[Learning] Improving Dark Age micro-economy

After watching some slam's recs and streams, as well as other experts, I noticed the usual timings for when to use go-to LC to micro wood villagers for minimum gathering-idletime (and especially the timings when the idiots can try walk around the LC to the other side, which usually result in losses of dozens of wood-units...).

NOTE: It is assumed that the drop-off buildings are touching the resource, not 1 tile away, which sometimes is used for Mills if looking to a build with more than 4 on Berries.

I suppose this is mostly relevant for 3wood Scouts builds, with maybe 21 pop or lower, when Upping-amount of wood vills is usually 9 instead of 10 (or even lower for example Mongols-19-20 pop scout rush), and other tight opening-based economies (MaA+fwd with 21pop and drush-flush with 23 or less vills, 25-26pop Up come to mind). After the resources have been gathered enough so the drop-off building is no longer touching the resource, villagers will very rarely attempt to switch sides unless due over-saturation, at which point dozens of res lost is negligible.

• If you put 2 vills on a same tree (1st, LCbuilder, and 2nd vill), the tree will run out by the time of building a Mill at 4:45-5:00. Analogous time-mark within this sector is sending Boar-2 hunter from TC to lure it, a task that requires Control Grouping, attention and time, so this option most often results in inefficiencies.

• If you put each of the (three) villagers on their own trees, they will finish the trees as late as 6:45-7:00, giving the player much more time for scouting-control in the eco-hectic boar/deer luring periods that exist from 3:00 onwards.

Similar analysis could be made for berries (in this case, Huns-specific timings, since other civs need houses which mean later berry-gathering start):

• Berries last far longer due slower gathering-rate, and unlike for woodline-gathering, it is beneficial to let 2 villagers gather from the same berry-tile, since the finishing time is almost always pushed after 8:00 which is either click-up time or after it, when there is usually more time to eco-micro. 2 vills on each side of the mill also benefit from each other's protection vs enemy scout/drush.

• one berry gatherer per tile pushes the finishing time well over 11:00, which puts it outside Dark Age range.

More on microeconomics in age2 found at: http://ift.tt/2iB5nWf