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Safety Warning About Photosensitive Seizures A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these "photosensitive epileptic seizures" while watching video games.
Table of Contents Getting Started What’s New? Installing the Game Starting a New Game Getting Help Learning to Play Setting Options & Using Hotkeys Using the In-Game Menu Saving, Loading, & Quitting a Game Winning a Game Improving Game Performance 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Key Concepts Choosing a Civilization Colony Screen Navigating the Colony Screen Navigating the Home City Screen Ways to Play Age of Empires III Exploring the New World Assembling an Army 21 24 26 29 31 33 34 Home City What Is a Home
Single-Player Campaign Morgan Black Elisabet Ramsey John Black Kanyenke Amelia Black Pierre Beaumont Starting & Saving Campaign Scenarios Civilizations 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Multiplayer Making the Multiplayer Connection Multiplayer Game Types The Home City & Multiplayer 62 64 65 Economy Finding & Gathering Resources Villagers Upgrading Your Civilization’s Units Advancing Through the Ages Forming Alliances with Native Americans 68 74 79 80 81 Military Creating Military Units Engaging in Combat Choosing
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Once again, the Age of Empires® game series sets a new standard for innovative technology and gameplay in real-time strategy (RTS) gaming. What ’s New? Age of Empires III includes several new gameplay features, such as: The Home City Specific to each civilization, your Home City gives you more control over how your civilization’s technology advances.
Starting a New Game To open the Main menu, double-click the Age of Empires III icon on your desktop. Multiplayer Start a multiplayer game with your friends using Ensemble Studios® Online (ESO) or a local area network (LAN). Help and Tools Download game updates, get information about specific units and technologies, create custom scenarios, adjust display and other game options, or view a list of those who worked tirelessly to create this amazing game. Exit Close the game and return to Windows.
Learning to Play The easiest way to learn Age of Empires III is by using the tutorials. You’ll master gameplay basics and learn about some of the new features in the game. To learn basic and advanced features, on the Main menu, click Learn to Play. If you’re a new player, click Master the Basics, and then complete the practice scenario to learn the core game features. If you’re a more experienced player, click Try a Game to dive right in and find out what’s new.
Using the In-Game Menu At any time during gameplay you can pause the game and display the In-Game menu by clicking the Menu button (in the upper-right of the screen) or pressing F10. Saving, Loading, & Quitting a Game Saving On the In-Game menu, click Save. In the Save File dialog box, type a name in the Filename box, and then click Save. Loading On the In-Game menu, click Saved Game. In the Open File dialog box, select the filename of the game you want to play, and then click Open.
Winning a Game The bottom line: You win by commanding more territory and resources than your opponents. Age of Empires III offers multiple variations on this theme, depending on how you decide to play. Single-Player Campaign To win, you must successfully complete all the missions in the Campaign. Skirmish In a single-player or multiplayer Skirmish, whoever conquers first is the winner. There are two types of game rules for a Skirmish—Supremacy and Deathmatch— each with different starting conditions.
Install the Latest Version of DirectX Installing the latest version of DirectX® can prevent performance problems with Age of Empires III and may also enhance the quality and performance of games on your computer. To download the latest version of DirectX, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/ downloads/default.asp. Additional Suggestions Shut Down Other Programs Close any other open programs to free up more of your computer’s processing power.
Your goal in Age of Empires III is to build a powerful empire capable of conquering any and all enemy civilizations.
Forming Alliances with Native Americans The Home City Your playable civilization can also form alliances with the Native American nations in the New World: Adding a persistent Home City is a significant difference in gameplay between Age of Empires III and other games in the Age of Empires franchise. Your Home City provides your colony with resources, establishes the improvements and units you can leverage, and gives you a level of control over your own destiny.
Colony Screen Age Advancement bar In-Game menu Home City icon Experience progress bar Mini Map Displays the entire game map. • Chat • Send Alert Flare • Find Explorer • Filters Command panel Resource panel Displays stockpiled resources and population.
