC, stronger pharaohs returned to Nubia and conquered it once more, this time extending their control up to the Fourth Cataract.	”
—In-game section in the original release