Archery Range

The Archery Range is a building in Empire Earth. It can be built from the Stone Age to the Renaissance. It costs 225 wood to build.

Starting in the Imperial Age, the building can no longer be built. All existing Archery Ranges remain, but their graphic is unchanged and they are unable to train units.

Units description[]

The Archery Range has only five different unit lines available.

The Archer line is the first available. It starts in the Stone age with the Slinger. In the Copper age it changes to Simple Bowman, in Dark Age it changes to Composite Bow and it ends with Long Bow in the Middle Ages. This line is useful en masse and for shooting over walls. They possess an attack bonus against pierce units, like both melee and ranged spear infantry and cavalry. The normal Archers are rather cheap, costing only 30 gold and 40 wood, and takes up one population.

The Javelin line only has two units. In the Bronze Age you get the ability to train Javelins at the Archery Range and in the Dark Age you can upgrade them to Pilums. The Javelin/Pilum is useful for counter shock units like sword infantry and shock cavalry. However, they fall easily to the Archer line. The Javelins are equal to the Archer line in regard to cost and population.

The Cavalry Archer line is another two-unit-line. In the Bronze Age, you can train the Chariot Archers and in the Middle Ages you can train Cavalry Archers. Cavalry Archers are useful for taking out Siege weapons as their speed can help them avoid shots and their ranged attacks help them to employ hit-and-run tactics. Cavalry Archers are ideally suited for hit-and-run tactics and have an attack bonus against pierce units. Chariot/Cavalry Archers take two population points, but is still rather cheap to train, costing 45 gold and 60 wood.

The Crossbow is the only of its line. It can first be trained during the Middle Ages. The Crossbow is the Archer with the most damage in the game. It shots often take out normal melee and Archer units with one shot, though cavalry takes a little more most of the time. The Crossbows takes a long time to reload, and should therefore be kept in the back lines of an army. The Crossbow bolts have a small piercing effect, meaning that they are extremely effective against massed units. Crossbows are also a good anti-ship unit, and can be used effectively to prevent transports from landing on your shores due to the Crossbows high damage and long range. The Crossbows is very ineffective on its own however. If it doesn't destroy the attackers with the first barrage, it's long reload times and low health could be the end of it. Cavalry is very effective against Crossbows. It is advised to either keep other, faster Archers nearby to keep up the barrage or use melee units to defend the Crossbows. Crossbows are extremely expensive, costing 100 of gold and wood. Crossbows take up one population

The Elephant Archer is like the Crossbow only one unit. It is usable Bronze Age-Dark Age. The Elephant Archer has short range and medium damage, higher than foot and cavalry Archer but lower than crossbow, but they make up for it with their large health and armor. Elephant Archers can be useful in a siege. By sending them in first, they can take damage by enemy Archers inside the walls while still dealing damage and protecting other Archers and siege weapons. Given their big size, Elephant Archers are suited for blocking enemy advances, such as covering a retreating army or luring enemy forces, preferably melee or slow units. Elephant Archers are expensive, costing 120 food and 80 gold, also giving it the title of being the only archer that takes food to build. The Elephant Archer uses two population points.

The Persian Cavalry is only range mounted units that weren't trained in Archery range. Instead they were trained in Stables. This line just like javelin, take 2 population, specialized in anti shock unit, particularly shock units. They act much like Cavalry Archer, can performed hit and run tactic, but they fell to Archer line. They still father cheap, cost 55 food and 55 gold.