Well, i'd say you need the fast Bronze more than ever!...
Small and Medium maps:
This is an all-out Tool war.
Tool time is more important than Bronze time and FINDING those extra 2 or 3 berries is of paramount importance.
But you should privilege any means of cutting the enemy's supply! Almost more important than getting your own...
I have also found that the old bowman is STILL THE peon killer! Nobody is ever prepared to 3-4 upgraded bowman (leather armor) popping up in the middle of their woodcutters and start a quick killing. I have yet to encounter the guy who has the slingers waiting....
Towers are a nuisance in Tool wars. I suggest that you have 3 slingers when you drive your 3-4 bowmen in. If they make that quick Tower, your bowmen attack goes down the drain! Here's the deal:
They make Tower? Your slingers kill it in no time. Then Bowmen continue killing.
They make axemen to kill your slingers? 4 armored bowmen can deal with the axemen, in defense of the slingers.
I oject to making clubmen and axemen in fish-less maps. Food is too precious in these dry-land maps, you need it for many things, especially Tooling and Bronzing!
Large and bigger maps.
Bronze times are all important. That and FINDING those extra 2 or 3 berries is of paramount importance. This time even more important, because you have to pump your CA and military buildings, some ST, etc., which means less wood if you farm! So, reaping the berries towars the center and eventually those in unexplored edges is very important. In these maps I often get away berry-picking and later farming in the center of the map, while war is raging in the periphery While I fail because of speed in these maps, any fast bronzer is at ease here. Inland, Highland and Hill Country are the fast bronzer's paradise.
So, even if you bronze a little later, but have mustered the discovery and exploration of those "extra" berries, you will have a huge advantage.
Remember: ANY fast player can beat me - but most players, even good, will lose to me, if they happen not to be as fast as usual in that particular game.
This means that being fast is like being ahead most of the time - I have found fast players that do not attack fast - instead, they convert their speed into extra resources that they use to bolster their initial attack. I still think that you should attack as soon as you have the MINIMUM required to really kill something - like 2 or 3 CA....
[This message has been edited by Paralyticus (edited 09-08-99).]