. WW: April 30, 2009 Mode(s), Age of Empires III is a video game developed by Microsoft Corporation's and published.
For Age of Empires III on the Macintosh, GameFAQs has 13 cheat codes and secrets. Age Of Empires was a classic real time strategy game set in ancient history, where players would build villages that blossomed into cities, all while amassing resources, managing a functioning economy, and building an army to defend your territory, explore, or take-over new lands. Age of Empires III holds the ranking of 2 in its category and holds the position number 14734 in Uptodown’s overall ranking. Some similar programs are: Geneforge 5: Overthrow, UFO Alien Invasion, Northmark: Hour of the Wolf, HearthStone, Freeciv, 0 A.D.
The Mac version was ported over and developed and published by 's. The PC version was released on October 18, 2005 in North America and November 4, 2005 in Europe, while the Mac version was released on November 21, 2006 in North America and September 29, 2006 in Europe. An version of the game developed by was released on April 28, 2009. It is the third game of the series and the sequel to. The game portrays the, between approximately 1492 and 1876 AD.
There are fourteen civilizations to play within the game. Age of Empires III has made several innovations in the series, in particular with the addition of the 'Home City', which combines real-time strategy and features. Two have been released: the first, was released on October 17, 2006, and introduced three civilizations; the second, was released on October 23, 2007, and included three Asian civilizations. Age of Empires III has sold over 2 million copies as of May 2008. As well as receiving favorable reviews, it has garnered awards, including 's 'Best RTS game of 2005', and was one of the of 2005.
In 2007, Age of Empires III was the seventh best-selling computer game, with over 313,000 copies sold that year. This section needs additional citations for.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2018) Players begin with a constructed town center or a wagon that will build into such, an armed explorer, and a modest number of villagers.
Players explore the map and begin gathering resources used to build additional units and buildings and to research upgrades or technologies. Actions such as training units, constructing buildings, killing enemy units etc., earn the player experience points. At certain experience point thresholds, players earn shipments that may be turned in for cards from the player's Home City, which can include units, upgrades, or resources. The game progresses similar to most games until one side resigns.
A player-designed town, sitting safely behind several (see miniature map, lower left corner). Includes a (center). In Age of Empires III, the player advances through technological 'Ages', representing historical time periods; these provide access to greater improvements, units, and buildings. A small of, and departing, headed out to. Units are used for against other players. Are the cheapest unit type and all are land based, using weapons ranging from to early to more advanced. The heavier classes also make use of ranged weapons, primarily and; however, there is also artillery armed with.
Mounted troops are also present, and are armed with either, such as, or ranged weapons, such as. These units also have significant features, such as which do bonus damage against infantry, and ranged cavalry does bonus damage against other cavalry. A new unit introduced in Age of Empires III is the, which is chiefly responsible for scouting and gathering treasure but is also capable of building Trading Posts and has a special attack, used at the player's command. This unit cannot be killed, but can be rendered unconscious, to be revived when friendly units are in range; also, a ransom can be paid to have it reappear at the player's town center. This ransom is credited to the player that disabled him, when applicable. Some shipment cards increase the explorer's effectiveness in gameplay; for example, providing it with 'war dogs' can aid scouting and combat. In Age of Empires III, are available on most maps.
Military ships makes use of or, while some ships can collect resources or transport land units. May aid the player in their campaigns in the. Mercenaries are not trained like standard units; instead they can be shipped from the Home City or hired from saloons for much coin, so that only economically powerful players can employ them. Most are powerful, but hiring them does not provide experience points, so mercenaries cannot effectively replace the player's standard army, and can negatively affect a player's economy if used excessively.
Incidentally, along with hero/explorer units, Mercenaries were vulnerable to units such as spies,. In most cases, a selection of populate game maps, and support their own brand of military units that can be trained once an alliance has been formed. Some Native American military units use weapons, a few use indigenous ranged weapons, such as or, while still others adopt ranged European gunpowder weapons. These units usually pertain to the infantry or cavalry classes, but, on maps with water, canoes are also available to the player through the dock. Buildings Buildings play a big role in gameplay, as they are used for training civilian and military units, researching improvements, supporting population, providing structural defense or as resource providers. The buildings portrayed in Age of Empires III resemble the architectural design of that era. All of the games in the series share several buildings, including the Town Center and Docks.
