The problem with EVERY game of this sort (i.e. Age of War) is, that playing defensively - which normally is a good tactic is total bullocks. If you don't get your units butchered you don't get as much XP - the whole game is anti-intuitive and therefore very hard in the beginning. Due to the population cap it doesn't help you to build 5 different units, in fact the opposite is true. The point that you lose everything on evolving and repetitive scrolling to the enemy base hurts the game experience too. So don't be so close-minded to say it's easy, because it isn't. It is, if you use simple tricks (2 units + water, no turrets) - but noone would use them in the situations you face, meaning:
a) oh god, the enemy seems to have more units than me - let's build fewer buildings!
b) their turrets destroy everything and the break through my troops - let's NOT build turrets

That's why this game isn't anywhere near good. The good tactics are illogical, there is only one map, one enemy, meaning the only thing you can come up with to make it interesting ist to try to get faster and faster. As I said before, there is no real difference between the difficulty modes, so it's always the same. But if you can't make it just look at the advices in this thread, because they work (I don't talk about the pro tips to get under 7mins^^).

Secondly: people who exploit the tutorial-"bug": you aren't good because of your ability to exploit.

Thirdly: Spawn rate upgrades work just well and are the most important upgrade for every unit.

It must be a bug (or design flaw) that you gain experience for losing units, this is the main reason why turrets are completely useless that will only cause you to find the game extremely hard. The tutorial even force you to build tower which is the main thing that causes players to lose the game, because it is unintrutive to sell your towers, there is no reason to think that they are liabilities instead of helping you out for this kind of game, right? NOT.

Instead of building towers you can just send unupgraded tier1 units to their doom and raise in exp and age so fast it shouldn't take more then 15min to end the game at future age.

i have drawn out a small wall of text guide to the units and turrets (including enemies) that the average person encounters. maybe that will help.

Actually,it does make sense that you get experience from losing troops.The person who made army of ages also made age of war and age of war 2.He's had it like that since age of war.Why change that now?

How do you get a custom game on army of ages?

can anyone help me here?

As of now, I don't think there's custom games yet, I've looked.

Anyway, the way I beat Army of Ages is by buying three tents at every age before the future age. A gatherer, Tier 1 ranged unit, and a Tier 2 unit (any) tent is what I build. Then I fully upgrade my combat units and try to "hold the fort" with just that without using turrets. I use the gold/xp income from taking out aliens to advance to the next age, where I set up my three tents again and grind on to the future age.

After reaching the future age, build Tier 2 units and use xp special attacks (I use the arrows) to take care of aliens while your troops take out the alien turrets/base.

just wait for a little bit so that you have like 100 gold before upgrading then buy you units as fast as you can

i beat it on insane and this is the best i found to beat it on any difficulty first buy all the 1st tier units and the 2nd tier unit that is a ground and attacks both air and ground upgrade the 2nd tier unit and the best 1st tier units health and attack then once you have enough money sell the weakist unit and buy the other 2nd tier ground unit and upgrade its health attack and movement speed then once you have enough money sell the water tent and the weakist unit left and upgrade the spawn rate of everything left wait until you both have enough exp and have your units far unough away from your base so the alians wont be able to destroy your castle after everything disapears upgrade repeat and use special attacks when necissary

i have a guide to the stage 1 units... on page 2 of the main walkthroughs pages!