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In this highly anticipated next installment in the Age of Empires franchise from Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires III places players in the time period of roughly 1500 - 1850, picking up where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings left off. As players work to establish their empire, they take on the role of a European power struggling to explore, colonize, and conquer North and South America. Age of Empires III introduces exciting new gameplay elements, including the all-new Home City and an incredible combat system. Players have new civilizations to discover, random maps to conquer, and a single-player campaign unlike any other. Players also find stunning graphics as a result of a revolutionary graphics engine that pushes the limits of PC graphics technology in an entirely new way. As players control the action, they can experience a new level of exciting combat with realistic physics effects and have the option of engaging in battle with blades, gunpowder, or both. Victory depends on the player's strategic battle plan. The Home City represents a player's capital back in Europe and plays a supporting role in the attempt to control the New World. The better the player performs in the New World, the more powerful his or her Home City becomes. Players can customize their Home City to reflect unique personality traits, making the Home City a vital character in the game. Players can take advantage of elements of the colonial time period, including the ability to ally with Native Americans. They also can explore and find new resources in the Amazon rain forest, recover buried treasure from Caribbean islands, hunt bison on the Great Plains, compete to establish trade routes, and fortify the coast of New England. Players witness new lighting effects and shadows while immersed in a world that feels bright and sunny, yet which has a softness and depth that is revolutionary to PC games. Thanks to the new physics engine, players never see the same scene twice.