The appearance and attributes of a building change as the player advances through the Ages, and some civilizations have their own unique buildings. The appearance of these buildings depends on the civilization. Some buildings can only be built at certain times like the defensive towers. There are certain architectural styles present in the game; architectural styles determine the appearance of in-game buildings. Each civilization is automatically assigned its architectural style. These three architectural styles are the Western European, which consists of classical styled wooden buildings and is shared by the, and; the Eastern European, which consists of wooden and straw structures and is shared by the and, and the Mediterranean, which consists of buildings made of stucco cement and dry brick, which is shared by the,. Example demonstrating graphical production in Age of Empires III.
Building collapses are not pre-recorded animations. A of 6 units and 44 attacking a. The building initially collapses in two different ways in two different games. (1) First image: two explosions, on right side breaks. (2) Second image: one explosion, on left side breaks.
Age of Empires III builds on and introduces new features to the, called Bang! One new feature is the inclusion of the physics simulation engine on the Windows version and the similar engine on Mac OS X. This means that many events such as building destruction and tree falls will not be pre-created, but will be calculated according to the physics engine, in an innovation for the series. Other graphical features of the game include bloom lighting and support for. Audio The Age of Empires III original soundtrack features an original musical score composed by Ensemble Studios musicians and Kevin McMullan, whose previous work includes other games in the series as well as. It was released on November 11, 2005 by Sumthing Else Music Works. Stephen Rippy, music and sound director at Ensemble Studios, said, ' Age of Empires III is a game with an epic topic — it covers the colonization of the Americas over a period of some three hundred years, so it needed to have an epic-sounding score to match.
Using a full orchestra and choir as well as some more period-inspired instrumentation, the music follows the story of Morgan Black and his descendants as they battle the Circle of Ossus for a foothold in the New World.' The soundtrack also features a bonus DVD that includes fourteen tracks remixed in 5.1 surround, a behind-the-scenes video of the studio session, the Age of Empires III cinematic trailer and five exclusive bonus tracks.
Unlike previous versions of Age of Empires, the AI nations in single player skirmish mode will send voice messages to the player at various points in the game, taunting the player if they are selected as enemies or sharing military plans with the player if they are allies. All the AI characters have different personalities and many different quotes exist in the game. The feature can be easily removed if required. Release history Following the announcement of the game on January 4, 2005, a version was released on September 7, 2005. This contained a cut-down version of the game, introducing new features, such as two campaign scenarios, two random map scenarios ( and ) and access to two civilizations (British and Spanish), and a variety of. An updated demo version was made available with the game's release on September 22, 2005. The release of the game on September 22, 2005 saw two separate editions being made available.
The standard edition included the game and manual, a version in a presentation box that includes the official soundtrack, extra documentation, a hardback book titled Art of Empires that contains concept art and 3D renders from the game and a DVD entitled The Making of Age of Empires III. The release of the game has been followed by a series of patches that have fixed minor in the software or added new features. Ensemble Studios released an expansion for the game named on October 17, 2006. It contains three new native civilizations that can be completely controlled: The Iroquois Confederation, the, and the. New content for existing European civilizations, maps and gameplay additions (such as the 'revolution' feature, in which players can ' from their mother country and start an active military coup in the game) was added. A second expansion pack, was announced on May 18, 2007 and features three Asian civilizations: the Indians, Chinese, and Japanese.
It was released on October 23, 2007. A of the game was released on November 13, 2006 by, followed by the first expansion on June 18, 2007.
In 2009, when was closed and no support was to expect by the successor company, the game community tried to provide game support and fixes of remaining issues themselves, for instance with. Gold Edition Age of Empires III Gold Edition Series Release Windows.: 2007-09-25 Mode(s), It is a compilation including the base game, and War Chiefs expansion. Both the original game and the first expansion were made available in a single 'gold' edition on October 23, 2007.
Complete Collection Age of Empires III: Complete Collection Series Release September 15, 2009 Mode(s), It is a compilation including the base game, War Chiefs and The Asian Dynasties expansions. On November 21, 2010, Microsoft sold the game including its two expansion packs as a part of its relaunch of its Games for Windows Live platform for 10 cents or 10 Microsoft points.
The overwhelming and unanticipated demand created a shortage of account keys leaving some of those who had purchased the game through the promotion unable to install the game. Microsoft remedied this issue by assuring all customers who purchased the game that account keys would be generated within one week and automatically uploaded to each profile.