Navigating the Colony Screen If you’ve already played a game from the Age of Empires series, you’ll find the Colony screen familiar. In-Game Menu To pause the game and open the In-Game menu, click the Menu button (in the upper-right of the screen) or press F10. You can select from the following menu items. Player Options Fine-tune various in-game settings. Resign Leave the current game. Player Summary Offer tribute and resources to allies.
Home City Icon Toggles between the Colony screen and the Home City screen. You’ll need to go back and forth between your colony and your Home City to manage improvements and to identify and transport resources. Settlement Mini Map Navigating the Home City Screen To view the Home City screen, click the Home City icon on the Main menu. Provides a high-level view of the territory surrounding your settlement and lets you quickly locate the following items.
Resource Panel Displays your current stockpile of resources as they update. Check your available resources here as you choose from the units available for transfer from your Home City. Shipment Panel Ways to Play Age of Empires III Age of Empires III gives you several different ways to play: Displays the contents of your Deck. Single-Player Campaign Every Home City provides different improvements and resources (also known as Cards) from which you can choose.
Single-Player Skirmish When you don’t feel the need to explore an entire continent, you can always test your skills against an area (or map) in the New World. You can set the following characteristics of your skirmish: Your civilization. The number of computer opponents and their civilizations. How the civilizations divide into teams. The map on which you play. The game rules (Supremacy or Deathmatch). Exploring the New World The first thing you should do is search for sources of Food, Wood, and Coin.
Assembling an Army Combat plays a major role in Age of Empires III as multiple civilizations struggle to control the New World. You’ll need to muster a military capable of defending your territory and taking the offensive as necessary. Creating Military Units Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses One key to success in Age of Empires III is learning the different strengths and weaknesses for each civilization and then choosing the appropriate strategies and countermeasures during gameplay.
Understanding the Postgame Screens After you finish your game session, you can view a series of postgame screens that compare your performance with that of your competition in the following areas. Awards Factors the many different aspects of how you play (units lost, resources gathered, total experience points, and so on). Resources Shows how well you did in acquiring different kinds of resources. Economy Details how you spent your resources during gameplay.
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The addition of the Home City is probably the most significant new feature in Age of Empires III. What Is a Home City? Every civilization has its own Home City, which acts as a unique symbol for that civilization—it looks different from other Home Cities and it offers different improvements. As such, the Home City doesn’t represent an actual real-world city. In fact, you can choose any name you want for your Home City.
Not all Cards are available at the same time, and many require that your Home City attain a specific level before they become available to you. Still others require that you already have certain Cards available (for example, you need Card B before you can get Card C). You store available Cards in your Inventory. Each civilization’s Inventory can hold up to 120 Cards, many of which you unlock as your Home City level increases, but you can only play a maximum of 20 cards per game.
Upgrading Your Home City Inventory Using the Deck Builder The Home City Options menu also lets you add new Cards to your Home City Inventory. The Choose New Cards window lists the five Card categories along with the resources and improvements available for each category. The Build a Deck window shows the improvements and resources that you can use in creating Decks for your civilization. From this window, you can add or delete Cards in your Deck. You can also create multiple Decks.
Customizing Your Home City In the Customize window, you can create a unique and distinctive Home City. For example, you can change the appearance of buildings such as the Manufacturing Plant or Trading Company. Working with Your Home City The Shipment panel, located in the lower-right of the Home City screen, displays the resources and units available to your colony from your Home City. Much like unlocking upgrades, every time your Home City gains a level, new customizations become available.
The choices that you make depend on such factors as: Shipping Military Units Current Population Limit Your colony must have sufficient population available for the units and resources chosen. Resources Required Mercenary units require the expenditure of Coin; all other Shipments are free once you acquire enough experience points. You can choose from a large number of military units, including ships, cavalry, infantry, and even foreign mercenaries.
