Map Control is a strategic concept in all games of the Age of Empires series , where controlling a greater portion of a map during a game will help a player defeat their opponent. Map control is vital to most players as it holds back the enemy, blocks shortcuts into the player's city, and/or blocks the route to resources for enemies. Most of the time, the player (or AI) that has control of the map wins the game. If an enemy gets control of the map, the other players in most cases must fight for control of the map.