Product description
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In this highly anticipated next installment in the Age of
Empires franchise from Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires III
places players in the time period of roughly 1500 - 1850, picking
up where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings left off. As players
work to establish their empire, they take on the role of a
European power struggling to explore, colonize, and conquer North
and South America. Age of Empires III introduces exciting new
gameplay elements, including the all-new Home City and an
incredible combat system. Players have new civilizations to
discover, random s to conquer, and a single-player campaign
unlike any other. Players also find stunning graphics as a result
of a revolutionary graphics engine that pushes the limits of PC
graphics technology in an entirely new way. Victory depends on
the player's strategic battle plan. The Home City represents a
player's capital back in Europe and plays a supporting role in
the attempt to control the New World. The better the player
performs in the New World, the more powerful his or her Home City
becomes. NOTE: THIS PRODUCT CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO MASSACHUSETTS OR
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, D.C.) WARNING: The solder used
in this product contains lead, a known to the State of
California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm.
Please wash hands after handling internal components and circuit
boards and avoid inhalation of fumes if heating the solder.
.com
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It's the dawn of a new age in real-time strategy (RTS) games. A
brave New World is rising--a hostile yet beautiful world, filled
with innovative gameplay, new strategic scenarios, eye-searing
graphics and much more. Welcome to a world called Age of Empires
III.
Campaign
In this action adventure tale of historical fiction, players
take on the role of Morgan Black and his family, struggling
against the hostile wilderness and a mysterious cult that's crept
in from Europe.
In a series of 24 scenarios divided into three acts, Morgan Black
and his descendants help the Aztecs resist conquest by Spanish
conquistadors, pit the French against the British in the French
and Indian War and help Simon Bolivar lead revolutions in South
America.
Multiplayer
Whether you're searching for a quick game or hoping to talk
strategy with friends online, Age of Empires III's Multiplayer
site is your community destination.
Here, you can play with persistent Home Cities that gain power
and strategic options the more games you play, compete for a spot
on dozens of ladders, help organize your clan or chat after a
game -- all without leaving the multiplayer portal.
Fans of Age of Mythology's Quick Search can still look for games
swiftly, while players looking for something specific can browse
game lists to find the set of options that matches their tastes.
New Feature--Home Cities
This revolutionary new feature to the RTS landscape is
incorporated into all aspects of Age of Empires III -- from
Campaign to Multiplayer -- and is unlike anything you've
experienced before.
Much like the persistent character from a role-playing game that
encourages you to keep playing, your Home City is an important
support system to your efforts in the New World. During a game,
your Home City can regularly send you supplies or
reinforcements.
You are the leader of your colony, but your success brings glory
back to Mother Europe. The more games you play, and the better
you do, the more powerful your Home City will become. Every few
games, you gain the ability to both upgrade and customize your
Home City:
* Upgrade your city by unlocking new types of soldiers or
buildings, or improving those you already have.
* Broaden your tech tree in whatever direction most fits your
play style--invest in warships, native alliances, cavalry,
artillery or economy.
* Customize your Home City by changing the appearance of
buildings, the weather or even the types of people who walk, work
and perform in its streets.
* Throughout a game, as well as in between games, you can visit
your Home City to watch its citizens go about their lives, get an
opinion on how you're doing, plot your next move or just marvel
at the beautiful sunset.
Full 3-D Graphics, Destructible Environments and More
We first set out to reproduce the rich detail of Age of Empires
II: Age of Kings. As we strove to make the fascinating Age of
Empires III time period come alive, that goal quickly evolved: We
at Ensemble Studios wanted to create the best-looking game ever.
From the stunning water effects to the hundreds of units battling
on-screen, you'll feel like you're a part of the action in the
New World.
* Tone ping--This photo imaging technique balances the colors
in a scene on the fly. The end result is a rich, warm game where
bright colors are vibrantly rendered alongside darker
counterparts, such as shadows.
* Lighting and shadows--The sun is always shining in Age of
Empires, so it's important that lighting and shadows be an
awe-inspiring experience. Units and buildings cast shadows
according to a real sun position, and even cast shadows on each
other. High Dynamic Range rendering allows us to represent the
shiny glints of sunlight that bounce off highly reflective
surfaces.
* Bump and specular ping--Water glistens like water. Metal
shines like metal. These advanced techniques serve to provide an
extra level of rendering detail heretofore unseen in real-time
strategy (RTS) gaming.