Multiplayer and Your Home City As your Home City level advances, it becomes a resource that you can use in multiplayer games. The improvements, units, and even the customizations that you’ve unlocked carry over to multiplayer mode. Multiplayer mode allows you to have multiple Decks and Home Cities tied to your ESO account, providing the opportunity to test your skills at playing with a range of civilizations and upgrade strategies.
The single-player Campaign weaves an imaginative tale of action and adventure set in early America. You’ll follow the story of three generations of the Black family—fictional adventurers with a passion for the New World and all its opportunity. You’ll join them as they take part in wars, revolutions, and conquests. Through their adventures, you’ll uncover secret stories of revenge, treachery, and a malignant conspiracy that spans the Americas.
Elisabet Ramsey John Black The daughter of an English nobleman, Elisabet Ramsey fled her home at an early age—unwilling to trade her freedom for an arranged marriage. The Americas offered her the chance to steer her own course. John Black, grandson of Morgan, is a fierce frontiersman and mercenary with a reputation as a cold-blooded fighter. Renowned for his chilling calm in battle, you never want to face John Black’s musket and blade in combat.
Kanyenke Kanyenke is a proud Iroquois warrior. Smart, savvy, and strong, he is a master at using a bow for ranged attacks and delivers a lethal, lightning-fast swipe with his tomahawk in close combat. As John Black’s faithful friend and ally, Kanyenke has fought fierce battles and eluded dangers alongside Black to share the spoils from many victories. 56 Amelia Black Amelia Black, granddaughter of John, is the last living member of the Black family.
Pierre Beaumont With his matted hair and unkempt beard, Pierre Beaumont looks like he’s never left the backcountry. Far from it— Beaumont once moved among New Orleans’ sophisticated set. World-weary, he abandoned that life for the rugged existence of a hunter and trapper. When weighing whether Beaumont’s the guy to get you out of a scrape, don’t underestimate him. He’s clever, driven, and skilled in the use of many weapons—with a particular preference for a pair of well-worn long knives.
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In multiplayer games, you and your friends can connect across a network or the Internet to play against each other or to team up against nonplayer characters (NPCs). Age of Empires III supports several unique types of multiplayer games through Ensemble Studios Online (ESO). Ensemble Studios has significantly enhanced its ESO service for Age of Empires III so that you can more easily join the throng of multiplayer enthusiasts. With ESO, you can hone your game skills by playing fans worldwide.
Multiplayer Game Types The Home City & Multiplayer In multiplayer, you can play two types of games that require quite different skills and strategies to win: Supremacy Players begin their game without any resources and must achieve victory by conquest or surrender. Deathmatch Players begin their game with a stockpile of resources and move through the game at a high speed.
A player with a higher-level Home City does have some advantages over players with lower-level Home Cities. Mainly, Home Cities with a high level offer more options and greater choices. Nevertheless, players who do not take advantage of these strengths, develop solid strategies, and execute on those strategies will quickly lose their edge.
Three principal resources—Food, Wood, and Coin—form the foundation of your economy. Villagers farm for Food, forage for Wood, and mine for Coin. Explorers gather Treasure that contains Food, Wood, or Coin. Oftentimes, Explorers must battle a Treasure guardian before claiming the Treasure. Finding & Gathering Resources As your villagers and Explorers explore the landscape, you’ll discover sources of Food (such as sheep, deer, and fish), Wood (trees), and Coin (mines).
Determining Where to Place Your Town Center Your first Town Center is placed automatically at a site that’s near resources. If you add another Town Center later, you choose that site yourself. Nomad mode—the exception to this—requires players to choose all their Town Center sites. When placing your Town Center, use your Explorer and soldiers, also called an Explorer party, to search out the most strategic location.
Fog of War Whenever your Explorer party departs an area, a semitransparent fog—the Fog of War—creeps in, obscuring everything in its path. The fog remains until your unit returns to that area on your map. For example, if your party discovers an enemy building, the Fog of War descends over the building as you depart to conceal all real-time activity at the site.
