Battle Book Series TACTICS GUIDE BY MARK WALKER ACG's Battle Book mpire Earth is a long and storied provinces to attack, and what to do with franchise. Starting with the origi- them after they are conquered. Of course arms gamers nal Empire Earth, which was conquering the world isn’t an easy process. with the real-time released in November 2001, and You’ll not only need to fight opposing civi- continuing through Empire Earth lizations but native tribes, too. Although tactics that win on E II, the franchise received critical the tribes that are native to a region are Empire Earth III's acclaim and significant sales. If there was usually not quite as formidable as an one complaint, however, it was that the advanced civilization, they do require you battlefields. franchise was a bit too detailed—presented to zoom into the province and get your a few too many options. Some gamers hands dirty defeating them on the tactical were thrilled at the depth of the design, Empire Earth III but some others were is a beautiful slightly intimidated. game. Sierra has listened to the legion of fans and have answered their call for a simpler, more streamlined version of their popu- lar game. Empire Earth III is that answer. Gone are the semi-confusing multi- tudes of civilizations. Instead, Empire Earth III allows gamers to map. These intricacies, coupled with pick from three: the West, Middle East, and numerous epochs and hundreds of units Far East. Although the reduction in civiliza- make Empire Earth III a game that is not tions certainly makes the game simpler, easily mastered. And that, my friend, is Mad Doc software has added some addi- where this battle book may come in handy. BASED ON A GAME tional strategic flavor in the form of the Although not the definitive guide to all RATED BY THE turn-based, strategic game over the tacti- things Empire Earth III, it will help you hit www.empireearth.com/splash/ cal, real-time strategy engine. Here gamers the ground running. So, follow along as we can determine exactly how they want to go take a look at the game and provide tips TEEN BLOOD AND GORE about dominating the world. They can that will help you on your way to Empire LANGUAGE MILD SUGGESTIVE THEMES choose which provinces to defend, which Earth III mastery. T VIOLENCE ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org T BASED ON A GAME TEEN C OPYRIGHT 2 008, ARMCHAIR GENERAL® MAGAZINE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1 RATED BY THE BLOOD AND GORE www.armchairgeneral.com LANGUAGE MILD SUGGESTIVE THEMES VIOLENCE ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org Battle Book Series TACTICS GUIDE Tickle Those Keys empire that is ready to kick serious Empire Earth III tail. p.2 Are these guys working as hard CTRL+NUMBER A Game of Economics as they should? Pressing this combination does p.5 what it has done since the folks Stategic Thinking at Westwood came up with it way back in the days of p.6 Command and Conquer. It places the currently selected Commerce and units into a group. This is useful Technology for about a quarter million things, but I’ll only mention a p.7 couple. The Final Strategy TICKLE THOSE KEYS Thing One: This allows you to form a group of units that provide mutual There’s nothing to real-time strategy, p.7 protection, for example, infantry, tanks, and right? You lasso some units here, click over mobile artillery pieces. The artillery pieces there, build a building there, collect some bombard opposing infantry and take out resources, and you win. There’s nothing to buildings. The tanks protect the mobile real-time strategy right? Wrong. artillery, and the infantry protect the tanks There’s quite a bit to it, and part of that bit from other infantry. Another good example begins with the interface. If you want to be is placing pikemen with archers. Pikemen good at Empire Earth III, you have to go beyond lassoing and clicking. You have to learn the shortcuts. Shortcuts both on the keyboard and with the mouse. Here are some of my favorites, and the actions that they perform. CTRL+COMMA This selects all idle builders. Why Nothing like an is that good? It helps you ensure organized army. that all your people are gainfully These guys are employed. A gainfully employed the dreaded empire is a prosperous empire, Army 1. and a prosperous empire is an www.empireearth.com/splash/ C OPYRIGHT 2 008, ARMCHAIR GENERAL® MAGAZINE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.armchairgeneral.com 2 Battle Book Series TACTICS GUIDE Tickle Those Keys will protect the archers from cavalry, while move to keep the enemy units in range. the archers attrite any units attacking the This