HafenkaeseLP: I really don't know where I should start, since RoaE feels like a completely different game.

The first difference is that there is no AI, so you don't have real opponents. There are other factions but they usually don't expand, instead you can trade with them and in the campaign and the missions they give you quests. Of course there are enemies, but they are always scripted, so competitive games are only possible via multiplayer.

Secondly, all settlers have needs and, EVERYBODY needs food, not only miners as in Settlers 2. If there aren't enough goods to satisfy them, they strike. The number of needs rises with your rank.

The third aspect is that you recruit soldiers (swordsmen and bowmen) in squads, which you control directly, like in an RTS game. Unlike in Settlers 2 there are also walls and siege weapons. Soldiers need regular pays, which you earn by selling goods, looting ruins with your character, but mainly from taxes.

And here I'm going to explain the fourth point. Manufacturers earn money by selling their goods and pay there taxes. Resource buildings don't pay taxes, but their inhabitants consume goods, so they increase the demand and indirectly give you money. Btw, there is only one central storehouse, so you have to build all your manufactures at the city core.

These were the most important differences. All in all it's more like Anno with an RPG twist than an actual settlers game.