Camel Riders get destroyed in Iron Age because there is no Elite upgrade. I’ve never made a single Scout, Slinger or Axeman because they become obsolate from Bronze Age onwards.
Give us a starting scout, it is very ineffecient to scout with a villager.
Lastly, towers are garbage at defending, buff their attack and hp.
Axemen counter scout rushes, and are good at rushing themselves. I won against the better AI with axemen rushes. Ironically, I had an AI in one game send tons of axemen at me late in the game. The fact that they don’t use gold can be somewhat useful.
Further uprades for camels and slingers would be an interesting addition. I know that the ancients considered slings a more effective weapon than the bows in use at the time, especially against more armored opponents.
I agree with you regarding towers. As I indicated in my session review, they are not strong enough in light of the 200 pop cap, and the balance changes. They did buff them a little, but it was not enough.
100% true.
No idea why there is no upgrade.
Tool Age rushes are very strong.
Don’t underestimate them.
Also Scots have a massive line of sight, always useful.
People discovered hints that they wanted to add upgrades for those units in the game files.
For example there is a unit called “Bronze Axeman” in the game (that just looks like a normal Axeman) already. A Heavy Axeman also exists but is not functional.
Other units like Heavy Slinger (including a “Lead Bullet” technology that might change their costs from Stone to Gold), Horseman and Heavy Camel Rider appear in AI scripts.
So they considered adding them to the game but have decided not to.
Maybe they change their mind in the future. Let’s hope so.
That would be completely unrealistic. Horses were only domesticated in the Bronze Age in real life.
Even the technology Domestication is only available in the Tool Age.
Just use a villager or clubman to scout.
There is already a thread about that topic.
There is a unit called “explorer” in the game files.
It looks like a Clubman but is faster and weaker.
This unit could be the solution for that problem.
They had their attack buffed in ROR compared to AoE1(DE).
Romans have a 33% discount. Their Towerrush would be too strong if Towers were stronger. The Civilisation bonus could be changed though.
Their bonus should probably scale by Age.
Did you know, in AOE 2, I hate rush tower enemy cần grasion inside and make more strong for tower, and I boring game with it. If AOE 1 let village or something grasion inside tw I will report game and delete it -_-. AOE 2 have fail with this one, camel + damage bonus to elephant too 
. Sad game
Camel yes they in game get some weak, and maybe need some bonus more( but not bonus damage to elephant -_- shit logic of aoe2).
And scout start game :))) come with AOE2 man, this is AOE 1. Scout can do many things
I don’t mind that. Just like aoe2 cumans not having heavy camels and many civs important upgrades (Franks & Celts skirms, Turks spears,…)
Personnal taste I guess…
So, do you only make bowmen you cannot upgrade either or do you just lose every game on open maps in Tool age ?
Efficiency is relative. I find it nice to play different games. Just like in aoe2 you choose between scouting and pushing deers, in aoe1 you choose between scouting and getting early resources.
It is true that towers are weak on their own. Army is also important.
But nit much wirse than aoe 2 actually, where towers are mainly good against ranged units as they die to melee units without murder holes.
I think in both games villagers have a bonus vs towers, which I feel is healty to avoid early tower rushing. But is sad for civs like Babylonians, Byzantines and Korean, who all have the label of “defensive civilization”.
I think it is good that ror still mostly follows aoe1 rules. If you want to play antiquity aoe2, I suggest you the aoe2 mod “rome at war”. It probably has everything that you want.
In editor there is unit called Explorer, which has 20 HP and 2 attack, it looks like clubman, but it moves much faster. It’s possible they are considering adding explorer unit as starting scout in stone age.
I agree that most Tool Age units should have upgrades except bowman and some bronze age units which lack upgrades should also get iron age upgrade.
Villagers have no bonus damage vs towers or wall in AoE1 unless you research Siegecraft in Iron Age.
It is the stone age, no domesticated animals yet
Things I do not agree with you:
Scouts as starting unit in stone age
Towers are too weak - maybe they should scale a bit more in later ages, but strong towers in the tool age lead to boring and annoying tower rushes.
Things I agree with you:
More unit upgrades in later ages, especially for tool age units and the camel rider. Not every civilization, which can recruit camel rider, should get a “heavy” camel rider in iron age, but quite some of them - same situation as not every civ gets all unit upgrades of a unit line.
Also slinger, axeman and scout should get a unit upgrade either in bronze age or iron age. I’m not sure about the bowman (weird situation with improved and composite bowman as gold units, which are completely pointless, if you can recruit a stronger upgraded bowman without gold cost).
Explorer:)))) AOE1 don’t need the scout. Test just test everything make it like AOE 2 just make waste game. This 1 it call AOE2 a bit it enough. Villager can explore all thing the civil need to develop. Just don’t transfer AOE1 to AOE2