* Water--We felt that portraying stunning, realistic water
effects in the game was so important that we devoted a programmer
to it full-time. You'll find the water rich with details like
foam near the shore, accurately modeled water motion, flotsam in
rivers and realistic water colors. Plus, reflections change with
the viewing angle, the angle of sunlight and the motion of the
water. The overall effect is breathtaking.
* Cliffs and Riverbeds--Instead of just stretching terrain, we
built a system to attach geometry to the terrain to allow for
realistic overhangs and steep cliffs, from areas like the
American Southwest. This effect is supported on random s too.
Civilizations
British
Quick access to Settlers gives the British one of the strongest
economies in the game. The ability to upgrade two key units --
the Musketeer and Hussar -- make the British formidable
in the late game. The British Home City emphasizes improvements
to technology and naval warfare. Dutch
Although Dutch Settlers are limited and costly, their
civilization makes up for this economic disadvantage by building
Banks and generating coin automatically. The Dutch Home City
emphasizes upgrades to defense and economy. French
Although the French economy starts slowly, the Coureur unit, a
Villager with strong fighting skills, makes the French difficult
to attack early. The French also have the strongest cavalry unit
in the game -- the Cuirassier. Plus, the French are experts at
allying with the Native Americans. German
The Germans have fewer Settlers and therefore a slower economy.
Fortunately, both the Settler Wagon and Uhlan cavalry spawn for
free from the German Town Center. Plus, the Germans start with
the ability to send Mercenaries from their Home City (long before
other civilizations can). Native American
European civilizations can learn new technologies and gain
troops by forging alliances with the Native Americans. A British
player who allies with the Iroquois is essentially playing as two
civilizations: the British and the Iroquois. Ottoman
For the Ottomans, Settlers spawn automatically from the Town
Center. Building a Mosque and conducting research help keep that
Settler production steady. Befitting their position straddling
Europe and Asia, the Ottomans have more unique units than any
other civilization. Portuguese
Starting the game with two Town Centers, the Portuguese can
quickly produce Settlers, control territory or support their
allies. The glass ability allows the Portuguese to easily
on the enemy. The Portuguese also have a strong navy, strong
light infantry and the best Dragoons in the game. Russian
Starting the game with extra resources but fewer Settlers gives
the Russians the flexibility of focusing on economy or an early
raid. Russian infantry, individually weak, are trained in blocks
at a faster rate, providing the Russians with the rtunity to
overwhelm their enemy with greater numbers. Spanish
The Spanish have a strong , with both hand infantry and
cavalry. Flexibility in early shipments from the Home City give
the Spanish the option to attack early or set up for a strong,
late economy. Spanish Home City improvements benefit soldiers,
buildings and naval units. Combat
Age of Empires III gives players an amazing a of control
over their side of the battlefield.
* More to command -- Not only are you in command of large and
diverse armies of infantry, cavalry and artillery, but also
Native American warriors, mercenaries and tall ships.
* Multiple formations -- You can assign different formations to
your army for different strengths and weaknesses, or have the
game automatically choose the most appropriate formation.
Examples include:
* * Volley -- ranged infantry, like musketeers, take turns firing
at enemies ahead of them.
* Charge -- your soldiers walk, then run into combat. Cavalry
wield sabers, and musketeers fix bayonets. This formation does
tremendous damage but makes your soldiers more prone to injury.
* Bombard -- your soldiers protect the cannons, while the cannons
shell enemy ranks. Available only when you have artillery in your
army.
* Battles are easier to follow -- You can still command
individual units. But when the units fight in formation, you'll
be able to tell exactly who is winning the fight.
* Real-time physics -- Infantry struck by cannon fire will be
thrown like rag dolls, perhaps even over a cliff and into the
water. Cannonballs bounce and ricochet.
* Detailed destructions -- Shingles, shutters and whole towers
may fly off a building and interact with the terrain, such as
cing into nearby water. This next generation effect is done
on the fly so that each building always has a unique destruction,
no matter how many times you see it.
* Unique animations -- With hundreds of unique combat animations,
you'll never see the same battle twice.
- Start out playing as the British and begin with a solid economy, or lead the French into an easy alliance with Native Americans - 8 total civilizations to choose from.
- Work with Native Americans to your advantage, for the first time ever.
- Develop your own Home City, and customize it make it wealthier and more powerful as you take over Europe.
- Explore the New World and create colonies while seeking out new resources and making alliances with the Native Americans.
- Recover buried treasure from the Caribbean, hunt bison on the Great Plains, compete for trade routes and fortify the coast of New England.