I very much prefer all the micromanaging, which was my big beef with BFME 2 and similar RTS's. I like sending guys to gather supplies so that I can build squadrons of various soldiers. The population limits also keep the balance between military and civil units in check, furthering the need for more strategy than just "OMGWTFBBQ SEND ALL MY TROOPS TO HARASS HIS VILLAGE!" And very much so in AoE, location of your units affect their abilities (like setting up archers in a valley area to fend off troops up in the mountains -- you'll get pummeled).

That's the one thing that I like most about the -Craft games, the sheer variety and depth of the individual units. I personally hope that Halo Wars can retain the whole feel of the AoE games, even though the game is centered more around military conquest rather than the ultimate goal of diplomacy (like AoE and similar). I mean, there's no way you'd get me to sign a treaty with an Elite... hehe.

But yeah, who doesn't enjoy an enemy clusterf*ck every once in a while?

:P