Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs

Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs is the first expansion pack for the real-time strategy game Age of Empires III that was originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for PC in late 2005.



Following the success of the base AoE 3 game that quickly became one of the best-selling PC games of 2005, the team quickly started production of its first expansion pack. After one year of work, The WarChiefs was released to sales in late 2006, enabling more than one million players to access several new civilizations, new maps, and a wide array of other advancements.

This expansion pack could be purchased standalone or as a part of the bundle called Age of Empires III Gold Edition that was offered for sale in late 2007.

Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs does not change the basic gameplay formula of the original AoE3 game. The players are still expected to gather resources, build their bases, move their current technology level and unlock new structures and units by progressing through ages, train large armies and engage in offensive and defensive combat situations until all opponents are defeated or specific objectives are met.



However, the game features new gameplay concepts that can influence the gameplay choices – a brand new stealth gameplay option, Tribal Councils, Fire Pit, various native American Dances, and unique technologies accessible by various Native Civilizations.

Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs features three large civilizations of Aztecs, Iroquois and Sioux, and 16 new minor tribes (Huron, Cheyenne, Zapotec, Klamath, Apache, Navajo, and many others). European civilizations have the option to revolt, break free from the Industrial Age, and form their independent home nation.

The game unlocks access to a wide array of new maps, new native civilization technologies, and a fully-featured single-player campaign that consists of 15 missions separated into two acts.



Similarly like in the original game, the main protagonists of the expansion campaign are the members of the fictional Black family who must survive two distinct periods in their family history – an American revolution (depicted in Act 1), and the confrontation with Native American during Red Cloud's War and Great Sioux War in Act 2.

Since it was released in distant 2005, Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs can today be easily played on almost every PC you can find around you, even including basic laptops, netbooks, and X86-powered tablets.

Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 Pro+
• Processor: 1.2GhZ CPU
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 2 GB Space
• Direct X: 9.0c Capable GPU
• DirectX®: 9.0

PROS

• Diverse Native American Civilizations
• Engaging Campaign Storylines
• New Gameplay Mechanics and Units
• Unique Home City Customization
• Rich Historical Accuracy

CONS

• Limited Faction Variety
• Steep Learning Curve
• Graphics Feel Dated
• Requires Base Game to Play
• Occasional Balance Issues