My version of AOE 3 would be called the "Age of War".
Time frame:
The Age of War would begin where AOKTC left off, with the discovery of the new world. This converts to roughly the 1500-1900 range.
Ages:
Sticking to the original format, AOW would encompass 4 ages. Maybe the Colonial Age, Revolutionary Age, Napoleonic Age, and the Industrial Age.
The Civs:
British, German, Polish, French, Italian, Slavic, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Ottoman Turk, Scandanavian, American, Canadian, Australian....and I'm sure others.
The Units:
Workers, Muskateer, Artilleryman, Mounted Muskateer, Rifleman, Grenadier, Battle Engineer, Baloonist, Marine, Spy, Machinegunner, Flamethrower and early mechanized units like Biplanes, tanks and trucks. Also naval units such as Ironclads, Dreadnaughts, Subs, and Destroyers.
Resources:
Food, wood, iron, gold, and silver.
Overview:
The Age of War would pick up where Age of Kings left off. The new world has been discovered and is now ready to be colonized (Colonial Age). During this age, a civ might have to deal with "hostile" natives who are out too keep your civilization in check. This way, u have to deal with the AI (Indians) as well as other human players trying to muscle in on your newly established turf. The next age (Revolutionary Age) leads to advancements in firearms and artillery. Ships become more powerful and battle formations become the standard way to wage war. By the third Age (Napoleonic Age), u see the invention of the rifle with self contained cartridge as well as the first ironclad ships and airel units (baloons). In the last age (Industrial Age) u see the emergance of machine guns, early tanks and trucks, as well as Biplanes and Zepplins. Navy's now include huge Dreadnaughts and early subs. Standard battle formations give way to trench warfare and battle with mechanized units. The collection of resources is greatly enhanced by machines, doing more work with fewer units.
I envision a worldly flavor to AOW, with a realtime stock market and maps that vary greatly in size. Should u chose a smaller map, conflict would arise much sooner and the game would no doubt be shorter, sort of like the battle for a particular region. Or for those that like long drawn out campaigns, u could use the entire globe as a map, giving players plenty of room to grow their civ before territorial conflict arises. These games could be much longer, but basically the size of the map and the starting resources would determine the length of game. I also see diplomatic units and spy units playing a large role. Send diplomats and gain allies. Or send spys to get helpful information about the enemy. The possiblities for Technology upgrades would be endless and I envision a tech-tree so large that it would not be feasible for any one player to have all technologies. This way a player has to pick and choose his technologies that will best suit his plans for world domination.
This is just the basic framework of my version of AOE 3. I know many ppl will frown on the introduction of mechanized units, but I'm not looking to make another Red Alert. No, I want historical accuracy, not stupid super weapons. In fact, most mechanized units would not even be available until the 4th Age(Industrial). I just think that a game like this deserves to be made using ES's game engine and knowhow.
T4U
Recipient of ArchRascal's Medal of Archie.
Motto: Humility is only a game away.
Zonename: Trouble_4_U
[This message has been edited by Trouble_4_U (edited 07-11-2001 @ 03:30 PM).]