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Age of Empires III

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Age of Empires III
PC Box Cover
Developer(s)Ensemble Studios
Publisher(s)Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)Bruce Shelley
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows XP (workaround available for Windows 2000)
ReleaseNorth America North America October 18, 2005 (NA) Europe November 4, 2005 (EU)
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single player, MP over IPX, TCP/IP, Modem or Ensemble Studios Online 2 (ESO2).

Age of Empires III (AoE III) is the sequel to Age of Empires II and the third title of the history-based real-time strategy Age of Empires series of computer games. The game was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, and was officially released on October 18, 2005. The game is mostly set in the New World, with some early single player scenarios taking place in Malta, and covers the European colonization of the Americas between approximately AD 1500 and 1900.

The game was announced by Ensemble Studios on January 4, 2005. A demo version was released on September 7, 2005 and the game "went gold" (entered mass production) on September 22, 2005. The expansion pack, Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs, is set to be released in late 2006.

System requirements

Age of Empires III only runs on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Officially only Windows XP is supported, although there is a workaround for Windows 2000. Also, Age of Empires III may run on Windows Vista, though a very powerful graphics card is required. Age of Empires III requires 256 MB of RAM and more than 2 GB of hard drive space (the demo only requires 620 MB). It has been tested on a 32 MB video card but officially it requires a 64 MB card supporting hardware transform and lighting, as well as a sound card. Multiplayer gaming requires a LAN connection, 56 kbit/s dial-up modem, or at least that fast an Internet connection.

The game is very graphics-intensive at its higher quality settings, and higher-end graphics adapters are required for optimal performance.

Technical features

Age of Empires III builds upon and introduces new features to the Age of Mythology engine. One new feature is the inclusion of the Havok physics simulation middleware engine, the physics package included in other recent popular games, including Half-Life 2. This means that many events such as building destruction and tree falls will not be pre-created animations, but rather will be calculated according to the physics engine. Other graphical features of the game include bloom lighting and support for pixel shader 3.0.

Gameplay

File:Aoe3 gameplay.jpg
In-game screenshot from Age of Empires III demonstrating usage of formations.
File:Age3 gameplay.JPG
This demonstrates the in-game physics

Age of Empires III is the first Age of Empires game to introduce gunpowder weapons on a large scale (there were gunpowder weapons in Age of Empires II, but they appeared late in the game and were not widely used). However, cavalry with melee weapons, samurai mercenaries, and other non-gunpowder units appear in the game as well.

Combat in Age of Empires III places greater emphasis on the use of formations than in previous Age of Empires games. Depending on the formation that a group of units is put in, they may gain bonuses to melee or ranged attack, or be less vulnerable to enemy fire.

One of the new features in AoE III is the home city system, which gives players a persistent character. Home cities provide both military and economic support to colonies, though they are separate from combat, and can be improved by earning experience points (XP). Players can spend XP on acquiring cards for their nation, and customizing the appearance of the home city. These can then be subsequently used to obtain special shipments during a game. These shipments may be units, special technologies, or resources. Up to 20 different cards may be used in one game; however, these must be pre-selected in groups of custom-built decks. (See The Home City Concept)

Three modes of gameplay are available: A story-based compaign, single player skirmishes (with a random map), and online through the matchmaking service Ensemble Studios Online)

Scenery

File:Age of Empires 3 - Screenshot 2.jpg
In-game screenshot from Ensemble Studios.

Battles are fought on various maps, which are randomly selected from a list of "seeded", or predefined maps. There are a number of variables meaning that each seeded map is different, creating a unique gameplay experience with each new game. Each map has several features which are always present (such as trade routes or a particular number of islands), as well as several characteristics such as a paucity of trees. A large number of potential treasures are scattered about the map, which can be claimed for various prizes: a certain amount of resources, a bonus to explorer hitpoints, units (settlers, natives, fattening animals or tamed animals), or an XP reward. The resources which are available include trees which can be used for Wood, silver/gold mines which can be used for Coin, and herds of animals which can be hunted for Food. Grazing animals (such as cows, llamas and sheep) fatten up over time, and can also be tamed or slaughtered for food. The oceans contain patches of fish which fishing boats can collect for Food, and occasionally whales, which can be harpooned for an inexhaustible amount of Coin. Note that only four fishing boats or Caravals or a combination of both can fish at a whale site at a time.

