Part 3

Advancing to the Imperial Age: Unlike previous ages, the Imperial Age primarily grants access to more upgrades for existing units (e.g., hitpoints, armor) rather than unlocking entirely new unit types.

Necessity in Campaign: For most single-player campaign missions, reaching the Imperial Age is not necessary and can be an expensive waste of resources. The game can often be won with less advanced units and tactics.

Multiplayer Advantages: In multiplayer matches, the Imperial Age becomes much more valuable.

Blockade Upgrade: From the Capitol building, this upgrade cuts off enemy Home City shipments, severely hindering their economy and reinforcement capabilities.

Spy Ability: This allows you to see all enemy movements and structures, providing crucial intelligence for planning attacks and defending against surprises. It also helps in identifying enemy supply lines and gather points.

Naval Upgrades: For maps with significant water combat, the Imperial Age offers important upgrades for your ships.

Some players argue that the cost of reaching the Imperial Age is outweighed by the benefits of enhanced unit stats (health and damage), leading to more efficient combat and fewer losses.

Others maintain that in single-player, especially against the CPU, the benefits are not significant enough to justify the resource expenditure, as enemy attacks are predictable and often manageable with earlier-age units.

The effectiveness of the Spy ability is debated; while useful for uncovering the map and identifying vulnerabilities, its value diminishes on familiar campaign maps where enemy movements and attack points are already known.

Skirmish Settings: If you are unable to advance to the Imperial Age in a skirmish game, ensure that the maximum attainable Age has been set to Imperial in the game's settings, as it defaults to Industrial.

Editor Note: Instructions for using the map editor are not provided.