My memory on EE is very foggy, but was it at all possible in a multiplayer game to start at a low tech level like Stone Age and continue playing/fighting as you advanced right up into the modern ages? I just imagine that kinda stuff would be very rare as either the resources of the map would be exhausted before that, or the game would degenerate into constant fighting and so players would be unable to afford upgrades.

yea you could have settings of dm where you start with 10k iron and gold and wood and 15k food also you can start pre age or nano age also iron and gold and stone resources will never run out.

I just always perfered ee too most other strat games because of how quick you can get army or if you want a longer game you can boom. Shame ee2 and 3 didn't improve orginal ee