Greetings everyone; I hope you are doing well. The purpose of this post is to discuss everything related to the campaigns of Age of Empires III and its expansion, The WarChiefs. As we all know, these campaigns received mixed reviews at the time; some people liked them while others didn’t, but ultimately, they were what we had back in 2005 and 2006. Most of us simply played and accepted them, unaware that much of the content was poorly represented or ill-suited for the story being told about that historical period. Below, I will provide several examples of what was done wrong in the original campaigns and how those historical errors—which still persist in the Definitive Edition—could have been improved.
Age of Empires III:
Act 1 Blood: The first campaign dates back to the Renaissance era, just as the colonization of the Americas was beginning. This becomes apparent halfway through the campaign when you must travel to the New World to stop Sahin the Falcon. At first, everything seems fine—knights fighting Ottoman Janissaries and massive bombards—but then you realize that the Order’s magnificent armored cavalry are actually 18th-century hussars; that is the first historical error. Next, you use crossbowmen and pikemen—which are reasonably accurate—until you discover that the barracks allow you to train Rodeleros. These are a distinctly Spanish unit with little connection to the Order’s Knights Templar. While one might try to justify some of this, the artillery foundry allows you to build 17th-century mortars instead of culverins—another historical error. Finally, various cutscenes and scenarios feature musketeers and Highlanders—units that are completely anachronistic given that the campaign takes place in the early 16th century. The solution to these errors and inaccuracies would be to fully incorporate the Maltese civilization (introduced in the Knights of the Mediterranean expansion) and add specific Maltese Home City cards to make the campaign feel more historically authentic. A new cavalry unit, such as the “Templar Brother” from AoE IV, should also be added to ensure proper representation, along with the Order’s galley at the docks; this way, Morgan Black’s campaign would finally be truly well-represented. P.S. Units such as the Sentinel are removed from the campaign, as are falconets, mortars, and horse artillery; only Flamethrowers and Culverins would be available at the artillery foundry, while Lancers would be removed from the stables and replaced by the Cavalry Archer.
Act 2 Ice: There isn’t much to say about this campaign; it is the best-represented chapter in the entire history of the Black family. Perhaps my only complaint is the inclusion of crossbowmen in the barracks, as they felt completely anachronistic for the era; the mercenary camps introduced in the Knights of the Mediterranean DLC could also have been added to allow for the creation of Giant Grenadiers. Otherwise, the campaign is solid throughout.
Act 3 Steel: The final act of AoE III presents an early 19th-century United States represented by the British civilization, which employs Pikemen, Redcoats, Skirmishers, King’s Life Guard Hussars, and Rockets; furthermore, one can even produce Grenadiers at the Artillery Foundry—a unit typical of the British but not the Americans. When you add to this the fact that the U.S. Home City is St. Louis instead of Washington D.C., the result is a confusing, haphazard mix that amounts to a pseudo-civilization. At this point, the most logical step would be to scrap the existing setup and fully implement the United States faction—the one that appears in the Battle of New Orleans scenario within the Historical Battles—combining it with some Home City cards from the U.S. civilization and others created specifically for Amelia Black’s campaign, given how poorly the faction was represented from the start, even in the Definitive Edition. I understand that in 2005, developers had to reuse assets from another civilization due to time and technological constraints, but in 2020, this is no longer something that can be overlooked. Finally, I must mention the battle against the Mexican army in the “Defend the Fort” scenario; curiously, the Mexican civilization never actually appears, with Spain taking its place. The issue is that, by the time the events of Act 3 take place, Mexico was already an independent nation, so I do not understand why the Mexican civilization has not yet been added to that scenario. Doing so would enhance campaign immersion, just as it would if the Independent Guard or the Peruvian Legion appeared in the scenario where one fights alongside Simón Bolívar. P.S.: The U.S. civilization’s Grenadiers in Act 3 could be replaced by Washington’s Grenadiers.
Age of Empires 3 The Warchiefs:
Act 1: Fire: Act One of the “Fire” campaign, featuring John Black’s son, is a favorite among many players—myself included. I should point out that I’m going to be more direct here regarding the proposed approach: for instance, a great option for this campaign would be to switch units after the second scenario (where the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is used). Upon starting the third scenario, the player would use the military units from the United States civilization (introduced in the DLC) instead of the “13 Colonies” pseudo-civilization—which mixes native units with Revolutionaries. Similarly, the Artillery Foundry could offer Falconets, Culverins, Mortars, and Washington’s Grenadiers, while removing Gatling guns. This would allow the civilization to be split effectively; we could use the early North American units and certain Home City cards from the DLC in the first campaign. That would be truly fantastic, as Nathaniel Black’s campaign would be represented with greater historical accuracy by utilizing the strengths of the DLC’s US militia. Consequently, the Civil War-era Imperial units and Gatling gun cards would be reserved for the second campaign featuring Chayton Black.
Act 2 Shadows: In the second and final scenario of The Warchiefs expansion, Gatling gun cards would become available in the Home City, alongside Imperial-level upgrades for North American units and Home City cards specific to the DLC’s United States civilization; additionally, North American mercenaries exclusive to that additional content would be unlocked at Taverns. Conversely, Revolutionaries and Militia units would be removed—as would the ability to train Native units at Barracks and Stables—while Horse Artillery would become available at the Artillery Foundry. This approach would result in a more realistic and robust campaign than the current version; frankly, the existing campaign contains many inconsistencies, such as the ability to train Native units in conventional military buildings. Another aspect previously overlooked is that both expansion campaigns would utilize the United States civilization’s architecture from the DLC to ensure consistency across all changes; Native-specific buildings would be removed, as they lack contextual logic in these scenarios—making historical sense only in missions where Native forces play a central role.
This way, the campaigns could finally take a more historically accurate turn; all these changes aim to boost replayability in a manner that is both fun and authentic. Given the numerous inconsistencies across the AoE III campaigns, implementing these changes would breathe new life into the title—especially for those of us who enjoy single-player content.