Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing well. I’m making this post regarding the new Baltic Powers DLC to share a few suggestions based on what has been revealed in the open beta.
As everyone already knows, two new game modes have been added to AoE III: Regicide and Independence. Since we are already familiar with the Regicide mode from AoE II, this time we will focus on the Independence mode. It looks very promising, as it appears we will no longer need to trigger a revolution with a civilization; instead, we will start on the map as a fully independent civilization right from the beginning, without having to undergo a revolution during the course of the game.
What do you all think? Could it be that certain European factions will be equipped with new units and technologies—offering a fresh way to replay maps with the old civilizations without needing to trigger a revolution—or will it simply be another game mode, much like the Tycoon mode, which wasn’t exactly a game-changer?
Here’s a quick preview of what was mentioned in the patch notes: it’s rumored that factions like Spain will feature Grenadiers and Soldado Montado unit. Could this be a hint that the original civilizations will play completely differently in this new mode? Or does it mean there will be new military units for certain civilizations specifically within the Independence mode? Either way, it must be something significant, given that the developers saved the reveal for the launch date. Right now, the goal is to discuss the possibilities this new mode might offer—or whether it will just be another run-of-the-mill mode, perhaps featuring mechanics or Home City cards enabled from the start to save players the time of working their way up to a revolution.
Yes, it’s not that we’re playing with revolutions from the beginning, but rather that we’re playing without decks in the old-fashioned way (like AoE 2 and 4)…
Independence:Abandon the safety net of your Home City in Independence Mode and prove that you can win games purely through strategy and real skill. Rediscover your favorite civilizations in a new way with adjusted civilization bonuses.
I had actually thought of a similar mode for the Mediterranean DLC called “Continental Blockade” (after the Napoleonic Continental Blockade) where you couldn’t use your decks until the Imperial Age… and another mode, “Archaic Mode,” where you could only use archaic units and no gunpowder, although I might limit it to Fortress Age, because otherwise in Imperial Age there would be endless wars without cannons…
“Rediscover your favorite civilizations in a new way with adjusted bonuses”—to me, that phrase holds the key to the entire context of this new mode. If my hunch is correct, it implies that playing with standard civilizations in “Independence Mode” might grant us access to new units; since we won’t have Home City shipments, there must be some significant bonus in place—otherwise, playing without Home City cards would make no sense. Imagine playing as Spain with the same old standard units but without the ability to send Home City cards or trigger a revolution; honestly, that would be pointless. Even with certain upgrades active—like Church card technologies or Home City units available at Forts—it wouldn’t justify the lack of Home City support. I believe there must be something substantial to this mode beyond just playing without Home City aid or starting with specific cards or technologies already active. Remember, many important shipment cards will be missing; the only way to justify their absence—as well as the inability to revolt—would be through the introduction of entirely new technologies and units. That is what would truly validate the absence of Home City support.
Important advice for the AoE3 developers regarding Independence Mode:
1. Don’t lock it behind the DLC, make it a free core mechanic. Those of us who are already AoE3 fans aren’t going to buy the DLC because of Independence Mode. However, there are fans of other Age of Empires games who might be willing to give AoE3 a try if Independence Mode were part of the base game.
2. Don’t make Independence Mode just another game mode. Instead, present it in the options as a dual alternative alongside the classic mode. That way, players could choose between “Classic AoE” (with Home Cities and Decks) or “Independence Mode”, and only then select the game type, such as Supremacy, Regicide, and so on. For example: Independence + Supremacy, Classic + Regicide, etc…
Im curious how they will cover natives XP plaza ceremony and aztec/japan XP bonuses.
Also, many factory lacking civs depend on crate shipments, lakota will train bisons, but aztecs will get coins? How India will survive woth just distributism? Aztecs arent getting stronger farms by default either?
100% agree with this. Independence Mode has way more potential than just being a DLC bonus or another random game mode.
I really think it should be treated as a core part of AoE3 going forward. Making it free would also be a great way to bring in players from AoE2 and AoE4 who might be interested in AoE3 but are put off by the Home City and Deck system at first.
The classic system should absolutely stay — it’s one of the things that makes AoE3 unique. But giving players the choice between Classic Mode and Independence Mode from the start would make the game much more welcoming.
Independence Mode shouldn’t feel like a side feature. It could be the thing that gives AoE3 a second life and brings a whole new group of players into the game. It deserves to be taken seriously.
Yeah they are adding bonuses at the start and having no shipments so it will basically play like aoe 2/4 which should encourage other players to try the game out and a lot don’t like the shipment system in those games
If it works how I imagine then you could port that to console at least
I have an idea: what if they added a basic “Independence” mode to Age of Empires III—allowing both new and veteran players to try it out and potentially decide to purchase more AoE III content—while offering a full version of the mode to those who own the Baltic DLC? The basic mode could include only what is listed in the patch notes, whereas the full mode could feature new Revolutions, units, and technologies that justify purchasing the new DLC.
You don’t get it. THAT is the full mode. The point is they want to attract more players with a more straightforward game mode. That’s perfectly fine, because this could mean potential subsequent DLCs after this one. Also, if they were to add more new revolutions as you suggest, I’d rather have them available in every other game modes, not just Independance.
I understand, but I highly doubt the developers would entertain such a sweeping request—specifically, taking a game mode designed to drive DLC sales and adding it to the base game for free. You see, it’s a bit like asking the developers to add the “Crucible” mode to the base game of AoE IV, effectively stripping the DLC that features that mode of its content; I hope that makes sense. I consider it extremely unlikely that a request of this nature would be accepted right off the bat. Of course, it would be fantastic if the developers did agree to move the “Independence” mode to the base game for free, but since that might not happen, I’m proposing that they at least include a more basic version of the mode in the base game so we can try it out, while reserving the full version for those who choose to purchase the Baltic DLC.
The idea was supposed to be that we would support the developers by purchasing the Baltic DLC, thereby encouraging them to launch future projects for AoE III. If we start pushing for drastic measures—like wanting a game mode included in the DLC to be available for free in the base game—it would directly hurt the new DLC’s sales. I must reiterate that we all formally agreed to support the game’s development once it returned to its original state of receiving patches and new content. It seems inappropriate to ask for things that directly undermine DLC sales; there is a difference between asking for a free trial of downloadable content and demanding all the content for free, effectively withdrawing support for the project as it was originally conceived.
Ok but…I didn’t make any request. I don’t get how you came to this idea. You should read again.
You asked for more revolutions and features for the Independance mode, which goes against the main purpose of this game mode: to attract AOE2 and 4 players. I only said that new revolutions shouldn’t be exclusive to this game mode, even though revs probably won’t be available in Independance. I never asked for free content.
Don’t worry, I wasn’t referring to you; I’m speaking generally about all the users who want the independence mode for free in the base game. I’d be in favor of that request becoming a reality, but let’s be honest—I highly doubt it will happen.
In any case, I have merely offered a few suggestions on how such a request could be implemented: a basic independence mode for the base game and a full independence mode with more content for the Baltic DLC. These are the options available to us right now if we want the developers to actually implement this request; otherwise, it will most likely remain exclusive to the Baltic DLC.
That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to get across all this time—man, you always get me, bro; thanks a lot. What you just said aligns perfectly with my own thoughts. For instance, if we played Independence Mode and chose Canada or Peru, those two revolutions could function with greater synergy, potentially gaining access to new units and technologies that aren’t available in the standard revolution due to deck space limitations. If that were to happen, believe me, Independence Mode would become something akin to the variant civilizations in AoE IV, resulting in unprecedented replayability.
