Sign-up RTS League 2nd Season open

by Qazitory | 2:51 PM

The first season of AoE3:TWC League in RTSL is almost finished, with SkWiZz, sMb, hope and Aztec still to play each other in the semifinals, but the sign-up for the next season has already started.

RTSL is all about fun and fair competition, a total of 60 clans participated in the first season. If your clan would like to participate in the league, make sure to sign up your clan before 9th of March, because the season starts already on 12th. More information and the league rules can be found on the RTS League website.

World Team Tournament

by StonewallJ | 2:10 PM

Over the past few weeks the admins and moderators of the WTT (hope and SkWiZz clan members) have been very busy, and they're are proud to present to you the World Team Tournament...

Description:
-8 division of x teams, and then the two best up to final phase.
-Teams are composed of 2 players.
-A round has 4*1v1 (each players vs each others) and 1*2v2.
-Schedule/Report is on SkWizZ website.
-Games rules are Supremacy standard.
-At least $500 cash prize!

Sign Ups.
Rules.
Discussion.

Good luck!

Partners:

1.03 Patch Notes

by StonewallJ | 4:20 PM

From age Community!

Spain
Rodelero hand attack reduced to 12, cover attacks reduced appropriately.
Shipment bonus changed to .73
Wardogs damage reduced to 15, but they get a 20% bonus vs. guardians

Iroquois
Forest Prowler reduced ranged attacks by 2, hand attack by 1, siege attack by 2

Dutch
Military Reforms – changed Halberdier speed bonus to +20%

German
Uhlan +10% Ranged Resistance
Uhlan bug fixed

British
Longbowmen get 1.25 bonus damage vs. heavy infantry

Aztecs
Chinampa and Great Chinampa cards reduced by 5%
Start with +1 food crate
Age2 Jaguar card reduced to 5

Portuguese
Organ Guns get +10% damage, +2 range, and +4 LOS

Ottomans
Abus guns get 0.75 damage vs. artillery
Abus guns get 1.5 bonus damage vs. heavy infantry
Abus guns Ranged Resistance reduced to 20%

Sioux
Age2 bear card reduced to 4

Russians
Cossacks +10% Ranged Resistance

Discuss!

Triggers and Multiplayer Scenarios - Feedback

by StonewallJ | 6:16 PM

Ensemble Studios employee, Thunder has just posted in our Scernario Design Forum the following:

We have been working hard to bring Multiplayer Custom Scenarios (MCS) online for all of you. We definitely wanted to bring this feature to you sooner, and we still have some hurdles to jump before we get there, but in the last few months we have made progress. Now we need input from the fans and designers who will actually be using this feature the most. This is where you come in.

Triggers in MCS are a pain. They cause OOSs. They work strangely. We’re looking at triggers right now and we want to know which triggers you use the most. We understand that some of the triggers work only partially or are broken. Trust me, we know. We would like to get them all working however the development time to do that is simply prohibitive. So we have to prioritize and focus so that we can deliver as much as we can. Below is a link to a list of trigger conditions and effects. We want feedback from you about the importance of these triggers to MCS. This will probably have to tap the lot of you who did design work for AoM, but also single-player scenario designers who know the Age3 triggers well...

The rest of the post is located in our Scenario Design Forums. Basically, he's looking for what Triggers you use frequently and what triggers you rarely use at all. He also comes out and says that they are working steadily towards have Custmn Scenarios Online (CSO), so this will help push the process forward. they have two weeks to gather all information from that thread, so get looking through your triggers!

Eigth Most Sold Game

by StonewallJ | 11:20 PM

This January, Age of Empires 3 was the eigth most sold computer game.

