IMHO the beauty of this game is the multi-dimensional nature of the play and the fact that to be truely a master you have to be able to balance all factors - military, economy, ground & opponent - throughout the game.

After all, as someone much smarter than me once said "An army marches on its belly". Without the resources to support it your military will fail, without the military to resist your resources will fall (to the enemy).

thats right

my starting out especially with the new system where you can get multiple techs is to go for resources first turn and get taxes, and second turn military, build the blacksmith and get building materials and get academy and start your barracks so on your third turn you have plenty of resources still, and have the ability now to go economic or military i preferably go for archery next and get 2 scouts and one archer going all the while my troops are gathering resources, i dont rush at all i sit and wait and tech and then buy all my troops at once only getting my 2 pop scouts to get more stacks and scout. i see if people are rushing and who is attacking who and pick someonebody and go to it while i keep a 5 pop comm back to fortify the castle building my barracks and academy and blacksmith all in the way of the entrance so i can seal up the castle with no techs whatsoever and incase a person attacks you only have to go for making your palisides into walls and not getting walls or palis to put into place

ya the bumber about that is they can now camp outside your castle and kill your resorse buildings because your troops cant get out once you deploy them from barracks

i would take a few archer shots to kill off your building especily if they were the ones next to your castle the ones i know you upgraded