Sheep

The Sheep is a herdable animal that appears in Age of Empires II and Age of Empires III.

Age of Empires II

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A Scout Cavalry finding wild sheep.

In Age of Empires II, sheep are a common food source that is beneficial in the early stages of a developing game. Nearing a neutral Sheep will cause it to become aligned with the player's faction. As long as units are within close proximity of the Sheep, they will remain under the control of the player that first discovers it (except if Celt units come close). If, however, no friendly units are nearby and another team's unit happens to pass by, the Sheep will fall under the control of that player.

Sheep are extremely useful in the early game to maintain food (and hence Villager) production, as rapid development of farmland may simply not be feasible due to a lack of necessary resources, which is an issue in the Dark Age. As the game progresses the need for Sheep gradually decreases as Farms become plentiful and effective in the later stages of the game.

Sheep can also be used for scouting, but have a very limited Line of Sight of 3 and speed of 0.7. Despite there being a risk of losing them, in island maps or maps where players start without a scout it can be relatively safe.

The Celts have the unique advantage of being able to steal other players' Sheep if a Celt player moves a unit close enough, even if the Sheep are close to other players' units. Celts cannot do the same to other Celts, however.

In the Honfoglalás scenario, players can train Sheep for 25 food at the Town Center. Players can also train Cows, which is a bit more cost-efficient.

Age of Empires III

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“	Herd animal. Fattens over time. Fattens faster if tasked on a Livestock Pen, Farm, or Village.	”
—In-game description

Like in Age of Empires II, the Sheep will fall under control to any player whose unit it comes into contact with. Originally introduced for livestock in Age of Mythology, the Sheep will fatten over time, which fills them with a much larger supply of food as time goes by. They start at 50 food and can store up to 300. This fattening process can be sped up substantially by tasking them near a Livestock Pen (Europeans), Farm (Native Americans), or Village (Chinese).

Sheep can also be trained at Livestock Pens and can be shipped from the Home City. They can also be found wild around most maps and even can be found as Treasures.

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Sheep

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All Card Description Age Home City level TEAM 4 Sheep Ships 4 Sheep 1 15 Sheep Ships 15 Sheep 1 20 Sheep Ships 20 Sheep 10 File:Spanish Home City 4 (Sustainable Agriculture).png Stockyards Livestock fattens 30% faster when tasked to Livestock Pens, Farms, and Villages 1 The TEAM 4 Sheep card is available to British and Iroquois. The Stockyards card is available to European civilizations except Dutch and Portuguese, Iroquois, and Chinese. The 15 Sheep card is available to European civilizations and the Iroquois. The 20 Sheep card is available to Iroquois, Ottomans, and Russians. British Card Description Age Home City level TEAM Wool Staple Ports Livestock fattens 20% faster; Indian livestock generate +20% XP; Japanese livestock contributes 20% more to Shrines' resource/XP trickle 10 Europeans Card Description Age Home City level 7 Sheep Ships 7 Sheep 1 The 7 Sheep card is not available to the British (who have TEAM 4 Sheep instead) and French (who have an INFINITE version instead). French Card Description Age Home City level File:French Home City 1 (7 Sheep).png 7 Sheep Ships 7 Sheep 1 Indians Card Description Age Home City level File:Indian Home City 2 (Shivaji's Tactics).png TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and attack 25 Goraksha Livestock generates +80% XP and Sacred Cows cost -20% +1 Villager 10 Spanish Card Description Age Home City level TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10

History

“

Scientific Name: Ovis aries Approx. Size: 2 ft, at the shoulder, 100 lb. Diet: Grasses, sedges, lichen, mosses Domesticated sheep have been kept by humans for thousands of years as sources of milk, wool, and meat. They are social creatures and gather in flocks, or mobs, known for blindly following the movement of their groups. In fact, there are distinct roles in the leadership of a mob. "Outliers" act as scouts and risk predation by ranging away from the herd in search of water and grazing. "Bellweathers" are sheep that watch the outliers and follow when it appears the outlier is safe. The rest of the flock then follows the bellweather. Sheep eat plants that other livestock will not and are now used in rotation with other livestock to maximize the grazing of pasture land and also as a form of natural weed control.

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