As a result of this promotion the overall sales of the game have sharply increased. Definitive Edition At 2017, Microsoft revealed that they plan to remaster Age of Empires III, under the new title Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
Reception Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator Score 82% 81% Review scores Publication Score B- B- 8.2/10 5/5 GameZone 9.5/10 8.8/10 91% VideoGamer.com 8/10 Age of Empires III was well received by critics and reviewers. The game received an average score of 82% according to. Age of Empires III was listed as the eighth best-selling PC game of 2005, and over two million copies of it had been sold by May 2007. Pointed out that ' Age of Empires III has some very big shoes to fill', and remarked that it 'may not redefine real-time strategy gaming, but it sets the bar so high that we will be comparing games to this for years'. Also commented on the game, saying ' Age of Empires III is a superbly balanced and polished game', and: 'Discounting a few niggles in the interface, the whole presentation is rock solid.'
Said that it is 'as detailed as a history book, and about as much fun', while GameZone stated it is 'one purchase you will not come to regret'. Age of Empires III was the eighth best-selling PC game of 2005 despite its late release, and sold over 2 million copies by May 2007. It received a 'Gold' sales award from the (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Graphics The game's visuals were highly praised by reviewers. In a preview, IGN said that 'After seeing the screenshots, our jaws hit the floor at the amount of detail', while in their review, described it as 'one of the most beautiful games you will put on your computer for the foreseeable future;' GameSpy agreed, stating, ' Age III 's graphics are unmatched in the strategy genre.'
GameSpot also admired the graphics, but had a negative comment as well; they said, 'Were it not for the awkward unit behavior. Age of Empires III would look truly amazing.' GameSpy awarded Age of Empires III the 'Best Graphics' award at GameSpy's 'Game of the Year 2005', mentioning that the graphics engine boasted 'all the high-end technology you would normally find in '. Sound effects GameZone praised the game's sound effects, saying that 'you will feel the explosions of the cannon balls, the muskets firing their endless volleys, and the destruction of a building.
It all sounds extremely realistic, and makes the game come that much more alive.' Sounds fantastic', while Game Revolution mentioned, 'The ambient sounds, music and voice work all suit the colonial theme.' Single-player campaign Reviewers were divided about the single-player campaign. GameSpot thought it was 'standard for a real-time strategy game', but also complained that it had 'less-than-stellar voice work and awkward cutscenes'; GameSpy agreed that ' Age of Empires III 's campaign is not revolutionary', but thought that 'the voice acting is great'.
IGN praised the campaign's story, in that it gave the player a 'nice sense of purpose'; they thought 'The 24-mission campaign is very well designed.' Eurogamer said the campaign lacked originality, stating, though 'well-written and imaginatively framed', the campaign 'offers exactly the same kind of challenges that RTS campaigns have been offering for years;' Game Revolution disliked the campaign more than the other reviewers. Comparing it to Age of Empires II 's campaign, they said: 'The plot actually got worse. Age of Empires III.avoids all the interesting and prickly issues like genocide, epidemics and slavery, instead subbing in a wimpy tale of a family destined to protect the Holy Grail from a Satanic Cult.' Multiplayer Age of Empires III 's multiplayer was the first in the series to be integrated into the game interface and was highly lauded, as was the Home City concept.
The topic of multiplayer was touched by GameZone, who said 'this game demands multiplayer mode, and Ensemble Studios provided this for the players', while at 1UP, the reviewer commented similarly, stating, 'Multiplayer support has been significantly upgraded with a slick interface, support for clans and a number of other useful features.' GameSpy commented on the Home City as well, saying, 'the 'home city' system creates long-term depth and strategy'. EuroGamer, however, stated: 'Stop with the gifts!. You do not need to let me flick to a home city screen every few minutes so that I can select a free unit or resource windfall. I'm not some spoilt toddler that needs to be bribed with endless sweeties.' Age of empires III uses the ESO server for multiplayer.
Awards Age of Empires III won 's 'Best Real-Time Strategy Game 2005' award. The magazine's Brett Todd wrote, 'It was astounding how Ensemble managed to stick to the historical RTS formula yet keep the gameplay feeling fresh.' The game was presented with two awards by in 2005: 'Real-time strategy game of the year' and 'Best Graphics'. GameSpy highly praised the game overall, giving it 5 stars in its review, which particularly noted the graphics and multiplayer experience. The game was named fifth-best game of 2005 by GameSpy. Other awards, including an 'Outstanding' from GameZone, reflect the positive critical reception of the game.
