Okay guys I didn't see anyone who posted it in large font, so here's the PC Gamer Magazine article in its entirety (actually I lied, its not the entire article, just the parts that are important). If you do not want to see it until you have the magazine in your hand then TURN BACK NOW! Before it’s too late! I warned you…
Also note that important information is in bold… and my “thoughts” are in brackets and whispered.[Skipped paragraphs]Continuing from where Age of Empires II left off, the third chapter in the series begins in 1500 A.D. and chronicles the Age of Discovery that started around the time when Columbus "discovered" the new world. (Yeah, we know -- several indigenous tribes were already living in America long before then. Write a historian, not us.) The single-player campaign then follows the course of American history up through 1850 -- ending right before the start of the civil war.In multiplayer mode, you’ll be able to choose between eight different European civilizations. Only three – The French, Spanish, and British – have been officially confirmed by Ensemble, but the smart money says the Dutch and Swiss will be two more. Games will start with the arrival by ship to the shores of America, where your goal will be to explore the New World, establish Trade Routes, forge Alliances, with Native Americans, build an army for battle against rival Europeans, and ultimately bring glory to your home country.Codenamed “Rocket,” by its internal development team, almost turned into an age game that didn’t have “ages.” Taking inspiration from German board games, the designers crafted a strategy game in which you captured victory points to win scenarios, but without technologically advancing your civilization through new ages, which is one of the hallmarks of the series. Another version had “Auto-Ages,” in which each side automatically levels up at the same time, and borrowing from massive multiplayer games, one incarnation has persistent characters that would build in experience from match to match.
While Lead Designer Greg Street asserts that Ensemble’s initial stab was a “fun game.” It didn’t feel much like an Age of Empires game. A year and a half into development, incongruent elements and features were dropped. So the team regrouped, and decided to focus more closely on traditional gameplay – but also experiment with some of the first iterations’ inventive ideas.
“Innovation has driven our design,” says Ensemble’s Senior Designer Bruce Shelley. Whose 20 year experience making video games including making a successful partnership with Sid Meier in the early 1990’s co-designing such classics as Railroad Tycoon and Sid Meier’s Civilization. The pressure was, and still is, on Ensemble to not only build on the success of the past, but also to exceed such ambitious competitors as Rome: Total War and Rise of Nations.“There isn’t a RTS game that isn’t played at Ensemble,” says Street, who freely admits that the team borrows bits and pieces from the competition when brainstorming ideas. Another benefit from rampant sampling is that Ensemble is able to keep abreast with the latest trends and advancements in the genre. Such as innovations in user interfaces, a move toward story lines with an epic scope, and, of course, full 3D graphics.As development gelled on Age III, two areas were singled out for innovation. First on the list was the graphic engine, which the group had decided had to be the very best on the block… So the “Rocket” team set the not-so-simple goal for itself: Age of Empires III would have the best looking graphics of any game. Period. [Pretty bold statement don’t you think? This would include amazing games like Half-Life 2, Doom 3, and Far Cry. One word: WOW]To accomplish that lofty aspiration, Ensembles built a brand-new graphics engine [Guess they decided the BANG! Engine that was used for Age of Mythology just wasn’t good enough…unless they intended for BANG! to be for Age of Empires III all along…] from the ground up that includes features like dynamic lighting, Support for Pixel Shader 3.0, bloom effects that make lit objects seem to glow while on screen, and tone mapping to create near-photorealistic images.And one programmer had been devoted to nothing but water effects. Just to ensure that the leaping oceans in the game looked their very best…Ensemble has also licensed the Havok physics engine for Age of Empires III. What that means for gameplay is that when you fire a cannon at a band of Redcoats, the ensuing mayhem will have all the pizzazz of an explosion as Half-Life 2; [WOW, this is ground breaking in the RTS genre… CANNOT wait to see it in action] Bodies fly through the air with rag-doll physics, tiny little hats are knocked off the heads of the injured, and your cannonball may continue to roll after impact, possibly uprooting trees or bystanders. Similarly, structures will destruct dynamically as there fired upon, with bits of roofing and rubble flung airborne until the building finally crumbles. [Better than I had expected… Can’t wait to get my hand on some artillery to have some “fun” making Swiss cheese out of enemy buildings]Ensembles second great innovation is the one it considers to be the most important. [And being the first in the genre to incorporate Rag-doll physics isn’t?] It’s the concept of a Home City, a capital back in Europe that supports your efforts to conquer the New World.The idea is a throwback to an early game design to include persistent characters. In multiplayer games, you’re Home City will be like a character in an RPG that “levels up” as you gain experience points, giving you access to varied upgrades. Levels and upgrades will carry over to game to game - [Sounds like a complex ranking system to me] but unlike in a typical Massive Multiplayer, skill will be most salient factor in which will win a match. So a player, with a level-50 city won’t automatically trump a level-45 competitor…though I wouldn’t take any bets on a level-5 if I were you.Both you and your opponents will be able to view your Home City at any time. Initially, it will be small and relatively unpopulated, but as you earn glory (and XP) in the New World by hunting, fighting, and allying with Native tribes, your city will grow more powerful. And as the city expands, so will the society – including crowded foot-traffic on city streets, the ability to erect magnificent buildings, and the sounds of urban living (like the clip-clop of horses or the grinding noise of a windmill). Wonder how the residents think your doing? Click on one and he’ll tell you.
