Info about Age of Empires® III (2007):

Official game description:
**Effective September 1, 2021,** the multiplayer service for the 2007 version of Age of Empires III: Complete Collection currently on Steam will no longer function. The critical factor driving this change is that the ESO domain on which this multiplayer service currently resides is no longer under Microsoft’s control and it will be repurposed by its new owners on that date.  
**To continue accessing the multiplayer services:** We have created a patch that points to a new backend owned by Microsoft that you must manually install prior to September 1, 2021. Due to the age of the title, we have no way to automatically apply the patch for you and you will have to come to our website download linked below to apply the patch manually. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  
The AgeIIIESOPatch\_Full will allow you to access multiplayer services without routing through the deprecated ESO service. It is important to install the patch for additional stability and reliability in the multiplayer environment and avoid issues accessing multiplayer matches. Download and install the patch manually from the official website: .  
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Immerse yourself in the award-winning strategy experience. Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time. Command mighty European powers looking to explore new lands in the New World; or jump eastward to Asia and determine the outcome of its struggles for power.

Release date: Jan 5, 2012

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Historical Simulation, Multiplayer, Resource Management, Civilization Building, Campaign, Tactical Combat

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 10; verdict: Needs Language Support Improvements; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key themes. The most severe issue is the lack of native language support, with users frequently referencing external sites for language patches. Additionally, the game's modding and customization options are notable, contributing to a medium severity theme. On a positive note, the game evokes strong feelings of nostalgia and has an active community, which is a significant positive aspect of the user experience.
- Steam Deck: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The Steam Deck experience is marred by significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and difficulties launching certain game modes. Additionally, users face challenges with localization, requiring manual intervention to access the game in their preferred language. There is also notable user dissatisfaction, with strong negative sentiments expressed towards the company.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests a range of opinions on pricing. One review explicitly mentions that a $35 price tag is too high for an older game, indicating that the fair price should be lower. Another review mentions that the game was purchased at a good price, suggesting it was likely on sale and thus cheaper. Positive reviews emphasizing the game's worth also imply that the price paid was fair and likely lower. The Japanese review mentions buying the game because it was cheap during a sale, further supporting the idea that the community finds lower prices more acceptable.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: 25.0h
  - Session length: 0.8h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides specific playtime metrics for different aspects of the game. The first quote directly mentions the campaign gameplay duration, which helps estimate the story completion time. The second quote indicates a short-term play session, useful for estimating session length. The third quote suggests a typical duration for a quick skirmish game, supporting the session length metric. The fourth quote implies extended play sessions, which can be indicative of general playtime patterns.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Age of Empires III offers immediate fun, especially when played with friends or through its engaging campaign and multiplayer modes. The game's addictive nature and variety of content make it enjoyable from the start.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Starting the game and playing with friends
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of multiplayer support; Optimization issues
  - Unlock drivers: Variety of gameplay options; Playing with friends
  - Conditions: Playing with friends; Engaging in single-player campaign; Exploring different multiplayer modes
- Player Archetypes:
  - Social Multiplayer Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying multiplayer experiences with friends.
    - Playstyle: Cooperative and competitive multiplayer.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Multiplayer fan; Social gamer
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II; Other RTS games
  - Casual Strategy Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying a simple and addictive strategy game.
    - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed single-player or multiplayer.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Newcomer; Casual gamer
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II; Other beginner-friendly RTS games
  - Campaign Story Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying the depth and variety of single-player campaigns.
    - Playstyle: Immersive single-player campaign.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Story enthusiast; Campaign lover
    - Reference games: Age of Empires series; Other story-rich RTS games


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Impressive graphics and visuals (weight 0.3): The game is praised for its high-quality graphics, animations, and visual effects, which were considered impressive for its time and an improvement over its predecessor.
- Variety of civilizations and maps (weight 0.27): The game offers a good variety of maps and civilizations, each with different playstyles and unique advantages.
- Fun and engaging gameplay (weight 0.27): Players find the game incredibly fun to play, with refined and engaging gameplay that offers several hours of enjoyment in various modes.
- Essential experience for RTS fans (weight 0.27): The game is considered a fantastic and essential experience for real-time strategy genre fans, recommended for both enthusiasts and newcomers.
- Blends strategy, history, and gameplay (weight 0.25): The game is noted for its detailed world of colonization, empire-building, and tactical battles, making it a perfect mix of strategy, challenge, and fun.
- Interesting campaign story (weight 0.24): The game features a good and interesting story in its campaign, with cinematic elements that enhance the overall experience.
- Colonial era atmosphere (weight 0.22): The game is praised for its colonial-era setting and atmosphere, which adds a unique flair to the gameplay experience.
- Good sound ambiance and maps (weight 0.21): The game is praised for its sound ambiance and numerous maps, which contribute to its longevity and active multiplayer community.
- Nostalgic charm (weight 0.12): The game evokes a sense of nostalgia and fond memories for players, adding to its enduring appeal.
- Expansion packs add content (weight 0.12): The game's content is enriched with expansion packs that add significant new content and enhance the overall experience.
- Depth and complexity of mechanics (weight 0.1): The game is appreciated for the depth and complexity of its mechanics, offering a rich and engaging gameplay experience.
- Runs on low-end PCs (weight 0.1): The game is noted for its stable performance and low PC requirements, making it accessible to players with low-end systems.