Campaigns

Main article: Age of Empires III Campaign

The 'campaign' game mode lets the player follow three generations of the Black family, and consists of three 'Acts': Blood, Ice, and Steel.

Ages

In the Skirmish menu, the player can choose which age the competitors shall start in. "Nomad", where you only start with a Town Center Wagon and an Explorer (for some civilizatons also a scout, envoy, or war dog) is an included option. In the "Post-Imperial Age", all improvements have already been researched.

Discovery Age
This is the first age in this game. The players can only explore the map and develop their economy. Your explorer can be used to scout the map and find treasure. No soldiers can be created in this age.
Colonial Age (800 food)
This is the second age in the game. As it name tells, the player shall colonize the map through constructing of infantry, cavalry, and, for most civilizations, Grenadiers, which can be classed as an artillery unit. The exception to this is the Ottomans, which receive an extra unit, the Abus Gun. Trade Routes can upgrade to Stagecoaches.
Fortress Age (1200 food, 1000 gold)
This is the third age in the game, with advances to existing military units and buildings. Artillery options open up for most civilizations. A Fort can be sent from the home city and outposts can upgrade to Frontier Outposts.
Industrial Age (2000 food, 1200 gold)
This is the fourth age in the game, with more upgrades to units and buildings. Higher end Home City Cards are unlocked, such as the Factory. Trade Routes can be upgraded to trains, and Frontier Outposts to Fortified Outposts.
  • New buildings: Factory [available only from Home City].
Imperial Age (4000 food, 4000 gold)
The fifth age in the game; players may choose to research more powerful technologies by building the capitol. Also, nearly every Home City shipment may be sent again. Death match games do not reach this age, as do most 2 player games.

Politicians

Each civilization has a maximum of 4 politicians to choose from each time they advance through the ages, from the Colonial to the Industrial (All civilizations have only 2 politicians to choose from when advancing to the Imperial Age.). Initially, all civilisations only have 2 politicians as their choice while advancing; the other policitians are unlocked at the rate of 1 every 10 levels of the home city (meaning that you will open up all choices when your homecity reaches level 60). Also, note that the unlocking of politicans follows a pre-set order; they are NOT unlocked according to Age.

Explorers

Every home city features a different "explorer" unit, which is present in every game played with that home city. The explorer is used to explore surrounding territory and to claim treasures. It is also capable of building Trade Posts or Town Centers, as well as killing treasure guardians in one shot with a special attack. This explorer unit is immortal, and can never be killed, although it can be rendered useless if it takes enough damage. At this point, it must await rescue by a friendly unit (when one of your soldiers approaches within a certain proximity, the explorer will revive). Alternatively, a small sum of Coin may be paid to retrieve the explorer instantly. Cards are available to be placed in your deck which will increase the power of your explorer in various ways: increased hitpoints, increased attack, special attacks which damage multiple units, or the ability to launch hot-air balloons to scout unknown areas. Different upgrades are available to different explorers; for example, the explorer character Amelia Black in Act 3 of the single-player campaign can gain the card upgrade "Fisticuffs," which increases her attack. Also, Spanish explorer can train dogs, maximum of 5 (previous verions of the game included a Spanish card that let the explorer train up to 8, but this effect was removed. The card now makes all War Dogs stronger), and Portuguese explorer can use a telescope (spyglass) to peek at an area and see what your enemies are doing for a short amount of time.

