Rise of Nations
"Computer nations will play with brutal efficiency and attack with massive armies."
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Rise of Nations has been a firm favourite since 2004, when Alex Herbert kindly gifted his copy to me. I play the 'Gold Edition', which means the original game plus the Thrones & Patriots addon. There are six difficulty levels in the game: Easiest, Easy, Moderate, Tough, Tougher, Toughest. I play on Toughest, and it's taken me seven years to reach that! Why Rise of Nations? It's a perfect blend of strategic, tactical and economic warfare. The graphical detail is excellent, and the replay value is high: I've been playing since 2004 and I've yet to grow bored. The AI is also a match for any human mind, although they do resort to cheating [a generous resource bonus] on the highest difficulty level. |
I stopped playing Rise of Nations in 2017 so work on this site has ceased.
Ordering units into Formations
Commander Graham asked how to cycle through line, block and column formations. Here is a summary of how I deploy units into formation:
- Left-click drag select units intended for formation.
- Right-click hold to position on battlefield. Hold right mouse button down whilst scrolling with scroll wheel: up and down cycles formations from extended line through block down to narrow column.
- Left-clicking while keeping right-button down changes angle of formations to allow for oblique orders of line or arrowhead formation, all of which can be concentrated or extended as per #2.
- Alternately to #3 use the menu icon in the bottom right while right-click remains held (second row from bottom, second icon from right).
Sharoma Order of Battle
If you've seen any of my hundreds of RoN videos, you'll notice that I always organise my forces in the same way. Below I use the Medieval/Roman setup as an example:
- 1st Infantry: 1 General; 1 Explorer; 1 Supply Wagon; 3-6 Cannon; 12-20 Heavy Infantry; 12-20 Foot Archers. Mission: lead advances into enemy territory. Sometimes the 1st will be the 'home force' assigned to defence.
- 2nd Cavalry: 8-18 Heavy Cavalry, assigned to support the 1st Infantry. In times of metal scarcity, Light Cavalry is used.
- 3rd Cavalry: 8-18 Heavy or Light Cavalry, assigned to support the 4th Infantry.
- 4th Infantry: 1 General; 1 Explorer; 1 Supply Wagon; 3-6 Cannon; 12-20 Heavy Infantry; 12-20 Foot Archers. Mission: defend the homeland or support the 1st.
- 5th Cavalry: 8-18 Light Cavalry, assigned to support the 6th Infantry.
- 6th Infantry: 1 General; 1 Explorer; 1 Supply Wagon; 3-6 Cannon; 12-20 Heavy Infantry; 12-20 Foot Archers. Mission: defend the homeland or support the 1st.
- 7th Infantry: Any foot soldiers, but often light infantry, to reinforce the line where needed. On rare occasions when a 4th 'legion' or 'regiment' is needed, the 7th becomes a formation akin to the 1st, 4th or 6th, but will often be smaller and operate without supporting cavalry.
- 8th Support: The Head of State (Senator, Monarch, Despot, etc), to be present where the action is heaviest.
- 9th Cavalry: 8-16 Heavy Horse Archers, a highly mobile force to deal with breakthroughs.
- 10th Support: Citizens, to repair captured cities and fortify the front lines.
Historical Campaigns
This site does not aim to cater for neophytes in the style of my Frontierverse pages. There are no tables of data you can find within the game itself, or technical support assistance. Instead, like my Red Alert guides, it is intended for seasoned campaigners wishing to look over the battles of a fellow commander. My images and captions are divided into the following sections:
Alexander The Great
This 'Conquer The World' campaign is arguably the most interesting, since it immerses you deep within the military splendour of Alexander's campaigns. Uniquely, there is no marginal victory condition, so it'll take you several attempts to defeat the computer on the higher difficulties. Nothing but Total Victory, and that includes both Persian capitals. Here you will find records of Alexander's first landings on Persian soil and the conquest of the Italian Peninsula.
Napoleon
A few times I played as that Corsican upstart. Starting his career as an officer in the artillery, he went on to become Emperor of the French. As him, I subjugated the New World, and also enjoyed dominating Europe in his CTW campaign. The French, however, always play with an advantage most nations lack: their supply wagons heal all troops, even in enemy territory. Includes images from campaigns and individual battles. Say what you like about Napoleon; he was a damn fine general.
Roma
I enjoy playing as the Romans, mostly because their legions are devastating against all heavy infantry, and when moving in formation, it is a glorious sight to behold. They don't have a campaign of their own, so I play many 'Quick Battles' - this is an ironic name, since official campaign battles last a maximum of 90 minutes, whereas my own quick battles often last upwards of three hours. I've also played the Conquer The World campaign as the Romans on occasion, but once beyond the Medieval Age, it's not as much fun.
Final
This was my final battle. Although the 500+ YouTube videos are all long gone, you can download the save game and see if you can finish the battle. Out of all the battles I played, this has the highest death count and has lasted the longest.
Site info
Launched: March, 2011
Last updated: May 9th, 2020