Age of Empires III: The Napoleonic Era

Age of Empires III: The Napoleonic Era is a non-commercial and fan-based modification for Ensemble Studios's RTS game, Age of Empires III. This mod features a great deal of new gameplay elements and includes 7 completely new civilizations. The French civilization has also been heavily redesigned. The game is focused on the events revolving around the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, and how different European civilizations reacted to this new challenge. However, the game also includes other prominent civilizations of this particular time-frame, such as the United States. The Napoleonic Wars were chosen for the game's general theme because these were the most influential military events during the time period of Age of Empires III, next to its current theme, the colonization of America.

Variations and Hotfixes
There are several variations and hotfixes on Napoleonic Era. The most updated version of Napoleonic Era requires:


 * Age of Empires III
 * Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
 * Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
 * TAD Patch 1.02
 * Napoleonic Era 2.01
 * NE Hotfix 7.1

In addition, Napoleonic Era downloads use compressed files, creating need for a file decompressor, e.g. WinRAR or 7zip.

Gameplay
Napoleonic Era features several new gameplay elements. A few elements from Age of Empires II are re-introduced, like the ability to have an unlimited amount of settlers on the construction of a building. Several new technologies are available in several different buildings. An all-new technology building, the university, is also introduced for all western nations. In this building, players will find a small amount of powerful nation-specific upgrades, as well as a two randomly generated ones. Players can also access new elite units, such as the sharpshooter, through the university. More than 10 new maps featured includes Egypt, Scandinavia and the Alps. Other gameplay changes include a new build limit on walls, and altered trading post prizes.

Units
More than 35 new units are introduced with the Napoleonic Era. It includes not only new unique units for the new civilizations, but new standard units, such as the Fusilier, and new unique units for the civilizations featured in Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery, such as the British Green jacket rifleman. A range of native units for the new maps are also introduced. All of these new units have new graphics and statistics. The graphics was awarded by gamespy in their Picture of the Day contest in 2006. The mod also includes Matthew Sher's Unit Upgrades Modpack, so that the old standard units, such as the musketeer, get a new look each age you advance.

Sound
The units of the new civilizations have received new sounds in their respective languages. According to the official web page of the Napoleonic era, new voice acting contributions are still welcome. The modification also comes with a new main theme, another variation on the Age of Empires theme composed by a member of the Napoleonic Era core team.

Civilizations
In addition to the regular civilizations already offered by Age of Empires III and its two official expansion packs (The WarChiefs and The Asian Dynasties), the Napoleonic Era presents the players with an additional set of playable civilizations that hold their own unique units, buildings, homecity shipments, and tactical abilities. Sandy Petersen admitted that the Swedes and the Italians were planned to be civilizations in the original game, as the Elmeti and Fusilier units show; however, The Napoleonic Era's Swedish and Italian civilizations are originally designed by the Napoleonic Era Core Team.

Maps
Napoleonic Era offers many new Random Maps to play on, accessed from the "Custom Maps" option when starting a new Skirmish battle. Some are available only with NE Hotfix 6.1; others are available with the mod by itself.

New African Maps

 * Sahara
 * Atlas Mountains
 * Barbary Coast
 * Flood of the Nile
 * Nile Delta
 * River Nile
 * Giant Sahara
 * Sin

New Eastern Asian Maps

 * Shangre La
 * Indonesia
 * Japanese Islands

New European Maps

 * Rhine
 * Alps
 * Alpine Pass
 * Black Forest
 * Scandinavia
 * Malta

New Northern Asian Maps

 * Lake Baikal
 * Siberia
 * Urals

New Western Asian Maps

 * Mesopotamia
 * Levant
 * Syrian Desert

New Western Hemisphere Maps

 * Appalachians
 * Baja California
 * Everglades
 * Pacific Railroad
 * Reservations
 * Vinland

In addition, other maps are being planned, including a map set in African savannah, the Balkan Peninsula, and Kenyan highlands.

Buildings
Napoleonic Era incorporates many new buildings, some of them for all civilizations and others for only certain ones.

University
The University is a location where players can research technologies available only to their civilization and train "Late-Game Units". It provides the most important technologies in the game, besides those researchable from the Capitol. Available to all European civilizations.

Ranch
A building unique to the Americans, the Ranch combines the features of a Stables, Livestock Pen, and provides population space.

Lookout
A cheap building with a long line-of-sight, unique to the Americans. It can garrison several Settlers, and is constructed by Frontiersmen.

Keep
An Austrian-unique variation of the Fort, with a smaller attack, cheaper cost, and available in the Colonial Age. Keeps can be rebuilt by an Explorer if destroyed.

Watchtower
An Austrian-unique variation of the Outpost, with a smaller attack, cheaper cost, and greater build limit.

Academy
Grande Armée-unique buildings that train heavy infantry and provide healing bonuses.

Torp
A Swedish-unique building that combines the features of a House and Barracks and also provides a trickle of Wood.

Tent
A Swiss replacement for the House that provides Arsenal upgrades to gunpowder infantry.

Bivouac
A Swiss building that combines the features of a House and Stable. Late in the game, it can be unpacked and packed into a wagon, allowing it to become mobile.

Reichstag
A German-unique building that combines the features of a Saloon and University. As a consequence, neither of those two buildings are available for the German faction.

Basilica
An Italian-unique building. It has the ability to create a trickle of resources and spawn a trickle of Nuncios, Inquisitors, or Priests. The Basilica also acts as the Italian variation of the University. It's revenue is balanced by the fact that the Italian faction can only construct one Factory.

Patron Saint and Equestrian Statue
The official website describes the buildings as taking long to construct and being expensive, but giving the Italians an extra edge. That is the extent of the description. Both are Italian-unique.

Napoleonic Era Beta 2
The Beta 2 version can be downloaded free of charge online. You must have Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties and preferably Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs in order to play the beta. The beta version features all new and modified civilizations, new maps, new home city shipment cards, new natives, and improved graphics. The Beta 2 was released to help the Napoleonic Era Core Team find bugs and glitches faster in order for them to be fixed in a future version.