Civilizations

Age of Empires III allows you to play as 8 different civilizations. Each of the eight civilizations have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Each civilization also has a varying amount of unique units available only to that civilization. In addition, specific units for each civilization are designated Royal Guard units, receiving greater bonuses on the Guard upgrade in the Industrial Age, but at an increased price (1000 of each resource as opposed to 600). The names of the Home City can be changed by the player.

Flags Civilization Home City Unique Civilization Bonus Unique Units Royal Guard Units Leader
Spanish Seville Faster Home City shipments, starts the game with one War Dog Rodelero, Lancer, Missionary, War Dog Tercio Pikeman, Espada Rodelero, Garrochista Lancer Queen Isabella
British London Builds special "Manor Houses" that spawns free settlers when built Longbowman, Congreve rocket Redcoat Musketeer, Kings Life Guard Hussar Queen Elizabeth I
French Paris More expensive settlers that work faster and double as light infantry, best at forge allies with Native Americans, two forts can be sent, Explorer can heal, starts with a Native American scout Coureur des Bois, Cuirassier Gendarme Cuirassier, Voltigeur (skirmisher) Napoleon
Portuguese Lisbon Receives Covered Wagons every time a new age is reached, Explorers have Spyglass ability (reveals sections of map) Organ Gun, Cassador Guerreiro Musketeer, Jinete Dragoon Henry the Navigator
File:NL Onderscheidingsvlag Staatssecr Defensie.png Dutch Amsterdam Builds special Bank buildings that generate coin and Settlers cost coin, starts the game with an Envoy Envoy, Fluyt, Ruyter Nassau Halberdier, Carabineer Ruyter Maurice of Nassau
File:Russia empire.gif Russians St. Petersburg Trains Infantry and settlers cheaply and in groups, builds Blockhouses which function as a barracks and an outpost Strelet, Oprichnik, Cossack Pavlov Grenadier, Tatar Cavalry Archer Ivan the Terrible
Germans Berlin Receives Uhlans with most Home City shipments from the Colonial Age onwards (extra mercenaries are recieved from mercenary shipments instead), Settler Wagons are Stronger and Gather Resources faster than Standard Settlers or Coureurs. Doppelsöldner, Uhlan, War Wagon, Settler Wagon Needle Gunner (Skirmisher), Czapka Uhlan Fredrick the Great
Ottomans Istanbul Town Center spawns settlers for free, Mosque improvements speed up rate of settler spawn and increase settler population cap, most unique units of all civilizations Janissary, Abus Gun, Great Bombard, Imam, Galley, Spahi Baratcu Grenadier, Gardener Hussar Suleiman the Magnificent

Note that these are just some of the greater changes between the different civilizations. There are other Civilizations playable via the campaign, which include: The Knights of St. John's, John Black's Mercenaries, and the Falcon Railroad Company which are played as the Spanish, German and British civilizations, respectively, with slight modifications. Non-playable campaign civilizations include Pirates, The Circle of Ossus and the Native Americans.

Twelve different tribes of Native Americans are in the game as well: the Aztec, the Carib, the Cherokee, the Comanche, the Cree, the Incas, the Iroquois, the Mayans, the Nootka, the Seminole, the Lakota (Sioux), and the Tupi. These are not playable factions, but players can gain access to trade and unique units by forming an alliance with the tribes (building a trading post at their camps). However, three tribes will become playable in the forthcoming expansion pack Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs, with the Iroqouis Confederacy and the Sioux being confirmed as two of the three new civilizations.

The Home City concept

Home Cities

Age of Empires III is the first game in the Age of Empires series to introduce the Home City.

The Home City functions as a second city, a powerhouse that is separated from the active game. It cannot be attacked or destroyed, although an Imperial Age upgrade called "Blockade" stops your opponents from receiving Home City shipments. Its selling feature is its persistence between games, meaning that upgrades gained through many games can be applied and stay applied for as long as that particular city exists (Cities only cease to exist when they are deleted by the user from the game menu).

