Town Patrol
Town Center - Castle AgeEvolution
Town Patrol
Castle AgeTechnology Effect
"+4 Line of Sight for buildings"
Coach's Tip
Town Patrol further increases building line of sight by 4. Combined with Town Watch, your buildings can see very far.
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Identity
Town Patrol further increases building line of sight by 4. Combined with Town Watch, your buildings can see very far.
When to Research
High Priority
Research Town Patrol as soon as you have the resources and are using defense units.
Combat Impact
+4 Line of Sight for buildings
Civilization Access
* 56 civilizations have access to this technology.
Prepare your next matchup
Choose both civilizations for a game plan, key threats and an army composition.
Other Technologies to Explore
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Town Patrol is a Castle Age technology researched at the Town Center. It costs 300 food and 100 gold and takes 40 seconds. Buildings gain another +4 line of sight in the vision progression. The effect reaches the whole settlement, letting Town Centers, houses, production buildings, and defensive structures see farther around their positions. Town Patrol is an information upgrade rather than a combat upgrade: it does not improve damage or durability. Its return comes from finding raids, armies, and forward construction early enough to move Villagers or assemble a response.
History & balance
Town Patrol is the Castle Age continuation of a vision plan. Its design gives a developed settlement more time to react without turning line of sight into a wall or a weapon. The additional vision is broad, so it rewards a player who has several buildings spread across resources and approaches; a compact, already safe base gains less. The technology also creates an opportunity-cost question at the Town Center, where food and research time could become Villagers. In balance terms, Town Patrol supports map awareness and defensive coordination, but it still requires units and terrain to convert information into safety.
In pro play
Research Town Patrol when Town Watch is already active and at least four or five buildings are spread across exposed resources, forward walls, or multiple approaches. Reserve 300 food, 100 gold, and the 40-second Town Center window; compare the research pause with the Villagers needed for the next boom or defense. Use the extra +4 line of sight to spot a second angle, not only the main road. It is strongest before a Castle Age raid cycle or while adding Town Centers, when the settlement becomes harder to watch manually. If the base is compact and the opponent is already at the gate, produce Villagers and military first.
How to counter it
No military unit counters Town Patrol itself. The classic timing error is paying 300 food, 100 gold, and 40 seconds after the forward army is already inside the vision network, or researching it while only one safe Town Center exists. A practical threshold is four or five exposed buildings and at least two approaches where +4 line of sight will reveal a meaningful route. Pressure the Town Center, attack before completion, or use a blind angle and speed because vision does not deal damage. If your map reading still arrives too late, AoE Coach reads your matchup and gives you the composition and timing.