c. Technologies [AOK4C]

Learn about crucial building technologies like Town Watch, Masonry, and Architecture in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Improve your defenses and construction speed!

Alright, let's dive into the nitty-gritty of how to make your buildings tougher and your villagers more efficient in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Technologies are your key to unlocking your civilization's full potential, and we're going to break down the important ones for your structures.

Building Technologies:

1. Town Watch

   • Cost: 75 Food
   • Available: Feudal Age
   • Effect: Increases all your buildings' Lines of Sight by 4 units.
   • History: This tech represents the old town watch systems that kept communities safe by scouting the surrounding areas, giving people time to prepare for danger.
   • Advice: While available in the Feudal Age, you might be short on villagers then. It's usually better to grab this one a bit later once your economy is more stable.

2. Town Patrol

   • Cost: 300 Food, 200 Gold
   • Available: Castle Age
   • Effect: Increases Line of Sight by another 4 units.
   • History: As towns grew, so did the need for patrols, often provided by local lords to watch over a wider area and provide earlier warnings.
   • Advice: This is a solid upgrade for your building's vision. Research it as soon as you can afford the Gold.

3. Masonry

   • Cost: 175 Wood, 150 Stone
   • Available: Castle Age (University)
   • Effect: All buildings gain an extra 10% HP and 1 extra building armor.
   • History: This tech reflects the rediscovery and advancement of masonry techniques in Europe, crucial for building stronger structures like the great cathedrals.
   • Note: All civilizations get this except the Byzantines, who already have a bonus to building HP in the Castle Age.

4. Architecture

   • Cost: 200 Wood, 300 Stone
   • Available: University
   • Effect: Increases building HP by a further 10% (calculated on upgraded HP, leading to a ~21% total increase from base for a Castle).
   • History: Building upon masonry, this tech improved internal structures, allowing for grander designs like those seen in medieval cathedrals with features like flying buttresses.
   • Availability: Britons, Franks, Vikings, Goths, Turks, Persians, and Chinese get this. Byzantines don't need it as much due to their Imperial Age bonus.

5. Treadmill Crane

   • Cost: 200 Wood, 300 Stone
   • Available: Castle Age (University)
   • Effect: Villagers build buildings 20% faster.
   • History: This tech is based on the ancient crane, improved with a treadmill mechanism for more efficient lifting of heavy loads during construction.
   • Availability: Celts, Franks, Teutons, Goths, Saracens, and Turks have access to this.
   • Advice: If you're planning a lot of expansion with towers and castles, this is a must-have to speed up your construction.

6. Hoardings

   • Cost: 400 Wood, 400 Stone
   • Available: Castle (Castle)
   • Effect: Castles gain 1000 extra hit points. This bonus HP is also affected by Masonry and Architecture.
   • History: Hoardings were defensive structures added to castle walls, allowing defenders to attack enemies at the base more safely and making castles harder to capture.
   • Availability: Celts, Britons, Franks, Teutons, Vikings, Turks, and Saracens can research this.
   • Advice: If you've got the resources, especially Stone, this is a high-priority upgrade to make your Castles significantly tougher.