Players access the Home City between games, and can customize their city, choose new cards, and organize their card deck. Customizations to the Home City change the visual aspects of the city, but do not affect gameplay whatsoever. In customizing the home city, players can add unique people to the city (for example, a fruit vendor, or a musician), change and upgrade the colour schemes of buildings, or place objects/decorations throughout the city.

Players can also access the Home City within a game (or battle) by clicking on the "Home City" button represented on the HUD as the nation's flag. The home city functions differently inside of a game. Instead of customizing a home city or choosing cards, a player can apply cards chosen before the game (and added to a deck). See below.

Multiple Home Cities can be created and maintained, although each Home City supports only one civilization.

Game cards

Between games, players keep a portfolio of cards that can be used throughout the game. A card can be a grouping of units (13 Longbowmen, 1 Caravel), improvements (Faster woodcutting, Increase to Musketeer/Grenadier Attack), buildings (1 Covered Wagon, or 1 Factory Wagon), or resources (300 Food, or 600 Wood)

During the course of a game, players gain experience through actions done, such as: Constructing buildings, training units, killing enemy units, collecting treasures, and many more. With the exception of the Spanish, who requires less than 200 experience points to send their first card, 200 experience points are required to send the first shipment. Players can enter the Home City menu and use a card. Shipments slow down as the game goes on with every consecutive shipment requiring more experience points to send. In a sense, you could be an explorer calling on the home city, arranging reinforcements or resources to be sent, to aid in your conquest of the New World. When cards are used in a game, the delivery takes approximately a minute before the object arrives in the New World, simulating a "shipment" from the Old World.

Every time a game is finished, experience points gathered throughout the game add to a value dictated as "Total Experience". Once a certain number of experience points are collected (through multiple games), a new "level" is reached, and players are allowed to choose a new unique card to add to their deck. Players start off at level 1, and have 15 cards in their deck to begin with.

It is worth noting that a deck may contain only 20 cards, and there are approximately 120 cards that can be obtained. Players can gear their cards for different play strategies, for example:

  • Economy (The use of many resource cards)
  • Military (The use of many unit cards in order to obtain a vast army relatively quickly)
  • Booming (A strategy of reaching new ages quickly through a combination of technology cards and resource cards).

Each civilization has a different stock of cards that can be chosen. For example, the French can receive an additional fort upon reaching level 25, whereas every other civilization can receive only one.

For every home city, players can also have different decks. The deck to be used is chosen when the first shipment is sent. For the duration of that game, players cannot switch to other decks. This feature encourages players to build decks that are customised for the map being played on or counters against other civilizations.

Buildings

Main article: Buildings of Age of Empires III

The buildings portrayed in Age of Empires III resemble the architectural design of that era. All of the games in the series share a number of buildings, including the Town Center and Docks. Some civilizations are granted the ability to construct buildings earlier than other civilizations.

Units

Main article: Age of Empires III military units

The units of Age of Empires III are based, as in previous iterations of the game, around military classes of the historic time period. The majority of infantry utilise ranged gunpowder weapons (Musketeers, Skirmishers), although there are units that continue to make use of mêlée weapons or bows. There are also a number of ships, all of which make use of cannons with the exception of the fishing ship, which has no ranged attack. In some cases, a selection of Native American tribes populate game maps, and support their own brand of military units that can be trained once an alliance has been formed.

Ensemble Studios Online

Bundled with all versions of the game is a free subscription to the game's multiplayer gaming service, hosted by Ensemble Studios. Similar in function to Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net, Ensemble Studios Online (ESO) allows players to create and join games, as well as chat with other players outside of the game.

An internet connection (equal to or greater than 56k) is required for connection to ESO. A high-speed connection is encouraged to reduce network latency, or lag.

Each copy of Age of Empires III contains one CD key, which can be used to register one account on the gaming service. As of April 2006, multiple accounts and username changes are not supported.