is a great stance to use when assign- p.2 pikemen. ing units to watch over an important loca- A Game of Economics Thing Two: Keeping organized. Placing tion, such as a market. your units in groups allows you to better The final stance, Guard, is like Hold on p.5 organize your attacks. For example, you steroids, or off steroids, depending on how Stategic Thinking can place your onagers in one group and you look at it. Units in the Guard stance will your pikemen and archers in another. only attack when attacked. p.6 The second group can clear the enemy There are three other useful combat- infantry units around the enemy buildings type commands, Charge, Skirmish, and the Commerce and and protect the onagers while they Technology rapidly (much more rapidly than the archers can) demolish the enemy p.7 buildings. The Final Strategy COMBAT KEYS p.7 I like to call these combat keys because they affect how your unit fights. Learning them might spell the difference between victory and defeat, which is about seven letters Each culture has by my calculations. a specific combat action. Unit stances are basic yet impor- tant combat keys. Your units can enter one of three stances: Standard, area-specific command that is specialized Hold, or Guard. for each group. Charge (short cut key “C”) Standard is just that, the standard is best used for melee specialty units, espe- stance, the mode in which your units will cially for big groups of them. Invoking this most often reside. In Standard mode they command gives the attacking units a bonus will attack any approaching enemy units, when they first enter combat. As you can and even chase them for a small distance— imagine, it’s best used to shatter enemy but they won’t go nuts chasing the units forces in one fell swoop. The ideal recipients back to their base (or wherever). This is of a charge attack are units that are strong important, as you’ll see when we get to the at range combat and weak at the hand-to- combat tips. hand stuff. Archers are a good example. In the Hold stance, units will engage Think of Skirmish as the opposite of units that come within range, but won’t Charge. Units given the Skirmish order will www.empireearth.com/splash/ C OPYRIGHT 2 008, ARMCHAIR GENERAL® MAGAZINE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.armchairgeneral.com 3 Battle Book Series TACTICS GUIDE Tickle Those Keys attempt to engage enemies at maximum After you have chosen the position, dig range. It almost goes without saying, but I’ll in with all but a few units. This will increase p.2 say it anyway, that this order is best given the defensive bonus of those defending A Game of Economics to units that are strong with ranged units. Of course, they won’t be able to weaponry. For example, to continue in the move until you choose to leave the fortifi- p.5 Ancient epoch, archers. cations, but that’s okay. Now take the Stategic Thinking Each of the three cultures also has a handful of your remaining mobile units and specific skill. Westerners can recuperate, Far attack your objective. The goal is not to p.6 Easterners can dig in, and Mid-Easterners capture the objective, but rather trick the can spring an ambush. Use each intelligent- defenders into counterattacking. After you Commerce and ly. The Westerners’ ability to heal themselves engage the enemy, retreat to your fortifica- Technology is a significant skill, but it requires that the tions. With luck, the enemy will follow and healing (or repairing) units do nothing else. dash themselves against your dug-in p.7 So, when in contact with the enemy, you defenders. Repeat as necessary until the The Final Strategy need at least two formations to take advan- enemy has been sufficiently weakened. tage of the skill: While one fights, the other Then release your troops from the fortifica- p.7 can heal. After the resting formation is tions, attack, and take your objective. healed, it can once again be thrown against The Mid-Easterner’s ambush is per- the bad guys, allowing the formerly engaged haps the most interesting of the three unit to retreat to the rear and recuperate unique combat actions. It works like this. themselves. Lasso a bunch of units, direct them to a The Far Easterners can use their dig-in location, and order them to spring an skill on both offense and defense. On ambush. When enemies approach the posi- defense the skill can enhance the defenses tion, your ambushers will attack them from of vital locations; it’s a straightforward the trees, bushes, building, or whatever, application of the skill. On offense the and assault them, receiving a bonus with employment is more subtle, but no less their initial attack.