Treadmill Crane

Treadmill Crane
Availability
Introduced in	The Age of Kings
Civilization	See table
Age	File:Castle-age-reseach.jpg Castle Age
Research
Researched at	File:University-logo.jpg University
Food	300
Wood	200
Research time	50
Effect
Villagers construct buildings 20% faster

Treadmill Crane is a technology in Age of Empires II that can be researched at the University. Once researched, the construction speed for all buildings is increased by +20%. Treadmill Crane helps players to establish forward bases more quickly or erect structures close to enemy territory.

It is worth noting that the Spanish, despite lacking Treadmill Crane, have the fastest builders in the game due to their civilization bonus that gives them +30% working speed. However, they do not benefit from their bonus in Wonder Race games because Wonders are built at a fixed time for all civilizations.

Technology availability

Available	Unavailable
Aztecs Berbers Burmese Celts Franks Incas Italians Japanese Khmer Koreans Magyars Malians Mayans Portuguese Saracens Slavs Teutons Turks Vietnamese Vikings	Britons Byzantines Chinese Ethiopians Goths Huns Indians Malay Mongols Persians Spanish

Team Bonuses

A team containing Malians: Researching Treadmill Crane is 80% faster.

Changelog

The Age of Kings

• Treadmill Crane costs 200W/300S.
• Goths: Can research Treadmill Crane.
• Japanese: Cannot research Treadmill Crane.
• Vikings: Cannot research Treadmill Crane.

The Conquerors

• From patch 1.0c onwards, Treadmill Crane costs 300F/200W.
• Huns: Can research Treadmill Crane.

The Forgotten

• Goths:Treadmill Crane removed from the technology tree.
• Huns: Treadmill Crane removed from the technology tree.
• Vikings: Treadmill Crane added to the technology tree.

The African Kingdoms

• Japanese: With patch 4.8, Treadmill Crane is added to the technology tree.

History

The construction of castles, cathedrals, and other major building projects required the invention of new techniques, as well as the re-discovery of ancient technologies. A critical tool known to the ancients but lost to the Europeans of the Dark Ages was the crane. The simple crane was a long pole with block and tackle gear that was used to pull loads to a height. The treadmill crane was an improvement over the simple version. It used a large circular treadmill upon which men walked. Gears converted the horizontal circular motion into vertical turning, providing power to wind ropes around a drum and pull up heavy loads. A variation of the treadmill crane employed a capstan that men could push against, like those used on sailing ships to raise anchors.

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