Unlike previous Age of Empire games, the building of a Wonder does not signify the endgame. Not unlike developing your character in a RPG, this mechanic encourages you to stick with one civilization, learning the nuances while reaping the rewards of each level gained. As your Home City levels up, progressively stronger cards are introduced - some with prerequisites - allowing more diverse play styles to open up. Each of the eight civilizations have unique cards with several cards that overlap between them all. You are allowed to change out cards at the beginning of each campaign mission, giving the player the chance to tailor their deck and the shipments that will be available for the specific mission at hand.

These cards are formed into a deck from which a maximum of 20 cards are selected to be brought into each match. The persistent Home City across all campaigns is developed even further with the introduction of cards that can be played to receive a certain type of shipment. The one kink in this system is that certain shipments can only be received once during each game, requiring you to strategically use them when they are most needed. Access to these shipments is gained through experience points earned through your actions, and differ from Age to Age. This city will occasionally supply you with aid ranging from economic and military upgrades, reinforcements, or surplus resources. This allows for more role playing mechanics to brought into the fray as upgrades are persistent across all campaigns, encouraging players to find a play style they are comfortable with and developing their Home City in this direction. The Home City functions as a second disconnected city in the game, almost like an imperialistic nation looking out for a budding colony. While the core of the game remains intact from Age of Empires II, the addition of the Home City significantly changes the entire surrounding package. A dense single-player campaign is split into three acts spanning three generations of the fictional Black family. The franchise as a whole is thrust forward in history from Age of Empires II by several hundred years making good use of the new time period. This main change modifies the stock RTS mechanics, introducing some more features akin to Role Playing Games. Each civilization's Home City has an unique bonus that changes the way each one is played. Several innovations are introduced to the franchise's mainstay pillars, most significantly with the addition of the Home City. Released in 2005, Age of Empires III (AoE3) portrays the European conquest and further colonization of the Americas between 14 CE.

Age of empires 3 home city level