Top 20:

1) World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack - Vivendi
2) World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack Collector's Edition - Vivendi
3) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi
4) The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts
5) Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes - Sony Online Entertainment
6) Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts
7) Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft
8) Age Of Empires III - Microsoft
9) Medieval II: Total War - Sega of America
10) The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
11) Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes Collector's Edition - Sony Online Entertainment
12) The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
13) Warcraft III Battle Chest - Vivendi
14) Microsoft Flight Simulator X - Microsoft
15) The Sims Complete Collection - Electronic Arts
16) Civilization IV - 2K Games
17) Guild Wars Nightfall - NCsoft
18) The Sims 2: University Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
19) Company Of Heroes - THQ
20) The Sims 2: Open For Business Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts

Yay! Here is the source. Not bad for an RTS that came out a year and a half ago.

New ES Staff - WaCkO

by StonewallJ | 9:53 PM

With Swinger no longer on ES staff, it seems Ensemble went to the community. WaCkO is now an official ES balance tester. He already visited Ensemble Studios to comment on the balance of The WarChiefs before its release, after winning the Warrior's Path Tournament.

You can congratulate him here, but don't bombard him with too many questions!

The “Strategic Objectives” Challenge with Prizes

by StonewallJ | 11:26 PM

Scenario Designer MosheLevi is going to post up a new scenario called "Strategic Objectives (for both the original AoE3 and TWC). This "scenario" is in fact a new game type.

Moshe explains some features:

It allows to capture abandon buildings (such as Forts and Barracks), and even re-capture them from the AI and vice versa.
Captured buildings offer either economic bonus or military bonus (free units).

Players can also construct Fixed Guns anywhere on the map.

I will make a special version of “Strategic Objectives” for online players once the support for Custom Scenarios Online is implemented.

There will be a challenge on who can beat the AI. And MosheLevi is giving away prizes! He has 6 games to give away:

-2 AOE3: TWC,
-2 Company of Heroes
-2 Supreme Commander

New game type, fun, and free prizes! Make sure to keep an eye out to see when he releases it! Discuss Strategic Objectives and read more about it in his thread.

Bruce Shelley Blog Update

by StonewallJ | 7:53 PM

Bruce Shelley updated his blog again yesterday with a possible hint of a future project:

Another game popular with a segment of our staff right now is Zelda: Twilight Princess. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m told it is very, very good and is providing inspiration for a potential future product.
We also regularly download demo versions of games and place them on our network for people to try. This week the game people are trying is Supreme Commander, from old friend Chris Taylor.

Who knows what may be in store for future Ensemble studios projects. Read his full blog here.

New Map - Ozarks

by StonewallJ | 7:42 PM

The upcoming patch will bring the community a brand new map.

Bruce Shelley states the following in his blog:

Age III Warchiefs New Map- Ozarks: Karen McMullan and Nick Currie have created this new map that will be released in a forthcoming patch. It is loosely based on the hilly terrain of the Ozark hills of Missouri and Arkansas. The key features are the hills spread around the map, especially down the middle. A Trade Route (TR) runs across the hills from east to west with the Trading Posts on top. The north and south faces of the hills are impassable cliffs giving access to the hill tops only on their...

Sounds interesting to me, discuss the new map if you wish here.

He also mentions in his blog our HeavenGames wiki with a screenshot made by Swift Sampson!

Cyber Globe E-Sports Association

by StonewallJ | 8:31 PM

The Cyber Globe E-Sports Association (CGESA) is still planning a large event for Age of Empires 3 that will have a variation of prizes from cash to Graphics Cards. They will be hosting more than one event in the future for The WarChiefs but need staff to make it happen! If you want to help out the Age of Empires 3 community by being an admin for some great tournaments, fill out an application form on their site. We hope that their tournaments turn out to be a hit and hope you can be a part of it!

Poll Roundup

by StonewallJ | 7:54 PM

Last time for our poll we asked you, "Should ES Enable Custom Scenarios to be played Online?"

Here's how you replied:

-I would really love to have it, YES! [1181 votes]
-It'd be good, but there are other issues that come first [441 votes]
-It wouldn't make a difference [110 votes]
-I'm fine playing Supremacy and Deathmatch, no need for anything else. [224 votes]

An overwhelming amount of you want Custom Scenarios Online, let's hope it gets implemented!

This poll we are asking, "What do you think is the most important balance change for the next patch?" Go on and vote!