The benefit of having a Home City will be economic support in the form of regular supply shipments delivered right to your colony’s doorsteps. Additionally, every level gained will give you access to more of a branching tree of potential upgrades. Like unlocking a mime [SWEET! That’s what I’ve always wanted in an Age game…MIMES!] to entertain the pedestrians of your Home City, will be purely cosmetic. But at least half of them can affect gameplay – For instance, opening up new types of units like Grenadiers and Scouting Patrols, or being able to send reinforcements from your Home City. [Sounds to me like an Age of Empires III equivalent to Age of Mythology’s God Powers…but I still don’t have enough information]As they become unlocked, you’ll be able to build more illustrious buildings for which your Home capital has become famous [Age of Empires III Wonders, shall we?], such as Paris Notre Dame Cathedral. Structures in a home city can also be personalized – You can select the roof colors and decorations (such as gargoyles) that adore its edifice for example. [Wow Age of Empires is getting more and more like a City Simulator] The design team believes that the RPG elements involved in building up your city will motivate you to continue playing online long after the point at which similar games wear out their welcome.“The dream in the creative industry is to come up with an idea that people don’t know they want until they see it,” says Bruce Shelley. If RTS buffs react to the Home City concept with that sort of “Where has this been all my life?” fanfare, then the Ensemble team will all be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief. And the early word is promising: According to Ensembles, Microsoft has submitted Age of Empires III to public scrutiny through focus group testing in Chicago, Dallas, and around Europe with positive reviews. [Well, now we know that sonofthunder maybe actually got to “preview” the game… Makes you think twice before flaming someone…doesn’t it?]Once you’ve chosen a civilization, it’s time to colonize. Gameplay begins when your ship lands on American soil (North or South) and you claim the land in the name of your motherland. Never mind the fact that some other shmoes just planted their flag on a different part of the continent – American spoils goes to he who settles best.
In the short-term, you’ll do things you normally do in a RTS game: build a base, spawn and train units and forage for resources. One big change from previous age games is that it will no longer be necessary to build drop-off centers for the three types of resources: food, wood, and coin. As soon as a villager chops down a tree skins a deer, its bounty will immediately be transferred to your reserves. [Don’t know if I like this idea…but can’t really say since I haven’t played the game yet]Resources will vary base on where you’ve landed. For example, buffalo will be plentiful in the Great Plains, while vegetation will dominate island maps. Still, Ensemble says that each area will be balanced – a civilization won’t immediately be disadvantaged by the lack of resource while another is swimming in loot. The maps in multiplayer and skirmish will also be randomly generated, [GOOD] preventing various players from memorizing where all the loot is.“What makes games fun is making interesting decisions,” Shelley points out, and raises your attitude toward America’s Native American tribes as an example of one of those “interesting decisions.” There will be 12 or so tribes – like the Aztecs, Iroquois, Cherokee, Comanche, and Sioux – with whom you can ally by building a trade post next to there encampment. When you ally, the native civilization will join as your own, giving you access to cool new units, unique weaponry, and a special knowledge of the land, lifting some of your fog of war. [Sounds like they took Age of Mythology’s idea of Settlements and kicked it up a notch…now we’ll be fighting over Alliances instead of measly Settlements… I like this idea…I like it A LOT.](If, like me, you think building alliances in real life is more difficult than building a trade post, consider the alternative: Ensemble says it play tested an elaborate and complex alliance scheme that involves lots of diplomacy and bargaining. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t much fun and was dropped after a day and a half)
If you play economically, one strategy is to ally with as many indigenous people as you can find on the map, grab resources, and speedily advance your civilization through its “Ages” of progress to acquire better technology and defense. (Ensemble wouldn’t discuss the Ages or how they’ll affect your colony since the design hasn’t been finalized, but I caught a peek at a couple of the titles that appeared during a round of play testing. Unless there’s some major rejiggering in the next several months expect atleast for Ages: Discovery, Colonial, Industrial, and Imperial. [Just as I expected…]Conversely, you can go full out military, and put all your resources into building up a big army. Leverage the power of your Home City by putting experience points into researching new unit types and shipping over reinforcements in lieu of coin drops. And you can destroy the alliances of your opponents by destroying their trade posts. If your really cut-throat, you might even hire some mercenaries from your Home City to fight for your side.
