Map Exploration | World Map AoW III Guide

Revealing the map in the game settings makes the game much easier.

At the beginning of each game, the map is usually covered with the, so called, fog of war, unless this has been changed in the game settings. Therefore, it is important that you reveal as much of the map, as fast as possible, thanks to which you will learn about the terrain, find the positions of the other players and you will be able to enter diplomatic relationships with them, and find treasures.

Movement and movement points

Each game starts with you at the specific place with certain amount of units and the leader of your Faction. All of the units have a finite number of movement points, which can be used in a given turn. You can use these points to move over the hexes and the amount of points, which you need to make a move, depends of the kind of the terrain over which you want to move that unit. To find out how many points you need to make a move, roll your mouse over the area into which you want to relocate and wait for the information to appear. Additionally, not each terrain type can be crossed - e.g. in the Rock Cavern Walls or some mountains (Impassable Mountains). In the case in which there is an enemy army, in the passage between the areas that you cannot cross, the only way to pass trough is to defeat them or find another passage.

You need remember that the amount of movement points depends on the unit type. Therefore, the maximum reach of the army depends on the unit with the lowest amount of these points. The unused points of the remaining units are lost with the end of the turn. If you want to move them farther, you need to split your army. Also, you should remember about the availability of different types of movement. Some units can move over the water only and, e.g. the ones that can fly, can cross mountains and the other obstacles, without any penalty of movement points.

This is the amount of movement points, necessary to cross a terrain type:

Fertile Plains - 4

Barrens - 4

Lava Pool - 4

Frozen - 4

Wetlands - 6

Dirt Cavern Walls - 6

Dense Vegetation - 6

Coastal Mountains - 12

Mountains - 12

Impassable Mountains - impossible to cross

Rock Cavern Walls - impossible to cross

Blocked - impossible to cross

It is also possible to move over water but, for the regular armies, whose units cannot swim or fly, you need to research the Basic Seafaring, thanks to which your units are loaded onto boats, at the moment at which they need to cross a water field. Boarding of the units takes some time, which is represented by losing all of the remaining movement points, at the moment of boarding.

Roads

It is possible to create roads, thanks to the Builder option, and they become available after you have erected the Builder's Hall in the city, and recruited builders. To build a road, you need to select the abovementioned unit and select the road in the building options. The builders will move over to the location that you select, while constructing a beautiful highway, as they go, which costs a small amount of gold, depending on the length of the road. Movement over roads costs you less movement points than usually, which is why you should use them wherever possible. It is also a good idea to join cities with roads, so that you can quickly and efficiently relocate your armies.

Range of vision

The brighter patches represent the range of vision of a unit, the darker areas are the ones that you have already discovered. The rest is the fog of war.

Each unit has its range of vision. Dissipating the fog of war does not mean that, from now on, you will be able to see each unit in that area. To be able to see the nits, they must appear close to your cities, fortresses or watchtowers. The best way to increase the range of vision, is to erect Watchtowers, which can be done by the Builder units, or by seizing the existing ones (in the case in which someone captures your watchtower, the patch of land that it revealed will be covered again). Another way to do that is to dispatch single units into the corners of the map and deploy them in a way to arrange a ring of units. Thanks to this, you will be able to spot any opponent that appears within the range of vision of your units and you will be able to react properly, e.g. by relocating most of your forces into that area.

Remember that the places, within the range of vision of the allied cities and watchtowers, can also be seen by you. If you break the agreement, these places will be covered again.

Concealing

There also are units that remain invisible until your army reaches a nearby field. These are the units that have the ability of Concealment. Thanks to this, the units can remain invisible, for as long as they stay on a terrain of specific type and they will be invisible on the world map. The parties and the leaders that have the True Sight ability, do not need to be on a neighboring hex to reveal the positions of the hidden units.

Hints

My army - so powerful.

1. Try to reveal as much of the map, simultaneously, as possible. To the extent it is possible, try to move several armies in various directions, thanks to which you will be able to explore a larger area, before your opponents do, which in turn allows you to gather more gold, gain experience and find items for the leader. Additionally, the faster you find independent cities, and the cities of the other players, the faster you will be able to enter diplomatic relationships with them and prepare for a possible attack.

2. Eliminate all of the places where the Independent group respawn. This way, you will prevent the enemy units from roaming about your area, who are only waiting for the opportunity to capture an unprotected watchtower or city.

3. While at the cities - never leave your own city unmanned by your units, (unless you do not care about it at all). Otherwise, they will be susceptible to being captured even by one, weakest unit. If, however, you need your units for battle and you need to leave the city unprotected, make sure that there are no enemies, capable of reaching the city, around (movement points). You should take into consideration, however, the fact that not all units consume the same amount of these points, while moving.

4. Try to clear all of the structures within reach of your cities. As long as they are occupied by the Independent units, they produce no income and do not foster the development of your Empire.

5. To the extent that it is possible, explore all of the treasure locations, collect chests and attack the other units. This is a good way to gain experience and to increase the affluence of your treasury. Additionally, the exploration of specific places will ensure you with the ability to obtain items, units and researches. Especially the items are important, because they can empower your leader considerably. Researches, on the other hand, can save you several turns.

6. It is imperative that you protect your Throne City. If it is conquered, and your leader is defeated, you will simply lose the scenario. Therefore, you should make sure that your capital is far away from the border with the other players, who may pose a threat to it. If possible, use the option to relocate the Throne City into a safer location.

7. Plan on your steps carefully and predict where the opponent may be, where he will attack or where his weak point is. The knowledge about the enemy's positions and his moves is indispensable to emerge victorious in the end.