Rise of Berlin: A Guide to Germany

by StonewallJ | 6:37 PM

That's right, another civilization guide is written up by one of our forumers. First it was The Russian Winter: Multiple Russian Strategies by TheGoodEvil, then The Rise of Istanbul by xMatt the Greatx, then Sioux Survival Guide: The Last Stand, by Smear. Now, we have a guide to the one, the only, Germany!

Many view Germany as the hardest civilization to play right now because of the Uhlan pop bug and slow start. Mediolanus tries to help those who are toughing it out with the Germans.

He begins giving out descriptions (with pictures) of each unit the Germans have, the buildings, and key German cards.

He follows up by giving the BO for 7 strats:

-The New German Way
-The German Outlaw Defense
-The Inexhaustible German Semi-Fast Fortress
-Mercenary Fast Fortress
-Mercantilism Fast Fortress
-Argentina Rush
-Revolting
-And tips on what to do versus the 10 other civilizations.

If you are still playing Germans, or looking for a civilization, this may be the guide for you. Read it here.

Strategy Awards: Presentations

by StonewallJ | 10:03 PM

With the wrap up of voting in our Strategy Awards, it was time to present. After setting up the stage and getting everyone ready, I finished "handing out" the presentations.

Here's a short blurb from the beginning:

Many various forumers from the world of Age of Empires 3 Heaven Forums gather into a grand theater with the lucious, comfortable seats with a foot rest and cup holder. It is a luxurious night, fabulous at 18:00. Forumers are still arriving. Ender_Ward stroll in with his bling-bling "IOR" jewelry, Joe right behind with a dazzling outfit featuring his "ASS" hat. Finally, ultimitsu is last to arrive, sputtering of some stat about balance, and a list of random abbreviations on his sleeve from "FCUK" to "DUN."

To read the whole award ceremony and to congratulate the winners, visit the thread.

Sioux Survival Guide: The Last Stand

by StonewallJ | 5:54 PM

Smear has written up quite a nice guide for all of you Sioux players out there. It contains various tips and strategies along with 7 recorded games displaying the strategies.

His guide includes:
-Basics of Sioux
-Sioux Fast Fortress Spam
-Ottoman Strangle
-2 TP FF Spam
-Classical Club Rush

Only way you can enjoy this gathering of strategies is to read it, so enjoy and good luck fighting.

Downloads Survey

by StonewallJ | 1:12 PM

If you use our Download section here at AoE3H, or anywhere at HeavenGames, we want your feedback to better improve our system.

To do that we have constructed a six question survey in which we are asking forumers to give us their feedback, so if you want to give us you opinions, feel free to take the survey

Thank you.

Best of the Best Tournament

by StonewallJ | 6:43 PM

Age Sanctuary is currently hosting a Best of the Best Tournament with $200 for rewards for the top three placers.

First place will receive $120. Second place will receive $60. Third place will receive $20.

These are the details of the tournament:

Here are the main details for the tourney :
• Game Type : Supremacy 1v1.
• Map : Map Pool (Standard).
• Bracket Type : Single elimination BO3. No Loser Bracket.
• Numbers of players : Let's go 256..
• Home city level : All.
Here are the settings for the maps for each round:
Game 1 : Round map, chosen by the staff (See Map Pool below).
Game 2 : The loser of game 1 chooses a map (he has to choose a map in Standard Maps).
Game 3 (if needed) : Loser of game 2 chooses a map.

There's a 256 player limit and they are already at 210, so sign up while you can!

Good luck.

The German Outlaw Defense

by StonewallJ | 1:14 AM

Having trouble with Germany lately?

Mediolanus has devised a strategy to effectively use Outlaws from the Saloon to push back rushes that come at you then overwhelm the opponent with superior troops.

This is the basis of the strategy:

The goal of this strat is to beat your enemy's rush by using outlaws. The best outlaws used for this are Pistoleros (musketeer kinda guys) and Renegados (skirms without hit-and-run). Comancheros are only good against cavalry and artillery (which noone uses to rush) and pirates are strong against cavalry (see comancheros). pirates also loose to rodeleros, and in that case you're better of using pistoleros.