No matter how you play, though, a battle is almost inevitable – musket against musket, cannon against cannon. There is, however, another way to win a game. You can amass “Four of a Kind,” such as allying yourself with four different tribes or by controlling four different trade posts. Like the strategy of building and protecting Wonders in Age of Empires II, this maneuver will give you an instant victory… all without firing a shot.While naval combat will be part of gameplay, its emphasis is on ground battles in a diverse array of landscapes that include forests, snow-swept mountains, islands, and desert. [Dang it… maybe in Age of Empires IV…] And taking a page from the console-game playbook, Ensembles is packing an assortment of post game awards to coat multiplayer matches with an additional layer of competition.Of course, Ensemble is still holding onto some secrets about its multiplayer plans. The team won’t discuss gameplay modes except to say that there will be free-for-all and team-vs-team matches supporting up to eight players over a LAN or the Internet (though the developers recommend a maximum of 4 players to maximize the fun factor). And a single player skirmish-mode will allow you battle AI-controlled opponents, although the game balancing jury is still out as to whether you’ll be able to level up your Home City in skirmish mode and then transfer it over into multiplayer bouts.
Another departure of the series is that Age III’s single-player campaign, composed of roughly 24 scenarios, will be divided into three Acts to form one epic story line crossing multiple generations of a single family. The first Act will follow the heroism of Morgan Black, a settler of Scottish decent who lands in North America circa 1500. Acts II and III will continue the story of his lineage as the family grows roots in America soil and traverses the often-rocky path of colonial history up through 1850.Ensemble describes the story as historical fiction (since the Black family, as conveyed in the game, never existed). Although it will incorporate will world events – like the American Revolution [YAY!] – and guest stars from American History such as a pre-presidency Colonel Washington.Wondering what adventure awaits you? Well, Ensemble isn’t spoiling such details yet, but did offer one scenario as an example: At one point, you’ll have to prevent an enemy from traveling through the Rocky Mountains. To win, your demolition team will have to set charges that will block your opponents escape routes with a stream of rock and rubble, forcing him into a battle. Ensemble is aiming for a general playtime of 40 minutes per scenario. [WOW that means roughly 16 hours to beat the campaign (40 * 24 = 960 minutes… 960 / 60 = 16 hours) THAT is a lot!]A mixture of cut scenes and in-game cinematics will tell the game’s story, including hours of voiceovers and music recorded specifically for the game. The stirring score was written in-house and include a diverse array of different musical themes such as Last of the Mohicans and Cold Mountain, including twangy folk ballads and a rousing orchestral suite performed by the Northwest Symphony. The soundtrack is also dynamic, so that when you launch an attack, the music will abruptly intensify to match the mood.Ensemble has devoted six full-time designers to the single-player campaign – the most ever for a game designed by the studio. And it isn’t just the writers and designers who hold sway over the final product; everybody who works at Ensemble must play Age of Empires III for at least one hour a week, and give their feedback. [Man I wish I had their job] The Team’s philosophy is evident: playtest, playtest, playtest… and then playtest some more. Their resolved not to ship a game that has to be “fixed” through patches.[Skipped paragraph]“The sun always shines in Age of Empires,” says Bruce Shelley with a smile when asked why so many encounters are played out in broad daylight. It’s a familiar motto for the team – in fact, someone else credits Shelley with the phrase before he even utters the words.
But his other favorite saying is law: “Differentiate and innovate, but don’t imitate,” declares Shelley. The mantra guides not only the look and feel of Age of Empires III, but also how Ensemble views its own going mission. Because unlike most games in the usual grim, bloodthirsty RTS genre, Age games are chiefly about exploration and – dare I say it – hope.[Well that’s the End! I hope I don’t make anyone mad posting this… I didn’t intend to breach any Copyright infringement or do anything illegal like that. If I did, admins please politely close and remove this thread, thank you. And enjoy the plethora of information!][Oh...and Happy New Year!]
At my signal unleash HELL.God Bless America, Land of the Free!!!•••winner of "2002 AoM Forum's Coolest Name Award"••••••••••Another Fabulous Post by WhoAskedU!!•••••••People just complain about other people's Signatures because
they aren't smart enough to make their own.
[This message has been edited by WhoAskedU (edited 01-01-2005 @ 11:22 AM).]