User manual GAMES PC AGE OF EMPIRES III

0805 Part No. X11-35580 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. These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects. Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms--children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: · Play in a well-lit room. · Do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing. Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places, and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. © & p 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Age of Empires, The Age of Kings, DirectX, Ensemble Studios, the Microsoft Game Studios logo, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. © 2005 Havok and Havok 3 are registered trademarks of Havok and Telekinesys Research Limited. All other products, company names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Uses Bink Video. Copyright © 1997­2005 by RAD Game Tools, Inc. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. 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 City? Managing Your Home City Working with Your Home City Your Home City's Strategic Value 41 43 47 50 3 Single-Player Campaign Morgan Black Elisabet Ramsey John Black Kanyenke Amelia Black Pierre Beaumont Starting & Saving Campaign Scenarios 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Civilizations Spanish British French Portuguese Dutch Russian German Ottoman 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 Multiplayer Making the Multiplayer Connection Multiplayer Game Types The Home City & Multiplayer 62 64 65 Buildings & Units Buildings Explorers Infantry Cavalry Artillery Civilian Units Ships Native Americans Mercenaries 111 115 116 119 121 123 125 126 129 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 a Strategy 85 92 95 Credits 4 5 6 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. Single-Player Campaign Graphical Environment Real-World Physics An intricate storyline transports you back in time to an age of conquest and intrigue. A new display engine renders scenery and action with lifelike detail. The new physics engine adds an exciting level of realism to the game-- ships can shoot holes in each others' sails, cannon balls careen and bowl over infantry, and damaged buildings crumble to pieces without warning. Picking up where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings® leaves off, the latest installment, Age of Empires III, gives you command of a European power determined to explore, colonize, and conquer the New World. Spectacular combat awaits you in a world with units like rifled infantry, heavy cavalry, and tall ships bristling with cannon. You'll be captivated by breathtaking scenes of discovery and power: towering European cathedrals, courageous Native Americans, and massive armies bent on destruction. Installing the Game Insert the Age of Empires III installation disc into your disc drive, and then follow the on-screen instructions. If Setup doesn't start automatically, complete these steps on Microsoft® Windows® XP: 1. On the Start menu, click Control Panel. 2. In the Category View, under Pick a Category, click Add or Remove Programs. 3. Under Pick a Task, click Add a Program. 4. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click the CD or Floppy button, and then follow the on-screen instructions to install the game. 8 9 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. Getting Help To get additional information while playing the game, go to the Stats tab, and then click the Detailed Help button. You can also use tooltips by placing your mouse pointer over an icon or unit to display a brief description of that item and its capabilities. For updates and to interact with the Age of Empires III community, visit: http://www.ageofempires3.com. The Main menu provides the following options: Learn to Play Learn basic gameplay principles and experience what's new in Age of Empires III. Play the Campaign or a random map Skirmish; load a Custom Scenario or a Saved Game. Single Player 10 11 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. Setting Options & Using Hotkeys You can configure Age of Empires III in many different ways. By using the Options screen you can fine-tune such elements as in-game graphics, audio, and multiplayer settings. For example, to improve the frame-rate performance, adjust the settings under Graphics Options. By selecting Use Low Poly Models and reducing the Texture settings, you can improve the game's performance--particularly on slower computers. Hotkeys allow experienced players to find, build, and task units quickly and efficiently. For example, pressing the T key finds your Town Center. If you want to achieve proficiency with Age of Empires III, knowing how and when to use hotkeys is critical. You'll find many useful hotkey combinations on the Quick Reference Card. 12 13 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. The In-Game menu offers the following choices: Player Options Resign Save Saved Game Restart Fine-tune in-game settings. Leave the current game. Preserve the current game state so you can reload it later. Start a previously saved game. Return to the beginning of the current game. Loading Saving Saving, Loading, & Quitting a Game On the In-Game menu, click Save. In the Save File dialog box, type a name in the Filename box, and then click Save. 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. To leave a game while playing, you must first resign from your current game. On the In-Game menu, click Resign, click Yes, and then click the Quit button in the upper-right of the screen. Player Summary Offer tribute and resources to allies. Quitting 14 15 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. Improving Game Performance Here are some suggestions for improving the quality and performance of Age of Empire III. Install the Latest Device Drivers Your computer's graphics adapter (also known as a video or display adapter) is critical to a great Age of Empires III visual experience. For the game to run properly, you must ensure that your computer has the latest version of the graphics adapter's driver installed. You can obtain the latest driver from the manufacturer of your graphics adapter. To learn who manufactured your graphics adapter 1. On the Start menu, click Run. 2. Type dxdiag, and then click OK. 3. In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box, click the Display tab. 4. Record the name of the manufacturer listed under Device, and then click Exit. Go to the manufacturer's Web site for more information on determining whether you have the latest driver version and how to upgrade should you need to. 