V illagers Villagers are vital to your civilization. Their work forms the backbone of your economy. Without them, you would have no economy and your civilization would collapse. Villagers are superior gatherers and stockpilers of Food, Wood, and Coin. The more villagers you have gathering resources, the faster your stockpiles grow and, in turn, the faster your civilization grows in wealth and power. Creating Villagers Creating villagers requires an investment that differs for each civilization.
Gathering Coin You must find a silver or gold mine before gathering Coin. When you find a mine, select a villager (or villagers) and right-click the mine to gather the Coin. Constructing Buildings A Town Center without buildings doesn’t do much for your economy. That said, you can’t construct a building without using resources—usually Wood, Coin, or a combination of the two. So, you must first build your stockpiles of Wood and Coin before you can construct any buildings. To construct a building 1.
Protecting Your Villagers from Attack Attacking villagers is a highly effective way to impede the gathering of Food, Wood, and Coin, which can devastate an economy, so it’s important you protect your villagers when they come under enemy attack. One of the best ways to do this is by garrisoning them in your Town Center. To garrison specific villagers 1. Select the villager or villagers you want to garrison. 2. Click the Garrison button at the lower-right of the screen. 3. Click your Town Center.
Advancing Through the Ages Advancing to the next Age lets you build different buildings, create more powerful military units, and research more valuable technologies. The five Ages are the: Discovery Age Forming Alliances with Native Americans You form alliances with Native Americans by building Trading Posts, which helps you earn experience points and provides other useful benefits.
Creating Native American Warriors for Battle Trading Posts built next to a Native American settlement are able to train Native American warriors for battle. (Your population limit does not apply to Native American warriors.) The Native American warriors available to you depends on a variety of factors, including the map and the Age that you’re in. Each warrior you train will cost a certain amount of resources, typically Food, Wood, or a combination of the two.
Executing on military strategy and leveraging your civilization’s inherent strengths in combat is critical to your success. This chapter discusses how to build your military to achieve its maximum effectiveness. Creating Military Units There are three basic types of military units in Age of Empires III: Infantry Cavalry Artillery Although some military units can only come from your Home City, most are created from buildings that are located in your colony.
To set a Gather Point To create a military unit 1. Click the appropriate building for the type of unit you want to create. 1. Click the building you want to create units for. 2. In the Command panel, click the Create Unit button for that unit. 2. On the lower-right of the screen, click the appropriate Set Gather Point icon (economy unit or military unit). 3. Repeat Step 2 to queue up and create additional units, or hold down the SHIFT key and left-click to queue up to five military units at one time.
Moving Units Grouping Military Units When you select two or more units and order them to move or attack, they automatically maneuver into positions to create a formation. Grouping units lets you command several military units at the same time. Fast units, like cavalry, are at the front of the formation. Ranged units are placed behind them. And weaker units get placed at the rear—typically behind the ranged units. The entire formation moves at the speed of the slowest unit.
Moving a Unit Using Waypoints Transporting Units Across Water You can move a unit, such as a Musketeer or Falconet, along a precise course using Waypoints. When you need to cross deep bodies of water, you can transport your units by loading them onto a ship, such as a Caravel. To move a unit using Waypoints 1. Click the unit (or units) you want to move. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key, and then rightclick the terrain to set a Waypoint.
Engaging in Combat Even though you can get satisfaction from building Mills, gathering Coin, and chopping Wood, there’s nothing like proving your mettle in combat. After all, why include muskets and cannon if you don’t use them? Building Your Military When choosing the specific units that define your military, it’s important to understand and weigh several factors: Your civilization’s strengths and weaknesses relative to other civilizations. Your preferred strategy against each civilization.
Choosing a Strategy Ordering an Attack After building up your forces and deciding on a strategy, it’s time to make a move. Your opponent stands before you. Charge! Your military units, warships, and towers automatically attack enemy units within their line of sight, unless you order them to attack a different unit. To order an attack 1. Select the unit (or units) you want to use in your attack. 2. Right-click all the enemy units to attack.
