Alligator
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The alligator is a predatory Gaia animal in Age of Empires. The alligator comes in the form of both regular alligators and the deadly alligator king.
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Background
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The name alligator is an anglicized form of the Spanish el lagarto ("the lizard"), the name by which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. There are two living alligator species: the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis). Chinese alligators are found along the Yangtze River. Alligators tend to be darker in color than their crocodile cousins, though their color is correlated with their environment. Alligators in waters colored green with algae will be lighter than those living in darker waters.
They are found only in two countries - the United States and China. They live in aquatic fresh water environments like rivers and marshes, etc. Older male alligators are solitary, territorial creatures, though younger ones live in larger groups. They are capable of moving very quickly for small distances. They generally consume small animals that can fit in their mouth, though they may attack larger ones and rip them up into bite sized pieces using their 'death roll'. The larger ones will even eat younger alligators. They attack humans seldomly, being less aggressive than the crocodile. Female alligators lay eggs seasonally, creating a nest which rots to incubate the eggs. They will defend the nest if it is in danger.
The crocodilia family has an ancient lineage, having changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. This biological order is found in wet, tropical areas all around the world, mainly in Asia, Africa, America and Australia. Species range in size from the dwarf crocodile to the salt water crocodile of Australia and Indonesia, the largest reptile in the world. Most creatures are several meters long and weigh several hundred kilograms. Crocodiles hunt with a sudden ambush strategy and will eat almost anything, from fish to crustaceans, and even sharks or lions. A crocodile has immense bite strength, though cannot open its mouth when held shut. Because they have limited neck movement, hiding behind a tree is also a very effective strategy for human encounters.
These creatures have been used by humans for their hides and their meat. Today they are often protected, though are also found in zoos and are still farmed for their products.
Role in play
In random map games alligators are found near water - both on coastlines and on shallows crossings. They represent a small danger to villagers, though are of little threat due to their low hitpoints and very slow speed (the alligator is the slowest unit in the game). However, a few alligators on a narrow crossing can still pose a danger to unarmored units. They provide a small stock of meat when killed, but are not an ideal food source. Still, in any situation where food is scarce they can provide a useful boost to the food supply.
Mechanics
Alligators will attack almost all land units that approach within a few tiles, though they do not always attack immediately. Like most other Gaia animals alligators will not attack boats, however this is notable for alligators as they are also the only creature that can move across shallows terrain. Another unusual property of this creature is their attack - both alligators attacks are by no means constant. Two alligators attacking the same type of unit will often take different lengths of time to kill them. Indeed, just watching an alligator attack reveals the intervals between damage infliction are by no means incremented evenly. This means their attack is somewhat random, with a hit/miss ratio deciding how frequently their attack will inflict damage.
Use in scenario design
Because alligators will not attack boats, a naval unit may provide the only path through an alligator infested swamp (e.g. using a merchant ship to locate a nearby village who can identify another way around). This trick was first used in The Messenger, the final scenario of Ingo van Thiel's The Taigun. For some further interesting uses of 'gators play The Taigun II, scenario 3 (The Eagles of Wujang) and Taigun's A Suicide Mission (scenario 4).
Alligators are also employed to attack catapults in the damaged buildings trick. The catapult units deal damage to nearby buildings, setting them on fire. However, the catapults themselves must either be very well hidden, or disposed of in some way to leave no trace of evidence. Alligators are an ideal unit for this, as the catapult continues to attack, while the alligator very slowly destroys them. This is possible because of the low attack of the alligator (giving enough time to set many buildings of fire) and their hit/miss ratio (meaning the catapult doesn't freeze attempting to retaliate constantly). For example, if lions are used instead, the catapult freezes trying to attack the lion. For a detailed review of this subject see the article by Ingo at the Age of Empires Heaven siege workshop.
Because they are motionless and silent when standing ground, the alligator is very hard to spot in a colourful swamp, catching out a reckless player. The alligator can represent a range of creatures, from the alligators and closely related crocodiles to other reptiles such as snakes, and even mythical swamp beasts.
The crocodilia order is widespread, but alligators themselves are seen mainly in Asia and the United States, so designers concerned with historical accuracy should take care with choosing a species appropriate to their scenario's location. The crocodile is a family found in most parts of the world, so for non-Chinese campaigns this may be most appropriate. Crocodiles are a must for any Egyptian campaign, where they are a vital part of the Nile river. Sobek was an Egyptian God worshipped to pacify crocdiles.
Age of Kings
Though there is no alligator analogue in Age of Empires II, the creature can be emulated by having an invisible porex villager move across some shallow water, giving the impression of an underwater creature. Appropriate triggers such as damage, sounds, messages etc can enhance this effect.
Alligator king
The alligator king is a stronger 'king' version of the alligator added in the Rise of Rome expansion, available in the scenario builder only. It is a much more powerful version of the alligator with higher attack, speed, hitpoints and line of sight, making it aeons more powerful in melee combat than its regular counterpart. In fact, taking their statistics into account, the alligator king is actually 25 times stronger in a one-on-one, while they also have a much larger line of sight, and are faster than most land units. A unit's armor also seems to have no impact on the damage they inflict, making them genuine hero-killers, and a substatial obstacle in a scenario.
Unit stats
Alligator king in brackets
- HP: 20 (100)
- Attack: 4 (25 regardless of armor)
- Rate of fire: 1.67
- Range: 1 (Melee)
- Speed: 2.42 (0.82)
- Line of sight: ?
- Food: 100
- Rate of decay: 1 food/second