Common complaints:
- AI issues (weight 0.17): The AI in the game is considered simple and insufficient, with cooperation issues and varying difficulty levels.
- Inferior to Age of Empires II (weight 0.16): Some aspects of the game are considered worse compared to its predecessor, Age of Empires II.
- Language support removed (weight 0.16): The game has removed language support, particularly affecting Chinese language users.
- Multiplayer disabled (weight 0.11): Multiplayer functionality has been disabled, potentially to encourage purchase of a new version.
- Non-historical campaigns (weight 0.1): The campaigns in the game are fictional and not historically accurate, which may disappoint some players.
- Servers offline (weight 0.08): The game's servers have been discontinued and are offline.
- New version releasing (weight 0.07): There is a need for a new version of the game, with a new version being released.
- Removed from store (weight 0.07): The game has been taken off the Steam store and is no longer available for purchase.
- Not worth the price (weight 0.07): The game is considered a waste of time and money, not worth its price tag.
- Faction imbalances (weight 0.07): There are definite imbalances between the factions in the game.
- High system requirements (weight 0.06): The game has high system and hardware requirements, which may be a barrier for some players.
- Installation errors (weight 0.06): There are initial startup and installation errors, particularly on Windows 10.

Gameplay feedback:
- Unique Civilizations and Units (weight 0.36): The game features a variety of civilizations, each with unique units and buildings. This diversity adds depth and replayability to the gameplay.
- Gameplay Modes (weight 0.32): The game offers various modes including campaign, multiplayer, and versus modes, catering to different player preferences.
- Gameplay Experience (weight 0.27): The game is described as having enjoyable and addictive gameplay, with a balance of being easy to learn but hard to master.
- Strategic Depth (weight 0.24): The game includes strategic elements like trade routes, card systems, and unit shipment, adding layers of strategy.
- Historical Setting (weight 0.23): Set in historical periods ranging from the 14th to the 19th century, the game includes various historical wars and events.
- Combat and Tactics (weight 0.23): The combat system allows for macro-scale battles and includes various units like cannons, muskets, and cavalries.
- AI and Multiplayer (weight 0.22): Players can engage in battles with AI or in multiplayer modes, including co-op with friends.
- Home City System (weight 0.18): The Home City system is a significant innovation, allowing players to develop their main city and receive strategic benefits.
- Resource Management (weight 0.18): Players gather resources, build armies, and manage their bases. Villagers play a crucial role in resource generation.
- Exploration and Development (weight 0.11): The game features exploration elements and the development of metropolises, enhancing the strategic depth.
- Card System Importance (weight 0.07): The card system, tied to the metropolis, provides strategic benefits and requires careful management for optimal gameplay.
- Long-term Engagement (weight 0.07): The game is noted for its long game time and enduring appeal, making it engaging over extended periods.

Performance notes:
- Runs well on low-end systems (weight 0.27): The game performs well on older desktops with integrated graphics and low system requirements, making it accessible for players with budget PCs.
- Improved graphics quality (weight 0.13): Players appreciate the enhanced graphics, noting that the game looks great even on lower settings.
- Fluid and stable gameplay (weight 0.11): The game offers fluid and stable gameplay, with no sudden freezes or crashes reported by some players.
- Initialization error on Windows 10 (weight 0.1): Some players encounter an initialization error specifically on Windows 10, which may require troubleshooting.
- Compatibility issues with older OS (weight 0.1): There are mentions of compatibility issues and display flickering on older operating systems like Windows 7 64-bit.
- Supports high resolutions (weight 0.07): The game supports 2K and 4K resolutions, providing a better visual experience for players with capable hardware.
- Works well on Windows 11 (weight 0.07): The game runs smoothly on Windows 11, indicating good compatibility with newer operating systems.
- Building placement causes lag (weight 0.07): Placing buildings in the game can cause lag, particularly when there are excessive walls.
- Crashes when changing graphics settings (weight 0.05): Players report that the game crashes when they attempt to change the graphics settings.
- FPS drops reported (weight 0.04): Some players experience drops in frames per second (FPS), which can affect the smoothness of gameplay.
- Screen flickering and blackouts (weight 0.04): Some players experience screen flickering and blackouts, which can be disruptive to gameplay.
- Menu functionality issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of the game menu not working properly, which can hinder navigation and settings adjustments.
- Proton compatibility mentioned (weight 0.04): The game is noted to have compatibility with Proton, which allows it to run on Linux systems.
- Resolution problems (weight 0.04): There are mentions of resolution problems, which can affect the visual quality and gameplay experience.
- Desire for better hardware (weight 0.03): Some players express a wish for better hardware to fully enjoy the game, indicating that the game might be demanding on lower-end systems.
- Steam overlay admin issue (weight 0.03): The Steam overlay does not work unless Steam is run as an administrator, which can be an inconvenience for some players.