Turtling Turtling is a strategy that involves immediately taking strong defensive measures. From the start, you begin walling off your Town Centers and protecting your economic resources from a potential Rush. To use Turtling successfully, you build your defensive and economic resources first, while your attacks come later in the game.
While most of the civilizations share several key units— such as the Musketeer and the Hussar—each civilization comes with its own unique units as well. You’ll find that the units and their upgrade paths are carefully crafted to achieve an overall balance of powers, while offering a range of strategic choices.
Spanish British Civilization Bonus Home City Shipments are earned faster Civilization Bonus Extra Manor Houses that spawn villagers Unique Units Rodelero, Lancer, War Dog Unique Units Longbowman, Rocket Royal Guard Units Pikeman, Rodelero, Lancer Royal Guard Units Musketeer, Hussar Home City Ruler Queen Isabella Home City Ruler Queen Elizabeth The Spanish have a strong military, particularly their hand infantry and cavalry.
French Portuguese Civilization Bonus Coureurs gather faster and fight better Civilization Bonus Extra Covered Wagon whenever you advance an Age Unique Units Coureur, Cuirassier Unique Units Cassador, Organ Gun Royal Guard Units Cuirassier, Skirmisher Royal Guard Units Musketeer, Dragoon Home City Ruler Napoleon Home City Ruler Prince Henry the Navigator The French economy builds slowly but steadily improves over time—thanks to the power of the Coureur.
Dutch Russian Civilization Bonus Villagers cost Coin, Banks produce Coin Civilization Bonus Villagers and infantry are trained in groups, low-cost military Unique Units Envoy, Ruyter, Fluyt Unique Units Strelet, Cossack, Oprichnik Royal Guard Units Halberdier, Ruyter Royal Guard Units Grenadier, Cavalry Archer Home City Ruler Maurice of Orange Home City Ruler Ivan the Terrible The Dutch Home City offers powerful defensive and economic upgrades.
German Ottoman Civilization Bonus Free Uhlans arrive with every Home City Shipment Civilization Bonus Town Centers that spawn villagers at no cost Unique Units Uhlan, Settler Wagon, Doppelsoldner, War Wagon Unique Units Abus Gun, Janissary, Spahi, Galley, Great Bombard Royal Guard Units Skirmisher, Uhlan Royal Guard Units Grenadier, Hussar Home City Ruler Frederick the Great Home City Ruler Suleiman the Magnificent The Germans have fewer villagers and therefore a slower economy.
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You advance the capabilities of your colony—economically and militarily—by creating a variety of buildings and units. Cost, upgrade capabilities, and other building and unit attributes can vary by civilization. Buildings Buildings form an essential part of your colony and civilization. You’ll use your buildings to manage resources, create and upgrade your military and its arsenal, and establish the daily operations and economic vitality of your colony.
Capitol Arsenal Provides powerful Imperial Age economic and military upgrades that help you make the final push to victory. Provides military improvements that can change the speed, range, hitpoints, and damage of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Barracks Market Provides economic improvements for hunting, gathering, and mining. Building a Market lets you exchange Food and Wood for Coin and vice versa. Trains and upgrades infantry units, which are a core component of every civilization’s military.
Field Hospital Built and used by Surgeons to heal nearby units. Trading Post Built along Trade Routes or near Native American settlements by Explorers and villagers. When on a Trade Route, a Trading Post is a location where goods get delivered. When near a Native American settlement, it establishes an alliance with a Native American nation. Stable Trains cavalry and counter-cavalry units— essential elements to your military.
Infantry Infantry are foot soldiers used for hand-to-hand combat. They are relatively cheap and quick to create. You can create and upgrade infantry at the Barracks (or Blockhouse for the Russians). Pikeman A basic foot unit armed with a long pike. Pikemen are archaic infantry particularly good at defending against cavalry. Because they are slow and lack a ranged attack, they have difficulty chasing down cavalry. Pikemen can be countered by light infantry or artillery.
