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This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires IV. For the scenario in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, see Hastings. |
The Battle of Hastings is the first scenario of the The Normans campaign in Age of Empires IV. It is based on the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
In 1066, William of Normandy set out to wrest the Kingdom of England from his Anglo-Saxon rival. Only one man could be king.
Opening cinematic[]
Some events leave a deep mark on history, but none on the land.
Senlac Hill, England. This is the site of the Battle of Hastings. After almost a thousand years, no traces of the bloody conflict can be seen. But here, the fate of England turned. It's where a King was killed...and his victor claimed the throne.
October 14th, 1066. We know what happened here on this day thanks to this... the Bayeux Tapestry... a carefully preserved illustrated record of events. It shows the main players: Harold, the newly crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. And his challenger... William, Duke of Normandy. William claimed the previous King had promised HIM the Crown. So he assembled an army... and prepared to sail to England... to fight King Harold for the throne.
But a storm thwarted his plans. Meanwhile... Harold discovered that a Viking invasion had landed in the north: another threat to his crown. So he raced to fight them. In France, William waited for the right conditions to sail across the channel to England. The weather cleared. He seized his chance. 250 miles North, Harold had defeated the Vikings. Now, hearing of William's arrival, his army sped south.
At 9 o'clock in the morning... on this hill... William's Norman army were ready to do battle with Harold's Anglo-Saxon men. The stage was set. And up for grabs? England itself.
Loading screen[]
William of Normandy began his conquest of England. But to end the Anglo-Saxon rule, he would first have to kill their king.
Start of scenario[]
On October 14th, 1066, William of Normandy stood ready for battle at the base of a hill. The high ground belonged to King Harold of England and his Anglo-Saxon army. Here, on this hilltop, the fate of England would be decided.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Dark Age - Units:
- Resources: None
Objectives[]
- Attack Harold's Saxon army.
- Kill the Saxons from the shield wall.
- Use archers against the enemy spearmen.
- Kill the enemy spearmen to allow cavalry on the field.
- Use cavalry against enemy archers.
- Feign a retreat.
- Slay King Harold.
Players[]
- Duke William: The player begins with control of a small force of Vanguard Men-at-Arms and Horsemen led by Duke William, with the rest of his army being represented by neutral units which cannot be selected. As the player engages in battle, they will continually receive reinforcements in the form of Men-at-Arms, Horsemen and Archers.
Enemies[]
- King Harold (Anglo-Saxons): Harold the Saxon has an army positioned on Senlac Hill, ready to face the Norman forces of Duke William. His forces consist of Militia, Hardened Spearmen, Longbowmen and Men-at-Arms, and will continually be reinforced until King Harold himself is killed on the battlefield.
Strategy[]
Introductory scenario with very basic gameplay. Since there is no base-building and the player's forces are being continually replenished, the only focus is on unit management.
Although the player's forces are continually replenished during the course of the scenario, the enemy's numbers are formidable and it is easy to become overwhelmed, so the key to success lies in adept micro-management, making sure that none of the troops are idling while others are still fighting. Given the width of the battlefield, it can be a challenge to get reinforcements where the player needs them before those already in the fighting are overwhelmed, so make sure to continually check whether more units have become available and send them to the front. Although Duke William is a powerful asset with his attack speed boost ability, make sure to pull him back from the fighting every so often, as he may become surrounded and overwhelmed.
After sufficient numbers of Saxon units have been destroyed, the player will receive an objective to kill King Harold. However, Harold is a pretty tanky unit and will not go down quickly, so it is perhaps advisable not to concentrate all of the player's forces on killing him, but rather focus on eliminating the remainder of the Saxon army as well, while William and a part of the player's force deal with Harold. The remaining Saxon units will continue fighting for a few moments after Harold's death, before the scenario completes.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
Leaderless and defeated, the last of the Anglo-Saxon army fled for their lives. The Normans celebrated victory over the English King, but William's quest to rule England was just beginning.
Post-game screen[]
The Anglo-Saxon king was dead. William's fight to rule England was far from over.
Page From History: Nova Stella, Novus Rex![]
| “ | In April 1066, a bright star with a long, streaked tail appeared in the night sky and burned for weeks. Its appearance coincided with the imminent invasion of England by William of Normandy. To William's soldiers, waiting eagerly to set sail from Normandy, it seemed that the star's tail pointed directly at the saxon king's castle in England. This was a divine guarantee of victory. It inspired the Normans' rallying cry: "Nova stella, novus rex!" A new star, a new king. By the time the star passed, the Saxons' King Harold lay dead, killed at the Battle of Hastings. And William the Conqueror became King of England. That long-tailed star is depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry... and we know it today as Halley's Comet. |
” |
Historical comparison[]
- In real life, only about half of the Norman army at Hastings was composed of infantry, with rest being split equally between archers and cavalry,[1] in the scenario, however, cavalry make a relatively small proportion of the player's army, the bulk of available units being infantry.
Gallery[]
