Allocate 15 minutes towards managing eco in the game, and then dedicate the following 15 minutes to defending your villagers from enemy attacks.
Unfortunately, this often results in a futile struggle where the opponents repeatedly flee without being defeated.
Even building cavalry units doesn’t seem to help much.
The game’s combat mechanics only allow for slow engagement which results in receiving a hit only once every five seconds.
The only way to win seems to be to adopt the same unenjoyable playing style as your rivals.
This makes the game far from enjoyable compared to similar games, like aoe1 and aoe3.