Age Of Empires III Preview
By Danny "FileTrekker" King

It's been too long since Age of Empires last hit our systems, but now Ensemble Studios are back with Age of Empires III.

Age of Mythology was a (rather successful) spin-off, if not more fictional than the original series, however fans of Microsoft's real-time strategy series have been waiting for what feels like eons for the third instalment of Age of Empires, and from we have seen here at FileFront Network, they won't be disappointed.

We recently got our hands on a preview build of Age of Empires III and we have certainly been impressed so far, aside from a few edges that need to be smoothed out, this is shaping up to be a real treat for fans of AoE and AoM alike.

The original feel of Age of Empires is alive and well in AoE III, however the graphics have been tuned about ten-fold from the last game, thanks to the entirely new graphics engine, however with good comes bad as you will need a high specification of graphics card to get the most out of this game. When we tried our preview on a GeForce FX5200 we had lag on even the lowest graphics settings.

However, if you can look past the fact that you may have to empty your wallet to really appreciate this game, you will do just that, really appreciate it. Building your own civilization, creating settlements, collecting resources and empowering armies has never looked so good.

Age of Empires III is no doubt the best looking game of its kind to date, with plenty of attention to detail in all parts of the world, however the physics of the game adds to the experience too, as buildings will take different types of damage depending on how you attack them, and the destruction looks a lot more realistic then before, a physics teacher could not find a fault in the way a building collapses to the ground or in the way something explodes into a million pieces.

You have eight different civilisations to play with in AoE3, the English, Dutch, French, Ottomans, Portuguese, Prussians, Russians, and Spanish. Of course the theory behind the different civilisations is that each has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, however, you have to call into question how different each of these civilisations can be. Technology of the time was fairly even on all sides, and so was resources and man power, except perhaps in the case of the British Empire, so this may be more of a pointless feature then something that can gain you a real tactical advantage.

As expected the game features a Single Player Campaign, Skirmish mode against the computer and the now-expected Multiplayer Skirmish mode. For obvious reasons we can't tell you how well the online skirmish is going to pan out, however from what we can tell with our skirmishes with the CPU, this is certainly no let-down.

Unlike before, Age of Empires III is now set during the death-defying colonial age of Europe, when brave explorers took to the high seas to explore the new world in search of fame, glory and riches beyond their wildest dreams. Gun powder was becoming more and more the weapon of choice for the armies of the period and this adds a new dimension to this game, no longer will you try to outwit your enemy with technology that was ready-at-hand when Fred Flintstone was major general. Don't be mistaken however, this changes not the tactical game play, as before you must balance your units with well proportioned tactics, with different strengths and weaknesses, this isn't a simple case of run in with your musket and fire the enemies head off. Of course you don't start off with all this finery, you must progress and build on your technology until the more lavish weapons such as cannons become available to you.

A new feature to AoE III is something called “Experience Points”. As you progress through the game, points are awarded to you for acts such as killing an enemy, opening trade routes and so on. Once you have collected enough experience points you can click on a small button and zoom back to your home city. What is the point in this, you may ask? Well when you return to your home city you have the opportunity to send supplies to your settlements when ever they may require them. As with all aspects of the game the rewards start out poor, but with progress comes rewards and further along in the game you can get technology upgrades and elite units.

Age of Empires III is shaping up to be a fine addition to the series and it's certainly no slouch, from its amazing graphics to the engaging campaigns, it will certainly put a smile on the face of dedicated fans to the series and new players alike, with plenty of new goodies and extra features to keep the old fans entertained for along time to come.

Age of Empires III ships on November 1.