Recommendations:
- Good for RTS beginners (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for players new to the RTS genre due to its accessibility and ease of learning.
- Highly recommended (weight 0.1): Many players highly recommend the game without specifying particular aspects.
- Wait for sale (weight 0.07): Several players suggest waiting for the game to go on sale before purchasing.
- Definitive Edition opinions (weight 0.07): Mixed opinions on the Definitive Edition, with some players finding it worth buying and others thinking it is not better than the original.
- Language patch availability (weight 0.07): Players are interested in the availability of language patches, specifically mentioning Japanese and Chinese.
- Great for RTS fans (weight 0.04): Considered a great addition to the Steam library for fans of the RTS genre.
- Recommended with mods (weight 0.04): The game is highly recommended when played with mods.
- Multiplayer issues (weight 0.04): Some players advise against this version if you are interested in online multiplayer.
- Recommended for 2v2 (weight 0.04): Players recommend the game for 2v2 matches with friends.
- Try Wars of Liberty (weight 0.03): Suggested for single-player or mod-focused gameplay.
- Browser recommendations (weight 0.03): Recommendations to use specific browsers like Chrome or Firefox with Adblock for a better experience.
- Access different versions (weight 0.03): Instructions on how to access different versions of the game are provided.

Other player notes:
- Game Removed from Steam Store (weight 0.08): The game is no longer available for purchase on the Steam store, limiting access to those who already own it.
- Multiplayer and Coop Features (weight 0.08): The game supports both multiplayer and cooperative modes, allowing players to enjoy the game together.
- Active Community (weight 0.04): The game has an active community, which can enhance the multiplayer and cooperative experiences.

Emotions:
- Nostalgia (weight 0.32): Players express nostalgia due to childhood memories associated with the game, often comparing it to other classic strategy games like Warcraft and Age of Empires II. The game's longevity and the personal connections formed through playing it with family and friends also contribute to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.09): Technical issues such as game crashes, resolution problems, and CD key issues are major sources of frustration. Additionally, multiplayer problems, account access issues, and the removal of language support exacerbate player frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players feel disappointed due to the discontinuation of multiplayer servers and the removal of the game from stores. Comparisons to Age of Empires II and the perceived lack of depth, as well as pricing issues and the absence of certain language supports, also contribute to this emotion.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Players are satisfied with the game's progression and customization mechanics, as well as its visuals and gameplay. The unique experience of different factions and the overall high quality of the game also contribute to this positive sentiment.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.06): Enthusiasm stems from the game's graphics, variety, and fun gameplay. Players enjoy the detailed gameplay mechanics and strategies, as well as team battles and unit coordination, which make it a favorite multiplayer game.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): The dynamic and tactical warfare, along with the game's historical accuracy and unique units like German cavalry and Turkish cannons, generate excitement. The ability to play the game with better hardware also adds to this feeling.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Players enjoy the military strategy and historical elements of the game. The visual effects of buildings falling and cannons exploding, as well as the fun and challenging combat, contribute to this enjoyment.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy comes from the happiness and satisfaction with the game and its memories. Playing the game with family, rediscovering the pleasure of playing after a long time, and the overall positive experiences contribute to this emotion.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Anger is primarily caused by the removal of features from the old version and the delisting of the game for a buggier version. The high price for the fourth edition and the removal of language support also contribute to this emotion.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.04): Players feel nostalgic due to following the Age of Empires series since its first release and enjoying the game since childhood. Playing the game with family during childhood and the preference for Age of Empires III over its predecessor also contribute to this sentiment.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration stems from the appreciation for the game's visuals and fluidity despite its age. The comprehensive and high-quality game experience, as well as its educational value, contribute to this positive sentiment.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement comes from humorous reflections on the gameplay experience and historical progression. Unique units like cows in battle and interesting gameplay scenarios add to this feeling.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is derived from playing the game with family and the game's legacy. The positive memories and experiences related to the game contribute to this emotion.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is generated by the anticipation for the release of a new version and the support for Simplified Chinese. Players look forward to future improvements and updates.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is driven by its story mode and deck-building mechanic. Players appreciate these unique features and the overall gameplay experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from the game being removed from sale and its servers being deactivated. Players are unsure about the reasons behind these actions.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is caused by the discontinuation of multiplayer support and the game being removed from sale. Players feel a sense of loss and disappointment due to these actions.}