To read the full strategy and be able to use Germany yourself, go to his thread.

ESO Recent Bannings

by StonewallJ | 11:35 PM

Brtnboarder495, seemingly the provider of all news from AgeCommunity, has picked up their latest News Post:

With the end of the ladder season coming up, we will be paying special attention to point traders over the next couple of weeks. Quite a number of players were banned in the last ladder season for this form of cheating and we will continue to have a zero tolerance policy toward point traders.

We will also be doing a round of bannings for players who attempt to extort ESO account passwords from other players, or otherwise attempt to gain control of another player's account, as well as anyone who uses hacks or cheats.

So, if you were banned, tsktsk. If you feel it was unjust and you did not deserve it, good luck to you! I suppose e-mail is the best shot.

Advanced Triggers Set

by StonewallJ | 5:07 PM

Designer pftq has uploaded an Advanced Triggers Set for the editor.

What it does:

For those who have downloaded these effects/conditions before, please delete them and install these. Not only are countless issues fixed and many improvements made, the new files keep the effects/conditions seperate from the original and easy to remove/update.

Changes from the original effects/conditions include:
- Center/Target Unit now works perfectly
- All units can be used to Center/Target Unit (even Cinematic Block)
- All fields accept any form of data INCLUDING but not limited to:
-- Quest Var Code (enter trQuestVarGet("QVNAME"))
-- Player Stats (enter trGetStatValue(PLAYER, STATID_NUMBER))
-- Math Operations (5*PlayerStat)
-- Any XS Code (just open the typetest.xml and start digging!)

pftq provides a full list of Effects and conditions in his thread.

You can download it here, but remember to read the Readme!

You can also go to his site for video demonstrations and screenshots of this.

More Balance Discussions

by StonewallJ | 11:38 PM

Another week brings more discussion about balance in TWC. Many ideas have sprung up and many more are sure to come. Walker_5 posted a thread discussing what should be in patch 1.03. Of course, Many people bring in a list and getting even some of these implemented is unrealistic and would take a long time!

However, speculation is fun. Give your thoughts on what needs a boost/nerf or say everything is a-okay.

Strategy Forum Awards!

by StonewallJ | 9:50 PM

We are introducing the Strategy Forum Awards!

If you are familiar with the Saloon awards held twice a year, then you know that their are various subjects that forumers will get voted for such as: Most Mature, Most Helpful, Favorite Newbie, Favorite Forumer, etc...

We will host an award ceremony for Strategies from Most Original Strategy to Most OverPowered Strategy to Most Helpful Strategy Forumer. We hope everyone to stop by and give a vote and nomination.

There will be four threads: Discussion, Nomination, Voting, and Presentation.

So nominate some strategies and then discuss how the awards are going so far.

Custom Scenarios Online

by StonewallJ | 6:25 PM

MosheLevi picked up on some great news on AgeCommunity:

ES_Paragon:
An update for the rest of you: The devs are continuing to evaluate the changes and work needed to get at least bare bones support in for CSO, as I continue to ask/nag/debate the case for getting it in.

Also to keep expectations in check I can say with high confidence that we will not see support added as a surprise in the next patch. I know that is not the news you wanted to hear, but progress is being made and currently the idea of adding in CSO has not been abandoned.

This is very good news for anyone who has been making the debate to push for CSO. If you want to discuss the matter, go here.

Forum Party February 3rd (Saturday)

by StonewallJ | 8:59 PM

This Saturday we will hold another riveting round of our weekly Forum Party.

If you have never been to a forum party before, it is when forumers log on to ESO2 at 12pm and 7pm EST and play some friendly team games together. Everyone is welcome so come and play!

We encourage you to record the games you play so I can write a War Story after watching the rec and have it posted here on the news and in General Discussions.

If you have further questions or want to see what time to log on in your time zone, check the Forum Party Thread.