On topic: I've been really concerned about AOE3. The graphics threw me off a little. I was like well... if buildings get blown to pieces when hit... does a barracks with the top half blown off produce units just as fast as one completely full hp? When the guy's arms get chopped off does he do less damage? I think one of ES's biggest flaws in AOM was that they didn't listen to the "good people". Take GX_Iron for instance: He told them DO NOT remove the hero bonus vs. set's animals--or you WILL be sorry. Well, he left to go work at a construction company (aka, he had an aneurism or something that affected his mental state...) Well, ES didn't listen. I mean, hell, he's only the #1 player in the world. Pfft, what does he know?! Well any AOM'er knows what happened. Set became the only competative nation for months on end. He was completely unbeatable. I'm not talking like Isis now, I'm talking like Huns on AOC x 10! It took them two full patches to fix him. Another sure sign for me is that my favorite player from AOC -- The Sheriff's, aka Kevin Holm, screen name wasn't even listed on ESO stat search after the game had been out for about a year. That guy is god to me! I love him! I'd give anything to meet that guy! He was the coolest, most innovative player ever on AOC! Smush?! How can you beat that?! Well, I'm no longer shaky about AOE3. I'm gonna buy it. Hands down. Why? What convinced me to change my opinion so suddenly from uncertainty to confidence in this new game? One quote from one man: “I’ve been playing games all day. I probably played 12 games today and I had fun in every one. The game is just fun now. I played lots of civs, and ships, and it was a blast. The Home City is the best feature ever.”
-Kevin "The Sheriff" Holme