Debuting back in 2005, it’s safe to say there’s not too much of Age of Empires 3 that hasn’t been explored by the time of this article’s writing in 2020. But with the Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition coming out recently, fans of the game have flocked back en masse, enjoying a few of the game’s many different modes. As developers watch the success of the refinished game, they can’t help but be pleased with the new coat of paint giving many players, both veterans and newbies, a return to the delightfully hectic experience.
All that being said, even after fifteen years of uncovering stones, watching live streams and YouTube videos reveals that even some of the expert players haven’t discovered all there is to explore in this game. This list is a compilation of the fun and helpful features that players of Age of Empires 3 have largely remained in the shadows.
10 Making Hotkeys Hot
Among the many reasons to make the switch to PC gaming is the hotkeys. Being able to click a single button and having an action executed immediately is helpful in most any game, but in a real-time strategy game, it’s downright essential.
Most Age of Empires 3 gamers know how to use the hotkeys, but the default hotkeys aren’t very hot. For example, “Ctrl+P” is the setting to select a trading post; not only is that two buttons, but they are also two buttons that require two hands! Use the tools to change the defaults to single, easy buttons.
9 Corralling Herds
Heads up, video game animal lovers out there, hunting in this game is a downright requirement for early nations to succeed (and it’s still more food than easy ranching later on). Sadly, most unknowingly players hunt like neanderthals.
Herds are not stationary. After being attacked, they will move away from the attackers, and this effect happens every twelve seconds. So the real tip is to shoot them toward friendly territory and then slaughter them where they can be safely and quickly gathered.
8 Entering Codes
Cheat codes in gaming are not a thing of the past and Age of Empires 3 is perfectly fine with letting players cheat their way to some single-player victories. It’s funny more people aren’t aware of this, there’s no special place to enter a code, just type the right phrase into the chatbox!
While most codes give advantages, like wiping out enemy units and giving extra resources, some are just plain goofy. Making all of the livestock look overweight, summoning a gigantic statue of George Washington’s head, or spawning a monster truck is less of a cheat and more of a bit of silliness on the part of the developers.
7 Legitimate Mods
Most Age of Empires 3 fanatics are more than aware of the absolutely absurd modding that can be done with the game. Despite the prevalence of games that make all mods look supremely silly (here’s looking at you, Grand Theft Auto V), Age of Empires 3 actually has mods that expand the core game.
Some of the most popular ones make the UI easier to navigate; almost all of the pros have one they’ve custom-designed. Others add huge campaign settings in single-player. And still more introduce new civilizations. Pick one up, they’re not all ridiculous.
6 Queue Up Commands
Winning against the French can be a difficult task to master in this series. They are known for their speed and though there are numerous let’s plays available online, some players just simply aren’t able to keep up the pace needed in order to win.
There’s a way to fake their lightning-quick reflexes. Holding shift will tell a unit, like a settler, to do several things in the order that the player inputs. So strategists no longer have to spend every second controlling their econ, they can give their workers to-do lists and send them on their way.
5 “Creeping”
Creeping is a strategy in the game involving how to get some treasure that is well-guarded by some “creeps” in the form of beasts, bears, or bandits.
There is an invisible circle that these creeps cannot pass. So anyone with a rifle, even a settler, does not have to take any damage from these ferocious guardians. Shoot twice, run away a bit, then keep shooting to stay unscathed and get some sweet loot!
4 Attacking Closest Unit
When the game first came out, players were often baffled by the decision making of their own units. One-hundred riflemen would unleash one-hundred shots… all into one, single enemy unit. This type of attack is still the default attack, even after all of the upgrades in the latest edition.
Thankfully, a workaround has been developed. A hotkey was added (“x” by default) so players could command their units to attack the enemies closest to them and not just the single individual the player clicks on. Use it frequently and save targeted attacks for the most dangerous enemies.
3 Change Ship Deployment
Trying to master those naval skills with the British? Want to relive the glory days of the Spanish Armada? All players recognize that naval units are ridiculously powerful when compared to the land units, but without a sizable ocean, their usage is capped.
Most maps have little lakes and inlets and the default deploy point for ships can be moved from the vast ocean to these tiny but strategic locations. Simply click the buoy with the player’s flag on it, click the only button on the taskbar, and click the new point! Just don’t forget to move it back to a better spot, after making the warship, it’s not wise to fill up an entire pond with an entire fleet.
2 Getting Idle Settlers Back To Work
As most any pro player will suggest, making sure that the villagers are always working is paramount to success, even more than effectively managing military units (though both are substantially important).
Most players are aware that clicking the white flag that pops up will select the closest idle settler. But the UI has an option to enable the “Show Gatherers Per Resource” list. Activating this also shows idle settlers and shift-clicking the icon makes it so all idle settlers can be moved at once.
1 Teleportation
This here is a neat little trick to shave off precious seconds of walking in the early going and it could be life-saving in an invasion. Gatherers will start next to the boxes at the beginning, but some will need to move around the Town Center and on to hunting.
By changing the Town Center’s unloading location, these gatherers can enter the Garrison from the bottom and exit out of the top in an instant, effectively teleporting them. And during a raid, ranged units can exploit this technique when melee units close in on them to dodge all incoming attacks.
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