| “ | New life emerges from the dying remains of a once great river, stretching low across a valley between opposing factions. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Rocky River is a random map in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend.[note 1] This map features open terrain bisected by small ponds with Shore Fish, representing a dried river.
Features[]
This map is divided into three sections. The dried up river cuts straight through the center of the map from the northeast to southwest edges of the map and teems with resources and Stealth Forest, separating the two other comparatively empty sections where each team spawns. The number of ponds in the riverbed can vary in 6- and 8-player team games, but seems to be fixed at four ponds in 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2. Teams will spawn in a line close to the map edge, but in 3 vs 3 and 4 vs 4, one player on the end position will always spawn closer to the riverbed. In the center of the map lies one of the three Sacred Sites, while the other two spawn just outside the riverbed, one on each side, and on opposite sides of the map. They spawn approximately equidistant from the center site anywhere along the river, up to near the edges of the map, and are usually blocked off from the riverbed by a small impassable cliff. Rocky River features two Trade Posts that spawn along the northeast and southwest edges of the map, typically closer to the riverbed, with one on each side. Relics can spawn anywhere on the map but a majority will be closer to the riverbed.
Resources[]
The great river may have dried up, but it still supports a lot of flora and fauna. The most obvious are the Berry Bushes which are incredibly abundant around the riverbed and overall spawn two extra patches per player compared to most maps. Typically, besides the starting berries, only a few of the large patches might be located in the player starting regions, and the rest will spawn densely in the riverbed. A multitude of small Deer packs and most Boars spawn along the bed as well while the large Deer packs may spawn anywhere on the map. Finally, each pond contains varying amounts of Shore Fish, with 2-3 per pond in 3 vs 3 and 4 vs 4, and a fixed 2 per each of the four ponds in 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2. True to its name, although Rocky River doesn't contain an overall larger amount of stone than average, all of it is located around the riverbed, except for two Small Stone Outcroppings per player. Large Gold Mines tend to also cluster around the river, as well as the edges of the map, and small mines can spawn anywhere. The only resource found in greater abundance outside the riverbed is wood, which is contained in the two starting large woodlines per player and the neat row of small woodlines on either side of the riverbed.
Trivia[]
- This map is similar in concept to the map Valley from Age of Empires II.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Though owning the expansion is not required to play this map