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. In Supremacy, you start with no resources; in Deathmatch, you start with a stockpile of resources and play at high speed. While a Deathmatch always ends with either resignation or conquest, Supremacy offers a way to win without combat--Four of a Kind. You get Four of a Kind by building four Trading Posts either along a Trade Route or at Native American settlements. 16 17 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. Install More RAM Random access memory (RAM) is your computer's shortterm memory. Generally, the more there is, the faster your computer can process data. Your computer needs to have at least 256 MB of RAM to run Age of Empires III. Upgrade Your System to a Faster Processor To run Age of Empires III, your computer needs to have at least a Pentium 4 1.4 GHz processor. But the faster, the better! Upgrade Your Graphics Adapter You can improve your game's video performance by installing a more powerful graphics adapter. The minimum recommended hardware is a 64MB graphics adapter with HW T&L (Hardware Transform and Lightening). HW T&L technology offloads some of the graphics processing from your CPU. This enables the CPU to process additional instructions, which causes the game to execute faster. 18 Your goal in Age of Empires III is to build a powerful empire capable of conquering any and all enemy civilizations. You build your civilization by gathering natural resources, constructing buildings, creating an army, researching technological improvements, and advancing through the five Ages: Discovery Age Colonial Age Fortress Age Industrial Age Imperial Age With each Age advancement you can build different buildings, create more powerful military units, and research and acquire more valuable technologies. You face many challenges. You can see only a small part of a land hidden in darkness. You don't know where your opponents wait and how they plan to attack you. And you must overcome your greatest challenge: learning how to best adapt and grow the units and resources specific to your civilization. Choosing a Civilization You can choose from eight different civilizations (shown below in order of easiest to hardest to play): Spanish British French Portuguese Dutch Russian German Ottoman Each civilization has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the British have a strong economy and can get Settlers quickly. You'll find the best British unit is the Musketeer, but if you want to leverage other units, such as the Longbowman, you have that flexibility. Although they don't have as many villagers as the British, the French form alliances with Native Americans more easily. The French also have a special villager, the Coureur, that is more resistant to attacks. If you play as the Spanish, you'll find that you get more resources and support from your Home City. Try out the different civilizations to identify those that best suit your style of play and strategy. 20 21 Forming Alliances with Native Americans Your playable civilization can also form alliances with the Native American nations in the New World: Aztec Carib Cherokee Comanche Cree Inca Iroquois Lakota Maya Nootka Seminole Tupi The Home City 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. You grow your Home City over time through the acquisition of experience points, which you earn each time your civilization does one of the following: Discovers Treasure. Defeats enemy units (including Treasure guardians) or buildings. Builds or trains units. Achieves certain milestones (most Treasures, most kills, and so on) that garner postgame awards. Completes objectives in the single-player Campaign. As your experience points mount, your Home City level steadily advances. Higher-level Home Cities can provide more powerful shipments of units, resources, or improvements. Your time spent in advancing the level of your Home City during the single-player Campaign will hone your skills for multiplayer games. By sticking with a civilization and learning the intricacies of its capabilities and limits, you'll be able to take this knowledge and experience with you online to compete with other Age of Empires III players. By forming alliances, you gain their help during battle and can acquire extra resources such as Food or Coin. (You only battle Native Americans when they're allied with enemy civilizations.) You form an alliance by building a Trading Post next to a Native American settlement. To ally with a Native American nation 1. Have your Settlers gather sufficient resources to build a Trading Post. 2. Send your Explorer or Settler to find a Native American settlement. 3. Select your Explorer or Settler and then click the Trading Post button on the Command panel. You can now leverage military units and other improvements offered by that nation. (Trading Posts you build on Trade Routes will offer different benefits. They generate experience points for your Home City and can create Stagecoaches and other improvements to enhance the flow of commerce across their routes.) 22 23 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 Displays available: · Units · Buildings · Commands · Improvements Resource panel Displays stockpiled resources and population. · Current Population & Upper Limit · Food · Wood · Coin · Villagers Current Unit Stats tab Command tab 24 25 Navigating the Colony Screen If you've already played a game from the Age of Empires series, you'll find the Colony screen familiar. Resource Panel Shows current stockpiled resources, number of villagers, and population limit. This helps you ensure that you're not too low in one resource while spending too much effort gathering another. Unless you are stockpiling for a specific reason, such as advancing your Age, keeping your resources in relative balance is a good strategy. 