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I recently asked 2 questions regarding build order strategies for Age of Empires:

Cho Wars

RM Hills

One has been closed for being too broad, and the other looks like it is about to head along the same path.

It was my understanding that such questions are on topic. For example, the answers to this meta question explain the reasons well. As you can see from looking across the Starcraft 2 questions, 3 of the top 4 questions are directly concerned with build orders. The answers are generally good and useful. It gives anyone visiting this site a very good starting point to improving their online abilities.

My questions are specifically regarding 2 common game modes. In each of these you are very much limited to certain play styles due to game rules and conditions.

The expected answers to these questions are specific build order lists with explanation of villager numbers/ratios. The answers would be based on experience (as I said, the game mode is still played).

I'm assuming that the people who voted to close this question do not understand the online aspects of the game. The questions I ask have a scope. The question is not asking for opinions but rather tried and tested strategies through experience, with the strategies tailored towards a specialised game mode.

I checked this meta question which detailed that I do not need to explain aspects of the game to people who don't play the game.

I have attempted to edit the questions further more but I feel that I am rewording it for people who don't play the game rather than people who do.

Could someone clarify why these build order questions are off-topic?

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I suspect what's happening here is that people aren't seeing/understanding the constraint in your question. "What's the best build order in this game" is a very different (and much worse) question than "what's the ideal build order for this map". The former is probably too broad. The latter probably not. And it's easy to see how someone skimming could read these as the former. (That said, the fault is totally theirs, not yours.)

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    i don't know about other games, but in sc2 "the idea build order for this map" is indeed a too broad question. There is no ideal build order. The ideal build order is the one that gets you what you want and adjusts with your scouting information. If you blindly follow any build order you will lose 100% of the time (at least once you get to higher ranks).
    – Aequitas
    Sep 19, 2015 at 20:52
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    @Aequitas a build order in an RTS is no different from an opening in chess. Learning them is still inordinately valuable.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Sep 19, 2015 at 20:54
  • so would you do the same 10 moves in chess regardless of what your opponent does? Or what you want to do (play aggressive/defensive)? If what you say is true, since the "map" for chess is always the same, every professional chess player would always do the same few moves at the start of the game. Since that isn't the case, there is no "ideal build order". It all depends on what you want and what you're opponent does. On some maps, certain strategies/tactics/units may be weaker or stronger however which would be a better question.
    – Aequitas
    Sep 19, 2015 at 20:59
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    @Aequitas I'd suggest doing some more reading.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Sep 19, 2015 at 21:01
  • What have I said that was incorrect according to that link?
    – Aequitas
    Sep 19, 2015 at 21:11
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    @Aequitas - The questions are not to ask what build order should I build for every game. I'm no complete expert on RTS online play, but over 15 years of playing many titles you find that there are generally "known" build orders to get you started/competitive. You try to keep along these guidelines, with variances more likely later in the build order. These questions cannot be answered without experience or quoting someone else's experience. The points made above about opening chess moves are pretty much spot on.
    – user101016
    Sep 21, 2015 at 13:06
  • Just like chess, you cannot follow a build order in an RTS and expect to win. However, knowing a build order (which is based on logical choices) will help develop your skills and bring you up closer to the "rookie" players. It also helps you do things instinctively (as certain aspects such as getting a base up and running will be second nature).
    – user101016
    Sep 21, 2015 at 13:10
  • @LessPop_MoreFizz I can see your point here, however if you wrap the question down to a single map on a specific setup it's like in your chess link There are many dozens of different openings. So in my opinion Aequitas is correct, the "ideal build" for the one could be the worst build for the other and that always depending on several thing happening ingame
    – Nitro.de
    Sep 21, 2015 at 14:52
  • @CamelCase Even if you only account for the first x minutes of a build (where x is the time that you get any scouting information) there are still dozens of "standard builds" that you can do and dozens more less standard but still perfectly acceptable builds. How do you determine which one of those is the best? you can't, you pick one based off what you want to do, what you like doing ie what suits your own personal play style. There are certainly builds which are 'wrong' but once you know how to do 'correct' builds you are still left with many many possible builds which could all be 'ideal'
    – Aequitas
    Sep 21, 2015 at 22:43
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    @CamelCase if there was a single best opening move in chess then why does white not always do that one move every game?. Those games are from master chess players and you can see that there isn't one single best move. There are about 4 most common moves, for the first move where there are only a possible of 20 moves... Now imagine a RTS game where there are dozens if not hundreds of more possible "moves". And once scouting comes into it, this blows up to thousands of different possible builds to continue along.
    – Aequitas
    Sep 21, 2015 at 22:51
  • @Aequitas - Again, no one asked what is the best build order. You will have to try playing competitively on Age of Empires or other RTS to understand importance of having a build order. The question is about the standard build order for 2 specialised game modes. Standard DM and standard RM allow for many play styles and variance... however in the 2 game modes I am referring in the questions you are very limited (in map, civilisation and other choices). A strategy in another map doesn't work for the 2 modes I am asking about.
    – user101016
    Sep 21, 2015 at 23:19
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    @CamelCase ? what do you mean, see my first comment: but in sc2 "the idea build order for this map" is indeed a too broad question. I was a professional sc2 player for a period of time so I do understand all about this topic at least in regards to sc2, it may very well be different in other games, although that's highly unlikely. In order to have a more specific question it would have to change from "what's the ideal build order for this map" to something like "If I want to do x, y and z, what are some good build orders to achieve this?" As I said an ideal build order gets you what you want.
    – Aequitas
    Sep 21, 2015 at 23:33
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    The 2 questions have been slightly re-worded. Still asking for build orders for first 5 mins of Cho Wars and first 15-20 mins of RM Hills, but now explained a little easier for people who don't play the game.
    – user101016
    Sep 22, 2015 at 8:49

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