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Danny was at the kitchen table, half-watching a build compile, when his phone buzzed. Lucy glanced up from her grading.
“Why’s Matt calling me instead of you?”
He grinned. She shook her head and waved him on.
“What’s up, bro?”
“Hey. You got a minute?”
“Always. What’s going on?”
“I opened your game.”
No way. He’d written that off months ago.
“Yeah? And?”
“I figured out the villagers and the food. Got a lumber camp going. But every time I try to advance to the next age it tells me I don’t have enough of something, and I can’t figure out where I’m losing it. I keep running out of wood the second I click up.”
“How many villagers before you advanced?”
“Fifteen? Maybe a few more.”
“There’s your problem. You want twenty-two, twenty-three before you click up. You’re probably floating enough food, but your wood economy can’t support what comes after. You age up and there’s nothing left to build with.”
“So I’m clicking too early.”
“Way too early. Everyone does it. Feels like you’re falling behind if you don’t, but the economy has to be there first.”
“Okay. What’s the ratio? How many on food versus wood?”
“Depends on the civ and the build, but for a standard Feudal push, maybe fourteen on food, six or seven on wood, rest flexible. You’ll adjust once you see what you need.”
“And the gold?”
“Not yet. Gold’s a Feudal and Castle Age thing. Dark Age is food and wood. Keep it simple.”
“Right.” Matt’s voice picked up. “What about scouting? I sent the cavalry unit out, found another base south of me. There’s a gap between two tree lines that leads straight to my side.”
“Did you wall it?”
“I tried. Ran out of wood.”
“Because you advanced too early.”
“Yeah. I’m getting that.”
“Okay, but that’s a good read. Finding the chokepoint, identifying the gap. That’s half of defense right there. Palisade walls are cheap. Once your wood’s stable, close it off and you’ve bought yourself time.”
“How much time?”
“Enough. Palisades won’t hold forever, but they force your opponent to commit units to break through. That’s units they’re not using somewhere else. And if you’ve got archers behind the wall—”
“You pick them off while they’re stuck hitting wood.”
“Exactly. What civ are you playing?”
“Whatever it defaulted to. Britons, I think.”
“Their archers are the best in the game. Longer range than anyone else’s. So that chokepoint play you found? Put a wall across it and a few archers behind it, and you’ve got a kill box.”
“That’s—yeah. That’s good.” Matt sounded like he was already mapping it out. “What do you do when they get through the wall?”
“You adapt. But honestly, early game? You’re not trying to win yet. You’re trying to get to a position where you can.”
Matt was quiet for a second. “I’m going to try that Feudal push again.”
“Go for it. Hey. Next time I visit, I’ll set us up for co-op.”
“…Yeah. I’d like that.”
Danny ended the call.
“What was that all about?” Lucy asked.
“Remember that game I gave him? He’s actually playing it.”
“Oh, thank god. He hasn’t been interested in anything this whole year.”
“Yeah.” Danny laughed. “About time.”
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