Expansion

Main article: Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs

Ensemble Studios has announced an expansion for AOE3 that is named "Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs" and is expected to be released in the Fall of 2006. It will contain 3 new native civilizations that can be completely controlled. The Iroquois Confederation has been confirmed for the expansion along with the Sioux, and many fans have speculated that the Incas or Aztecs have a high probability and are logical choices for a civilization. New content for existing European civilizations, as well as new maps and gameplay additions will be added as well.

Demo & Retail Versions

Age of Empires III's Demo was released on September 7, 2005, quickly being criticized due to the fact that it was designed to only install on Windows XP. However, it has been discovered that the installed folder can be copied over to a Windows 2000 computer and it will still work.

The demo version contains two scenarios from the campaign, two random maps (New England & Texas), two playable civilizations (British & Spanish) and the ability to upgrade your Home City up to level 9. All ages and buildings (except banks) are available, but some units (mercenaries and units which can only be created by other civilizations) are missing. There are also many user created modifications which change some aspects of the trial version.

An updated demo version 1.1 was made available with the game's release on October 18, 2005, and can be obtained here.

The full retail version is also limited to Windows XP or higher, and Microsoft has implemented a check within the installer to ensure you are running the correct operating system. Users have discovered a work-a-round however, enabling the installation of AOE3 retail on the Windows 2000 operating system. Information regarding this can be obtained here

Collector's edition

A limited edition version of the game was also released that included:

  • The official soundtrack
  • A player's guide
  • A full colour 43" x 27" poster
  • A hardback book entitled "Art of Empires" that contained concept art as well as 3d renders from the game
  • A demo disc
  • A DVD entitled "The Making of Age of Empires 3"
  • An extended presentation manual
  • The game itself.

The package was contained within a large decorative box which measured approximately 1.5'x1'.

Known issues

  • Certain players playing over a router network (with or without NAT) cannot connect to the Ensemble Studios Online service.
  • When first trying to run the game after installation, users may get an error about a d3dx9_25.dll - if this is the case, then either download the D3DX April Update from http://www.toymaker.info/Games/html/d3dx_dlls.html or reinstall DirectX9 completely.

Historical errors

  • Janissaries are portrayed in the game as bearded, although in reality they were banned from wearing beards. Clicking on the top right corner of the stats screen of a Janissary recognizes that they were not allowed to grow beards, but most players do not read this.
  • In the campaign, Natives taken captive are portrayed as Incans in Florida. However, the Incans originate from South America.[citation needed]
  • The leader of the British civilization is Queen Elizabeth I; however, the Kingdom of Great Britain did not come into existence until over a century after her death.
  • The game confuses gunpowder with trinitrotoluene several times, and the use of the latter is expressed before its supposed invention date. This is evident during in-game cinematics throughout the game.
  • St. Petersburg is portrayed as the main port of Russia. However, St. Petersburg was constructed during the reign of Peter the Great, not while Ivan the Terrible was in power. It also shows St. Basil's Cathedral in St. Petersburg instead of being in Moscow
  • The events of the Single Player Campaign begin in 1565, when the Ottoman Turks attack Malta. Therefore, Morgan Black could not have encountered the Aztec Empire, which had fallen in 1521.
  • The Doppelsöldner is a standard infantry unit while the Landsknecht is presented as an elite mercenary unit. However, Doppelsöldners were Landsknechts paid double for fighting on the front lines of combat. Clicking on the top right corner of the stats screen of a Doppelsöldner recognizes that they were elite Landsknechts, but most players do not read this.
  • Hussite war wagons would be heavily anachronistic in a game that starts in the 16th century.
  • The dog soldiers were an elite warrior society of the Cheyenne tribe, which occasionally made alliances with the Lakota, but were not a part of them. Yet a dog soldier is featured as a "Lakota Dog Soldier" in Age of Empires III. Clicking on the top right corner of the stats screen of a dog soldier recognizes that they were part of the Cheyenne tribe, but most players do not read this.
  • When accessing the French civilization section of the Age of Empires III Official Website, a date reads "23-8-45", supposedly signed by Napoleon. However, Napoleon was not alive in either 1745 or 1845.

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