The game was given an 'honorable mention' in the 'Best Music' category. 's report differed, but still had many positive features. Like GameSpy, Yahoo! Also praised the effort put into the graphics and physics, but maintained that these are essentially eye-candy. And Eurogamer were disappointed by the traditional economics-based strategy of the game and believed that this, with the lack of useful formation and tactics, meant that the game does not stand up to other modern real-time strategy games. Eurogamer shared these final thoughts and described the new Home City shipments, along with all the treasures scattered around the map, as silly and childish ways of trying to complement the game's lack of strategy and tactical choices.
However, Eurogamer recognized that Ensemble Studios was brave to implement 'something quite different' from other real time strategy games — the Home City concept. Marketing As part of Age of Empires III launch, Ensemble Studios announced the release of Age of Empires III Fan Site Kit on 9/9/2005. Retrieved April 4, 2017. ikona (April 28, 2009). Archived from on September 2, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
Glu Mobile Inc. January 22, 2009. Archived from on July 3, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
ikona (January 22, 2009). Archived from on February 5, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009. Age Community.
May 18, 2007. From the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. January 25, 2008. Archived from on January 29, 2008.
Retrieved January 31, 2008. Archived from on February 2, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007. Ensemble Studios.
Archived from on November 24, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006. Age of Empires III Manual, p. 21: 'Choosing a civilization'. Butts, Steve (October 14, 2005).
From the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007. Ensemble Studios. Archived from on April 26, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007. Ensemble Studios.
Archived from on May 1, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
Phillips, Michael. Retrieved April 23, 2007. Heaven Games. Retrieved April 23, 2007. Archived from on May 4, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
Bart Tiongson, ed. Art of Empires. Microsoft Corporation.
Archived from on October 18, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
Archived from on October 18, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007. Archived from on October 17, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2015. Archived from on October 29, 2006.
Retrieved November 26, 2006. Ensemble Studios. Archived from on December 2, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
January 4, 2005. Archived from on May 3, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006. Heaven Games. From the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
Ensemble Studios. From the original on November 9, 2006.
Retrieved November 26, 2006. Butts, Steve (June 25, 2007). From the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007. Archived from on December 7, 2006.
Retrieved November 26, 2006. Archived from on August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007. Shelley, Bruce (September 22, 2008). Ensemble Studios Blog. Archived from on November 18, 2008.
Retrieved January 21, 2009. Zutazuta (March 10, 2010). Retrieved September 2, 2014. We developed this fan patch because of the fact that Ensemble Studios closed down in February 2009, and their successors Robot Entertainment have made few balance changes.
Ensemble Studios. From the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
Retrieved April 4, 2017. November 21, 2010. Archived from on November 23, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
Knezevic, Kevin (August 21, 2017). Retrieved February 21, 2018.
^ Lee, Garnett (October 14, 2005). Archived from on January 5, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2007. ^ (October 14, 2005). Archived from on October 27, 2007.
Retrieved October 14, 2007. December 25, 2005. Retrieved November 22, 2009. ^ Dave 'Fargo' Kosak (October 19, 2005). From the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
Age Of Empires 3 Free Download
^ Butts, Steve (October 14, 2005). From the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
^ Dodson, Joe. Archived from on September 30, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. ^ Clare, Oliver (October 24, 2005). Gamer Network.
Archived from on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. ^ Knutson, Michael (October 16, 2005).
Archived from on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. Orry, Tom (November 21, 2005). Archived from on 2013-02-03.
Retrieved October 14, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
Retrieved October 14, 2007. Snow, Blake (January 19, 2006).
From the original on March 8, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2007. ^ (October 14, 2005). Archived from on November 5, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
Dave 'Fargo' Kosak (October 19, 2005). From the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. Carless, Simon (January 18, 2006). Gamasutra, from statistics by NPD.
Archived from on June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2007. Age Community Staff. Ensemble Studios. From the original on June 26, 2007.
Retrieved June 22, 2006. Archived from on March 19, 2009.
Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). Archived from on September 18, 2017. January 11, 2005.
From the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. Archived from on October 13, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. Dave 'Fargo' Kosak (October 19, 2005).
From the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2007. Butts, Steve (October 14, 2005). From the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
Todd, Brett (March 2006). 'The Twelfth Annual PC Gamer Awards'. 13 (3): 33–36, 38, 40–42, 44. Archived from on November 23, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
Archived from on November 28, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
From the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 22, 2006. Archived from on June 13, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2007. Ensemble Studios.
From the original on November 17, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006. Archived from on December 14, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006. Archived from on November 28, 2006.
Retrieved November 26, 2006. Bird, Giles (October 14, 2005). Archived from on May 5, 2006.
Retrieved November 26, 2006. External links.