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 Resign Player Summary Save Saved Game Restart Fine-tune various in-game settings. Leave the current game. Offer tribute and resources to allies. Preserve the current game state so you can reload it later. Start a previously saved game. Return to the beginning of the current game. Command Panel Displays the available tasks, units, buildings, commands, and improvements for the currently selected object. For example, if you select a Settler, the Command panel will display buttons for buildings and improvements that your civilization's Settlers can generate. Stats Tab Displays statistical information about the currently selected unit or building. For example, if you select an Explorer, the Stats tab will show such information as name, hitpoints (total and remaining), and unit classification. Tooltips When you move your mouse pointer over different game units, a tooltip displays information about resource or unit statistics (such as name, hitpoints, cost, and so on). You can use tooltips to quickly find information about practically anything that appears on-screen. Age Advancement Bar Displays the current Age and your civilization's flag. Production Queue Shows the units you have selected to train and their progress towards completion. Because units train over time, you'll find the queue particularly useful when your units are engaged in multiple activities that require quick action once they become ready. 26 27 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. Navigating the Home City Screen To view the Home City screen, click the Home City icon on the Main menu. Settlement Mini Map Provides a high-level view of the territory surrounding your settlement and lets you quickly locate the following items. Town Center Treasures Explorer Native American settlements Trading Post locations Resources (Food, Wood, and Coin) Fog of War limits Use the Mini Map regularly during gameplay to identify the next resource to acquire, to jump to a new location, and to locate your Explorer. The Mini Map also acts as a control panel for both navigation and communications. To quickly move your view from the Colony screen to a specific location on the Mini Map, click that location on the Mini Map. The Mini Map also includes buttons to filter its display, as well as buttons for communications (Send Flare and Chat). The communications buttons allow you to interact with other players during a multiplayer game--to share information, discuss strategy, or just ask for help. Home City Mini Map Provides a high-level view of your settlement. The Mini Map works the same on the Home City screen as it does on the Colony screen; simply click anywhere on the Mini Map to go to that location. 28 29 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. Ways to Play Age of Empires III Age of Empires III gives you several different ways to play: Single-Player Campaign Single-Player Skirmish Multiplayer Skirmish Shipment Panel Displays the contents of your Deck. Every Home City provides different improvements and resources (also known as Cards) from which you can choose. You manage these resources by creating a Deck of the Cards you want to use during that game. The Shipment panel displays the contents of your Deck: the economic units, military units, and resources currently available for shipment back to your colony. Click the units and/or resources you want to select. If you lack sufficient resources or population, or you haven't yet reached the right Age, the game will indicate why the unit or resource cannot be shipped. For more information about the Card and Deck system and how it works, see the "Home City" chapter on page 39. Single-Player Campaign By accepting the challenge of the single-player Campaign, you enter into a historical storyline that spans multiple continents and generations. Follow the adventures of three generations of the Black family as they explore the New World, meet famous figures from history, and battle a mysterious international conspiracy. With different missions crisscrossing the Americas, you'll face a series of challenges woven within a dramatic storyline. Varying levels of difficulty and choices in Home City upgrades make the Campaign an adventure you can enjoy time and again. Home City Icon Toggles between the Home City screen and the Colony screen. 30 31 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). The starting Age. The difficulty level. The game speed. Your player color. Once you set up the Skirmish, click the Play button to start the battle. Exploring the New World The first thing you should do is search for sources of Food, Wood, and Coin. You can explore the map by moving your Settlers and Explorers into the black area. Gathering Food is important, as you need Food to train (create) more Settlers. Gathering Wood is important, as you need Wood to construct buildings (such as houses, barracks, and others). To select a unit Click the unit you want to select. ­or­ Drag a bounding outline around the unit (or units) you want to select. (This method also lets you select multiple units.) You can tell a unit is selected by the circle around its base and the Health Bar indicator above its head. To deselect a unit Click anywhere else on the map terrain. The selection indicators (Health Bar and circle) will no longer appear with the previously selected units. To move a unit Click the unit, and then right-click any location on the map or on the Mini Map (in the lower-left of the screen). The unit will move to that location. Multiplayer Skirmish You can also play against human and AI opponents over a local area network (LAN) or on Ensemble Studios Online (ESO). When playing online, you get access to the same online features you've come to love--taunt, flares, and chat--while still engaging in a wide-ranging, winner-takeall battle across two continents. You can choose from a couple different formats for multiplayer, each of which offers different starting and winning conditions: Supremacy, where every player starts with nothing and continues until final conquest or surrender. Deathmatch, a fast-paced game where all players begin with a stockpile of resources. 32 33