The VMDL (labelled as Elephant Archer in the HD Edition) is a cheat unit in Age of Empires II. The name stands for "Villager Male Dave Lewis", which is named after David Lewis, an Ensemble Studios employee, who also provided the voice for the unit.[1][2]
They are very fast and good for exploring but cannot attack (despite the attack value shown in the infobox), gather, or build anything. However, they can lay foundation for buildings when being assigned with the 'build' command. They also can be garrisoned inside buildings, granting an attack bonus.
Unlike all the other cheat units, VMDL are not available in the Scenario Editor.
In the original unofficial Age of Empires II: Forgotten Empires, if the VMDL is being attacked by any wild animal, or such a wild animal enters his Line of Sight, he will turn into a normal female Villager and retaliate or attack the animal. This does not happen in the official Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. In the Definitive Edition, this happens yet again - when attacked, the VMDL permanently turns into a female Villager.
No matter what civilization the player is using, the VMDL always speaks modern English, except when being assigned to build a building (which he would respond in the usual native language of the civilization). He tends to respond in odd sentences like "Bongo drums on the head." or "Now that's a good idea."
In-game dialogue language[]
- Select 1 Wearing the... whatever these things are on my head
- Select 2 Bongo drums on the head
- Select 3 Yeah?
- Move 1 Now that's a good idea
- Move 2 I would really like to see that
- Move 3 Well now, let's see
Trivia[]
- The VMDL appears as a naked man in the original game. Sandy Petersen stated that the portrayal is based on a real occurrence involving David Lewis, without disclosing further details.[2] When killed, the unit explodes using the same animation as the Saboteur, Petard, and Cobra Car.
- In the Definitive Edition, its appearance was changed to that of a wooden mannequin. When the VMDL explodes, the Petard can be seen for a very short moment.
- A reference to the "monkey head" reappears as an easter egg in Age of Mythology, as the name of a Relic.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Ask Sandy III (October 1999) on Age of Kings Heaven
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ask Sandy XI (January 2000) on Age of Kings Heaven
| Cheat units in the Age of Empires series | |
|---|---|
 Age of Empires |  BabyPrez (removed) ·  Big Bertha ·  Black Rider ·  Crocodile (Alpha) ·  Dragon ·  Elephant (Alpha) ·  Flying Dutchman ·  Gazelle (Alpha) ·  Laser Trooper ·  Lion (Alpha) ·  Medusa ·  Nuke Trooper ·  Saint Francis ·  Stealth Archer ·  Winsett's other Z ·  Winsett's Z ·  Zug 209 |
 Age of Empires II |  Alfred the Alpaca ·  Cobra Car ·  Furious the Monkey Boy ·  Penguin · Photonman ·  Saboteur ·  Sharkatzor ·  Stormy Dog ·  VMDL |
 Age of Mythology |  Bella ·  Flying Purple Hippo ·  Forkboy ·  Lazer Bear ·  Methane Chicken ·  Walking Berry Bush |
 Age of Empires III |  BigAndy ·  Flaming Hot Dog Cart ·  Fluffy ·  Flying Purple Tapir ·  Gatling Camel ·  George Crushington ·  Guardian Lion ·  Honey Badger ·  Lazerbear ·  Learicorn ·  Leonardo's Tank ·  Mediocre Bombard ·  Monster Ice Cream Truck ·  Penguin ·  The Tommynator |
 Age of Empires IV |  Photon Man |