Cavalry Strelet A weak Russian light infantry unit. They are inexpensive and can only be trained in groups. Strelets act like Crossbowmen or Skirmishers; they are good against infantry, such as Musketeers, but lose to cavalry and artillery. Skirmisher A more advanced unit who fills the same light-infantry role as Crossbowmen. They excel at defeating infantry but lose to cavalry and artillery. Cassador A Portuguese light-infantry unit.
Oprichnik A heavy cavalry unit that does extra damage to villagers and buildings. They are unique to the Russian civilization. Spahi A heavy Ottoman cavalry unit that you can only receive from your Home City. Spahis are good against light infantry and artillery but lose to infantry and counter-cavalry. Artillery The addition of artillery enabled units to pack a lot more punch at longer distances than previously possible with earlier ranged weapons such as bows and arrows.
Culverin An artillery unit that is particularly good at countering other artillery. Because they do not have a large area effect, they are not as good at countering infantry as are other artillery. They are effective against ships. Heavy Cannon An effective weapon against both infantry and buildings. You can obtain Heavy Cannon at no cost from your Home City or Factory. Great Bombard A slow, expensive, unique artillery used by the Ottomans. These weapons excel at destroying buildings.
Ships Priest A religious leader who can heal damaged units. Missionary Use ships to fish, transport units, and engage in combat. You build and upgrade ships at the Dock. A mounted, Spanish religious leader who can move quickly and heal injured units. Fishing Boat Imam Caravel An Ottoman religious leader who can heal damaged units. Surgeon A battlefield medic who can heal injured units quicker than Priests and can build Field Hospitals.
Native Americans You’ll want to form alliances with the different Native American nations that inhabit the New World. By creating Trading Posts, you’ll uncover a wide-ranging assortment of different warriors and resources. Aztec Eagle Warrior An infantry unit that flings javelins from an atl-atl. They have a good attack with a decent range but are not as effective in melee combat. Aztec Jaguar Warrior A swordsman armed with an obsidian macana.
Nootka Clubman A relatively weak, but inexpensive to produce, infantry unit. Clubmen are effective in melee combat. Scout A unit that supports your Explorer in investigating new territory. Seminole Sharktooth Bowman A ranged Native infantry unit that is effective for short-range situations where you need to inflict high damage. Lakota Axe Rider A Native cavalry unit armed with an axe. They are effective at close-range melee combat. Lakota Dog Soldier An elite cavalry unit known as a “Dog Soldier.
Mameluke A bold cavalry mercenary who controlled Egypt from the 1200s to 1800s. Manchu A fierce mounted archer from China. The Manchurians formed the Qing dynasty, which replaced the Ming dynasty in the 1600s. Ronin A masterless samurai who has no lord and often wanders or works for the highest bidder. Stradiot An aggressive light cavalry unit originally from Albania. They favor a spear with a point at both ends. Swiss Pikeman An elite mercenary armed with a pike.
ENSEMBLE STUDIOS PROGRAMMING Dave “Bigdog” Pottinger - Lead Programmer John Evanson - Asst. Lead Shawn “Strobe” Lohstroh - Asst. Lead Jeff “DrJest” Ruediger - Asst.
Technical Support In the U.S., visit http://support.microsoft.com/games. In Canada, visit http://www.microsoft.ca/support. Outside the U.S. and Canada, visit http://support.microsoft.com/international. aspx. On these Web sites, you can: • Download the latest updates. • Find Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that target specific issues. • View “Show Me How” videos for solving common problems. • Access other support services.
Discover Game Precision with Microsoft® Laser Mouse 6000. Advanced Laser Technology for superior gaming performance THIN, FLEXIBLE CABLE GAME PRECISION SERIES The responsiveness of wired, the feel of wireless. SCROLL WHEEL WITH DETENTS For enhanced gaming control. PRECISION BOOSTER Switch between preferred speed and precision mode for targeting. GAMING TOGGLE Quickly select and switch weapons or actions in real time. www.microsoft.com/hardware � © 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
