Age of Empires III

The sound of violent cannon fire permeates the air. The acrid smell of gunpowder and burnt flesh envelops the countryside, an all-too familiar scent. And yet the only sense that matters now is taste, for the bittersweet flavour of victory is almost upon my lips.

I have been at war with the French for three years now, ever since we made shore on this New World. It has been a long and costly struggle, with many casualties on both sides. Yet, with a fresh shipment of artillery and muskets from London, this conflict may end once and for all; this month's advance has brought me to the very doorstep of the French encampment. I grin grimly as my mortars pound the French buildings, flame and flying timber confirming each hit. A recent technological advancement has given my cannons range that the stationary French defences cannot counteract.

I move my pikemen to the front and ready my artillery to barrage the battlefield in anticipation of a French cavalry charge. Sure enough, an offensive formation appears in the distance. A stray mortar catches their left flank, flinging the bodies of both beast and men aside. I stand mesmerised as I wait for the French to hit my front line. Time seems to stand still as the defining moment of this war closes fast. The soldiers seem to be moving in slow motion as they collide with a smash of metal, flesh, and wood. The very world seems to stand still. This must be what every great commander feels in such a crowning moment; the very Nirvana of... nope, my damn computer froze.

This is but one vivid account of my experience with Ensemble Studio's third instalment of the Age of Empires series. Taking place in post-middle age history during the scramble to conquer the present day Americas, this game has certainly outdone itself. A perfect dose of economy into the dominantly militaristic game play creates a well-rounded mixture that is rarely achieved in the genre. The addition of the Home City adds a distinctive twist to strategic planning and adds in-depth customization to create a unique, immersive experience. Furthermore, the implementation of the Havok physics engine and a multitude of next-generation graphical effects add all the eye candy you can handle.

Before going any further, I must point out that in no way do I blame the aforementioned choppy game play and crashing on sloppy code or bad development. Rather, I was a little overzealous when configuring my graphic settings. This is definitely a next generation game and, as such, requires a pretty righteous computer to handle maxed out settings. After tweaking a few things in the highly customizable options menu to match my modest system, everything ran smoothly. Even in the more intensive battle scenes.

Intense indeed. And frequent. Age of Empires III's core game play revolves around military strategy. Enemy attacks were a constant threat on the Moderate difficulty setting and got steadily worse as the game progressed. Although the AI hasn't been drastically improved (you're still going to need to visit the free on-line servers for real competition), an army of diverse units on each front is the only way to ensure your town won't be overrun. The defensive structures: walls, towers and forts, while somewhat necessary early on in the game (chiefly walls to thwart cavalry raids), will prove to be little deterrent once the big guns start showing up on the battlefield. The long-range artillery easily allows you to put a hole in a wall or take down a tower very quickly while remaining safely out of range of defensive emplacements, especially when they're upgraded.

This ensures that you've got to keep on top of military growth and organization at all times. It's the blood of your soldiers, not the presence of static structures, which will clinch victory. But it does make total sense; after all, it was gunpowder that brought the downfall of walled castles in the centuries before.

The need to employ various units in your army will become brutally clear as you watch a handful of your enemy's anti-infantry cannons tear apart two dozen of your elite musketeers. It did for me anyway. No one unit can win the game single-handedly. And while it may be extremely effective at rending infantry asunder, the same unit could be easily dispatched with a few horsemen. It takes a few defeats to figure out where certain units thrive, especially since the majority of them use a gunpowder weapon of some sort. Cannons aren't just cannons in this game; each type has its own purpose. But practice makes perfect, and using a unit to its full potential is what RTS mastery is all about.

The role of the settler (the in-game unit that constructs buildings and gathers resources), while not requiring as much micro-management as their precursors in Age of Empires and Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, are still very important nonetheless. An army doesn't appear out of thin air; it requires large amounts of resources, as well as buildings for training. Advancing upwards through the five ages (Discovery, Colonial, Fortress, Industrial, Imperial) and researching new technologies will also require stockpiles of goods. These settlers, once appointed a task, will diligently gather food, wood, and coin without needing much intervention from the player. This especially becomes evident once resource-producing buildings such as Mills and Plantations are built. Utilizing markets and trading posts will also add economic options. Just make sure to keep an eye on the trading routes, as your enemies will want control of them too.

The proper use of both military and economic units, however, is not the only thing you'll have to consider when planning your game strategy. The implementation of the "Home City" adds another strategic perspective to the classic RTS format. In this game you have the choice of eight different civilizations: Spanish, British, French, Portuguese, Russian, Ottoman, German, and Dutch; each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, each of them has a "Home City" in their "Home Country" from which supplies can be shipped during the game. Through the game's main menu, you can set up a "Deck" for the ensuing game. This deck contains a maximum of 20 "Cards" that you can use during the game. These cards contain resources, units, or other bonuses that you can ship over and use as you progress through the ages.

In addition, as you gain experience by discovering treasure, defeating enemies, building units and completing objectives, you can purchase new cards to use in your deck. This effectively turns eight civilizations into thousands as you tailor your Home City to maximize your specific strategy. But there is one thing I should point out. With all of these complex options comes, well, complex game play. While complexity pertains to all RTS games, this still may be an issue for some of the more casual gamers out there. Time and speed is always of the essence, especially during online play, and it will take practice to manage everything effectively.

But enough about game play; it's time to discuss the icing atop this cake. Firstly, these graphics will floor you. The vibrant palettes of colour used in the environments, coupled with the shader effects, create an alternate reality that the RTS genre has never seen. The reflective, crystal clear water ebbing softly against the shore looks almost indistinguishable from its real life counterpart. The buildings, characters, and units aren't too shabby either, especially with the ability to zoom in and see detail.

Which brings me to my second point: the physics rock. Age of Empires III uses the Havok physics engine to simulate how units and buildings react to an impact. And with all that heated iron flying around, there is plenty of said impact to be had. Artillery will scatter bodies and demolish structures in real time. I especially found this visually beneficial during naval combat, where cannon balls can put holes through enemy sails whilst blasting the attached ship to splinters. It is freakin' awesome.

Age of Empires III offers everything you desire in an RTS and more. Whether or not you've played the other titles in the series is of no consequence. The luscious graphics will draw you in and the game play will keep you there.

Steve Van Bakel is a student enrolled in the Video Game Design & Development program at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Toronto.

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